Numbers 14:20-35: a reflection

20The LORD said, “I have pardoned according to your word; 21but in very deed—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the LORD’s glory— 22because all those men who have seen my glory and my signs, which I worked in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tempted me these ten times, and have not listened to my voice; 23surely they shall not see the land which I swore to their fathers, neither shall any of those who despised me see it. 24But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it. 25Since the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in the valley, tomorrow turn and go into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.” 26The LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation that complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel, which they complain against me. 28Tell them, ‘As I live, says the LORD, surely as you have spoken in my ears, so I will do to you. 29Your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were counted of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me, 30surely you shall not come into the land concerning which I swore that I would make you dwell therein, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31But I will bring in your little ones that you said should be captured or killed, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. 32But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33Your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your prostitution, until your dead bodies are consumed in the wilderness. 34After the number of the days in which you spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, you will bear your iniquities, even forty years, and you will know my alienation.’ 35I, the LORD, have spoken. I will surely do this to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

Amid the sad judgment on a faithless generation who would not enter the promised land, one man is singled out for blessing: Caleb, because he had a different spirit and followed God fully. My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land, God says. The generation that had seen God's works yet refused to trust him would not enter the land they had rejected. But Caleb was different. Where the crowd doubted and drew back in fear, Caleb had another spirit; he followed God fully, wholly, not held back by the unbelief around him. And for this, God singled him out to receive the blessing the others forfeited. This shows the reward of following God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless crowd. Follow God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless crowd. Do not let the unbelief around you hold you back from following God wholly. Wholehearted following of God is singled out and blessed. Be like Caleb, following God fully when others draw back.

Notice what set Caleb apart. The whole generation had seen God's works, his signs in Egypt and the wilderness; yet, at the crucial moment, they doubted, feared, and refused to trust God to bring them into the land. They drew back in unbelief, and forfeited the land. But Caleb stood apart from this faithless crowd. He had, God says, another spirit; he followed God fully, wholly, not doubting and drawing back like the others, but trusting and following God completely. And precisely because of this different spirit and this full following, God singled Caleb out to receive the blessing the rest lost: he would enter the land. This holds an encouragement about following God fully, even against the current. It is easy to be swept along by the unbelief and fear of those around us, to doubt and draw back when the crowd doubts and draws back, to follow God only partway, held back by the faithlessness around us. But Caleb shows a better way: to have a different spirit than the faithless crowd, to follow God fully even when others do not, not letting the unbelief around us hold us back. And such wholehearted following, standing apart from the doubting crowd, is singled out by God and blessed. We do well to follow God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless around us, not held back by their unbelief. Follow God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless crowd around you. Do not be swept along by the unbelief of others into drawing back. Wholehearted following of God, against the current, is singled out and blessed. Be like Caleb, trusting and following God fully when others doubt.

That is worth taking to heart, for following God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless crowd, is singled out and blessed, as God singled out Caleb. We can be swept along by the unbelief around us into drawing back; but Caleb had another spirit and followed God fully, and was singled out for blessing. Follow fully. Do not let the unbelief and fear around you hold you back from following God wholly; have a different spirit, and follow God fully, as Caleb did. Follow God fully, with a different spirit than the faithless crowd around you, not held back by their unbelief, as amid the sad judgment on a faithless generation who would not enter the promised land one man was singled out for blessing, Caleb, because he had a different spirit and followed God fully, God saying that because Caleb had another spirit and followed him fully he would bring him into the land; for the generation that had seen God's works yet refused to trust him would not enter the land they had rejected, but Caleb was different, and where the crowd doubted and drew back in fear Caleb had another spirit and followed God wholly, not held back by the unbelief around him, so that for this God singled him out to receive the blessing the others forfeited, which holds an encouragement about following God fully even against the current, since it is easy to be swept along by the unbelief and fear of those around us and to doubt and draw back when the crowd does and to follow God only partway, held back by the faithlessness around us, but Caleb shows a better way, to have a different spirit than the faithless crowd and follow God fully even when others do not, not letting their unbelief hold us back, and such wholehearted following standing apart from the doubting crowd is singled out by God and blessed, so that we do well to follow God fully.

Lord, amid the sad judgment on a faithless generation who would not enter the promised land, one man is singled out for blessing: Caleb, because he had a different spirit and followed you fully. My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land, you say. The generation that had seen your works yet refused to trust you would not enter the land they had rejected. But Caleb was different. Where the crowd doubted and drew back in fear, Caleb had another spirit; he followed you fully, wholly, not held back by the unbelief around him. And for this, you singled him out to receive the blessing the others forfeited. Show me what set Caleb apart. The whole generation had seen your works; yet, at the crucial moment, they doubted, feared, and refused to trust you to bring them into the land. They drew back in unbelief, and forfeited the land. But Caleb stood apart from this faithless crowd. He had, you say, another spirit; he followed you fully, not doubting and drawing back like the others, but trusting and following you completely. And precisely because of this different spirit and this full following, you singled Caleb out to receive the blessing the rest lost. This holds an encouragement about following you fully, even against the current. It is easy to be swept along by the unbelief and fear of those around me, to doubt and draw back when the crowd doubts, to follow you only partway, held back by the faithlessness around me. But Caleb shows a better way: to have a different spirit than the faithless crowd, to follow you fully even when others do not. And such wholehearted following is singled out by you and blessed. Take that to my heart. Keep me from being swept along by the unbelief and fear of others into drawing back; help me have a different spirit, Lord, and follow you fully, wholly, even when others doubt, as Caleb did, not held back by the unbelief around me.