Joshua 14 | David Vinyard

[0:00] All right. Checking in. Can you guys hear me? Audio visual working here? Good stuff.

[0:10] ! Thanks, Jeff. Thanks, guys. Definitely an interesting time to be alive. As we're talking about,! We're all seeing each other through a screen. For those like me who are extroverts, I know this has been hard. It's been a little difficult. For you introverts out there, congratulations, you've won this day. I'm sure it feels good. Take a little breather from society. That video was interesting. I had no idea that was going to be shared, and that's one of the points today about seeking the Lord. It clearly is timely. I asked a couple folks in my own circle who are older than me if they could remember anything like this, if there was anything in their past, historically in the U.S.

[0:55] where physically shut down, physically put in. Talked about 9-11 a little bit. I was a little young to appreciate that going through it. As a freshman in high school, we talked about, or somebody mentioned, just the uneasiness during parts of the Cold War and thinking about nuclear drills in school. By and large, there really hasn't been anything like this in society.

[1:21] And people just having this fear, afraid to leave, and nervous of neighbors, and just a general uneasiness in the public. And so part of that topic is going to come up today. But before we get too serious, I did find a couple jokes on the topic. So in case it's been a while since you've laughed, here's the first one. Jerry Seinfeld is one of my favorite comedians. He said this about fear.

[1:45] He said, according to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. And the number two is death. Death is number two behind public speaking. So this means that to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.

[2:07] I thought that was pretty good. Here's another one. So this is a flight attendant and a pilot. And the flight attendant asked the pilot, what made you decide to choose this profession? Why become a pilot?

[2:22] And the pilot answered, well, I wanted to conquer my greatest fear. So the flight attendant kind of assumed, so fear of heights. And the pilot said, no, I'm actually terribly afraid of dying alone.

[2:35] So I know everyone's on mute. It doesn't make the silence any easier when you tell a joke. It still kind of stings. Anyway, here we are. It's an interesting study, you know, a study in of itself that we won't get into today. But why why does society respond like this in times of uncertainty? Why the panic? Why the rush?

[2:57] Why the irrational behavior? I did a little side study on this, looking at what happens in Scripture when things of this nature seem to take effect. You know, you think about Pharaoh during the Exodus, the way he dealt with the Israelites and just being afraid of things.

[3:14] You think about King Herod back in Matthew, chasing down families, killing newborn babies because of that risk of the unknown. You think about Saul back in the book of Samuel and just that state of paranoia, that mania that he was in for a lot of his kingship. And you think about, you know, even during Jesus's time, the crowds in Matthew 27, just demanding Barabbas, which obviously doesn't make any sense if it wasn't outside of God's plan, that irrational emotion. And so it's a segue into our study back in Joshua. We're going to be in Joshua this morning, looking at chapter 14.

[3:50] But even Israel, thinking about, you know, back a couple weeks as Israel came out of Egypt, what happened when they approached Canaan the first time? It's been some time since we, since we looked at that. But if you don't remember, in Numbers 14, it was referenced, they, they came out, they sent scouts in, they saw giants in the land. And they said this, they said, would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? The people actually said, let us select a new leader in return. The slavery, the abuse, the hatred of the locals. And you know, it's not unique, right? All over the Bible, we have examples like this. And so it's similar to what we're seeing today. And I wanted to start with that. It's just an off, offhanded encouragement, if you will. And that what we're seeing around us is actually exactly what we should expect in the world today. Fear and uncertainty really does grip the natural man, the unbeliever, especially like a drug, if you think of it that way. It's like being under the influence. The mind, the actions are all distorted. It's, it's, it's not, it's not the regular. And honestly, you know, as we probably understand, a lot of these fears, a lot of the, what we're seeing is made worse by just a constant reminder through media outlets and things of that nature. But the point is, the reaction, the scenario that we have today, it's not unique. It's not novel. It's not unusual. And that's a bit of a long winded introduction, but it actually does tie into Joshua 14. So first, let me open quickly in prayer. And you guys can turn there or flip there on your phones, and we'll start the study. God, thanks again for today. Thanks for the chance to meet virtually. Thank you for this group and just the encouragement that we can be to each other and the opportunity to study your word and see things of your nature and learn things about ourselves and just think about how we can change our approach and what we can do from this point forward. Pray that you were blessed this morning, help to encourage us, help to challenge us, and amen.

