Who is Caleb in the Bible?

Answer

The tale of Caleb, a devoted man of God, commences in the book of Numbers. Following their liberation from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were guided by God to the border of the land of Canaan, a land described as “flowing with milk and honey,” a promise from God that they would inherit “and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”, (Exodus 3:8,17) “and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.”, (Exodus 3:8,17). Moses had selected twelve men, one from each tribe, to explore the land before entering. Among them was Caleb, representing the tribe of Judah. The twelve men surveyed the land for forty days and then returned to Moses. They reported that the land was indeed fertile, but its inhabitants were the formidable descendants of Anak. Frightened by the size and strength of the Canaanites, ten of the scouts advised Moses against entering Canaan (Numbers 13:23-33).

Caleb quelled the murmurs of the fearful men by declaring, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”, (Numbers 13:30). Caleb took his stand bBecause he followed the Lord wholeheartedly (Joshua 14:8-9), Caleb was aware of God’s promises to the Israelites. Despite the obstacles he saw, he had faith that God would grant them victory over the Canaanites.

Regrettably, the Israelites disregarded Caleb and heeded the other spies’ report. They were so terrified that they wept all night, even wishing they had died in Egypt at the hands of their slave masters (Numbers 14:1-4). They turned against Caleb and Joshua (the spy from Ephraim), desiring to stone them immediately (Numbers 14:6-10). God was greatly angered by the people and threatened to annihilate them until Moses intervened. God relented but decreed that the faithless generation would wander in the wilderness until their demise. However, God declared, “my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly,” assuring him that he would possess all the land he had observed as a spy (Numbers 14:11-24).

The Israelites roamed the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation, except Joshua and Caleb, perished (Numbers 14:29-30). After forty years of wandering and five additional years of conflict in Canaan, Caleb, at 85 years old, remained as vigorous as ever, ready to combat the same Anakites who had frightened his fellow countrymen. His confidence stemmed from his unwavering faith in God’s promises (Joshua 15:13-14).

Caleb’s portion in Canaan encompassed “Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) From Hebron,

Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the sons of Anak. From there, he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher)” (Joshua 15:13-15). Othniel, a nephew of Caleb, captured Kiriath Sepher and was given Caleb’s daughter Aksah to wed (verses 16–17). Later, Aksah asked her father to include some springs of water as part of her inheritance (verses 18–19), and Caleb gave them to her. Later still, Othniel, Caleb’s son-in-law, became Israel’s first judge (Judges 3:7-11).

From the accounts of the life of Caleb, we see a faithful man who trusted God to fulfill His promises when others allowed their fears to override their small faith. Even into his later years, Caleb remained steadfast in his faith. God blessed Caleb for his faithfulness and patience, an encouragement to us to believe God. Like Caleb, we should be prepared to follow God in every circumstance, patiently waiting for Him to fulfill His promises and ready to take action when the time is right.