Indomitable courage ∙

Indomitable courage ∙

My servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. – Numbers 14:24

Joshua 14:9-12

 9 Moses solemnly promised me, ‘The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your grant of land and that of your descendants forever because you wholeheartedly followed the LORD my God.’

 10 Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise – even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old.

 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then.

 12 So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts, we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said.

Numbers 13:33 “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim [Giants]; and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

In the movie Jurassic World, one of the many sequels to Jurassic Park, Indominus Rex was one of the main adversaries. Her name means Fierce or Untamable King. She was the epitome of GMO experiments gone awry. She was a genetically modified species of dinosaur, a man-made hybrid. InGen created her by combining the base genome of a Tyrannosaurus with that of a Velociraptor. She also contained the genetic material of numerous other species, including cuttlefish, tree frogs, and a pit viper.

She was able to change color due to the cuttlefish DNA used in her creation. She could camouflage herself and become virtually invisible.

The creation of Indominus Rex was driven by the quest to increase the park’s profits. Jurassic World’s financial success as a global attraction declined years after opening. The board of directors authorized the development of a new vicious predator attraction for Jurassic World to satisfy investors.  Once Indominus escaped from her pen, she left a trail of death and destruction behind her. It is no coincidence that modern organic food labels often contain a logo indicating it is Non-GMO.

The English word indomitable has a sense of incapable of being subdued, unconquerable courage. Two Old Testament biblical characters stand out as ideal examples of this trait: Joshua and Caleb.

REFLECT & PRAY

A pessimist complains about the wind.

An optimist expects the wind to change.

A realist makes adjustments.

Father with You, all things are possible. It is easy to be frightened, even terrified, in the dark days that we live. I pray that You will grant indomitable courage to me as You did for Joshua and Caleb.

INSIGHT

Before the scheduled invasion and conquest of the land of Canaan, the Father instructed Moses to send out twelve spies, one from each of the twelve tribes, to determine the quality of the land and take a measure of its inhabitants (Numbers 13:1-16). Their mission was not to assess the viability of the Father’s plans. It was simply to be a fact-finding mission.

The land was indeed wonderful, flowing with milk and honey. But it had large walled cities, well-trained, well-armed soldiers, and giants living there. They were terrorized and exaggerated when they told their tale. Ten of the twelve spies were terrified and recommended that the invasion be canceled. The ten spies stated that it would be suicide.

Numbers 13:31-33

 31 “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!”

 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.

 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them, we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

But Joshua and Caleb were undaunted by what they saw because they had total confidence in the Father. He would be with them and bring them safely into the land to take possession of it. The current inhabitants may be a problem for mere mortals, but it would be a trivial matter for the Lord God Almighty. Not to invade and take possession of the land would be sheer rebellion against the Father Himself.

Numbers 14:6-9

 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua, son of Nun, and Caleb, son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing.

 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land!”

 8 “And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.”

 9 “Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

Well, you know the rest of the story. The people of Israel chose to believe the evil report of the majority and rejected the good report of Joshua and Caleb. Because of their unbelief and lack of trust in the promises and faithfulness in the Father God, they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of certain victory. So they were doomed to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until all of the adults from the generation responsible for that fearful, defiant decision died in the desert. Only Joshua and Caleb survived.

Joshua and Caleb did more than survive. Joshua became the leader of all Israel after the death of Moses. The Father Himself commissioned him.

Joshua 1:1-3

 1 The LORD spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said,

 2 “Moses, my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.”

 3 “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.’”

Joshua was given a prime directive to follow. And so he did.

Joshua 1:7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.

Caleb was a strong, courageous, visionary leader. He had great faith and indomitable courage that he wanted to fight the giants and overpower them through the power of Almighty God. And it was so! Caleb started this fight when he was 85 years old. He finished well!

Numbers 14:24 But my servant Caleb has a different spirit than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored.

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will” (Gandhi).

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© Dr. H 2023