​

Caleb’s an interesting critter in the Old Testament. He and fellow old badass warrior Joshua are the only two spies out of twelve that had the overcomers’ attitude when faced with monsters of Canaan.

We hear a lot about Joshua, as we should, because he was a terrifying righteous force to be reckoned with but we don’t hear much about Caleb. In the New American Standard Bible Joshua’s mentioned 205 times and Caleb gets a scant 38 mentions. Yep, there ain’t much about Caleb but what we do have in holy writ is definitely worth a chapter in this little book.

Here’s six ditties about this righteously ornery octogenarian.

1. His name. Caleb’s a pretty common name for us Americans. It obviously is a positive name from a biblical standpoint because it hails back to this heroic man from ancient times. However, when the original Caleb got monikered with that nomenclature it wasn’t a prophetic perk but a derisive dig. Caleb, in the original Hebrew, means wild dog. In bygone days dogs weren’t these cute accouterments women would dress up in berets and take to the wine bar to get drunk with their girlfriends. Dogs weren’t pets. They didn’t have names. They were not fed human food mixed with coconut oil. They were crotch licking, vomit eating scavengers. They didn’t have frisbees thrown for them, they had rocks thrown at them. One Hebrew scholar wrote, “The name Caleb means Dog, and by implication Unsophisticated Servant, or a person from very low origins who aims to join the upper human classes but obviously fails to blend in seamlessly.” As you can imagine, that’s a crappy flag to have flying over your head. Your very name means that you suck. You’re persona non grata at the church social but to God, Caleb was his boy whom he favored and admired greatly. Caleb didn’t let what he was labeled keep him down. He didn’t join a gang. He didn’t whine and complain because of how he’d been tagged in life. Oh, no. He let God define him and not mommy or daddy with their extremely low expectations of their son.
2. His age. Caleb was eighty-five when he finally entered the promised land (Num.14:10). That, my friends, is what one calls, “badass.” Age didn’t diminish his faith, spunk or zeal for the promises of God. Like his name, Caleb wouldn’t allow his advanced age define what he could or couldn’t do. The promises of God are to be embraced whether you’re in your Pampers, like Jeremiah or in your Depends, like Caleb. That’s how old Caleb rolled.
3. His tribe. Caleb’s name might have been less than encouraging but the tribe he was a part of, The Tribe of Judah (Num. 13:6), well…that was a uniquely blessed brood. Check out the prophetic word Jacob gave to the tribe of Judah: “Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk” (Gen. 49:8-12) So what do we have here? Well, Jake says Judah’s brothers will sing his praise and bow down to him. By the way, Judah’s name literally means “praise the Lord” (Gen. 29:35). What else do we have? Here’s a little perk, the tribe of Judah was to be characterized by choking out their enemies. Also, Jacob likened the peeps that make up that tribe to lions. For the indoor boys who’ve never interfaced with Africa’s big cats they are ferocious, top of the food chain, four hundred pounds of FAFO, that can morph a man into a grease stain quite speedily. Caleb’s clan was dangerous if you were on the wrong side of God’s business. In addition when Jacob prophesied, The scepter not departing from Judah until “he comes to whom it belongs” that’s a prophecy about the chief Dragonslayer himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Yep, he is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5) who rules and reigns in the midst of his enemies (Ps. 110:2). The rest of the passage, in Genesis 49:11–12, refers to the silly wealth that would be dumped on the tribe of Judah. That tribe was so wealthy and blessed that they were able to tie their donkeys to their best grapevine and allow them to eat their fill. Feeding your goofy donkeys succulent grapes was a whopping indication that Judah was mack-daddy well off. The Tribe of Judah was one big collective of reigning warriors who were called to wreak havoc on hell’s habitations and one can see that spirit definitely on display in crazy old Caleb.
4. His spirit. “But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.” (Num. 14:24). Caleb wasn’t your normal nutless evangelical. He didn’t go along with the unbelieving flow. He didn’t see himself as a grasshopper before the giants in the land. He did not view the monsters of Canaan as unconquerable. No, Caleb saw Canaanites not as grim carnage to the people of God but rather a snack lunch for the children of Israel (Num. 14:9). Caleb was full of faith, not fear. He saw the greatness of God, not the size of his enemies. The Expanded Bible says, “(Caleb) thinks differently”. When everyone else was thinking doom and gloom, Caleb was rehearsing in his head their death and which mountain range would he and his gang occupy to the glory of God. No wonder God liked him. He didn’t have a punk-ass unbelieving spirit. And remember folks, Caleb was eighty-five years old and his faith was still very much intact. His vision for the people of God’s future in The Promised Land was still screaming for vengeance. His passion for the things of God was still clipping at nuclear levels and not in the least bit affected by how many trips he has made around the sun.
5. His daughter. Caleb had a daughter named Achsah (Josh. 15:16-17). He would only allow her to marry a warrior dude who was worth his salt. Yep, mama’s boys, irresponsible duty shifters, solipsistic, narcissistic me-monkeys with a histrionic personality disorder who still live with their parents need not apply. Dads of daughters, please take note.
6. His multigenerational impact (Num. 14:24 & Josh. 15.20-62). “…I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.” - Numbers 14:24. If you don’t think what you do right now counts forever, then you’re nuttier than a squirrel’s turd. Caleb’s spirit and his passion for the things of God equated him and his descendants with the possession of massive chunks of the Promised Land. Caleb, evidently never watched No Country for Old Men because he got a lot of country for obeying God. God paid Caleb’s clan back in grand fashion for hundreds of years for their granddad’s sacred scrappiness. When I read Joshua 15:20-62, I am gobsmacked regarding what the tribe of Judah inherited based upon Caleb’s refusal to be an unbelieving wussy. Take a few minutes and read that staggering list and think back to Numbers chapters thirteen and fourteen when Caleb, with only one other brother, Joshua, openly defied all the fear-laden tinkerpots who were oh-so-ready to quit instead of conquer Canaan. God greatly rewarded Caleb’s ballsy act of faith, not to just him personally, but to his extended family for many many moons. Meditate upon that for a day or two…

​ Available On Amazon

​

Clash Ministries is here to do two things, namely, put brains and cojones on Christians. Yep, our holy job is renewing minds (Rom.12:1-2) and emboldening hearts (Prov.28:1). Your generosity helps us throttle the enemy by equipping God's people to live bold, wild and free in Him. You are a vital part of this ministry and we could not do this without you. Thank you for your faithful gifts and partnership and remember to always ... stay rowdy!

Zelle Giving In your Banking App, use Zelle and search: Clash Ministries clashministries@gmail.com Zelle Giving

PayPal Giving You can partner with Clash Ministries at five different levels or give a one-time donation with PayPal. PayPal Giving

​

Doug Giles is Pastor of Liberty Fellowship in Wimberley, TX, and is the founder of ClashDaily.com​

Follow Doug on Instagram and Twitter @TheArtOfDoug.

​

​​​​