“We escaped death by the skin of our teeth.” Caleb noted the weapon the man wore. “May I have a look at that sword?”
“Why? You have swords in Egypt.”
“I have never seen anything so grand.”
Proud, the man drew it, taunting Caleb for a moment before offering a closer look. Caleb took it carefully. “Such an honor.” He flattered the owner as he studied the shape of the blade, tested the weight and balance, while the man laughed among his friends.
Caleb handed the sword to Joshua, who studied it as well and handed it back to the Hittite. “Perhaps it is a good time to expand our territories,” the man said as he slipped the sword into its scabbard. “We will tell our king of Egypt’s weakened state.”
Caleb and Joshua took turns walking around the town, and then packed up their remaining wares and moved on.
“They have more gods than Egypt.”
“Baser ones.” Caleb couldn’t hide his disgust. “Here I am, a stranger to their city, and one of their women invites me to please Astarte by lying with her.”
“At least it was not Anath calling for your blood. These people bow down to gods who consume children in fires and call for men and women to fornicate upon their altars. Did you notice how little surprised those women were when you told them about the tenth plague and death of the firstborn? Some in Canaan cast their firstborn sons into the fire to appease Molech.”
They traveled on to Kiriath-arba, a city inhabited by the sons of Anak, a descendant of giants. The land was good, the city walled and fortified. Altars stood on every corner, the largest in the middle of town. Caleb saw crowds gather to watch a man and woman writhe upon an altar, crying out for Baal to awaken and bring fertility to their land. Lust swept like fire among them. The more Caleb saw of these people, the more he despised them for their debauchery and wickedness. There was no limit to the grotesque worship they performed for their gods—even to burning their own children.
He and Joshua traveled to a Jebusite city on the mountaintops, then on to Ai and Shechem until they reached Rehob in the far north. Turning south once again, they made their way down the mountains and traveled along a great rift and the River Jordan. Jericho loomed before them.
They followed the trade road into the mountains again, meeting the others at the prearranged point near Kiriath-arba. They all agreed that the land was everything God had promised, a land of milk with its flocks and herds, and of honey among the fruit trees and wheat fields and olive groves and vineyards. They had all tasted of it.
When they came through the valley, Caleb and Joshua cut a single cluster of grapes so large they had to carry it on a pole between them. “Go get some of those pomegranates,” Joshua called to the others.
“And some figs!” Caleb shouted. He laughed. “The people will never believe the abundance until they see it with their own eyes. Even what we bring back will not tell them of the riches of the land God promised us.”
Forty days had passed, and Caleb couldn’t wait to get back to Kadesh. As soon as the people heard and saw proof that everything God had said was true, the sooner they would come back. God would help them drive out the evil inhabitants so the twelve tribes could reclaim the land Jacob’s and Caleb’s ancestors had left four hundred years ago.
Not once did it occur to Caleb that the people might not listen.
“The spies are returning!” People hailed them. “They’re here!” Men, women and children ran to them, gathering alongside, walking with them as they entered the camp. They exclaimed at the cluster of grapes. “Have you ever seen anything like that in your life?”
“This is just a small sample of what God is giving us,” Caleb boasted in the Lord. “Forests, wheat fields, orchards, flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.”
“And the people? What are the people like?”
“Tall,” Palti said.
“Fierce. Warriors, all of them,” Ammiel reported as he walked in.
Annoyed, Caleb called out loudly, “They are no threat for the Lord our God!”
Moses and Aaron and the seventy elders were waiting for them before the Tabernacle. Joshua and Caleb turned the pole so they approached straight on with the immense cluster of grapes suspended between them. Caleb grinned at their expressions and laughed with joy. Thousands came, pressing in, talking among themselves in excitement, peering at the men and the samples of the fruit of the land.
Moses raised his hands for silence. “Tell us what you learned.”
Shaphat spoke quickly, joined by Igal, Palti, and Ammiel. “We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit as proof. But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak who are living there!”
“Giants!” A ripple of alarm spread out among the gathering.
“The Amalekites live in the Negev.”
“And the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country.”
“The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”
The people grew restless, fear spreading through the crowd. “Giants . . . fortified cities . . . Anak . . .”
Caleb stepped forward and raised his hands. “Quiet. Listen, all of you.” He did not shout. He knew he must hold his temper and speak as a father would to frightened children. “We were not sent to find out if we could take the land. The Lord has already given the land to us. All we have to do is obey Him. You remember what the Lord did to Egypt. Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it!”
The other spies spoke loudly, breaking in on his appeal. “We can’t go up against them!”
“They are stronger than we are!”
“Listen to us!”
“What do we know about war?”
“We are only slaves!”
“They are seasoned warriors!”
Caleb shouted over them. “We can take the land! Don’t be afraid of those people.”
