Joshua and Caleb and Waiting
And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?… And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me. Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. Numbers 14:6-11, 26-35 (KJV) emphasis mine
What a tragic day this was when the children of Israel refused to believe the Lord and sealed their fate. They were doomed to wander the wilderness for 40 years and never enter the Promised Land because of their unbelief and stubbornness. Everyone age 20 and older died in the wilderness- except Joshua and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb had believed the Lord and had begged the children of Israel to also believe. They were permitted to live and enter the land of promise.
Have you ever had to wait for something a long time? Maybe God promised you something and its been years since He gave you the promise. Have you waited 10 years? Has it been 20 years? Or even 30 years? Regardless of the time, God is faithful and will do what He has promised.
Consider Joshua and Caleb. These men were faithful to God and believed what He had said. Yet, despite their faithfulness, they were forced to wait another 40 years after they had brought forth a positive report of the land. Think of it- they had seen and experienced the goodness of the land of Canaan. They saw, handled, and ate of the fruit. They didn’t just imagine what it would be like- they had known it for themselves. And now, after having seen, touched, and tasted of it, they had to wait 40 years to experience it again. Think of the torture that could have been!
They had a choice to make. They could wait with a bad attitude, dwelling on how wonderful it had been and how bad it was that they weren’t permitted to have it now. Or they could look forward with anticipation and hope for the day they would get to enter the land for good. They could view their experience in Canaan as a torment, as if God was teasing them with something they wouldn’t get for a long time. Or they could see it as something with which to encourage themselves regarding what was in their future. The Word does not say for sure, but based on how Joshua and Caleb handled other things, I tend to believe they chose to use it to encourage themselves as they waited 40 years to re-enter the land.
As we wait for the things God has promised us, let’s remember Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful men who got just a taste of the good life, then waited with a positive attitude forty more years to actually possess it. No matter how long it takes, with the grace of God, we can wait, and we can wait with a good attitude.
