In the sorrowful history of Israel in the wilderness it is truly refreshing to find a man like Caleb. He is not one of the great public figures, as Moses, Aaron, or Joshua. He was one of the heads of the children of Israel, of the honored tribe of Judah, going the weary round of the wilderness with his brethren, but assuredly with lighter heart and firmer step than they. In this respect, he very blessedly illustrated what "the earnest of the Spirit" is; at the same time he is a type of that class of "unknown, yet well known" Christians who, apart from murmuring and strife, are steadily traveling toward that rest of which the Lord Himself has spoken to them.
Historically, Caleb presents to us a feature which we do not find even in Moses himself. He had known Egypt for the first forty years of his life; he had walked through Canaan for forty days; he had gone through the wilderness, had passed over Jordan into the possession of Canaan, and was still full of manly vigor and courage. He was one of those who, through faith, had obtained promises and was not satisfied until he was in actual possession.
"On the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt," Moses and Aaron numbered Israel in the wilderness of Sinai, "every male by their polls; from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel." Numbers 1:1-31And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; 3From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies. (Numbers 1:1‑3). Again, after the plague in which twenty-four thousand perished in the matter of Baal-peor, Moses and Eleazar the priest numbered Israel in the plains of Moab, by Jordan, near Jericho. "But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of, Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun." Numbers 26:64, 6564But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. (Numbers 26:64‑65).
What kept Caleb and Joshua from being worn out by the trial of the wilderness which had worn out all their generation? "Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's forever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as He said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be that the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said." Josh. 14:6-126Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the Lord said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadesh-barnea. 7Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. 10And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. (Joshua 14:6‑12).
"I brought him word again as it was in mine heart." Caleb owned that it was a pleasant land which the Lord gave to the children of Israel, and his heart was set upon it. He could discern the difference between that land and Egypt-between the land which was cultivated with all human skill, "watered with the foot," and "a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: a land which the Lord thy God careth for; the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year." Deut. 11:11, 1211But the land, whither ye go to possess it, is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven: 12A land which the Lord thy God careth for: the eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year. (Deuteronomy 11:11‑12). His treasure was in the land, and there was his heart. Others esteemed Egypt preferable to the wilderness when their hearts were discouraged from going up to possess Canaan on account of the difficulties in the way, but Caleb esteemed Canaan, with all the difficulty of entering into it, as far more precious than Egypt which had present ease, but also present bondage.
Canaan was in his heart all the time he traversed the wilderness. He had tasted the fruit of Canaan; his eyes had beheld it, and he did not need to go on the report of others as to the land-his own feet had trodden it, and this made his steps light as he traveled through the wilderness. Besides this, he had the sure word of the Lord's promise to support him. He knew the certain end unto which his wanderings, in company with others, must lead. As they encamped or traveled at the commandment of the Lord, he could either rest in his tent, or march through the wilderness, saying after every weary march or lengthened encampment, The wilderness time is passing; the day of again seeing the land is near. As his contemporaries wasted away, how solemn must have been the admonition to his soul against the sin of unbelief. How forcibly the rapid passing away of that evil generation must have reminded him of the word of the Lord: "Because all those men which have seen My glory, and My miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it: but My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereunto he went; and his seed shall possess it." Numb. 14:22-2422Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. (Numbers 14:22‑24).
The Apostle Peter reminds us: "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." 1 Pet. 1:8, 98Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:8‑9). If the Spirit of God shows to us the things which are freely given to us of God, He shows them not as in the distant future, but, being Himself the earnest of the inheritance, He glorifies Jesus now, taking of His things and showing them to us. He shows them as possessed by us now, so that we can taste and handle our own blessings. We are also solemnly warned as to the evil of unbelief in finding many things which we have fondly clung to passing away so that we would be bitterly disappointed were it not that, by the Spirit, we more fully realize the unfailing blessings which are ours in Christ.
"Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God." It is no presumption in any of us to answer to the testimony of God in our own souls. So did Caleb, for the Lord said, "But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully." Caleb had searched the land, following the Lord his God there, when the Lord Himself was his guide and defense, and no enemy could set upon him. He had seen that the land "was exceeding good," and he reckoned on the good pleasure of the Lord in His people. "If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us." The soul of Caleb rested entirely on the grace and power of God which had caused Israel to triumph at the Red Sea, and had kept the spies in searching the land. The same grace and power alone could lead them into possession of the land, and he trusted in this.
When his soul recognized where the Lord was, he could see victory. But the very same principle of fully following the Lord, which made him encourage the people to go up, would hinder him from the attempt after the Lord had said, "Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea," for the Lord had no delight in the people. Where the Lord was, there was both grace and power, and Caleb had to learn that grace and power on which he had already trusted, for forty years in the wilderness, before they eventually put him in actual possession of the very part of the land upon which he had trodden many years before. He fully followed the Lord through the wilderness. He knew Him there as his guardian and guide whom he had known as a mighty deliverer out of Egypt, and who had introduced him into Canaan, and enabled him to see and search the land and know its fruit.
