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LESSONS FROM CALEB AND JOSHUA ON KEEPING HOPE ALIVE WHILE ‘MARK TIMING\'’ IN THE DESERT
Reflections:
· The scripture teaches that the most fundamental dimension to human life is religious and as a nation believes in its heart, so is its destiny (Chuck Colson)
· It is better to debate a question before settling it than to settle a question before debating it (Anonymous)
· Failure and success are the same thing – learning experiences
· If people were not so impressed by size alone, they would consider an ant more wonderful than a rhinoceros (London Zoo)
· The church has an obligation to teach new Christians to live by standards of the kingdom of God and not by the standards of the lobby groups

Text:
Numbers 14:1 That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”. . 20 The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times-- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt w ill ever see it. 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. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea." 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron . . . 28 So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 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. 30 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. . . 39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they went up toward the high hill country. "We have sinned," they said. "We w ill go up to the place the LORD promised." 41 But Moses said, "Why are you disobeying the LORD's command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the LORD, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword." 44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the LORD's covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah. NIV

The most important thing in this journey for any conscious person is assurance of God’s presence. It is neither the prospects nor the numbers but assurance that the mission, undertaking is in alignment with God’s will. That may explain the contents of prayer that Jesus taught his disciples ‘May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matthew 6:10). Going by what we see or by the majority may reflect the will of the people. It is an answer to a very dangerous and carnal prayer that goes like ‘O God that you be on our side and give us victory. . .’ which is based on the assumption that we know what is best and so God needs to just agree. Fleshly, cultural th i nking make people follow the majority, then realize then change their mind only to realize what Moses told the Israelites. ‘Do not go up, because the LORD is not with you’. Listen carefully, when the Lord gives you an assignment, you are to act in obedience otherwise waiting until every obstacle is removed is treating the Lord in contempt.
Moses, Caleb and Joshua, who knew the power of God in the midst of enormous giants, had their voices drowned by an overwhelming majority. In spite of their knowledge and trust in God’s ability to go with them as promised, they had to share in the community judgment. Forty years, Moses, Caleb and Joshua circled in the dese r t. No newness but an increased grumbling in addition to the stench of dead bodies. Death sentence had been passed by the Almighty God on the community and there was no escape. Those who had said yes and those who had said no, had to keep progressing and retrogressing in an extra ordinary miserable circumstance. I am imagining deaths of all adults in a forty year period meant everyday life was like living in casualty department in a general hospital a country that is not so endowed with resources. In that negative atmosphere, Moses lost the opportunity to enter the Promised Land. How did Caleb and Joshua manage to keep their spirits active and alive? as they witnessed the deaths of all their friends, and age mates? Did they spend time encouraging the bereaved children?


KEEPING HOPE ALIVE IN AN OVERWHELMINGLY NEGATIVE ENVIRONMENT
1. Know who God is – Caleb and Joshua knew who God was and his power. Though exposed to similar experiences of God’s works in their midst, Caleb and Joshua allowed the knowledge of God move beyond the systemic group faith to individual knowledge of God. What they had seen of the power of God taught them to trust him for what they had not seen. Why the other people who had seen God’s mighty hand doubt his ability to fight for them in the new territory? Why did the ten focus on the size of the giants instead of the power of God that they already had seen? Is what you have seen of God in your life teaching you to trust him to handle what you have not as yet seen?
2. Trust in the realization of the vision that God had given you earlier – When Caleb and Joshua were selected to go and survey the land to which God was taking them, they saw the good, the productivity rather than the size of the obstacles. They developed mental sight of the destiny to which Go d had promised to give them. The visualization of the desired end is likely to have energized them. Clear vision of the desired end and assurance of God’s presence moved them from awareness that there was no escape route to knowing that the smell and the cry in the distressful environment was short term. Are you clear about the vision God has given you? Focus on the one who gave you the vision and joy of one day seeing become a reality.
3. When God says this is the way, he is not asking for a suggestion- Caleb and Joshua are likely to have burnt the bridges that would take them back to Egypt as they saw what God did. Even when they had to share in the punishment for the disobedience of the majority, they knew the security of keeping within the boundaries of the revealed will of God. The moment you know what God’s will is in a situation, it is important to realize quitting is not an option. Caleb and Joshua had no option but to find God’s way or allow God to use them to make a way.
4. An outside-inside –outside approach – Outside is having the word of God move from the written pages into ones' mind. It seeing the working of God and hearing the testimony of others. The inside is the internalization of that knowledge so that it transforms one from within (Romans 12:2). The second outside is acting on the internalized knowledge. The behaviour is external. Having a world v i ew that is based on the knowledge of the majesty of God empowers one to resist the pressure to conform to the surroundings. Bible study, prayer and fellowship with other believers who are dependent on God’s strength is what keeps one above the circumstances. It is the deeper private talk with the Lord that makes one rise above the distressing circumstances. How is your bible study and meditation?
During the fair weather, people may all seem to share the beliefs. We may be 90%, 80% or 70% Christians when there is no challenge yet each one of us has to clearly ask whether we know God like Caleb and Joshua. The greater majority of the Israeli t es population was concerned about the security of their women and children. They doubted God’s ability to take care of those concerns and so used their wisdom. God heard and was not amused. Are you taking short cuts in your work, taking and giving bribes because of the concern of your wives and children? God is listening to your dishonouring talks and behaviour and will make you realize your folly in trusting in your strength and wisdom. If you make decisions based on what others around you are saying, you may find yourself opposing God.
Listen carefully to who God is, trust him and obey even if you are the only one. When you find yourself in some kind of desert, time and years are passing bu t you cannot say exactly what you are doing. That God whom you have said yes to will be with you in the challenging moments that result because of the actions of others. He is the one who will take you to the Promised Land. He knows you, and knows you have a different spirit, not a crowd spirit. It is those who chose to allow God reign in their hearts that will keep the light of Christ shining. When God looks at you would he say, ‘my servant Caleb (your name) has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly?
At 85 years of age, when most of his peers had retired to their condos by the Red Sea, old Caleb kept on truckin'. He went for the highest and the best — ; Mount Hebron, where the Anakim dwelled (Steve Pavlina)