Sons of Encouragement

by Francine Rivers

  Joshua rode alongside him. “What do you have in mind?” He did not look comfortable mounted.

  Caleb swung his leg off the donkey. Joshua dismounted and they walked together. “Here is how I see it, Joshua. We need to find out everything we can about Canaanite defenses, and you can’t do that by skirting around a city. You have to go inside and see what war machines they have, if any, how strong their walls are, where the weak points exist.”

  “How does a farmer come to know anything about warfare?”

  “I don’t know much, my friend, but I have learned to observe everything around me. We listen to the wind and watch the movement of the stars and passing of seasons. I think there may be more than one reason for each command the Lord gives us.”

  Joshua tilted his head. “Go on.”

  “We know God fights for us. He destroyed Egypt with the plagues and opened a sea to give us safe passage out of Egypt. We know He has promised to give us Canaan. But we continue to test Him. It seems part of our nature to rebel against the Lord. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, Joshua. But there may be more than one reason why God sends us to view the land and people.” Caleb smiled bleakly. “If we fail again, what will God have us do?” Or what would God do to them?

  “We won’t fail.”

  “I have faith in God, my friend, but little faith in men.”

  They camped on the desolate southern edge of the wilderness of Zin. When they reached the dry mountain terrain of the Negev, Caleb thought it wise to split into smaller groups.

  “We’re safer together.”

  “Two men can move more quickly than twelve, and six groups will see more of Canaan than one.”

  “There is that to consider.” Joshua’s face shone bronze in the firelight. “And another. If we come as one, we will draw attention to ourselves, and the Canaanites may view us as a threat. If we travel in pairs, we can melt in, mingle. Take note of everything you see. Join others traveling and listen. We will meet here and make the journey back together.”

  Caleb had another idea. “Wherever you go, speak of what happened in Egypt. Spread the news that the Lord God of Israel overcame the gods of Egypt and delivered the Hebrews from slavery.”

  The others spoke in protest. “We may be questioned by leaders if we do that.”

  “The less we talk about what God did to Egypt the safer for us.”

  Even Joshua looked troubled by Caleb’s suggestion. Caleb tried to reason with them. “God called for leaders from among the tribes of Israel. Men of courage! You are all younger than me, but where is the fire of youth? Didn’t you hear what Moses said? The Lord has given us the land already. Canaan is already ours. We are being sent merely to see and report to the people the great gift God has given us.”

  “Do you really think we’ll just stroll into Canaan and the inhabitants will flee before us?”

  “If they know the God who is with us, yes! With the Lord on our side, who will dare come against us? Let the Canaanites know what has befallen Egypt so that the fear of the Lord will fall upon them. Then they will run from us when Moses leads us into Canaan.”

  Shaphat of Simeon stood. “A bold plan, Caleb.”

  Shammua of Reuben shook his head. “A little too bold, in my opinion.”

  “Should we not be bold? Look to the Lord who . . .”

  “Look things over!” Palti of Benjamin said. “That’s what Moses said. That’s all he said.”

  They ignored him.

  Nahbi of Naphtali gave a grim laugh. “That’s all I plan to do.”

  “What good if we get ourselves killed?” Ammiel of Dan wanted to know.

  Joshua looked across the fire at Caleb. Caleb gave him a hard stare. Why do you say nothing? You, who have stood beside Moses. You, who have seen closer at hand than any of us the power of the Lord.

  The others talked on around them. “No one has to die if we keep out of the cities and stay off the roads.”

  “Stay low and listen,” Caleb said in disgust. “Be like a lizard in the dust.”

  Shaphat’s eyes flashed. “You are not our leader, Caleb. We will each do what is best in our own eyes.”

  Igal of Issachar, Gaddi of Manasseh, and Asher’s Sethur agreed.

  “You don’t have to say much to plant fear in the minds of men, do you?” Caleb looked around the gathering, jaw clenched.

  “We were not sent to be foolhardy. You’re going to get yourself and anyone who travels with you killed!”

  Caleb glared at Joshua. He looked up to the heavens. “These are the leaders of Israel?” He rose abruptly, unable to stomach any more, and went out into the night. He wanted to shout out his frustration at their timidity, but instead sat alone, thinking about God. He missed the swirling cloud of protection, the Word of God given through Moses. Even now that he had been chosen by God to stand among these men, Caleb felt like an outsider. Had he nothing in common with them? God’s chosen! Cowards, every one.

  He didn’t understand Joshua’s reticence. The young man had fought valiantly against the Amalekites. He was no coward. So why did he sit in silence, watching and listening, not an idea in his head?

  Am I wrong, Lord? Should we creep along, peering over rocks and from behind trees? Should we tiptoe through the land? Should I go back to the fire and give in to their plans? I can’t do that. I can’t!

  If I sit with them and take their counsel, I will give in to fear. I will cower before the Canaanites as I did the Egyptians. Who then will be master of my life but fear itself? Lord, You alone are to be feared. You are the One who holds our lives in Your hands.

  Joshua joined him. “We leave at first light.” He looked up, scanning the night sky. “They will go in three groups.”

