Sons of Encouragement

by Francine Rivers

  “Then give me the sword!” she had cried out to him once.

  A sword.

  His burden lifted and he let out his breath in a long sigh. “Acsah.” Trembling, he rested his hand upon her. “God has answered us.”

  She raised her head, eyes red and cheeks pale from weeping. Catching her breath, she sat upon her heels, eyes brightened. “What did He say, Father?” Tiny bumps rose on her arms and she leaned toward him, eager to hear.

  “I must find you a husband.”

  She blanched. “No.”

  “Yes.”

  Her tears came again, in a storm of anger this time. “Why?” She glared at him. “You made it up. God said no such thing!”

  Caleb caught her face between his hands and held her firmly, trembling. “I didn’t make it up. You are to marry. Now, tell me who it is to be. Give me the name.”

  Her eyes went wide. “I don’t know.”

  He opened his heart wide and sent up a prayer like an arrow to heaven. Who, Lord? Who is to be my daughter’s husband?

  Ask her.

  If she didn’t know the name, she must know other things. But what? What?

  “Father, don’t upset yourself.”

  “Hush.” He must look wild in his frustration. He released her with a pat on her cheek. “Let an old man think.” Lord, what do I ask? What? And then it came to him. “What sort of man would you want?”

  “I have not thought about it.”

  “You must have thought about it. Now, tell me.”

  “I see the sort of men there are, and I want none of them. Why would I want any one of them to be my husband? I would rather die than—”

  “Answer the question. What would it take to make you content? to bring you joy. Think!”

  She clenched her hands until her knuckles were white. “Someone who loves God above everyone and everything else. Someone who keeps the covenant. Someone who doesn’t look away when God’s enemies move back into the land God gave us. Someone who hears God when He speaks. A man with a warrior’s heart.” She glared at him through her tears. “Someone like my father!”

  He smiled ruefully. “Someone far better than your father, I think. You want a prophet.”

  “Nothing less.” Her eyes were as fierce as a lioness’s. “If I have any real choice in the matter.”

  “Go and fetch me your brothers.”

  Her defiance withered. “No, Father, please . . .”

  “Do you trust me?”

  She bit her lip.

  He gave a curt laugh. Why should she trust him? Had he ever put her interests above his sons’? His eyes had been so fixed upon them that he had neglected to think much about her. But she had gleaned the Word of the Lord. She had taken up hope and held it close, nourishing her soul upon it.

  “Father, let me stay with you.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “Let me serve you.” She bowed her head.

  He tipped her chin. “Acsah, my child. Do you trust God?” He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it from her lips.

  “Yes.”

  “Then trust in Him and go fetch your brothers. God knows the plans He has for you, and it is for your future and our hope.”

  Resigned, she rose to obey.

  Caleb lifted his hands to the heavens. In my distress, I cried out to You, Lord. And You answered.

  A leader would rise because of his daughter. And an army would go out and be victorious.

  Caleb looked out over the field of faces who had come at his summons. Not all the families of Judah were represented, but that didn’t matter. God would have His way. Somewhere among these men was a man God would call to arms. Perhaps he had already sensed God’s leading, and been troubled and unsure why. But what lay before Caleb now was certain. The one who listened and acted upon what was said today would be the one God would use to judge Israel.

  The men talked among themselves, and Caleb did not have the wind to shout anymore. His sons stood around him, his grandson Hebron giving him support. How would they take what he had to announce? He nudged Hebron. “Call them to order.”

  “Silence! Let Caleb speak.”

  The men fell quiet.

  Caleb gestured for them to come closer and they did.

  “I am an old man and can no longer lead you in battle. Another must rise to take my place.”

  “What of your sons? What of Mesha? or Hur?”

  Caleb held his hand out and they fell silent again.

  “Even now, the Lord is preparing one to lead us. Even now—” he looked at the faces of the men gathered close—“one of you . . .” His eyes were not as they once were and his vision was blurred. “I have called you here to remind you of the work yet to be done. Canaanites still inhabit Kiriath-sepher. God told us to take this land and drive the inhabitants out. God’s enemies are emboldened by our lack of action. We must finish the work God gave us to do. We did not enter into the land to make peace with God’s enemies, but to destroy them!”