[5:59] All right. So Joshua 14, if you're not there yet, get there. Here's the plan. We're going to unpack the first five verses pretty quickly, and then we're going to pivot, and we're going to spend the majority of the time looking at the example and the life of Caleb. So that's it. It's aimed to be real simple.

[6:23] I was going to say short and sweet, but I don't actually know how long it's going to be, so at least hopefully sweet. But I think there's a sensible application from both texts here. So with me? Does that make sense? That's nodded. All right, good. So here we go. Leading up to chapter 14, if you remember, the nation of Israel, Israel's armies are, they've been busy, right? They're sweeping through the land. Chapter 12 even was kind of a summary of what had taken place. Who did they move through? What was the strategy? You think about in, down, up, I believe is what it was.

[7:00] And then chapter 13, we discussed how they divided the land on the east side of the Jordan. And that dumps us right into the first part of chapter 14, which is the structure and the division around segmenting the land west of the Jordan. So let's read real quick the first five verses. It says, starting in verse 1 of chapter 14, Now these are the territories which the sons of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua, and the heads of the households of the tribes of the sons of Israel, a portion to them for an inheritance. By the lot of their inheritance, as the Lord commanded, for nine tribes and a half. For Moses gave the inheritance of the two tribes and the half tribe beyond the Jordan, on the east. But he did not give an inheritance to the Levites. For the sons of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim, and they did not give a portion to the Levites, except cities to dwell in, and their pasture lands for their livestock and property. Thus the sons of Israel did just as the Lord commanded, and they divided the land. So pause there. We're going to, we're going to clip it at verse 5, and then we're going to pick back up. Here's the deal. These first five verses, seemingly not important, right, can be summed up in one math equation. I know you weren't expecting to do any homeschooling today, but here it is. The equation from Joshua chapter 14. Oh, I should have wrote it backwards. Well, there goes my, there goes my thing. I'll read it. It's 12 plus one minus two and a half minus one equals 9.5. I really should have thought that through. I can't believe I didn't draw it backwards. I'm sorry, guys. So forget that. But here's how it breaks down, right? What is he getting at? How do we land at nine and a half? Have you ever wondered why, you know, what, why the half?

[8:57] So what's this about? So you start with the 12, for the 12 sons of Jacob. And then it says, the children of Joseph were two. So you add one, you turn what was one into two.

[9:09] And from there, Moses had already divided the land on the east side to Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh. So there's minus two and a half, which takes you to 10 and a half. I'm sorry. Yeah. 10 and a half. And then he says the Levites don't get any because they have a special, a different provision. So that brings us down to 9.5. And that's, that's really why it's not a straight cut. I just thought that was worth sorting through before we move forward. Now, those are the logistics and there's something else here that we can appreciate, something we can learn from what the people are going through, something that I think you might find interesting. And again, didn't really know that presentation was happening before this, but there's two fundamental elements of Israel that are captured in these five verses. Here they are. The first one is they sought God's direction through casting lots, the second one is they obeyed God's command. So that first one is what I was referring to, lines up right with that video we saw in this week of prayer coming up. But what a difference from a generation ago, right? If you remember the spirit of Israel as they were flailing in the, in the wilderness. So, so how do we know this? So why would I say that? What are those two pieces?

[10:36] Where, where's that coming from? Well, if you think back and I'll read it, you don't have to, you don't have to turn there, but in Numbers 26, God tells the people, here it is, but the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers, they shall inherit.

[10:52] So God says, when you get there, when this happens, this is exactly how you need to do it. Proverbs 16 tells us the lot is cast, but the decision is from the Lord. And so in its very basic sense, this was a process chosen by God to show his will. I had a little side note on what was the lot, you know, how do people cast lots and, and I cut it out for the sake of time, but just, it really was a chance. Think of it as, as like a die or a set of sticks or stones that would land in a certain order. And they would trust that process to God to show, Hey, what do you want from us here?

[11:29] So it really isn't a, it's not a gamble necessarily. Don't think of it that way. It truly was a way to seek God's direction. And so that's what they were doing. The first piece, they sought God's direction. The second piece, if you notice, they were obedient and that's a substantial point.

[11:48] And back in numbers 34, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, these are the names of the men who shall divide the land for your inheritance. Ready? Eliezer, the priest, Joshua, the son of none, and you shall take one chief from every tribe. So look back at chapter 14 in Joshua, who's in this tent setting this up 50 years later, Eliezer, Joshua, and the heads of households. So they sought the Lord's direction and they obeyed his commands. It's a, it's a really, it's a simple precedent.