  “Three groups and one alone.”

  “You and I will travel together.”

  “Did you decide that all by yourself, Joshua?” Caleb gave a cold laugh as he stood and faced him. “Or did the others decide for you? Did you all cast lots around the fire?”

  “I needed to hear everyone’s plan and then lay them out before the Lord to seek His guidance.”

  Temper snuffed by Joshua’s words, Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. “Forgive me, brother.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “No wonder God chose you to stand at Moses’ side.”

  “I have much to learn, Caleb, but the Lord has said, ‘Do not be afraid.’”

  Caleb turned the younger man back toward the light. “Then we will not be afraid! We will cast out our fear of men, and fear only the Lord who holds our lives in His mighty hand.”

  The rugged mountains and wadis of the Negev made travel difficult. Two of the groups decided they would head for the foothills to the west, traveling in the forests below the ridge country. Caleb was relieved they were finally willing to venture out.

  Caleb and Joshua moved farther north until they encountered towns of stone built on hilltops. They spent the night outside the walls of Kiriathsepher, paid tariffs so they could trade, and set out wares at the marketplace the next day.

  Caleb fought his fears as he watched the Hittite men. They stood a head taller than he and were heavier muscled. Armed and richly dressed from the cone helmets and thick braided hair and trimmed beards to their finely woven, colorfully patterned garments and leather-covered feet, they walked with an air of power and confidence. The women, too, were comely and bold.

  “You do not speak as we do.” A woman looked him over. “Where are you from?”

  He noticed her interest in a gold and lapis bracelet, and picked it up. “Egypt. A ruined country.” He held the bracelet out and named his price—grain, olive oil.

  Others milled around the jewelry, bargaining. “Will apricots do? Or almonds?” Caleb agreed to a measure of both.

  The first woman returned quickly with the necessary staples. Her eyes glowed as she slipped the bracelet on. “I got the better bargain.” She laughed. “Grain we have in plenty, and olive oil, but nothing so grand as this.” She caressed the gold and lapis. “What did you
mean when you said Egypt is ruined?”

  “The plagues.”

  “What plagues?” Another heard the dread word.

  “The God of the Hebrews made war against the gods of Pharaoh. The Nile turned to blood. Frogs and flies swarmed over the country. Then locusts came and ate the crops. Fire from heaven burned what remained. Pestilence killed the cattle, sheep, goats, camels. Even as we began starving, an outbreak of boils struck everyone, even the house of Pharaoh, and then the worst came to pass. Have you ever had a boil?”

  “No.”

  “Such pain and misery, you can’t imagine. And the scars. Horrible.”

  “Scars?” The woman’s eyes went wide with alarm. “You said that wasn’t the worst. What could be worse than beauty destroyed?”

  “Tell us.” Another came close.

  “What did you mean by the worst?”

  “How could it be worse than what you have described?”

  “The Lord God of Israel struck down every firstborn male from Pharaoh’s house to the lowest servant, and even among the animals.”

  “Do you hear what this man says?” The woman called for others to listen. A crowd of men and women gathered.

  “How did you survive?”

  “We escaped death by the skin of our teeth.” Caleb noted the weapon the man wore. “May I have a look at that sword?”

  “Why? You have swords in Egypt.”

  “I have never seen anything so grand.”

  Proud, the man drew it, taunting Caleb for a moment before offering a closer look. Caleb took it carefully. “Such an honor.” He flattered the owner as he studied the shape of the blade, tested the weight and balance, while the man laughed among his friends.

  Caleb handed the sword to Joshua, who studied it as well and handed it back to the Hittite. “Perhaps it is a good time to expand our territories,” the man said as he slipped the sword into its scabbard. “We will tell our king of Egypt’s weakened state.”

  Caleb and Joshua took turns walking around the town, and then packed up their remaining wares and moved on.

  “They have more gods than Egypt.”

  “Baser ones.” Caleb couldn’t hide his disgust. “Here I am, a stranger to their city, and one of their women invites me to please Astarte by lying with her.”

  “At least it was not Anath calling for your blood. These people bow down to gods who consume children in fires and call for men and women to fornicate upon their altars. Did you notice how little surprised those women were when you told them about the tenth plague and death of the firstborn? Some in Canaan cast their firstborn sons into the fire to appease Molech.”

  They traveled on to Kiriath-arba, a city inhabited by the sons of Anak, a descendant of giants. The land was good, the city walled and fortified. Altars stood on every corner, the largest in the middle of town. Caleb saw crowds gather to watch a man and woman writhe upon an altar, crying out for Baal to awaken and bring fertility to their land. Lust swept like fire among them. The more Caleb saw of these people, the more he despised them for their debauchery and wickedness. There was no limit to the grotesque worship they performed for their gods—even to burning their own children.

  He and Joshua traveled to a Jebusite city on the mountaintops, then on to Ai and Shechem until they reached Rehob in the far north. Turning south once again, they made their way down the mountains and traveled along a great rift and the River Jordan. Jericho loomed before them.