“Don’t listen to this man. He’s not even a Hebrew!”
Men cried out. “He stands for Judah! Caleb stands for Judah!”
Emboldened, Caleb shouted louder. “It is a beautiful land. Green fields and hills, cities already built and ready for us to take!”
“The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there!”
“All the people we saw were huge!”
“We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!”
“We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them!”
“The land is ours!” Caleb cried out. “The Lord has already given it to us!”
Moses called for order. He looked old and tired as he told the people to return to their tents and allow the elders to talk among themselves. He and Aaron turned away, dejected, and the elders followed. The people cried out their disappointment and wandered away, weeping.
Furious, Caleb grabbed Joshua by the arm. “Why didn’t you speak up? Why did you stand silent?”
“There are two million people and ten shouting to be heard. They wouldn’t have heard me.”
“You know as well as I do the land is ours. God said He would give it to us. Where is your faith, Joshua? Where is the courage I saw in the battle against the Amalekites? Where is that assurance I saw in Canaan? Those others are cowards. We cannot let them sway the people. You hold a high position. People will listen to you! Are you going to speak out or not? Decide, Joshua! Will you lead the congregation or follow?”
“I’m not the leader, Caleb. Moses is.”
“For now, yes. And as his assistant, you can speak to him. But will you have the guts to do so? Why do you think God placed you beside Moses? Think, man. When Moses goes to his fathers, who will stand in his place? His half-Midianite sons? Korah, who would like to take us back to Egypt? God is preparing you to lead. How is it I can see it and you can’t? For God an
d the sake of the people, stand and be heard!” Caleb let go of the younger man and strode through the camp to his tent.
When he ducked and entered his tent, he found his entire family sitting in a circle. He could feel their tension, see their doubt. Only Ephrathah’s eyes shone with something other than fear. “Tell them what you saw, my husband. Tell them about the Promised Land.”
And so he did, relieved as he saw their fears turn to hope and then excitement. He reminded them of what God had done to Egypt in order to deliver them from slavery. “He is a mighty God. Nothing is too difficult for Him. But we must trust Him. We must be ready so that when He tells us to go into Canaan, we go!”
With Ephrathah’s encouragement, they kept him talking about the beauty of Canaan most of the night.
But outside his tent, beyond his cloistered family members, out there among the thousands upon thousands, the seed of fear had taken root and was spreading its malevolent tendrils through the camp, stifling anticipation, smothering joy, and bringing a wave of murderous wrath.
When Caleb finally stretched out to rest, he slept fitfully. People wailed in the distance. He awakened once to shouts in the darkness. What had the people expected? That the Lord would wipe out everyone before they reached the borders of Canaan, so they could enter unoccupied land? He got up before sunrise, washed, and dressed in his best clothing.
Ephrathah heard him moving about the tent and rose. She awakened the others. “Hurry. We must go with your father. Come, Jerioth. We must stand behind our husband.”
Caleb pushed aside the curtain. “Stay here.” Both women were pregnant, and he didn’t want any harm to come to them or the babies they carried. “The people are angry. I don’t know what will happen. It’s best if you both remain here rather than be caught up in their rebellion.”
“What would you have us do?”
“Pray to the Lord our God that the people will listen and obey the Lord.”
Thousands were coming from every area of the camp, marching and shouting. Caleb ran ahead and pressed his way through those who had already gathered before the Tabernacle. He shoved his way through the crowd and broke free at the front, running to stand beside Joshua. “We have to stop them from rebelling!”
“What have you done to us, Moses?”
“We wish we had died in Egypt!”
“Or even here in the wilderness!”
“Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle?”
“Our wives and little ones will be carried off as slaves!”
“We should go back!”
Elders from the tribes came to the front, the ten other scouts among them. Red-faced men shouted, “Let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt!”
Crying out in fear, Moses and Aaron dropped to the ground before the people. Caleb understood, for he felt the change in the air around him. It was not just fear of the people that made them prostrate themselves. Were the people so foolish they didn’t know the Lord heard them crying to go back to the land from which He had delivered them? to go back to slavery? to go back to false gods and idols?
Caleb let out a cry and ripped his garment. While Moses and Aaron covered their heads in fear of what the Lord would do, Caleb dove into the fracas, shouting with all his strength, “Listen, you people! Listen! The land we explored is wonderful land!”
Joshua shouted with him. “If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us safely into that land and give it to us!”
Caleb strode toward the elders and scouts, pointing at them. “Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land.”
“They are only helpless prey to us!” Joshua shouted. “They have no protection, but the Lord is with us!”
“The Lord is with us!”
“Don’t be afraid of them!”
Korah stepped forward. “Don’t listen to this Caleb! He and Moses’ lackey would lead you into a land filled with enemies who have the power to slay your little ones.”
