Joshua 14:6-15

SERIES: Joshua: Victory through Faith

Caleb: Growing Old Gracefully

SPEAKER: Michael P. Andrus

Introduction: Aging, as you know, is a universal fact. There is no one alive who is not growing older. And while young people often complain that time seems like an eternity, for the rest of us it happens to be picking up speed like a runaway locomotive going downhill.

Fortunately, our society is becoming increasingly conscious of the special problems and needs of the aged, and gerontology has become a very respectable social science. The AARP sends out its membership cards as soon as you hit 50. I know, because some of my best friends have received them.

It’s not a question of “Will I get older?” but “How will I get older?” I suggest to you that as Christians we need to go first to the Scriptures, not to society and not to AARP, to find God’s view of how to grow old well. Caleb is a fascinating example of how to grow old gracefully and faithfully, and I want us to read about him in Joshua 14:6-15:

Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’

“Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty‑five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty‑five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.)

Then the land had rest from war.

Joshua 14 is not our initial introduction to this man Caleb. Back in Numbers 13 & 14 the story is told of the key part he played in the aborted first attempt to conquer the Promised Land 45 years earlier. Now in the Book of Joshua he is a key person in the successful second attempt to conquer Palestine. In order to best appreciate the principles his life can teach us, we want to look at both of these chapters of his life, as well as to briefly consider his middle years.

Caleb was a young man of God.

I use the term “young” here in a relative sort of way. His age was 40. There was a time when that seemed pretty ancient. When I turned 40 during my last year in Wichita, I was told by some “friends” that I had to come to grips with a few things:

Lifetime memberships don’t seem so attractive anymore.

Forty really isn’t so old. Just ask anyone who had already reached 40; just be sure to speak into their good ear.

Forty is still considered young—by bitter, spiteful people in their 80’s.

Frankly, 40 is looking younger and younger to me. But in biblical times it was always considered young, not because the average lifespan was greater—it wasn’t much different in Joshua’s day than in ours—but because a person wasn’t considered mature until about 40.

The first thing we note is that at age 40 Caleb was already a leader among the Israelites.

He was a leader. (Numbers 13:2) As we turn to Numbers 13, we are backing up about 45 years from the time frame in Joshua. The Israelites have just completed their first year in Sinai after having escaped the bondage of Egypt. They have received the Ten Commandments plus the rest of the Mosaic Law, and they have traveled from Mt. Sinai to the very edge of the Promised Land at Kadesh-Barnea. There God tells Moses to send twelve spies into the land, one from each tribe, in order to help them plan a strategy for Conquest.

According to Numbers 13:2 each of these spies had to be a leader among his tribe, and Caleb is chosen to represent the tribe of Judah. It might not be assuming too much to suggest that Moses chooses the cream of the crop from each tribe, and that Caleb stands out among all his peers in terms of his leadership ability. Joshua, apparently considerably younger than Caleb, is chosen by Moses to represent the tribe of Ephraim.

The second characteristic I note is that …

He refused to be intimidated by circumstances. (Num. 13:28, 33) The spies go into the Promised Land and for 40 days gather all the information they can. They find the land to be all God has promised, illustrated by the fact that a single cluster of grapes has to be carried on a pole by two men. However, they also discover some disconcerting facts. Listen to the report of ten of the spies as found in Num. 13:28 and 33:

“The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large…. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

This majority report concludes that the risks overshadow the promises of God and recommends they abandon the mission. But Caleb (along with his friend Joshua) refuses to be intimidated by the circumstances. Caleb sees the same facts the others see but he refuses to interpret them the same way.

Now, it’s one thing to be brave in the face of obstacles and enemies. It’s quite another, however, to take a public stand against one’s peers. The third characteristic we see in Caleb is that …

He took a stand against popular opinion. (Num. 13:30) In Numbers 13:30 we read, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” That took some intestinal fortitude, for Joshua was the only one who stood with him. In fact, some of the people made the absurd suggestion that the best avenue to take was to go back to Egypt and become slaves again, because at least in Egypt they knew where their next meal was coming from. That reminds me of the sizable number of people in Russia who voted for the Communists in the recent elections. They apparently view slavery with stability as better than democracy with chaos. But that’s the short view. When we focus on the immediate, we will always make bad decisions.

