“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 ... 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” (Joshua 14:7,9).
Secondly, in regards to Caleb’s reminder, we notice that the inheritance had affected His heart. He had seen the good land. He was there when the grapes of Eshcol were cut down and carried on the shoulders of two men. (Perhaps, as sometimes illustrated, by Caleb and Joshua.) He had been one of those who had gathered and brought back the figs and the pomegranates. “And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs” (Numbers 13:23). He knew it was a land flowing with milk and honey, and it had indelibly impressed itself on his heart. He had stood by the gurgling brooks of water, and, no doubt, drunk from the bubbling fountains. He had seen the lushness of it all, and its richness, affluence, and abundance had embedded itself in his soul. What a preserving, empowering, effect it had on this dear man of faith during all those weary years in the wilderness. The promise was as fresh and real to his heart as when it had been made. The luster of the inheritance still shone brightly before him, giving him a burning desire and anticipation to go in and take what he knew was his and waiting for him, by the pledge of his faithful God.
How much has our portion in Christ, our spiritual blessings, our inheritance, affected our hearts? It is easy to enumerate certain blessings and quote passages of Scripture that tell of these wonderful things, but what about the heart? We may know these things in our heads, we may be able to give mental assent to the truth, but that is not enough, we must hold these things dear in our hearts. If the heart is not engaged then the feet are going to become weary and turned aside.
In marketing there is an expression, catch the heart and the mind will follow. In the spiritual realm it has often been remarked that where the heart is, there the feet will follow. To sell us products and services the business and corporate world tries to grab our heart and mind. To have us following close to the Lord in the path of faith He attracts our heart, to preserve our feet in the right course. (Of course in spiritual things the mind must be properly instructed too. This is through the reading of God’s Word.)
So in this way, Caleb could go faithfully on, with the inheritance firmly implanted in his heart, and the assurance in his soul that he would take full possession of it in God’s time.
There are three vital elements to taking in, enjoying, and walking in the truth:
• The entrance of the truth is the mind.
• The channel for the truth is the conscience.
• The dwelling place of the truth is the heart.
There must be knowledge of divine things. “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). But that is not the dwelling place of the truth. The conscience must always be reached as well, but this too is not the dwelling place of the truth either. No, the dwelling place of the truth is the heart. “My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26). “O how love I Thy law! It is my meditation all the day ... Great peace have they which love Thy law” (Psalm 119:97,165).
The Lord said to His own, in the upper room, just before going to the cross, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words” (John 14:23). When the heart is affected the truth is fresh, precious, and relevant to the soul, and there is substance and reality in our lives!
Caleb was a man, like Daniel, who, “purposed in his heart” (Daniel 1:8). This is a great preserver in the Christian life. We read of Barnabas encouraging the early brethren, “that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord” (Acts 11:22-23). It has been said, that purpose of heart, is the affections motivated by an object.
They purposed in their hearts,
Those saints of eras past,
And nothing could dissuade
Their souls from holding fast;
Not that the path was easy,
But with the heart engaged,
They followed on with gladness,
And every conflict waged.