“Do you want to be slaughtered?”
“No!”
“Stone them!”
Caleb saw the hatred in the people’s faces, the fury growing past reason as they scraped around on the ground for rocks and pebbles.
Is this where my faith has led me, Lord? To death? Then let it be.
Screams rent the air and people scattered, for the cloud moved, changing color as it rose, spread, compressed, descended, and stood between the people and Caleb and Joshua. Caleb threw himself to the ground, covering his head in terror. Joshua lay beside him, crying out to God not to kill everyone.
Moses cried out, too. “Oh, Lord, no!” Moses was on his feet, hands raised, pleading frantically. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?”
About what? Caleb’s heart pounded. He felt the presence of the Lord, the rising wrath, the chill of death close at hand. He shook violently and clutched the earth.
“The Egyptians know full well the power You displayed in rescuing these people from Egypt!” Moses cried out to the Lord. “They will tell this to the inhabitants of this land, who are well aware that You are with this people. They know, Lord, that You have appeared in full view of Your people in the pillar of cloud that hovers over them. They know that You go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.”
Never had Caleb heard Moses speak so fast. He felt judgment at hand. Oh, Lord, have mercy upon us. Speak faster, Moses. Plead for us. God hears your voice. Without you, the Lord will kill us. My children! My wives!
“Now if You slaughter all these people . . .”
People screamed and scattered.
“ . . . if You slaughter all these people, the nations that have heard of Your fame will say, ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land He swore to give them, so He killed them in the wilderness.’”
Wailing rose. Thousands of voices cried out in terror, “Save us, Moses!”
Caleb wanted to rise up and scream to the people, “Cry to the Lord, for it is He who saves!” Were they still so foolish they could not hear Moses’ pleading? “Cry out to the Lord for forgiveness.”
“Please, Lord, prove that Your power is as great as You have claimed it to be.” Moses held his hands high. “For You said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and rich in unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so He does not leave sin unpunished, but He punishes the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.’ Please pardon the sins of this people because of Your magnificent, unfailing love, just as You have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”
Moses went down on his face before the Lord, and there was silence, such a silence that Caleb’s ears rang with it. And then he thought he heard a still, quiet Voice whisper his name like a breath of warm, life-giving air. He strained mentally toward that Voice, listening intently, yearning to hear it again, so soft and loving but with the power of Almighty God behind it. But it was not for him to hear more. Not yet. Not now.
Stretching out his arms on the ground, his face in the dust, Caleb prayed. Lord, Lord, if You slay me now because I failed to convince these people of what I saw, I will die happy because it is by Your hand my life ends.
The glorious presence of the Lord lifted. Moses sobbed in relief.
Caleb raised his head as the old man rose slowly to his feet, trembling, tears running into his white beard. But when Moses looked out at the people, his eyes blazed. Caleb felt fear then, a fear that welled up inside him and made his stomach quiver, sweat bead, his mouth go dry.
“Listen, all of you, and hear the Word of the Lord!” The power of the Lord was behind Moses’ voice and it carried like a storm.
Caleb moved quickly so that he was standing beside Joshua again. The other ten scouts did not join them, but remained among the elders of their tribes. There might as well have been a chasm between them. On one side stood six hundred thousand men who had chosen to fear the enemy rather than follow the
ir trusted Friend. They had chosen to speak against the One who had saved them and provided for them every day since they had been rescued from slavery. On the other side stood Caleb and Joshua, two strong voices of reason not heeded.
The people came closer, but rebellion still shone in their eyes. The elders of each tribe came to the front with their scout. Caleb looked out at them and wondered how they could think the threat was past, that the Lord would do whatever Moses asked.
We deserve nothing, Lord. After all You have done for us, and this is what the people decide.
“Hear the Word of the Lord!” Moses’ voice went forth like fire. “‘I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land.’”
The Promised Land was lost to them. While many cried out in relief, Caleb cried out in grief and fell upon his face again. He drew his knees up under his body and threw dust on his head. Imagining the ten scouts, he pounded the earth with his fists and wept bitterly.
Moses’ voice rose, hot with anger, weighed with grief.
“‘They have seen My glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they tested Me by refusing to listen. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will enter it.’”
Moses paused and then spoke tenderly. “‘But my servant Caleb . . .’”
My servant Caleb . . . The Voice again, so tenderly calling him. Caleb, My servant . . .
Caleb raised his face to the heavens. Moses spoke, but it was the Lord’s voice Caleb heard. Caleb is different from the others. He has remained loyal to Me, and I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will receive their full share of that land.
Caleb bowed his face to the ground. Unworthy, Lord, I am an unworthy dog.
What of Joshua?
“‘Now, turn around,’” Moses said in the power of the Spirit, “‘and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.’”