The Conquest of Canaan and the Kingdom of God (13) Give Me This Mountain (1)

(Jos 14:7) I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions,
(Jos 14:8) but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
(Jos 14:9) So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
(Jos 14:10) “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!
(Jos 14:11) I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.
(Jos 14:12) Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
 
​Review
We have been talking about how we should live as people of God's kingdom through the story of the conquest of Canaan. Last Sunday we had a look at the story of the defeat of the Israelites by Ai.
 
Ai was the smallest of the cities in the land of Canaan. But the Israelites were defeated in their first battle against them. And there were two reasons for their defeat.
 
The first reason is that they trusted in their own strength and ability out of their pride. Joshua sent men to Ai to spy it out and they reported that they would only need to go up with 2 or 3 thousand people to beat them. After listening to them, Joshua sent 3 thousand men without even asking God and they were defeated by the people of Ai, and 36 of the Israelites were killed.
 
This misjudgement was caused by their arrogance. A series of victories in the last few battles had lulled them into complacency. They should have remembered the God who had given them those victories and become humble before Him, but they acted as if they had won those battles by their own strength and ability.
 
As a result, they underestimated their enemies and overestimated themselves because they failed to see themselves through God's eyes. This is why we must always be conscious of God's presence. When we fail to see ourselves through God's eyes, we are prone to overestimate or underestimate ourselves. And the end result of both is devastating.
 
Overestimating ourselves leads to pride and arrogance, which leads us to rely more on our own strength than on God, which leads to defeat in the spiritual battles we face.
 
Conversely, an underestimation of ourselves can cause us to become overly cowardly, preventing us from looking to our mighty God who equips us with the courage to go to war. It is like how ten of the twelve spies Moses sent into the land of Canaan described themselves as grasshoppers and disobeyed God's command to go in and conquer the land.
 
So we need to see ourselves and our enemies through God's eyes. It first humbles us and makes us dependent on God. And it also makes us courageous enough to go boldly into every battle because we know that God, who is with us, is much stronger than our enemies, no matter how strong and powerful they may seem to us. That’s the mindset we should have in order to live as the people of the kingdom of God.
 
The second, more direct reason for the Israelites' loss to Ai was their hidden sin. Before the battle with Jericho, God told them to give all the spoils of war from the battle to Him. But a man named Achan stole some of the things that were devoted to the Lord. God said,
 
℗ “Israel has sinned… They have taken some of the devoted things... That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction… You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.” (Jos 7:11-13)
 
Here we learned about two consequences of sin. First, it makes us liable to destruction because when we sin, we become sin itself and its slave. Second, sin separates us from God. Because God is holy, no sinner can stand before Him. And without God’s presence, we can never win the battles we face.
 
So, the most important thing for us to win our battles as God's people is repentance.  Until we remove our sins, we cannot experience the deep presence of God, nor can we fight and win our battles. So remember, the kingdom of God is built on holiness. God is more interested in our holiness than in our victories.
 
Caleb
All right. That’s what we discussed last Sunday. Today, I would like to continue our conversation about how we can live as kingdom people by looking at the example of Caleb.
 
In the life of Caleb, we find a profound example of what it means to live as people of the kingdom of God. In today’s passage, at 85 years old, Caleb stood before Joshua—not in retirement, but in readiness. His eyes still sparkled with faith, and his heart still burned with the promises of God.
 
In today's sermon, we will explore some of the key characteristics that we, as God's people, should embody, which are demonstrated in Caleb's life.
 
So, who is Caleb? His name first appears in Numbers 13. In this chapter, Moses sent 12 spies at Kadesh, one leader from each tribe, to spy out the land of Canaan, and Caleb was chosen as the leader of the tribe of Judah. Joshua was also chosen to be the leader of the tribe of Ephraim.
 
The twelve men spied out the land for forty days and then returned to report on what they had seen. But 10 of them gave a negative report. They said,
 
“The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there… We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are… All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Nm 13:28, 31-33)
 
These were the things they saw. They saw excellent crops in the land of Canaan, but they also saw fortified cities and people who were much larger than them. What they saw was true. However, their interpretation was wrong.
 
