There are lots of great and glorious promises in the Bible. Promises that God will not leave us or forsake us. Promises that He will be a good Father to us all our days. So brothers and sisters, God is not going to waste your pain. If you feel like you’re in the wilderness this morning, He will put those years of wilderness wandering to good use.
Isn’t it the case, suffering always hurts, but what makes suffering feel unbearable and difficult is to think that there’s nothing in it. It’s random. It’s pointless. Like maybe God has forgotten you, that there’s no purpose in it.
Well, Caleb believed all of those years and now he’s coming to Joshua 45 years later. I don’t know. Did Caleb have some moments where he wondered if this day was ever going to come? Maybe. But now he stands before Joshua and he says, “It’s time. Give me Hebron.” How could he do it?
Well, it’s the same thing that he did when he was a younger man at 40. Caleb always had his eyes on God. Not that he was blind to the challenges, it’s not that when they looked out at the Promised Land that Caleb covered his eyes and he says, “I don’t know. I don’t see Anakim.” No, he saw them, but he saw God. The other 10 spies kept their eyes only on the problems, only on the obstacles, only on what they should be afraid of and they took their eyes off of God.
Caleb as a younger man, Caleb now as an older man, same thing. Yes, those giants are big; God is bigger. Yes, they’re strong; God is stronger. So he waited all these years, believing that God would give him Hebron.
This clip is part of the sermon “An Old Man of Faith and Courage” delivered by Dr. Kevin DeYoung at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, NC on November 24, 2024.