[12:25] But what a good challenge. And so I was encouraged by that going through this and just thinking, wow, it's pretty straightforward, but it's a good takeaway. So I didn't want to miss that as we move on to the second part. And I'll even, I don't know if Mark's on the line or Mark Manil is here, but he gave a similar encouragement a few weeks back when we were studying the Gibeonites. He said, as they were going through conquering the different people groups, if you remember, and they, you know, the Gibeonites were a bit of a challenge. And he said, the recipe was for success. And this stuck with me. The recipe for success was work hard and pray, have a plan and pray. So in other words, don't stop doing, but seek God's direction throughout all of it. I thought that was pretty supportive of today's, today's message too. So seeking God's direction, Israel was seeking God's direction and obeying his commands. That's just kind of wrapping up the first five verses in the math equation and moving forward.

[13:22] So if you're still there, if you're still looking at Joshua chapter 14, we're going to kind of page into the meat of the example this morning. We're going to pick it up at verse six. And I would encourage you to follow along just because there's a lot that we're going to read. But we're also going to, you know, maybe reference back a few things that Caleb says. And it's a really neat segment on Caleb's faithfulness. It's a neat character study here. So turning or looking, picking back up at verse six, before we read it though, who was Caleb? Well, Caleb was from the tribe of Judah. He's an Israelite, obviously. He was one of 12 spies, you might remember, that scouted out Canaan 45 years prior. That was Numbers chapter 13. He saw giants just like everybody else, but he was one of the spies who said, hey, listen, we should trust God on this. We should go. That was Numbers 14. And instead, the people's hearts were melted. If you recall, God judged the nation, but he let Caleb and Joshua, the faithful ones, survive and wait it out until the rest of the folks died. So a similar background, if you remember all the way back to Joshua chapter one, we talked about

[14:38] Joshua taking over the reins from Moses, right? He's one of the oldest guys. Now he's being expected to lead this through. And here's Caleb, who's been obedient, who's fought tirelessly.

[14:50] And now he's here. We dive in verses six to 10. So it says, then the children of Judah came to Joshua and Gilgal and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, said to him, you know, the word, which the Lord said to Moses, the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. I was 40 years old when Moses sent me to spy the land and I brought back him.

[15:14] I brought back words to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless, my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the Lord, my God. So Moses swore on that day saying, surely the land where your foot has trodden will be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord. Now behold, the Lord has kept me alive. As he said, these 45 years, ever since the Lord spoke to this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness, here I am this day, 85. I'm going to pause right there. I know that's not the whole section, but I just want to pause for a minute. It's fitting as Judah is the first to receive their allotment, that Caleb be the first among Judah to receive his family's portion. And what he's referencing here is actually a promise back from Deuteronomy chapter one. But consider this for a minute.

[16:06] Think about this scenario. And it all, I think we'll come together here by the end, but think about what this would have been like for Caleb. All the leaders around, they've been fighting, they've been conquering the land. It has been victorious at times. It has been challenging at times, a few tough sledding moments. As someone who is mostly impatient myself, this really speaks to me.

[16:34] Can you imagine waiting 45 years for something you could have had right away? You know, not only that, but then to be ready in that moment, you know, to not lose hope that time and to be prepared and vigorous when the moment's at hand. You know, personally, I had to think about this. I had to think about there's almost nothing in my life that I can relate to that's of that nature, you know, other than waiting on meeting Christ face to face. You know, we live in a world of instant or near instant gratification with mobile connectivity and fast food, ordering ahead, curbside pickup, which is great, on-demand streaming, you know, two-day shipping, TSA pre-check and A-list preferred.

[17:20] It's like we've no shortness of options as far as how do we minimize the wait time. And the point in saying that is this would have been just something tremendous to be in Caleb's scenario here. But what we know, and the first kind of point I wanted to draw out from Caleb's story is that he was faithfully patient in waiting on God to deliver. And during the battles, waiting for God to judge the people, at one point, I think it was Jeff that gave the message, you know, he and Joshua had to basically help circumcise the whole camp. I mean, for 45 years, right? He's had a dirty, challenging test of faith for a life. And it wasn't even really his fault. He wasn't even in the wrong.

[18:09] And so we see this faithfully patient guy, the honor and the privilege of being the first to receive his spot is really neat. And so that's the first key piece. You know, after all those battles, all those miles of hiking, all those foreskin procedures, you know, here he is, he's got it. He is securing his space. And that's the first key piece to Caleb's testimony. Being faithful and being patient.