The people of the land of Canaan must have been much larger than the Israelites. But it didn’t necessarily mean that they were stronger just because the Israelites lacked the physique and fortifications. The Israelites had something the people of the land didn't: the Almighty God.
 
The same God who had delivered them from Egypt, which was the most powerful nation in the world at the time, through the ten plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, the same God who had led them in the wilderness, fed them, given them water, and protected them from cold and heat, was with them.
 
That fact alone made them the most powerful people in the world. But the 10 spies forgot that God almighty was with them. That is what made them hesitate to enter the land of Canaan because they overestimated their enemies and thus underestimated themselves based on what they had seen. Their physical eyes were open, but their spiritual eyes were closed.
 
But, while the other ten men gave a negative report, Caleb stood up and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Nm 13:30)
 
But the Israelites didn’t listen to him. Rather, they grumbled against Moses, saying, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Num 14:2-3)
 
They even tried to elect a new leader to take them back to Egypt. Then, Joshua and Caleb said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Nm 14:7-9)
 
Here, we see that the ten spies' interpretation and Joshua and Caleb's interpretation are completely opposite. They spied out the same areas and observed the same things. Yet the 10 spies said that the people living in the land were like giants and that they were like grasshoppers to them, and that they would not prevail against them. However, despite seeing the same things, Joshua and Caleb said that the Israelites would surely be able to conquer the land.
 
What is the difference? There is only one difference. The reports of the ten spies only emphasized how strong their enemies were and how weak they were. God was absent from their report. But at the center of Joshua and Caleb's report was God. They said that if the Lord was with them, their enemies would be like food for them to devour, so they had no reason to fear them.
 
But still, the Israelites didn’t listen to the positive report from Joshua and Caleb. They even tried to stone them to death. That is why God made them wander the wilderness for another 38 years, until the first generation all died there. God said,
 
“Not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.” (Nm 14:22-23)
 
“In this wilderness your bodies will fall - every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun…For forty years - one year for each of the forty days you explored the land - you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” (Nm 14:29-34)
 
God counted each day the spies spent in the land of Canaan as a year, meaning that the Israelites spent a total of 40 years in the wilderness, as the 12 men had spied out the land for 40 days. Everyone aged 20 or over died in the wilderness during this time, except for Joshua and Caleb, who had given a positive report.
 
God said, “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” (Nm 14:24)
 
Undivided Heart
Later, when the promised 38 years were almost over, Moses delivered his final sermon on the east side of the Jordan. Recounting the event at Kadesh, he said,
 
“No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” (Dt 1:35-36)
 
Here we find one important reason why Caleb, unlike most of the other Israelites, was able to enter the land of Canaan without perishing in the wilderness.
 
God said that he had 'a different spirit'. His heart was different from those of other Israelites. They may also have desired to follow God to some extent, but their hearts were not fully fixed on Him. They were double-minded, with their hearts divided between the world and God.
 
Consequently, when faced with worldly temptations, they complained against God; when confronted with trials and adversity, they disobeyed Him. Ultimately, they failed to carry out the mission He had given them. Instead, they rebelled against it at the decisive moment.
 
That's something we as Christians should always be on guard against. We find warnings in the Bible about double-mindedness.
 
Hosea 10:2 says, “Their heart is divided; Now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will ruin their sacred pillars.” (Hs 10:2, NKJV)
 
In this passage, we learn that God punished the Israelites, but not because they didn’t worship or serve Him. Although they worshipped God and offered sacrifices according to the laws He had given them, their hearts were divided. They weren't devoting themselves entirely to God. They worshipped God formally, but their hearts were far from Him. That's why God punished the Israelites.
 
This is an important warning to us. It is not enough to say that we believe in God. It is not enough to say that we love and serve God.
 