Caleb adopts the long view instead, and therefore takes a stand against the crazies who wanted to return to Egypt. In Numbers 14:6‑10 we read these words:

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

Isn’t it interesting that Americans seem almost intoxicated with the idea that the majority is right? That has produced what I call “government by polling data.” The politicians find out where the mood of the people is, they stake their position there, and then they call it a moral decision. They hardly even try to hide it. Well, the truth is that the majority is frequently flat-out wrong. Oh, how we need public officials in this country of ours who value truth more than they value re-election, who are willing to stand up and speak for justice and sanity and fiscal responsibility, even when everyone else is greedily seeking his own prosperity at the expense of the common good. And we need the same kind of leaders in the church—pastors and elders and prophetic voices who will tell the church how it is, not how people would like it to be.

You know, if you tried to sum up Caleb’s character as a young man of 40, I don’t know how it could be done any better than God Himself does it in Num. 14:24: “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”

He was a man with “a different spirit.” (Num. 14:24) Generally we don’t like to be different. We want to blend in with the crowd and our greatest fear is to stick out like a sore thumb. Oh, there are those who like to be different—I saw a few of them at the St. Louis Fair last weekend. This one creature had green hair, black pantyhose with a thousand runs that looked intentional, platform shoes, and multiple body piercings. The curious thing about such non-conformists is that they generally look exactly like their friends. Their non-conformity is rigidly conformist. But Caleb didn’t mind being a true non-conformist because his “different spirit” was the result of wholly following the Lord.

Finally, because of the characteristics we have mentioned…,

He inherited a special promise from God. (Num. 14:24) God promises in Num. 14:24, “I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” God never fails to reward those who are His faithful servants. Never! But He doesn’t always reward them immediately. Caleb waited 45 years from the time of this promise to its fulfillment, as we will see in a few moments. Many of us are allergic to delayed gratification. We want what we want, and we want it yesterday. But God’s timing is best; if we are patient, the inheritance will come.

Now the second stage of Caleb’s life we want to consider is that …

Caleb was a middle-aged man of God.

This may seem like an odd point to make, because from age 40 until 85 we don’t hear a word about Caleb. For thirty-eight of those years the Israelites were forced to wander through the Sinai wilderness until every man 20 and over (except for Joshua and Caleb) had died because of the rebellion and unbelief expressed in the spy incident. Here is the sentence the Lord passed on the nation, as found in Num. 14:26‑30,

“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.’”

Forty of the best years of Caleb’s life were spent wandering aimlessly in the desert, where he watched an entire generation die. He was on a four decades-long detour for no fault of his own. Did he pout? Did he withdraw? Did he quit? I don’t think so. The indication is that he remained faithful and his spiritual stature never diminished during those 40 “downer” years.

Sometimes we are tempted to look at what’s happening in our society and say to ourselves, “Why do I have to put up with this mess? I didn’t vote for this. I’m a victim of a culture that is going to Hell in a hand basket. I’m not responsible. I’m dropping out.” Well, listen to Howie Hendricks:

“I’m compelled to live in this generation just as you are. I don’t even slightly approve of the direction in which our society’s going. Nobody ever asked me. I believe we need to learn what I call the ‘glory of the grind’—just the day-by-day activity, nothing particularly exciting. My friend, if you can live for Christ in the midst of the ordinariness of that kind of life, I’ll guarantee you’ve got the real view of the Christian life.”^[i]

Caleb was able to maintain his spiritual life when surrounded by much carnality and unbelief because his heart and his mind were on the promises of God. We turn now to the final major snapshot of Caleb’s life—Caleb as an old man of God.

Caleb was an old man of God.

Added to his 40 years of age at the time of the spy incident are the 38 years of wilderness wandering and 7 years of Conquest under Joshua—that’s 85 years of age as we come to Joshua 14. Caleb is, if you stop to think about it, the oldest man in the whole country. Yet, he hasn’t just survived; he has thrived! One opportunity that comes his way, and which he willingly seizes, is an appointment to the Apportionment Commission.

