YEAR 2, WEEK 24, Day 1, Monday, 9 June 2025

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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Monday, 9 June 2025:

Joshua 14:1–5 — These are the inheritances that the people of Israel received… as the Lord had commanded Moses…

This section describes the faithful execution of God’s instructions. Obedience means receiving God’s promises on His terms, not claiming blessings on ours.

• Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and he will make straight your paths.
• Psalm 16:6 — The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

Joshua 14:6–9 — “You know what the Lord said to Moses… concerning you and me… I wholly followed the Lord my God.”

Here, Caleb recounts his faithful stand at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 13–14). While the other spies incited fear, Caleb spoke in faith. Forty-five years later, he still walks in the confidence that comes from wholehearted devotion.

• Numbers 14:24 — But my servant Caleb… has a different spirit and has followed me fully…
• 2 Chronicles 16:9 — The eyes of the Lord run to and fro… to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

Joshua 14:10-12 — “And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.”

At 85 years old, Caleb’s strength is not just physical—it’s spiritual resolve. He doesn’t ask for a comfortable valley, but the challenging hill country where the Anakim (giants) lived. Faith doesn’t retire; it looks for one more mountain to climb.

• Isaiah 40:31 — They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength…
• Philippians 3:13–14 — Forgetting what lies behind… I press on toward the goal…

Caleb is a great example for older people (and for anyone else). He had no desire or plan for “retirement.” He didn’t ask Joshua for a bass boat or a membership to a golf country club; rather he asked for the greatest challenge, to secure the hill country and the fortified cities in the Name of the Lord. He volunteered for this challenge in the hope that “the Lord will be with me.” Caleb remained healthy, vibrant, and influential in his later years because he chose to stay in the fight, to remain active and committed for God. His did not consider his age a drawback but rather a testimony and an attribute. God will use a faithful servant of any age to do great things in His name and through His power. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul encourages Timothy not to be concerned about his young age, but rather to serve God with confidence to the best of his ability. Naturally, young people lack a degree of experience, and older people lack a degree of vitality, but they both have equal access to the power of the Holy Spirit.

• Proverbs 20:29 — “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.” God calls us to use what we have, and He warns that if you don’t use it, you will lose it (see Luke 16:10, and Matthew 25:14-30).

Joshua 14:12 – God’s most faithful followers desire the hardest assignments and trust God’s provision for success.

“Caleb’s faith in God never wavered though everyone around him doubted. God convinced Caleb that the children of Israel should enter the Promised Land, but the people were intimidated by giants and fortified cities (Num. 13:28-33). Their disbelief forced Caleb to wait forty years in the wilderness before he finally entered the Promised Land. Even after all those years, Caleb was as confident as ever in God’s power.

When God was dividing the land among the Israelites, the people were asking for the lush valleys and grassy plains. Caleb asked for a mountain. The Israelites had driven their enemies into the mountains, where they had built fortresses. This did not intimidate Caleb – he asked for a challenge! He did not trust in his own strength but in God’s presence. Caleb longed to see God work in power, and he knew he would be less likely to rely on God if he dwelt in the easy places. He chose a situation in which he would have to trust in God. Caleb knew his inheritance from God was on the mountain. He refused to allow the difficulty of gaining it to stop him from enjoying all that God had promised him.

If you always choose the easy way, asking for the peaceful valleys, you will never see God’s power displayed to enable you to take a mountain. Seek out the mountains, and you will witness God doing things through your life that can be explained only by His mighty presence.” (Henry T. Blackaby)

Joshua 14:13–15 — Then Joshua blessed him, and he gave Hebron to Caleb… because he wholly followed the Lord… and the land had rest from war.

Caleb’s obedience brings blessing and rest—not just for himself, but for others. His boldness creates peace. Hebron, once a place of fear (Numbers 13:22), becomes a legacy of faith. Hebron will become the capital of Judah, and from there David will reign for seven-and-a-half years.

• Psalm 37:9 — Those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
• Hebrews 6:12 — Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 9 June 2025: Caleb didn’t just have one moment of courage—he had a lifetime of consistent, courageous obedience. That’s the call for us: to follow the Lord fully, not just in our youth or on the mountaintop, but for the long journey. At 85, he was still ready to fight giants. Age didn’t diminish his zeal—faith preserved it. Ask yourself—have I let time or weariness dull my faith? What “hill country” is God still calling me to take? Refuse to settle. If there’s more God has for you, rise up in faith and say with Caleb, “Give me this mountain!” Prayer: “Lord, give me the heart of Caleb—bold, faithful, and wholehearted. Help me to serve You with the same passion in my later days as in my early ones. May I never retire from faith or give in to fear. Show me the hill country You want me to take, and give me strength to conquer it in Your name. You are faithful to every promise. I trust You, and I will follow You fully. In Jesus’ name, amen.”