“So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel.” Josh 14:14 (Amplified)
What an oxymoron of a title. Cowards don’t conquer. They run! They die a thousand deaths before their time. They chicken out at the sign of difficulties. Well, according to the bible, there is one exception to the rule and that was the man named in the above passage. Oh no, I am not mistaken and oh yes, he was a coward, for that was the real meaning of his name. The name Caleb actually means coward and I am sure that most people would be shocked to learn that one of the bible’s heroes was actually a coward. And what does that say about our God? I guess plenty. It shows that He can still make conquerors out of cowards and thus repeat what He accomplished in Caleb.
I can understand you having a difficult time accepting the fact that anyone could dare to tarnish the name of Caleb with the suggestion that he was a coward, but Scripture don’t lie. If the bible said that Caleb was a coward, it is a waste of time trying to argue with God’s word. The wise course of action is to find out how and why Caleb became such a success and a biblical hero in spite of this initial drawback. By the time he died Caleb had transformed the import of his name such that you can never associate his life with cowardice. In fact, he is now only remembered for his immense courage and that is what makes it all the more puzzling.
In an age where hero worship is already a national pastime and the word legend has become so cheapened that anyone who manages to brush his teeth qualifies as one, Caleb still stood out as a true hero. Nevertheless, if you read between the lines, you will quickly realise that he wasn’t born as one. He became one. He wasn’t born great. He achieved greatness. In fact, at his birth, greatness was the last thing his parents expected of him. That is the only reason they could name their son a coward. Since in Jewish tradition the name denotes the character of its bearer, Caleb was a coward by nature. So, how did he achieve greatness? How did he become a winner as opposed to the natural loser everyone thought he would grow up to become? How did Caleb defy the terrible odds that were stacked against him and made his life an enviable success?
The answer is already staring you in the face. It was because he wholly followed God, full stop. Caleb so much imbibed God’s word that it renewed his mind, changed his self-perception and strengthened his character to such an extent that he cared little what people thought of him. God was all that mattered. He totally yielded his life to God without reservations and held God’s word to be the final authority over his life. That is the reason he defied the odds and ended up a winner. The reality is that Caleb could easily have chosen to go the other way. He had more than enough time to make up excuses as to why he could not make it in life. He could have coasted through life playing the victim. But that was not his style. He instead chose to defy the limitations that were placed on his life, confronted and killed the giants within as well as the ones outside, achieved great success and left a wonderful legacy. His God is also your God. Follow Him wholeheartedly, and whatever your limitations, you will end up a winner.
Prayer:
Lord, you are all I need to win in life. I resolve to follow you wholeheartedly. As from today, your word shall be law unto me. Cause your strength to bring out the winner in me in Jesus name. Amen