Give me that mountain!

Let's go back to God's promises and talk about loyalty, the integrity that the Lord rewards. The old man Josué distributed the land that the Lord gave as an inheritance to his people and the warrior Caleb, at eighty-five years old, came to ask Josué for the inheritance that God had promised him 45 years ago. Caleb's life had been one completely dedicated to the Lord. Joshua and Caleb were survivors of a generation lost in the wilderness, the only faithful spies who brought good news to Moses after exploring the land that God would give his people as an inheritance (Numbers 13: 3–33). Forty-five years is not a short time to wait. The Lord had preserved his life (Joshua 14:10). Gone were a thousand battles fought in favor of the people of God. “Now therefore, give me this mountainous region of which the Lord spoke that day, because you heard that day that there were Anaceans there with large fortified cities…” (Joshua 14.12a).

For many the conquest was over, for Caleb it was not. The inheritance that God gave him still required his strength to conquer the mountains of Hebron. It was not just any mountain. Caleb had enough military and spiritual merits to ask Josué for a conquered territory and there to enjoy the last years of life with his family, but he preferred to continue serving the Lord with the confidence that God would remain by his side and accompany him in the company . "Perhaps the Lord will be with me and I will drive them out as the Lord has said." (Joshua 14.12b). Hebron was a land of giants and walled cities, so the task would be difficult. He would have to fight to possess her and knock down all obstacles to see his dreams come true. God gives and promises blessings, but the church should not receive them with folded arms. You have to possess them, snatch them from the enemy, tear down the walls to enter and "see" the glory of God.

For four hundred shekalim of silver, Abraham bought a cave in Hebron from the Hittites to bury Sarah. The remains of Abraham himself, Isaac and Jacob rest there as well and it is today the second holiest place in Judaism. Years after being conquered by Caleb it became a city of refuge for the Levites, ministers of temple worship. David was anointed King by the elders in Hebron (2 Samuel 2:11). Caleb, with his attitude and fidelity to God, would also contribute to make Hebron a city of reference for the Christians of posterity.

The church of Christ is also heir to the promises of God. Two thousand years after it was founded by Jesus, it still has to face opposition and understand its challenges. It cannot be passive; has a mission. The church that is content with lots of promises and does not follow through, will inevitably stagnate, grow old without seeing the purposes of God made practical in its history. The Christian who is content with fragmented and temporary delights, does not enjoy the Christian life to the full over the years. The Lord rewards those who remain and persevere, the church that struggles to possess the inheritance, which is not satisfied with the story told, but makes its own history guided by the hand of Christ. It is an attitude problem. The years in Christ generate a state of full grace in old age; whether of the church or of the individual Christian.

Attitude and character in Christ make dreams endure and inspire new opportunities to serve the Lord. He give me that mountain! Caleb's is a brave cry of assault on the impossibles that the God who makes everything possible propitiates, is to penetrate and envision Christ's dreams for his church “despite the giants and walls”, it is envisioning the Kingdom of God from the present, already consummated in the Canaan of heaven that awaits us. God not only rewards for victories, but also for attitude. Caleb was able to see God's promise come true because of his integrity, because of his honesty, because of his conviction that God fought alongside his people, because of his inexhaustible vigor to continue serving his Lord. We have a beautiful example in Caleb, in his will to fight and in his love for God's work. Let us ask him for his mountain and he will accompany us to conquer it.

God bless your Word!

Suggested Reading: Joshua 14