He accepted appointment to the Apportionment Commission. (Num. 34:17-19) One of the very last things Moses did, according to Num. 34, was to appoint a Commission to divide up the Promised Land. At the time the people were poised on the east banks of the Jordan River and Moses was preparing to die, having been denied the privilege of actually leading the Israelites into Palestine because of his own sin. But he knew it was critical for the unity of the nation, as they prepared to go into battle under Joshua, to have the land divided up fairly among the twelve tribes. To resolve any disputes, he set up a Commission of 12. Once again Caleb is appointed to represent the tribe of Judah.

Now Caleb could have passed. I’ve heard people say, “I’ve put in my time. Let the younger guys do it.” Not Caleb. His attitude is, “If you think I can help and if I have the strength, I’m willing to serve.” I don’t mean to embarrass him, but frankly, this account reminds me of a certain man in our church. George Andrews is not 85, but his health is probably much poorer than was Caleb’s. His Parkinson’s disease forced him to liquidate his business earlier this year and has put severe constraints on his activities. But when he was asked to consider another term on the Elder Board last winter, George responded the same way: “I’m willing to serve as long as I have strength.” Our meetings often last until 11:00pm or later, but George hasn’t missed one yet, nor has he even gone home early.

Not only did Caleb agree to sit on the Commission, but seven years later, when the Conquest’s major objectives were completed…,

He boldly stepped forward to possess his inheritance. (14:6-15) We read this portion of Joshua 14 earlier. Caleb comes to Joshua, reminds him of Moses’ promise that Caleb could have the land on which he once treaded as a spy, and asks if it’s OK. Since Caleb was himself on the Commission, I assume he could have just taken what he wanted. That’s what we’re used to, sadly, from our politicians. A poor Congressman or Senator is about as rare as a statue of Martin Luther in the Vatican. But you’ll notice that Caleb comes to Joshua, the divinely appointed leader of the nation, and asks him to approve his inheritance of land.

There are a couple of principles here in Caleb’s action which would be good for us to consider. The first is a business principle: when we find ourselves in a position where it is easy to gain personal advantage, it is best to defer to another decision-making body or person even when it is legal to make the decision ourselves. Caleb saw a potential conflict of interest, so he deferred to Joshua.

I see here, too, a spiritual principle of submission to properly constituted authority. I remind you that Caleb was older, yet God gave the leadership of the nation to Joshua instead of to Caleb. We do not know why this was done, but certainly Caleb could have taken offense, and because of jealousy he could have snubbed Joshua. Instead, he demonstrates remarkable submission to him.

Caleb requests as his possession the hill country around Hebron, one of the few areas where the Conquest is not yet complete. The giants are still there! But even at 85 Caleb has no fear. If the Lord is with him (verse 12) he will be able to drive them out. So Hebron is given to Caleb. It becomes his possession because he is willing to go and possess it.

There is no doubt but that there are many people today who never enjoy the promises of God because they are unwilling to possess their inheritance, unwilling to claim the promises of God: the promise of salvation to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31), the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), the promise of fruitfulness (Gal. 5:22-25), the promise of peace (Phil. 4:7).

Having been granted his request, Caleb now has a job to do.

He achieved victory by the power of God. Joshua 15:13-14 reads, “In accordance with the Lord’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) From Hebron Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai—descendants of Anak.”

The children of Anak were giants, but at 85 years of age Caleb whipped them soundly. Certainly, he did so by the power of God, but he did it.

Now having examined Caleb’s life as a young man, as a middle-aged man, and as an old man of God, we look now for some …

Principles in Caleb’s life which can help us grow old gracefully.

Old age is a gift from God. You know, to listen to a lot of people today you would think that growing old is exclusively a function of eating the right foods, getting proper exercise, avoiding certain bad habits, etc. All that is good, and a person is foolish not to pay attention to principles of good health. But ultimately a long life is a gift from God and Caleb recognized that fact. In 14:10 he said,

Friend, you can follow every real and imagined principle of good health, but when God calls you home—you’re gone. Every day we’re here is a gift from God, and especially those days that exceed three score and ten. We need to be thankful for each day. The Psalmist actually tells us to number our days. If three score and ten are the normal expectation, then that means I’ve got about 6,450 left! No guarantees, mind you, but maybe an expectation. It’s all a gift.