If our hearts are divided and we love the world at the same time that we love God, if we say we believe in God but trust in and put our hope in the things of the world, then in God's sight we do not truly love Him. He wants 100 percent of our hearts, not a part of them. And He deserves our whole hearts because He created us and He gave everything, even His own life, to save us.
 
So our confession that we love God must be developed into a confession that we love God ‘alone’. The confession that we believe in God must be developed into the confession that we believe in Him alone. The confession that we worship God must be developed into the confession that we worship God ‘alone’. The confession that we put our hope in God should be developed into the confession that we put our hope in God ‘alone’.
 
We added just one word—’alone’—to the second part of the sentences, but it changed everything. That's what God wants from us. He wants us to love, worship, serve, and put our hope in Him alone, not anything or anyone else. That’s the sheer, undivided heart we’re to desire to have as people of God’s kingdom. Only a person who has this kind of heart towards God can follow Him in all circumstances without being frustrated or shaken no matter what they face.
 
James said, “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (Jms 4:8)
 
This is why we must always examine our hearts when we go before God. We must check if they are divided by worldly temptations, worries, or other distractions. And, if we find that they are, we should lift them back up to God and ask for His grace and mercy, and for Him to cleanse our hearts.
 
So, how can we purify our divided hearts and present ourselves to God with a whole heart?
 
We first must always have God's word at hand and meditate on it day and night. Psalm 86:11 says, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” (Ps 86:11)
 
Psalm 119 says,
 “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart - they do no wrong but follow his ways.” (Ps 119:2-3)
 
“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Ps 119:10-11)
 
“My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.  I hate double-minded people, but I love your law.” (Ps 119:112-113)
 
Second, we must rely on Jesus Christ, whom God sent to us to set us free from all sinful and evil things. When prophesying about the Messiah through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, God said,
 
 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” (Jr 24:7)
 
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezk 11:19)
 
Jesus came to earth to free us from the bondage of sin and give us a new heart and spirit that is wholly devoted to God. To achieve this, He took on all our sins and died on the cross.
 
This is what we must ask God for every day, having faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Then, through the blood of Jesus Christ, God will cleanse our hearts of sin and impurity, and He will make our divided hearts whole. Only then, can we truly follow God’s way and live as the people of His kingdom in the world.
 
Now, I want us to bring our hearts back to God now. May we choose to fill our minds with God's truth once more. May we worship and love God alone with all our hearts and follow the call He has given us, so that we may live holy lives on this earth as the people of God's kingdom.
 
Let’s pray.
 
[Prayer]
Heavenly Father, we come before You in humility and awe. We thank You for letting us learn what kind of spirit and heart we must have as Your people through the example of Your servant Caleb—a man of a different spirit, whose heart was wholly devoted to You.
 
Lord, just as Caleb stood in faith when others faltered, give us the courage to trust in Your promises, even when circumstances seem overwhelming. May we not be swayed by fear or doubt, but hold fast to the truth that You are with us, and that Your power is greater than any enemy we may face.
 
Lord, examine our hearts. Reveal any double-mindedness within us. Cleanse us from divided affections, and draw us near to You with undivided hearts. Teach us to love You alone, to worship You alone, and to trust in You alone.
 
Create in us a new heart, O God—a heart of flesh, not stone; a heart renewed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Set Your word deep within us, that we may not stray, but delight in Your ways.
 
Lord, we desire to live as people of Your kingdom—set apart, fearless, and with a whole heart. Let us reflect Your glory wherever we are as we walk in the calling You have given us with steadfast love and unwavering faith. We offer ourselves to You now—wholly and completely. Be glorified in us, and may Your will be done in and through our lives.
 
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1) The ten spies focused on what they saw, while Caleb focused on who God is. How do you typically respond when challenges seem bigger than your abilities?
 
2) God described Caleb as having “a different spirit” and following Him “wholeheartedly.” Is your heart fully devoted to God, or do you find it divided between Him and the things of this world? What practical steps can you take this week to cultivate an undivided heart that loves, worships, trusts, and follows God alone?