| (Copyright) by Catherine C. Kroeger (Brewster, Massachusetts) |
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| In the 1930s, Minnesota had a brilliant young governor who captivated my family’s imagination and admiration. His innovative labor program became a national model, and soon his sights had moved beyond the state level to broader objectives. Harold Stassen set the national record as having tried for the presidency no less than seven times! From my childhood, I understood about a disappointed candidate. The Bible too tells us of a leader who simply did not have enough votes to implement his dream. Born into a slave family, the young Caleb could envision a society where his people would be free from bondage and oppression. There they could own their land, occupy their own homes, and live in peace and prosperity. As the years rolled on, the impossible dream still lay in his heart. And then one day Moses entered the land with a mission to deliver God’s people. The slave community began to stir, to assess the risks of following Moses’ program, of daring to think of themselves as a free people called by God. The escape from Egypt was anything but easy. Yet at last, they were on the far shores of the Red Sea, a newborn nation with a glorious future ahead. Traveling through the wilderness toward the Promised Land was not all roses. Petty complaints included the lack of melons, cucumbers, onions, and garlic that the children of Israel had known in the land of their slavery. There were moments of grandeur as well, as when Moses ascended the mountain and gave them the law of God. But Moses had his own limitations, and the occupation of the Promised Land fell to a younger generation. First, there was a feasibility study. A promising young leader was selected from each of the twelve tribes, one who could be trusted to make a careful assessment of the terrain and conditions in Canaan and to bring back strategic recommendations. Among that number was Caleb, representative of the tribe of Judah. At the end of forty days the intelligence team returned, bearing evidence of the fruitfulness of the land. The majority report, however, was truly alarming. There were people there of enormous stature and strongly fortified cities impregnable to a newly freed slave population with limited military skills. On a note of further terror, the observers identified the various tribal groups and their exact locations throughout the land. How could a conquest ever be attempted against so many foes? As desperation seized the children of Israel, another voice was raised, one that could see the potential. Caleb tried to calm the panic of the people as they stood before Moses: Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it. (Num. 13:30). Although Joshua shared his viewpoint, Caleb seems to have been the more articulate and perhaps the initiator of the strategy that would eventually give them the land. There were indeed formidable occupants, but there was no cohesion among them. They were dissociated from one another, scattered about with different languages, cultures, and loyalties. Each group had its own set of gods, rooted in a specific area of the land and peculiar to a specific population Caleb seemed already to be developing the strategy that would in time win the land divinely promised to them. They would move forward not as a group of isolated tribes but as the one people of God. There would be a common language, a common culture, and common objectives. There would be commitment to one another, with each tribe pledged to assist the others whenever need might arise. Above all, they would have a common God and come together to worship at a centralized point. It was true that there were some unusually large individuals (Goliath had four brothers; see 2 Sam. 21:19. 22 and 1 Chron. 20:4.8), but this tended to build a reliance upon individuals whereas real strength lay in building a unified team. It behooved them to develop weapons that gave superiority to well-drilled forces. While some of the Canaanites were semi-nomadic with no fixed place of settlement, others had imposing fortifications around their cities. As we all know, a fortress mentality does not ultimately win the day. A siege can be broken with perseverance and determination. Foot soldiers with a clever strategy might prove more effective. But Caleb’s innovative approach did not gain a hearing. When the speeches were over, the opposition had won. The vote was two against ten, a 16 percent minority. Then all the people began weeping aloud and cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron. They plotted among themselves, let’s choose a leader and go back to Egypt! (Num. 14:2) A return to the familiar life of slavery seemed preferable to launching out into a new and terrifying world. Patterns and attitudes do not change rapidly, as many of us know all too well. When we dare to speak out against domestic abuse and demand that the church maintain a policy of zero tolerance, there is resistance. When we challenge believers to obey the biblical mandate to deliver the oppressed from the hands of the violent, we are ignored. When we set forth the Scriptures condemning abuse of any sort, we may find ears just as deaf as those turned toward Joshua and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb said to the community of Israel, the land we explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us… don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They have no protection from their gods, but the Lord is with us. (Num. 14:7.9) No one was willing to accept this presentation of the potential that lay ahead. The people were doubt-filled, demoralized, divided and defiant. There could be no hope of an integrated occupation force. Caleb had been outvoted. His approval rating dropped to zero, and there was even talk of stoning him and Joshua. Some of us who dare to envision new horizons can resonate with him. When we strive to integrate believing Christians to stop domestic abuse, we too walk into a minefield. There are those who think it is none of our business to meddle in somebody else’s family problems, and those who think a victim must be to blame if there has been abuse. There are those who insist that she must return to the home, even if it is a place of danger for her and her children. There are those who say that we do not heed the Word of God. Besides, it’s a very unpleasant subject for discussion in the first place. On the other hand, there are persons deeply committed to the elimination of domestic abuse who feel they cannot trust us. They view the mandates of Scripture and the influence of the church as contributing to the endangerment of women. They view with suspicion our interest in faith-based intervention groups for offenders. They are fearful of what we have to offer, yet we can bring special gifts to the spiritual needs of a person caught in volatile situations. Our strategy can incorporate persons of faith in prayer and love and encouragement for those in need. There is much we should not attempt if we are not trained in safety counseling and care provision. Nevertheless, we can serve as part of a unified team. We can listen with compassion rather than judgment; we can seek to build bridges with the domestic violence community where other needs can be met: From the steeple to the shelter. Our efforts to build this unified approach are not always understood nor appreciated, just as Caleb’s was not. The candidate was not only disappointed but had become endangered as well. Yet there was one vote that had not been counted yet: Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites from above the Tabernacle. (Num. 14:10) Now the voice of God weighed in: My servant 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. (Num. 14:24) No less than six times in the biblical account, Caleb is described as loyal or following the Lord wholeheartedly… depending upon the translation (Num. 14:24; 32:12; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:8, 9). Although Caleb now had a heavenly promise, not much had changed on the ground. There were years of disappointments and frustrations. There were water shortages, petty arguments and major power struggles. As time wore on, those who had been most opposed to entering the Promised Land found their last resting place in the desert. A new generation was rising, one that was willing to think in new terms of a unified people seeking to do God’s work. Introducing new concepts is not an easy task. The conquest itself was not easy nor was it ever complete. But as an integrated force, God’s people moved into the land and claimed it as their own. The values that Caleb espoused were at last becoming a reality. Joshua had been the administrator, but the vision and commitment of Caleb is mentioned more than once as distinct from that of his more illustrious colleague (Num. 14:24, Deut. 1:36). There came a time when he could inherit the full share of land that had been promised to him and his descendants so long before. He approached Joshua with a reminder: I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to explore the land of Canaan. I brought him back a report according to my convictions. But my brothers who went with me frightened the people and discouraged them from entering the Promised Land. For my part, I followed the Lord my God completely. And Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God… (Josh. 14:7.9) At last, after so many years of waiting, the time to realize his dreams was come. Now that the nation had found a new home, he too must find his own. He was still well qualified to claim the land and to settle it: I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on the journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. (Josh. 14:11) Perhaps his eyesight or his hearing were not what they had once been, but his commitment had not flagged. It remained as strong as ever. He moved into one section of the territory readily enough and then delegated the task of conquering Debir to another of his own tribe. Whoever could accomplish the feat might wed his daughter. So it was that Achsah received from her father not only land but springs to water it. There the family might dwell in peace as the vision had at last come to fruition. —————————————————————————————————————– See Catherine C. Kroeger’s other articles at: Kroeger, Catherine C. – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) Reprinted with permission from: God’s Word to Women http://www.godswordtowomen.org/ —————————————————————————————————————– |
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