The patterns of old age are established early in life. Question: Why was Caleb an old man of God? Answer: Because he was first a young man of God. All of us are forming habits and patterns of life which will place an indelible mark on our later years. Some young people think that growing old will automatically make them godly. They think they will eventually conquer lust when they’re too old to be bothered by it. Well, you’ve heard of the proverbial “dirty old man.” He’s a reality, friends, and he’s a dirty old man precisely because he was first a dirty young man.

Oh, it is possible for a dirty old man, I should say “person” because there are some dirty old women, too, to get saved and to become a godly disciple of Jesus Christ, but it’s almost as hard as for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. That’s why Eccles. 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’”

Old age is largely a function of attitude and spirit. It’s an old adage, grown trite with overuse, that “you’re as young as you think you are.” Trite or not, however, there’s a significant measure of truth to it. Caleb refused to think of himself as old, even though he was 20 years the senior of every other Jewish man. When others were hanging up their spears, he was out fighting the Anakim.

You know, some people have made their greatest contribution after becoming octogenarians! On his 84th birthday, Dr. Robert G. Lee, one of the premier preachers of the 20th century, said, “A friend asked me, ‘Are you going to keep on preaching?’ I said, ‘Why not? I am physically able, mentally sound, spiritually desirous and in love with Jesus. Why not keep on preaching as I have done for sixty-two years?’”

Titian, master of Venetian painting, produced some of his most wonderful canvases after 80, painting his famous “Battle of Lepanto” at 98. Tennyson was 83 when he composed his great fear-allaying, hope-imparting poem, Crossing the Bar. John Wesley preached with undiminished eloquence at 88. Edison was still inventing at 90. Grandma Moses began painting when she was 78. J. C. Penny, a devoted Christian merchant, worked strenuously at his business at 95. When 83, Gladstone became Prime Minister of Great Britain for the fourth time. Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, designed New York City’s imposing Guggenheim Museum when he was in his 80’s and 90’s.

A very thoughtful woman said, “Death begins when memories are more powerful than dreams.” I fear there are a lot of walking dead in the church today. Are you only able to talk about the good old days when you really accomplished something for God, or are you still dreaming like Caleb, “Lord, give me the hill country”?

Finally, this morning…,

Retirement is not a legitimate term when used of ministry and service. You can’t retire from the Lord’s work. You can quit, but you can’t retire. You can fail to ever start, but you can’t retire. How sad it is to see people back out of serving the Lord at the very time they have more discretionary time and more resources than ever before. Oh, I’m not for a moment suggesting there is something wrong with enjoying the fruit of one’s labor, or doing some traveling that was impossible when younger, or visiting the grandchildren regularly.

Nor am I suggesting that a person can always serve the Lord in the same way when they get older. Even ministers must someday step out of regular pulpit ministry. But it takes very little creativity to find ways to minister that correspond to reduced levels of activity that naturally accompany advancing years.

Of course, there are churches that have forced retirement on the elderly by failing to make avenues of ministry available to them. My good friend in Wichita, George Fooshee, recently sent me a brochure about a new organization he has formed to prevent that from happening. It’s called Capstone Fellowship. Its goal is to provide seniors with opportunities to use their later years to put a capstone on a life of service to God. I would love to see a chapter started at First Free. I think Caleb would have to be their patron saint.

Conclusion: I would like to conclude today with one reference from Caleb’s own mouth. He said in Josh. 14:8 in regard to the spies of the bad report, “My brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.” This is the sixth time in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and the book of Joshua that Caleb is said to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. That’s quite a claim. I could not make that claim for my entire adult life. I’d like to be able to make that claim regarding the time I have left.

The example of Caleb should stir all of us to noble goals and heady exploits for Christ. We need to claim the hill country for God; move out against the enemy with unfailing faith; gain new and higher ground; and never rest until all the terrain is taken.

DATE: July 14, 1996

Tags:

Old age

Courage

Retirement

^[i] Howie Hendricks, Kindred Spirit, Vol. 20, No. 2, Summer 1996.