Caleb son of Tan Kok Seng, from the tribe of Klang is a man full of humor and wackiness. He just celebrated his 21st birthday last Friday. The PICTURES are below this post. Please please read this post before you go on with the next. This post ABOUT CALEB will certainly bless you. Dig deep.

Caleb son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah is a well known character in the Bible for one who follows the Lord wholeheartedly. Caleb was a man full of courage and faith and God said that he had a different spirit. We will see why God said that.

In the book of Numbers chapter 13 we see the account of God ordering Moses to send out spies into the Promised Land, Canaan. So Moses chose a few men to go and spy the land and Caleb son of Jephunneh (not Tan Kok Seng) was one of the spies. From this we can make a smart conclusion that Caleb was a well respected man by his peers. We can also see that he was a strong man and a very courageous one. This is because to send someone to an enemy’s land to spy is like sending someone into a den of hungry lions. The Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites and Amorites were Israel’s and Moses’ enemies and they were living in Canaan, the land which Caleb was to spy out on. So for someone to be sent to spy out an enemy’s land, it is a certainty that the person sent out was a person that was courageous.
So Caleb and 11 other men including Joshua went out to spy Canaan. After traveling for more that 1000miles and 40 days, they finally returned to the Israelites’ campsite. They brought back with them grapes and figs and pomegranates to show how fertile the land was and how rich it was with fresh fruits. These fruits especially the grapes probably indicated the goodness of the land God will be giving them. And so the spies gave the Israelites community a report on what they had seen in Canaan:

Numbers 13:27-29“We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who lived there are powerful, and the cities fortified and very large. We even saw the descendants of Anan there. The Amalekites live in Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Numbers 13:30
Then Caleb silenced the crowd and said,
“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Numbers 13:31, 32, 33
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.
All the people we saw there are of great size.
We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Wow! Can you see the great hullabaloo that happened?! The first part of the spies’ reports was true and so was the second part. There was indeed a great deal of enemies living in the land. Note verse 30, “Caleb silence the crowd.” From this we know that the crowd, the whole Israelite community was in an uproar. I can see why.

First, there was great news concerning the land, it was full of milk and honey (goodness) and abundant with fresh fruits, just as they wanted it to be.
“Aww... So nice... I can’t wait to go into Canaan...” was what the Israelites must be thinking. But the second part of the report told them otherwise. The spies told them about the huge army of enemies living in the land and when the Israelites heard that, all of them must be murmuring among themselves and doubting God. Later on we could see the Israelites grumbling against Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt into Canaan. And they even thought of going back to Egypt and continue to work as slaves!

Caleb did something so bold and courageous that it could only come out of his mouth by faith and trust in God. He silenced the angered and regretted crowd and told them,
“We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

“WHAT?! Are you nuts!!!”

The Israelites got even angrier at Caleb’s words and they must be throwing curses at Caleb and Moses by now. And the other spies that went with Caleb stood up and gave even more negative news. Talking about adding salt to your wound! Pif!

And then courageous Caleb took up his courage that was empowered by faith in God and shouted to the Israelites community saying,

Numbers 14:7-9“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord.
And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

What strong faith Caleb possessed! I was impressed at those words of Caleb son of Jephunneh (not Tan). Only a man full of faith and courage could say those words and mean it. And sure enough, 45 years later, Joshua and Caleb led armies to drive the enemies out of Canaan Land and they eventually took over the land. Joshua and Caleb were the only ones that managed to endure the many wandering years in the dessert with Moses and entered the Promised Land victoriously.

And all this started with the faith Caleb had in God and the courage he had. And this courage is one that could only be borne out of faith. God said of Caleb:

Numbers 14:24
Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land.

And now we know what spirit Caleb possessed. He had a different spirit. The other spies except Caleb and Joshua had a spirit of timidity. They were so afraid of the enemies in the land. They had a spirit of fear. And this fear blinded their eyes. Caleb could see beyond the enemies and saw victory but they could only see the enemies and see defeat.

Caleb had a spirit of courage, strength, faith and of Godliness. Caleb saw what the Israelites couldn’t see. Caleb wanted to go where the Israelites didn’t want to go. Caleb had the courage the Israelites did not have. This was what made Caleb a character in the Bible I admire and look up to.

And forty-five years later at the age of eighty-five (yes, 85) Caleb said this:

Joshua 14:11
“I am still strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.
You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

Be Strong and Courageous,
Zlwin Chew.

OK people, now you can go on to the next post and see the PICTURES taken at Caleb son of Tan’s birthday last Friday.