Do you remember anticipating your birthday as a kid? Counting down the days until you could hold up more fingers when someone asked how old you were? When we’re young, each birthday brings us closer to the next milestone. The next privilege. When I’m 16 I can drive. When I’m 18 I can vote. At 21 I can drink. Thirty is old. Can you believe my grandpa is 60!? Then our perspective shifts as we tick off more years. Upon hearing of the death of a family friend, we say, “60!? That’s so young!” And so it is.
If not all of us want to live to be 110 like Suzanne Somers, most of us at least want to finish well. I am inspired by older, elegant women who seem to emanate confidence and perspective. Dame Judy Dench. Queen Elizabeth. The retired prayer warrior at church. They are no longer worried about laugh lines or cellulite. They’ve experienced tragedy and hard work and deep love. They know what matters and they have their priorities straight. The older I get the more I envy that. And the more I come to terms with the fact that I’ll never look like Heidi Klum or Beyoncé.
There are plenty of Biblical examples of individuals having great adventures and accomplishing big things for God well into the autumn and winter years of life. Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters lifted the ark God had instructed him to build. Abraham and Sarah were over 90 when Isaac was born. Moses was 80 when God spoke to him from a burning bush in the desert. And there isn’t a better example, in my opinion, of how to do this with passion and determination than Caleb son of Jephunneh.
6 Now the men of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent a report according to my convictions, 8 but my brothers who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt with fear. I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’
10 Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five year old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heart 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.”
13 Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. 14 So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the LORD, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly.
Don’t you love that!? An eighty-five year old guy who is every bit as bold and passionate about grabbing all the gusto God has to offer as he was in his forties! And in his forties, he and Joshua were the only ones saying, “We can do this!” after the scouting mission into the Promised Land. They were positive, faith-filled leaders then, and they just got better with age. Oh, how I want to be like that. What would that look like in this day and age? I think there are some timeless principles that resonate.
Like Caleb, we can be people who:
• Live by the strength of our convictions – Joshua and Caleb did not cave to the fear and negativity of the other men who went with them to scout out the Promised Land. When ten of the twelve spies were shaking in their sandals, Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30) And apparently Caleb’s convictions never flagged because forty-five years later he remembers it with clarity and his perspective hasn’t wavered. Faith in God’s vision is more than just wishful thinking; it’s choosing to believe the One who is always faithful.
• Follow God wholeheartedly – This phrase is used three times in this passage and every time the story is referenced and told in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Caleb is known for following God wholeheartedly. With all of his heart. Whatever else he did pales in comparison. He was Caleb the wholehearted God-follower. What a phrase to have on a tombstone – “She followed the LORD wholeheartedly”. ‘Nuf said.
• Expect God to follow through on His promise – Caleb had been patient and recognized God’s hand in the previous decades. He saw that God had kept him alive and He kept him strong. So now Caleb wants his inheritance. He believed God at His word when He made the promises and he kept believing him, year after year, until the time was right for God to deliver. I want that kind of consistency and longevity in my faith.
• Are willing to work to see God’s promises come to fruition – Even though Caleb has waited for God’s promise and sees that the timing is right, there is no sense of entitlement. Caleb has not forgotten that God is God. He is, however, willing to work or fight or do whatever is necessary to guarantee his possession of the land he was promised. “Give me what’s mine; I’ll do what it takes!” Caleb shows us how exciting it can be to work in partnership with God when we are following Him closely enough to know the plan and how we fit into it.
Who are the modern examples of God-followers who live with this kind of passion and integrity? They are all around us and we can learn a great deal from them. They are pastors who refuse to water down God’s truth with the cultural fads of the times. They are parents who don’t cave to pressure to let their kids see movies that “everyone else is seeing”. They are business owners who treat their employees fairly and tell customers and vendors the truth. They are church members who pray for years for family members who are far from God to see and embrace His love. They are individuals who discipline themselves to read and know Scripture so they can apply it to their own lives and the lives of people who matter to them.
We are surrounded by people and can become people who grow and mature into more passionate God-followers. Time isn’t the enemy. Whether we’re in the early productive years of life, middle age, or enjoying the fruits of our labors in years of retirement, we can age passionately and with purpose if we learn from Caleb’s example. We can see God in action if we live with conviction, follow God wholeheartedly, expect Him to do what He says, and are willing to do our part in God’s plan.
• Who do you know that lives part or all of Caleb’s characteristics as they live for God?
• What parts of Caleb’s example do you find most challenging? Where might you go in Scripture to learn more about how to live differently?
• Ask God to reveal to you any area of your life that made need some tweaking to align yourself with what He is doing in your life currently. He may show you a lack of conviction or a lack of faith. Are you willing to confront that and trust Him to change you?
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