This not a mere historical lesson. I believe it is a lesson specially pressed on us in a time like this. Caleb was the one man of his time, a true-hearted man, who, when a whole generation abandoned God, wholly followed Him. When everything is drifting away, beloved, what a thing it is to stand and act thus. When those whom once we looked up to go this way and that;-how like sheep the people of God are; how easily, also, they run this way and that! But the good part is to follow the shepherd, and we shall never be saved from the responsibility of doing this. Of late, more than ever before, this has been shown. Nor is it enough to say we will not follow this man or that,- which may be, after all, mere independency; but we must be wholly following God. This will make us independent of man indeed, and dependent on God sufficiently to be willing to follow any by whom He may be pleased to show us what is His way.

The babes in i John 2:had an unction from the Holy One and knew all things, and needed not that any should teach them. We might take this, and easily run into independence, and so nourish a pride that is far from God. Pride and humility, in a sense, lie very close together. The most thorough pride may be nursed upon a text like this. But mark how it is put before us:the unction is from the Holy One, and this reminds us that "the knowledge of the holy is understanding."

"Ye know all things," means simply what that does as to the blind man restored to sight. When we say we can see everything, it does not mean that we can see Australia; but with a clear day and good eyes we can see anything that is presented to us. So it is here:as anointed of the Holy One, we can discern what is of God and what is not.

Caleb means "whole-hearted." This characterized him. We do not know what gift he may have had:he lived for God with all he had; and so may any here. No more is needed.

In Joshua 13:and 14:the tribes get their inheritance; in 15:the lot of the tribe of Judah is detailed first, and at the end the cities of Judah. In the middle we have Caleb's portion and blessing. Here we have God showing us how to get possession of our inheritance as Caleb got hold of his.

How old we get so quickly, but should we spiritually ? Truly not. Eternal life is not destined for the grave; and here is a man who does not ever grow old. He had a receipt against old age. It is man's link with God that is power over nature, and we can walk with God and not grow old.

At forty years he spied out the land, and forty-five years later he is as vigorous to go in and "possess" as at first to spy. What is all the weariness and strengthlessness which so characterize the people of God, the witness of; but that we are too little like Caleb.

In Numbers, when the spies searched out the land, Hebron was the special place which got their attention. Hebron means "communion." The glorious fruitage of Eshcol belongs there, and Caleb gets it. It is worth being a Caleb to get the place of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

But all the power of Satan is there to keep them out. The choicest blessing is the very thing the enemy would take possession of. The Anakim – the long-necked race – dwelt there, and called it the city of Arba,- Kirjath-arba, "a strong man," I suppose, and the head of the Anakim. They were giants; but, beloved, giants arc never the favorites of God. Little "Davids" are rather the men after His own heart.

Let us look at the names of the three leaders of these children of Anak, whom Caleb has to do with. Sheshai,- white. Ahiman,- who is my brother? Talmai,- my furrows.

These Anakim are the children of pride; as it was said, "Who can stand before the sons of Anak?" He who is the High and Lofty One, and Who inhabiteth Eternity, however, dwells not with such, but with the humble and contrite heart,-with him that trembleth at His word. But what is "white" in a sou of Anak? It is self-righteousness. They are too big, too self-sufficient, too apt to talk of themselves; and the child of God, alas, is capable of being self-conscious. He is not a son of Anak, of course, but the son of Anak has possession of him. "Who is my brother?" This is self-esteem in another way. It expresses pride of race and circumstances, and nobody equal to him. "My furrows." What I have made with my plow. My work, at least, I can take pleasure in. Everything in a son of Anak circles around self. Here again, alas, Christians can be kept out of Hebron (communion) by such things,- pride of character, pride of connection, spiritual pride of one's doings.

Caleb is ready to take possession of the land at eighty-five. He has no doubts. Only he says, "if
the Lord be with me." It is not doubt, but lowliness, and a very safe thing to say. Beloved, if the Lord be with us, what shall we not do? It is all right for us to speak of no confidence in ourselves, but don't let us stop there. Why do we not go on and have the most perfect confidence in God ? This we want just now. Men of knowledge are going this way and that, and the people of God are scattered like sheep; and sheep can scatter, you know. If we have attained true self-judgment, it will not be to give up confidence in God. Breaking with self is the way of true confidence in God. If there be not confidence in God, be sure of this, there is not the thorough break with self-confidence. "If God be with me," says Caleb, and so may we. Why may I not be able to drive out the Anakim, even if others have fallen? Ah, to be sustained by His arms, we must be weak enough to rest on them our whole weight. They are under us, but we want to feel them under us, by this.

There is no great history:the account is perfectly simple. He drives out the children of Anak, and takes possession:that is all. The man of greatest experiences in Genesis was Jacob, and the wonder is that most of them were before he became Israel:after that we find very few indeed. He nearly drops out of the history. Only a few more steps to Hebron, and then no more of the experiences of Jacob. What is the power of God ? Is He going to make a difficulty of doing anything? If He works, and we work His work, there is no need of even the consciousness of power. We rest in His arms, and let Him do it. Caleb drove out Anak, and took possession:that is all.

One thing more I am anxious for, for us all. Not only Hebron he gets. This is not all of the land he covets. There is something to complete "communion." He wants Debir, the name given to the most Holy place in the Temple of God. Its original name was Kirjath Sepher, meaning the "City of the Book." When a Caleb gets the book into his hands, it becomes a living oracle (Debir),- that from which God speaks to His people.

Joshua answers to Ephesians; and for the conflict there, we have only one offensive weapon. It says, "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." So our version reads. Is this enough for me ? Too much. I'd need the greatest mind and the biggest heart ever was to hold that sword. It is too heavy, had I to wield all that. It should read, "The sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God,"-enough to suit a little hand, and yet do marvelous things. It is the needed word for the time, which the Spirit gives,- a weapon fitted to my hand for the occasion.

This is what we want,- the living Word for this moment, to-day for to-day and to-morrow for tomorrow. We want this; and if it be the sword of the Spirit we must be in the power of the Spirit to use it. But if with God thus, babes or old men, we shall be successful warriors here.

These Anakim may remind us, then, of our great need. The infidel evolutionist says man has fallen upward,- from a mere animal he has become a man. In a way it is true:an upward self-assertive rise has been his fall. It is an awful fall. Brethren, let us fall down before the Lord. In the scripture conflict between good and evil, Michael is the Warrior Angel; and why Michael? It means "Who is like God?" Wasn't this the very thing Satan tempted man with, "Ye shall be as God" ?Michael answers this in the end, and smites the Devil out of heaven. Oh that the Anakite spirit kept no saint out of his Hebron now. Thoroughly humbled, we shall find communion simple. Where we found it first we find it still. Jesus in His baptism goes where all those poor people went, who came as sinners to the baptism of repentance, empty and humble. They had nothing to talk about but their sins. Jesus says I must go there.

God made everything out of nothing, and so the New Creator of our souls delights to work, and works still. Conscious only of our infirmities, we may glory in these:for the power of Christ shall rest upon us. F. W. G.