[18:37] Notice not idle, not worrisome, not sour, not bitter, not downcast, faithful and patient. Let's pick back up here in the text. It's Joshua 14 doesn't necessarily stop right there. I think there's something else for us, which I learned a few things in studying this as is often the case. And this was neat. So in verse 11, looking back at the text, he says, yet I am as strong today, this day, as on the day that Moses sent me. Just as my strength was then, so it is now for war, both for going out and for coming in. Now, therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day.

[19:23] For you heard how the Anakim were there and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, as an inheritance.

[19:38] Hebron, therefore, became the inheritance of Caleb to this day because he wholly followed the Lord of God. Now, the name of Hebron was formerly Kerja Arba. Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim.

[19:51] Then the land had rest from war. So again, I know it's a little bit wordy. We talked about Caleb being faithfully patient. There's something else in this story, though.

[20:06] There's something very significant. And especially in light of the times that we find ourselves in. Something to note. And that's something is specifically his boldness and his courage in times of uncertainty. Why would I say that? What is that about?

[20:26] So check this out. Caleb asks for this mountain country in the land of the Anakim, as it says. It's known for its height. It's, you know, geographical height. It's fortified cities.

[20:42] In other words, it's a difficult land to conquer at 85. These weren't rolling meadows or plains or pastures. And did you notice, this is the part I want to call out, it also wasn't vacant. Who lived there? It says the Anakim. Descendants of Anak.

[21:02] And that's mostly translated long-necked or tall. So I did a little digging in this. Like, what is Hebron? Who are the Anakim? What's going on? I mean, is there more to the story of what's happening in front of Caleb?

[21:16] Back in Numbers 13, it says they came to Hebron, where lived Ahimon, Sheshai, and Talma, the descendants of the giant Anak. So we get a couple glimpses of Hebron and the people that lived there.

[21:30] Turns out, upon further review, the Anakim were actually a pretty haunting enemy. Deuteronomy 10, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy 2 says the Enum formerly lived there, a people great and many and as tall as the Anakim.

[21:45] So it just kind of supporting these people had a reputation. Later in Deuteronomy chapter 9, it says a great and tall people, the sons of the Anakim, who you know, and it heard it said, who can stand before the sons of Anak?

[21:59] So why are we talking about boldness and courage? It turns out, Caleb is being dealt a mountain country inhabited by a fierce, oversized warriors.

[22:13] Remember all the way back to Numbers 13? This is what I thought was a really neat part of the story. They sent the 12 spies in. The big news came back. What was the deal? What cost them 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and judgment from God?

[22:28] It was giants in the land. Literally, we seemed as grasshoppers to them. And so, I guess for whatever reason, I never picked up on this the first time around, but fast forward 45 years, we didn't expect those folks to just disappear, did we?

[22:46] To just sink through the surface of the earth and not be a problem anymore? You know, as Israel was conquering the land, it seems that the strongest or the most renowned would have taken refuge here back in Hebron, this mountain country.

[23:00] Joshua 11 actually tells us that the rest fled to Gath. So, to Gath. I don't know if some of you remember, Gath is really what becomes the land of the Philistines.

[23:11] Who was most famously from Gath? Goliath. Yeah. So, it's a really interesting, I was just intrigued by this and studying and this thread of giants throughout this text in the life of Israel, not only that, but in particular in the life of Caleb.

[23:29] And so, we look at his words here. We think about where he's at in life, where he's coming from, what he's doing.

[23:39] And you think about what boldness and what courage he must have had in Joshua 14, as an older guy, to stand and say, you know, I've been patient. And I've been faithful.

[23:51] I've waited on God's timing. And I'm ready at 85 to face this same enemy. These giants. To take my clan and conquer and trust God to overcome.

[24:08] The ancestors of whom melted the heart of the people 45 years ago. Whose descendants would later stand in a valley and mock the armies of Saul.

[24:21] Caleb said, I was ready 45 years ago, and so help me God, I'm still ready. It's a neat story. It's a challenge by that example. And even more so, I don't know, for those of you out there, maybe you can relate to this.

[24:36] I can relate to the topic of just God giving him this chance, you know, for victory and for vindication. We studied this the last time around, but in my last text, it's the fact that God knows us inside and out.

[24:53] He knows where we're at and what we're dealing with. And it's just, it's so cool that God saved this battle, this opportunity for Caleb to come back. And he stood bold and ready. He was not fearful.

