Failure of Judah Part 8b of 8 (series: Lessons on Judges)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

51(Joshua 14:12) “Now therefore give me this mountain, 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.” Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite was the one-time spy partner of Joshua (see Num 13:26–33). These two godly men brought back the unpopular, yet proper, report that Israel should invade the Promised Land immediately from Kadesh-barnea. Because of Caleb’s faithfulness to the Lord, Moses swore that day saying, surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and now, forty-five years later, the day had come. Even though Caleb was eighty-five years old, he was yet as strong and capable of being a soldier as on the day this promise was made. He could boldly claim his inheritance, saying give me this mountain.

Caleb’s statements give a definite clue to the time lapse in the conquest of the land. If forty-five years had passed since Caleb received the promise of an inheritance (vs. 10) and that promise was given to him thirty-eight years before the crossing of the Jordan (cf. Num 14:24), then the actual time of the conquest was approximately seven years. Josephus apparently rounds this number off to five years.
52(Deut 2.10) “The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;”
53(Num. 13.33) “A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak!”
54(Josh 14.12-15) “12Now therefore give me this mountain, 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. 13And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. 15And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.”
55(Josh 15.13, 14) “13And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. 14And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.”
56 Josh 21:11) “And they gave them the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with the suburbs thereof round about it.”