So,it is no secret that I've struggled a bit this time through the Joshua text. But, today's reading we get the results of a life dedicated to God's way. Caleb was amongst the original 12 spies that Moses sent to the promised land way back when the Isralites first arrived and refused to enter. At that time only Joshua and Caleb were found to be faithful. Caleb was 40 at that point. In our reading he is finally getting his inheritence of land. He is 85 years old, but full of life, strength, vigor! Why? Well, we are given this as a reason:
I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.
Caleb followed God wholeheartedly? How does that happen? Did he work hard? Did he memorize the rules, what might it take to follow God wholeheartedly? Here's the definition of the word from studylight.org.
1) to fill, be full
to be full
fulness, abundance
to be full, be accomplished, be ended
Well, I like that, consider taking the time to look at all the ways this word represents faithfulness and fullness in the scriptures. God uses the word with Adam and Eve when he tells them to go and "fill" the earth, he repeats it with Noah...it comes with the idea of consecration and santification in discusions about the priests and levites. There's too many cool uses of this word to reflect on here, but if you have time the payoff is very fullfilling!
Go long? Stay Strong? Get full...fullness worked at creation, being filled worked for Caleb, it worked at Pentacost as well, do we dare set aside our way, empty our own temples so that like Caleb before us we can be filled wholeheartedly by the way, the wind, the spirit of our God?
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