[25:05] Even fighting giants up a mountainside. I mean, they had the high ground. You know, I'm a statistics guy, right? I mean, those aren't good odds, necessarily. I'd rather, you know, I'd rather be up on the top of the hill.

[25:18] But Caleb says in verse 12, he says, the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken. He never stopped trusting in God's promise. He went to war with giants in 85.

[25:30] I just, the boldness and the courage there, guys, it's really, it's really an encouragement to me. Just not having that fear when, for all human purposes, there was reason.

[25:42] You know, there was cause for it. These people were a people of reputation. They had generations of awareness of who they were and what they were known for. So, hopefully, that's something unique.

[25:57] It was unique to me. I'd never really unpacked that before. And, you know, maybe turning into kind of the last section here, we started talking about it being an interesting time, right?

[26:09] Maybe you don't feel very bold here this morning. Maybe you came here today feeling a little bit anxious, find yourself a little bit stressed, maybe a little bit unsure.

[26:22] Maybe physically or mentally, you know, you're just, you're at a spot where you feel like, I don't have that view. I don't have what it takes to do what Caleb's doing here. You know, let someone else conquer the mountain territory, someone with better knees.

[26:37] I'll take the fields with the armchairs. You know, that, I don't think there's anything crazy about that. I can relate to that. Here's your encouragement. Consider the base for Caleb's faithfulness and his boldness.

[26:53] In other words, what built that for him? What gave him that position? I think he was probably just an average size guy, to be honest.

[27:04] But stats didn't matter. You know, even though he says he was feeling fairly spry at 85. It wasn't the size of his enemy. It wasn't the military tact.

[27:16] It wasn't the terrain. It wasn't how much time was left in his day. It was about God's promise and his ability to deliver on that.

[27:27] That's what gave him the boldness and the courage. And so Caleb's example is really neat. It's growing older, but never growing weaker in terms of faith.

[27:39] And so how about today? You know, I mean, do we have giants in our path? I think most of us would say not literally.

[27:51] I know we've all got some friends who are big. Some tall people maybe in our circles. But we have problems, I think is the point. We have challenges.

[28:02] We have things. And personally, you know, we have things that cause us to doubt God's plan. Challenges with our jobs. We live in a society that's just infected with fear right now.

[28:13] Living among a people, and even in our nation, the U.S., is founded on Christian principles. You know, a society that I have to admit trusts almost exclusively in man's ability to solve and fix things.

[28:30] And with that, as we know, comes grave disappointment, and it comes hysteria at times. But here it is. In the age of grace, God isn't promising us a mountain or a piece of acreage on a hill, necessarily.

[28:45] You might have that. If you do, it's pretty cool. But he's given us his son and his Holy Spirit. He has a plan for our ultimate good. He's defeated death.

[28:57] He's defeated the enemy. And for believers, he's secured our eternal life. And so I guess just drawing an obvious conclusion at this point. We have every reason to emulate Caleb's boldness and his faith.

[29:15] So here's a quick recap, right? Israel did two things right. They sought God's direction, and we're going to do that next week during the week of prayer. And they followed his instructions, and they obeyed his commands.

[29:26] They were obedient. Caleb did at least two things right. He was patient, and he was faithful to wait on God. And secondly, he was bold, and he took courage in God's strength.

[29:39] I challenge you guys as I'm challenging myself and just rethinking how I interpret things and how I display actions and things of that nature. But I challenge you to take that into your weeks.

[29:51] We've got a society that's battling this topic around infectious disease and the fear that comes with it. And here's what God's word says to believers. For those who take the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as a Savior from our sin.

[30:07] In Philippians 4, it says, Paul writes in Colossians 3, I think that's a big part of it, too.

[30:33] I think helping each other understand, helping each other find wisdom is significant. And if you remember back in our study of Thessalonians, in chapter 5, he says, he writes to the group there, he says, Talking about a little bit different day, you know, day of the Lord.

[30:55] But the tone is this. I like the second half of this text. It says, But you, brethren, are not in darkness. You are sons of light and of the day. Therefore, let us not sleep, but let us watch and be sober.

[31:07] So, friends and believers here, you're thinking through this. You're thinking, what do we take from an Old Testament book, from a character study of a guy who lived, you know, thousands of years ago?

[31:20] It's being prepared. It's being secured. It's being faithful like Caleb and trusting in God. It's being bold. There's really no place in the life of the believer for fear.

