Sometimes The Rewards Of Faith Are Delayed

When Israel began dividing up the land, Caleb approached Joshua, reminding him of Moses’ promise that he would receive the land he helped spy out, as described in Joshua 14:5-12.  “As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.  Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.  Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.  Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.

 

And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.  And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.  As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.  Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.”

 

Caleb reminded Joshua that forty years before he and Joshua had been the only spies encouraging the people to go into Canaan.  The rest of the spies had been afraid of the giants and discouraged the people.   Their fear campaign was so successful Israel was prevented from going into Canaan for forty years, till all those who refused to trust God died.  For forty years, Caleb had waited to receive the land he had been promised because other people would not obey the Lord.  He specifically requested the area where the giants lived that the entire army had been afraid of.   Joshua fulfilled that promise, giving Caleb the land he requested as Joshua 14:13-14 tells us.  “And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.  Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

 

Although he had been forced to wait forty years to receive the promise, Caleb received it as promised because he wholly trusted God even when the others did not.  Like David, some six hundred years later, he defeated the giants that had terrified the entire army, as Joshua 15:13-14 tells us.  “And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron.  And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”

 

Though he was eighty years old, when he received the land, Caleb was able to drive out the giants and claim the entire area, giving the city of Hebron to the Levites as one of the cities of refuge, while retaining the land around it.  He was the only one who completely drove out the original inhabitants of the land, because he was still obeying God completely. 

 

Like Caleb, when we live by faith, we don’t always get the rewards right away.  Sometimes the actions of others hinder our receiving them, while other times God has a bigger plan that prevents our receiving them immediately.  Hebrews 11:39-40 tells us that none of the Old Testament saints received all the things they expected because God had a greater plan.  “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.”  As Paul advised the Galatians, we mustn’t get discouraged when the rewards are delayed.  Galatians 6:9 advises, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”