  They followed the trade road into the mountains again, meeting the others at the prearranged point near Kiriath-arba. They all agreed that the land was everything God had promised, a land of milk with its flocks and herds, and of honey among the fruit trees and wheat fields and olive groves and vineyards. They had all tasted of it.

  When they came through the valley, Caleb and Joshua cut a single cluster of grapes so large they had to carry it on a pole between them. “Go get some of those pomegranates,” Joshua called to the others.

  “And some figs!” Caleb shouted. He laughed. “The people will never believe the abundance until they see it with their own eyes. Even what we bring back will not tell them of the riches of the land God promised us.”

  Forty days had passed, and Caleb couldn’t wait to get back to Kadesh. As soon as the people heard and saw proof that everything God had said was true, the sooner they would come back. God would help them drive out the evil inhabitants so the twelve tribes could reclaim the land Jacob’s and Caleb’s ancestors had left four hundred years ago.

  Not once did it occur to Caleb that the people might not listen.

  “The spies are returning!” People hailed them. “They’re here!” Men, women and children ran to them, gathering alongside, walking with them as they entered the camp. They exclaimed at the cluster of grapes. “Have you ever seen anything like that in your life?”

  “This is just a small sample of what God is giving us,” Caleb boasted in the Lord. “Forests, wheat fields, orchards, flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.”

  “And the people? What are the people like?”

  “Tall,” Palti said.

  “Fierce. Warriors, all of them,” Ammiel reported as he walked in.

  Annoyed, Caleb called out loudly, “They are no threat for the Lord our God!”

  Moses and Aaron and the seventy elders were waiting for them before the Tabernacle. Joshua and Caleb turned the pole so they approached straight on with the immense cluster of grapes suspended between them. Caleb grinned at their expressions and laughed with joy. Thousands came, pressing in, talking among themselves in excitement, peering at the men and the samples of the fruit of the land.

  Moses raised his hands for silence. “Tell us what you learned.”

  Shaphat spoke quickly, joined by Igal, Palti, and Ammiel. “We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit as proof. But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak who are living there!”

  “Giants!” A ripple of alarm spread out among the gathering.

  “The Amalekites live in the Negev.”

  “And the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country.”

  “The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.”

  The people grew restless, fear spreading through the crowd. “Giants . . . fortified cities . . . Anak . . .”

  Caleb stepped forward and raised his hands. “Quiet. Listen, all of you.” He did not shout. He knew he must hold his temper and speak as a father would to frightened children. “We were not sent to find out if we could take the land. The Lord has already given the land to us. All we have to do is obey Him. You remember what the Lord did to Egypt. Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it!”

  The other spies spoke loudly, breaking in on his appeal. “We can’t go up against them!”

  “They are stronger than we are!”

  “Listen to us!”

  “What do we know about war?”

  “We are only slaves!”

  “They are seasoned warriors!”

  Caleb shouted over them. “We can take the land! Don’t be afraid of those people.”

  “Don’t listen to this man. He’s not even a Hebrew!”

  Men cried out. “He stands for Judah! Caleb stands for Judah!”

  Emboldened, Caleb shouted louder. “It is a beautiful land. Green fields and hills, cities already built and ready for us to take!”

  “The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there!”

  “All the people we saw were huge!”

  “We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!”

  “We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that’s what we looked like to them!”

  “The land is ours!” Caleb cried out. “The Lord has already given it to us!”

  Moses called for order. He lo
oked old and tired as he told the people to return to their tents and allow the elders to talk among themselves. He and Aaron turned away, dejected, and the elders followed. The people cried out their disappointment and wandered away, weeping.

  Furious, Caleb grabbed Joshua by the arm. “Why didn’t you speak up? Why did you stand silent?”

  “There are two million people and ten shouting to be heard. They wouldn’t have heard me.”

  “You know as well as I do the land is ours. God said He would give it to us. Where is your faith, Joshua? Where is the courage I saw in the battle against the Amalekites? Where is that assurance I saw in Canaan? Those others are cowards. We cannot let them sway the people. You hold a high position. People will listen to you! Are you going to speak out or not? Decide, Joshua! Will you lead the congregation or follow?”

  “I’m not the leader, Caleb. Moses is.”

  “For now, yes. And as his assistant, you can speak to him. But will you have the guts to do so? Why do you think God placed you beside Moses? Think, man. When Moses goes to his fathers, who will stand in his place? His half-Midianite sons? Korah, who would like to take us back to Egypt? God is preparing you to lead. How is it I can see it and you can’t? For God and the sake of the people, stand and be heard!” Caleb let go of the younger man and strode through the camp to his tent.

  When he ducked and entered his tent, he found his entire family sitting in a circle. He could feel their tension, see their doubt. Only Ephrathah’s eyes shone with something other than fear. “Tell them what you saw, my husband. Tell them about the Promised Land.”

  And so he did, relieved as he saw their fears turn to hope and then excitement. He reminded them of what God had done to Egypt in order to deliver them from slavery. “He is a mighty God. Nothing is too difficult for Him. But we must trust Him. We must be ready so that when He tells us to go into Canaan, we go!”

  With Ephrathah’s encouragement, they kept him talking about the beauty of Canaan most of the night.