“Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite” (Numbers 32:12).
Three times Caleb is referred to as “the Kenezite.” In Joshua 14:6, as well as verse 14 of that same chapter, and of course, in the verse we have just cited in Numbers 32.
If we were to go back to Genesis 15:18-19, we would find that the “Kenezites” are listed among some of the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan. This was at the time when the land was promised, by God, to Abraham and his descendants, because of his faith and obedience in earlier answering the call to come out of Ur of the Chaldees and dwell in the land as a stranger and pilgrim. “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenezites ... ”
Now, we don’t want to go too far with our applications, or read into Scripture more than God has told us. It is true that Caleb was an Israelite, he was of the tribe of Judah, and further he was one of the heads of his tribe. However, I just make this gentle suggestion, without being definite or dogmatic, that perhaps we learn from this that Caleb is a picture of one who was brought into the place of blessing, by grace. Isn’t this how all of us are brought into the family of God, and all the privileges connected with it? We were enemies of God, sinners, and “far off” (Ephesians 2:13). We had no claim on God or on any blessing. We were nothing but hell-deserving reprobates, doomed to a lost eternity, “having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20). As Paul could say, regarding his own case, “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
Later on we have another beautiful example of grace in Rahab. “And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho” (Joshua 6:25).
Another outstanding incident of one brought in by grace in the Old Testament, is the case of Ruth the Moabite. We read in Deuteronomy 23:3, “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord forever.” No wonder, when Boaz told her to glean in his field without fear, “she fell on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, and said unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou shouldest take knowledge of me, seeing I am a stranger?” (Ruth 2:10). She had no claim, except on the ground of pure grace! We find later on in her history that grace even included her in the royal lineage of Christ, as also in the case of Rahab (Rachab), according to Matthew 1:5.
None of us have any right to any blessing, apart from the grace of God. The Bible is full of story after story of His amazing grace in reaching out to individuals, and heaven, through all eternity, will resound with the recounting of such histories! Everyone will have a unique account of how the Lord picked them up, saved them, and carried them safely home to the Father’s house, and all because of grace! Is it any wonder that there will be continual praise in heaven? Furthermore, we will cast our crowns at His feet, saying, “Thou art worthy ... ” (Revelation 4:11). We will realize the full import of Philippians 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Then and only then, will we have a full sense and understanding of grace. No wonder John Newton penned these words still sung around the world today:
Before leaving this section we will quote from H.L. Rossier’s commentary on 1 Chronicles.
Rossier continued: “Must we conclude from all this that the text of Chronicles is a human and capricious compilation and that thus the historical value of this book is nil? This is what the rationalists assert, but thank God, their reason is always at fault when it attacks His Word. No enlightened Christian will deny that the genealogies of Chronicles are composed of fragments gathered up in the midst of general confusion, yet documents upon which God sets His seal of approval. So it is true that a number of passages in these genealogies are of very ancient origin, not mentioned in the other books of the Old Testament.
“Caleb’s fragmentary genealogy, which we have cited above, is very instructive in this regard. We know from a number of Scripture passages (Numbers 13:6; Numbers 14:30, 38; Numbers 32:12; Numbers 34:19; Deuteronomy 1:36: Joshua 14:13) what favor Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, won from God by his perseverance, moral courage, faithfulness, and zeal to conquer a portion in the land of Canaan. The Lord’s approval was upon him, whereas Caleb, the son of Hezron and of Judah, despite his numerous descendants, is not mentioned as the object of God’s special favor. But if the fragmentary genealogies of Caleb the son of Jephunneh are proof of the existing disorder, God puts these fragments together for a special purpose, and we find a deeper thought in them. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, is the one whom God has particularly in view, as the Word teaches us; he is the one whom He introduces in so extraordinary a way into the genealogy of the son of Hezron (1 Chronicles 2:49). It is in view of him that this genealogy is inscribed next to that of David, as forming part of the tribe of Judah, from whence the royal race comes. But what connection does Caleb the son of Jephunneh, whose daughter was Achsah, have with Caleb the son of Hezron? Here we find a most interesting fact which has perhaps not been given sufficient attention. Caleb the son of Jephunneh was not originally of the people of Judah. In Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6,14 he is called Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite. Likewise, Caleb’s younger brother Othniel, to whom Caleb gave his daughter Achsah as wife, is called “the son of Kenaz” (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13; Judges 3:9, 11). Now in Genesis 36:11 we learn that Kenaz is an Edomite name. Hence the conclusion that at some point of time the family of Kenaz, and therefore the family of Caleb the son of Jephunneh, was incorporated into the tribes of Israel just as so many other foreigners, such as Jethro, Rahab, and Ruth, who in virtue of their faith became members of the people of God. This explains a characteristic phrase in Joshua 15:13 JND, “And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua ... that is, Hebron.” And in Joshua 14:14 JND, “Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite to this day, because he wholly followed Jehovah the God of Israel.”
“Thus Caleb, who by his origin really had no right of citizenship in Israel, received this right amidst Judah by virtue of his faith and was incorporated into the family of Caleb the son of Hezron, as it appears in 1 Chronicles 2:49 and in the passages already cited in Joshua. The fragments preserved of the genealogy of Caleb the son of Hezron confirm the place that God assigned to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and this substitution is one of the important points the Spirit of God calls our attention to here.
“To summarize, the name of Caleb is highlighted in this chapter. With this name is associated the thought of ‘virtue,’ that is, of moral energy which in view of a goal to be attained enables the believer to surmount obstacles, separating him from every weight and the sin which so easily entangles him. 2 Peter 1:5 JND says, “In your faith have also virtue.” Caleb is an example in this. With this name are associated characters of the same caliber as the son of Jephunneh: Othniel, Achsah (1 Chronicles 4:13; 1 Chronicles 2:49); Hur (1 Chronicles 2:19, 50; 1 Chronicles 4:1, 4); Jair (although this latter later lost everything that his energy had at first acquired, 1 Chronicles 2:22-23); the house of Rechab (1 Chronicles 2:55).”