Sometimes a reward is a wide ribbon to hang around your neck with a big, round medal on it. Sometimes it’s money to spend, and sometimes it’s a big surprise. Here’s the story of a reward that was a surprise.
Maybe you remember that there were twelve spies sent out by Moses to secretly look over the land that God had promised to give to His people, the children of Israel. The people wondered, Is it a good land? The spies’ answer was, Yes, very good. But the men who live there now are as big as giants! We’ll never win over them! We’ll never be able to live there!
But Caleb believed the Lord. He was one of the twelve spies, and the Bible tells us three times that Caleb totally followed the Lord. He did not report anything about the giants; he only reported that the land was good. Of course it was a good land, and of course they would all live there! Hadn’t God promised this? Wasn’t God’s promise enough?
That promise had been made years before, when Caleb was only a little boy. And when he went with the others to spy out the land, he was forty years old — a full-grown man. He was a strong man too, but no match for a giant! However, Caleb still was very sure, because God had promised the land to them, and he firmly believed God’s promise.
God’s promises always hold true, even for a sick person in bed or a child or an old person in a wheelchair! Do you believe His promises? One of them is in John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37): “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” You can come to Him no matter what your problem is. His promise to you is good right now, but there is a time limit! When Jesus comes to call all the believers to His home in heaven, then He will close the door, and the promise will no longer be offered! It’s not a good idea to wait!
The children of Israel had finally come to the promised land. They had crossed the Red Sea, God had fed them for forty years without any grocery stores or vegetable gardens, and they had crossed the Jordan River on dry land. Now they had arrived in the promised land.
Can you figure out how old Caleb was by this time? The Bible says he was eighty-five, and even though he was an old man, he was strong, just like he was when he was a spy. If you have a grandfather, he probably is not as strong as he was as a young man, but God can do anything. Perhaps your grandfather has stronger faith than you have, and you should listen to him if his faith comes from God.
When the land was being divided among the tribes, Caleb was given the mountain of Hebron for his possession as his reward. He still did not worry about the giants living there because he had no doubt that he would win over them. He said, “If so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said” (Joshua 14:1212Now 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 14:12)). You don’t need to wonder if he won the fight against the giants. It was not really Caleb, but it was the Lord Himself who won that victory.
You don’t need to worry, either, if the Lord will give you victory over the giants in your life — giants like selfishness and pride. The Lord is absolutely trustworthy, and He promises to help every boy and girl and grown-up that trusts Him.
Think About God’s Word!
1. What did Caleb receive as a reward for trusting the Lord in going to the promised land?
2. The Lord strengthened the old man Caleb. How did He strengthen David to fight Goliath? How has He strengthened you?
Project: Samson was strengthened by the Lord too. Can you describe how the Lord did it by reading Samson’s story in the Book of Judges?