The superheroes we will learn about today come as a team. Joshua and Caleb were great men of God as individuals, but in our adventure today they were superheroes together. Like Batman and Robin, they had the same purpose in mind and worked together to accomplish their goals.
In Numbers 13:2, God gives Moses the command to send out a spy from each tribe of Israel to search out the land of Canaan. This was the land that God had promised them. Joshua and Caleb were leaders of their tribe. They would have been around 40 years old. It had only been a year or two since they had left Egypt where they were slaves. They had seen God perform miracles on their behalf. God had parted the Red Sea, gave them fresh water from a rock in the desert, and He had fed them with manna and quail from Heaven each day. They had fought battles and won. God had given Moses the Ten Commandments. The people had built an idol of the golden calf and received the punishment for worshiping something other than Jehovah God. They had been at their best and at their worst and now God was ready to give them the land He had promised if they would trust and obey.
Numbers 13:2 “Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.”
Moses obeys and sends the leader from each tribe to spy out the land. In Numbers 13:25-32 they finish their task and return home after 40 days of searching out the land. All the spies agreed this land was awesome. It is a land where the fruit was so large, they brought it back on a pole carried by two men. They described it as a land flowing with milk and honey. Everything they needed to have a prosperous life would be at their disposal. However, 10 of those men allowed the negative to overrule the positive. The men of Canaan were as giants and because of their size fear ruled the hearts and minds of the 10.
Numbers 13:27-28 “And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sent us, and surely it flowed with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover, we saw the children of Anak there.”
Caleb and Joshua were energized by what they saw. They saw a great land that God himself had picked for them, a land that gave them opportunities beyond their wildest dreams. In Numbers 13:30, Caleb comes before the people and is ready to lead a charge to take the land. His words were “we are well able to overcome it.” There was no doubt in the minds of Joshua and Caleb. God had sustained them and brought them to the place He had promised, and they were confident in their God. However, the other leaders were fearful and unwilling to follow God’s command. They saw the land as a great enemy to them. They were looking at the situation in their own strength, not in the power of God.
Num 13:30-33 “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
God was so angry at the response He caused the Israelites to wander for 40 years. Their sin of unbelief sentenced all who were over 20 at the time of the sending of the spies, to not be allowed to enter the promised land, except Joshua and Caleb. All over 20 would die before they were granted the promised land.
Why do I believe Joshua and Caleb should be in the category of superheroes? They were willing to stand alone against insurmountable odds. They stood for truth against their own ancestors, something which would have been frowned upon greatly. They trusted God completely and were not just willing to obey, they were anxious to obey. Their superhero strength was not in themselves, but in the God who has all power on Heaven and earth. These superheroes never waivered.
Their faith should be an example to us all. No matter what the task, if God is leading, we are to follow with an excited heart, anxious to see what God will do. When we believe God, our minds will be focused and our hearts ready to experience all that He has for us. God is still working and using those who are willing to put Him first. He wants us to love Him so much that we trust Him to be in total control. Our faith in Him is to be anchored in Him alone, believing, trusting, and expecting all things that would glorify Him. Joshua and Caleb remind me of a quote by the famous preacher, D.L. Moody in the 1800’s. “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God’s help, I aim to be that man.” How different would our world be if all who named the name of Christ would be that person? We too can be superheroes of the faith, but we must be all in, all the time!