The Spirit of God is presented to us in direct contrast with the spirit of the world. "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." 1 Cor. 2:12, 1312Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:12‑13). The spirit of the world is one of restless activity and inquiry, either to find out something new or to invent some remedy against the misery of man. It may take either a speculative or a practical turn, but it never discovers the satisfactory remedy. "Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?" Hab. 2:1313Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labor in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? (Habakkuk 2:13). The spirit of the world is always advancing, but never reaching its end-leading always to that which is coming, but never yet has come. The Spirit of God is the very opposite.
If Caleb needed to have his heart occupied with Canaan to cheer his spirit in the wilderness, we need not only the earnest of the Spirit for the same purpose, but we need Him also to keep us from the seductive power of the spirit of the world. This He does by showing to us the things freely given to us of God as so high and blessed that they have not even been conceived by the daring boldness of man's heart. As the earnest, He leads the soul to long to see Christ as He is, and to be like Him, and thus, too, leads in the path of fully following the Lord.
To be forever with the Lord is the blessing we look forward to, but to have Him always with us now is what preserves us. "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matt. 28:2020Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20). "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." John 14:1818I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:18). How this is made good by the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost, the "other Comforter!" Oh, that with purpose of heart we might cleave unto the Lord, and say in the midst of sorrowful experience, "The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:66The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. (Psalm 16:6).
The Holy Spirit, as the earnest, is the Spirit of "promise," not only as being Himself the "promise of the Father," but substantiating promises to the soul. As Caleb saw his contemporaries die off day by day, how much he needed the encouragement of the specific promise of the Lord-"The Lord hath kept me alive, as He said." The Holy Ghost is the quickener; He is the earnest, and He is also the Holy Spirit of promise, thus giving special value to the Word, bringing it to remembrance and applying a familiar text with unknown power, because such a promise or such a scripture exactly suits the circumstances of our need.
Subjection of mind to the authority of Scripture distinguishes the guidance of the Holy Spirit from the spirit of the world and distinguishes real spirituality from cloudy mysticism. The Scripture becomes of increasing value in proportion as the spirit of the age advances. As applied by the Spirit of truth, it gives the consciousness of certainty when the spirit of the world is leading into general skepticism. The result of these two conflicting spirits-the spirit of the world and the Spirit which is of God-is, that the one will lead to set the stability of created things against the promise of Christ's coming, the other, to throw the soul more entirely on His promise (2 Peter 3). But the soul now needs establishment and encouragement, and the Holy Spirit, as the earnest, gives such a reality to the promises of God in Scripture, that the soul is enabled to set the Word of God against all appearances of things or opinions of men.
"As my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in." All the weary round of forty years of toil in the wilderness had not impaired the strength of Caleb. He had sung "The Lord is my strength." He had acted on that strength when he searched the land, and now, at the age of eighty-five, he finds his strength the same. The Lord was his strength. Now the power is actually manifested in strengthening the saints with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness. The characteristic form of power now is endurance. It is by patient continuance in well-doing that we seek for glory, honor and immortality. The spirit of the world is that of impatience with delay, and desire of grasping some supposed present blessing, but the Spirit which is of God, being Himself the earnest of a certain inheritance, becomes especially the Spirit of power in enabling us patiently to wait for what is ours already. It is thus that although the outer man may decay, the inner is renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:1616For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)).
The Holy Spirit keeps the eye looking on invisible realities, making them, as it were, more tangible day by day. Each day brought Caleb nearer to Canaan which was in his heart. It is blessed indeed to see an aged disciple in whom the cravings of the mind for novelty have passed away, who has gone through, it may be, the ordeal of worldly fascination, who has found his progress very rough indeed. Disappointment succeeding disappointment, yet all tending to one thing-to make him know the value of one blessed Object, even Jesus.
"If so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, even as the Lord said," says Caleb. There is no doubt or uncertainty in this "if so be." It was only reckoning on the Lord's faithfulness to His promise, and on His ability to perform it, at the same time implying that this was his only ground of confidence. But with confirmed confidence he could reckon on the Lord's being with him, whose Presence had been with him when he searched the land, and whose Presence had been with him while traveling through the wilderness.
Is it not so with the believer now? Quickened by the Spirit when dead in trespasses and sins, he has known the same Spirit revealing Jesus to his soul as the salvation of God. He knows the same Spirit as the abiding Comforter, glorifying Jesus, taking of His things and showing them unto the soul. He knows, by the presence of the same Comforter, that God has called him unto His own kingdom and glory, and that same Spirit now shows to the soul what is the hope of God's calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.