[31:35] Think about that. That's going to strike some folks. You might even throw up your hand and disagree with me. I've been stewing over this for a few weeks. Let me qualify that.

[31:47] I'm not saying that danger doesn't exist. I'm not saying that life doesn't have risks. And I'm not even saying that fear is not a legitimate human emotion. But as believers, we really don't have cause to be anxious or afraid.

[32:02] Second Timothy reminds us that the spirit of God does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline. And in this context, that self-discipline is really significant.

[32:15] Discipline of our minds and of our emotions and of our reasoning. How are we doing on time?

[32:26] Are we doing okay? Yeah. If you take nothing from the life of Caleb, here's the close. Here's the last bit I want to leave you with. If you take nothing from the life of Caleb, consider only the life of Jesus in this particular context.

[32:43] And think about what Jesus lived during. He grew up under an enemy occupation of Jewish land, the Romans. He grew up at a time and lived during a time when leaders were corrupt and overtly misleading the people.

[33:04] He operated under a society that was very confused, a society that was often fearful. He was surrounded by a mixed people, changing attitudes, changing environment continuously.

[33:18] Now just think about what Jesus' life included, okay? He stood before angry crowds, Jerry Seinfeld. He went out to sea during major storms.

[33:30] He stood on a mountaintop and got interrogated by Satan. He faced the Romans' criminal system. He was betrayed. All of his friends left him, his family. He came in contact with a ton of sick people and a ton of disease.

[33:47] He saw crisis, sadness, panic, greed, fear in others. He lost everything he had and ultimately lost his life. And you know what?

[33:58] In only one scene, really, in only one scenario, do we ever see him anxious or afraid. Just one time.

[34:11] Some would say it started in the garden, being anxious about what was about to happen. But I say this. I say the only time Jesus was exhibiting fear and anxiousness was during his final hour on the cross.

[34:28] If you think back to that scene, Jesus was in the midst of facing eternal judgment for sin. All of it. All of the sins. He was weighed down on his spirit before Almighty God.

[34:42] Being the Son of God. God Himself. He cries out, Father. Why have you forsaken me? Literally, Dad, where are you? I'm alone. I've been unpacking this for a couple weeks.

[34:59] And I don't know if you can tell. I've been stewing over it and trying to use it as a strength. But did it ever occur to you that Jesus felt and absorbed our only real reason to fear?

[35:15] That God would turn his back and judge us for our sin. That we'd be separated for eternity. And as believers, right? That's no longer a fear.

[35:26] That risk has been removed. If you are a believer and you're listening to this message, I would say the opposite. I would say you do have reason for fear. And you ought to think through that immediately and think about where does salvation come from?

[35:42] Understanding that Jesus gave his life for you and to pay for sin. And then came back to life to prove he was God. But for believers, think about Caleb. Think about Jesus.

[35:53] What a tremendous life of faithfulness and courage. May we emulate that faith. May we never seem lost and afraid.

[36:08] I just think there's so much in that for us. Especially in times like these. Might we stand faithful, stand bold. In the face of giants.

[36:19] In the face of hardship. In the face of uncertainty. These are things that we see in scripture and the examples of some of these men. But I just, I wanted to encourage you with that this morning.

[36:30] It's maybe an unlikely challenge from a text like Jewish history and Joshua. But certainly something that encouraged me and just empowered me a little bit to take that.

[36:44] And to rely not on my own strength. But on God's as we think about the times in which we live and the scenario around us. So let me close this in prayer. I think we have a song after that. And we'll take it from there.

[36:55] God, I thank you for Caleb's example. Thank you for the encouragement. And the power that comes from not having to rely on ourself for answers.

[37:09] The source that we have in you. The source of truth. The source of courage. What gives credence to our faith. And establishes our faith in a way that we know it's merited.

[37:22] We know it's reliable. And God, we thank you for that. I'm relieved that it's not up to me. It's not up to mankind to solve and answer and fix everything that's broken.

[37:32] But rather that we can see through the scenario. That we can watch across the times. To see your steadiness. To find your ability to overcome scenarios and giants.

[37:46] And God, just for this group here as we go into next week. Not forgetting that Israel was admonished or supported by seeking your direction. And obeying your commands.

[37:57] And that we would do the same thing. And also like Caleb, that we would be faithful to wait. And bold and courageous to act. And so God, I pray that we would take that into our week.

[38:07] And that you would bless us each year today. And thank you for these encouragements. Amen. Amen. Thank you.