Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

The inheritance that the people were given were given by lot as commanded by Moses. Moses only personally assigned the land on the other side of the Jordan. But Joshua followed the instructions that Moses had left and they followed them exactly. Note how particular God is over the next few chapters about who gets what. How particular the borders are. God looks at everything and cares about every detail of our lives.

Now Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, came to Joshua and asked for his inheritance. He had been – along with Joshua – one of the two spies who came back with a good report (Numbers 14:6-10). Because of his faith in God, Moses promised he could enter the land. He was eighty-five years old now, not forty, but because he WHOLLY followed the Lord his strength was the same as it had been then (Philippians 4:13; Isaiah 41:10; 1 Chronicles 16:11). Caleb was demanding the fulfillment of Moses’ oath to him and the inheritance that he was due. Joshua blessed him and have him Hebron. Hebron had been a nest of the Anakites (the giants the ten spies had so feared). Caleb was as undaunted now as he was forty-five years previously. He was ready and well-able to take the land.

“Thus Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he remained true to Yahweh the God of Israel.” (Joshua 14:14)

The rest of Judah was also given their territories which established their borders. They got 29 cities in the south. 39 in the lowland as well as all of Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza. They got 38 cities in the hill country. And they got 6 cities in the wilderness. They did NOT drive out the Jebusites living in Jerusalem, so they lived together in that area – eventually David conquers it.

Caleb sent up into Hebron and drove out three Anakites. Then he went to Debir and offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to anyone who took the land. Othniel immediately went up and captured it, winning the girl.

This girl – Aksah – was a CLEVER girl. She had foresight. She urged her husband Othniel to go to her father and ask for a field. He granted it. Then she went a little later and she asked for a blessing from him. Since he had granted them land in the Negev (in ancient times it had some pastureland, but was already on the way to becoming a desert as near as I can discover), she wanted springs so that they land would remain useable. Caleb granted her the upper and lower springs.

If we put dampers on the women with whom we partner, we are shackling our inheritance and our future. They have good minds with good ideas and hear differently than males, so it is a win-win situation blending together without struggle. It’s what God had in mind in the beginning (Genesis 2:18) and NOTHING has changed.

Summary

Key Players: God, Joshua, Caleb, Aksah

Key Themes: Possession, Inheritance, Thinking Ahead

Key Verse(s): Joshua 14:1-3, 5, 6-12; 15:13-19