When Israel came out of Egypt and journeyed through the wilderness and came to the border of the land of Canaan, Moses sent in twelve men from the tribes of Israel to spy out the land and bring back a report. Of those twelve spies, only two (Caleb and Joshua) brought back a good report and encouraged the people to do as God had said and to take the land (Num 14:6-9); and because of that only the two of them out of their whole generation would come into the promised land (Num 14:30).
There was something very special about Caleb. God said that he “hath followed me fully” (Num 14:24). Caleb knew in his heart that he had fully followed God and he said as much to Joshua after they had possessed the promised land, when he said, “I wholly followed the LORD my God” (Jos 14:8). Some might think that this sounds like an arrogant thing to say, but the Holy Spirit reiterates Caleb’s words a few verses later in (Jos 14:14) and says concerning Caleb, “that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel”. The apostle Paul would many years later say similar words when he said of himself, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:” (2Ti 4:7). You see, it’s not arrogant to state that you have kept the faith and that you have wholly followed the Lord if you actually have. Paul would say at another time, “For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles” (2Co 11:5). Paul realized, though, that he was not the reason for his faithfulness and his ability as an apostle, but rather it was by the grace of God, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1Co 15:10). Though there is nothing wrong with stating a fact about yourself as Caleb and Paul did, it is always wise to “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips” (Pro 27:2).
Because of his faithfulness to God, which God Himself acknowledged, Caleb could confidently say to Joshua, “Now therefore give me this mountain…” (Jos 14:12a). Caleb was not asking for anything out of line, but rather in accordance with the revealed will of God as he went on to say, “…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.” (Jos 14:12b).
Caleb was acting in perfect accord with what the apostle John said many years later in the New Testament, “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1Jo 3:21-22). Caleb was also meeting another necessary requirement for a prayer to be heard and answered: it must be prayed according to God’s will, and when we do so, we can have confidence that God will hear and answer us, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” (1Jo 5:14-15). So if we are fully and wholly following the LORD like Caleb was, and if we are praying for things according to God’s will, then we can confidently say to God, “Give me this mountain.”