  Some of the men shouted in agreement, but his sons were not among them. Perhaps the one whom God had called here would renew the vision and quicken the spirit to obey the Lord. Let it be so, Lord. Let it be so!

  “Father.” Hur bent close. “Is that all you wish to say?”

  They were so impatient, so eager to be about their own business. They had no time for contemplation.

  “No.” Caleb had so much more to say, words they had heard so many times before. They were like their fathers before them, slow to obey the Lord, quick to forget Him. If he said what he had said so many times before, they would not listen. Lord, how do You bear us? It is a wonder You didn’t wipe us from the face of the earth after we tested You so many times in the desert!

  Wrath fired his blood, but wisdom made him speak briefly. “The Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob gave me the hill country. My sons have claimed their portions and have settled their families upon it. But there is still land to conquer, land God gave me that has not yet been claimed. I give the Negev to my daughter Acsah as her inheritance.”

  He heard the hiss of the drawn breath of his sons.

  “Acsah?”

  Caleb raised his voice. “The daughters of Zelophehad stood before Moses and Eleazar and the leaders and the entire congregation, and were given land to possess among their father’s brothers. I have many sons. Mesha, my firstborn, has received his double portion. A son has been raised up for Ardon, killed in battle, and he has received his portion. The others have their portions of the land we have taken. But the Lord God gave me the Negev as well, and Kiriath-sepher is once again in the possession of the Anakites. The portion not yet conquered shall belong to my daughter, whose faith is like a fire within her. Mighty men shall come from her!”

  He jammed his walking stick into the ground and stepped forward. “Hear me, sons of Judah. I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher!”

  Caleb heard running feet and struggled to raise himself on his pallet. Acsah hastened to him and helped him sit up, pressing cushions behind him.

  He heard a man speaking breathlessly outside. “Come!” Caleb called. “Enter in!” He put his hand over Acsah’s. She was trembling and pale, her eyes huge and dark.

  Hur’s son Salma came in, face streaked with dust and sweat. He went to his knees and bowed low. “Kiriath-sepher is in our hands. The Anakites are no more!”

  Caleb sat up straight, shaking violently from the effort. “Who led?”

  “Othniel!” The boy raised his head, eyes shining. “Othniel, son of Kenaz!” He stood and raised his hand. “He broke through their gates and destroyed the enemy. His hand was heavy against them. They fell to his right and to his left. He did not rest until they were no more!” Salma described the battle in detail, his face alight with excitement and triumph. “The Lord our God gave Kiriath-sepher into our hands!”

  Caleb saw that Othniel had done more than take Kiraith-sepher. He had fired up the sons of Judah. And if this young man was any indi
cation, perhaps he had even turned Caleb’s sons’ hearts back toward the Lord. His throat tightened with tears of thanksgiving. Oh, that Kenaz, Caleb’s youngest brother, the first among his family members who had followed him to the camp of the Israelites, could see this day. Caleb gave thanks to God that it was one among his own flesh and blood who now stood before Israel and called them back to faith. “The Lord is our strength and deliverer!”

  “Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Acsah bowed her head.

  “Acsah.” Caleb placed his hand upon her. She raised her head and looked into his eyes. Hers softened with love and pooled with tears. She took his hand and kissed it fervently. Then she rose and left him.

  Caleb gestured to Salma. “I wish to be outside.” He wanted to see the comings and goings of those he loved. Salma helped him up. He gave him support as Caleb hobbled outside and sat beneath the shade of the olive tree. He rested his back against the ancient trunk. “My sons?”

  “All are well.”

  “Thanks be to God.” Caleb gave the boy his blessing and sent him away. Then Caleb waited and looked out over the hill country. Othniel would come, and would bring Mesha and the rest of his sons and grandsons with him.

  A flurry of excited activity gained Caleb’s attention. Startled, he saw Acsah come out of his house garbed in wedding finery. Covered as she was with veils, he could not see her face. She spoke to a servant and stood in the sunshine waiting. A donkey was brought to her. She turned to him again and bowed her head in deep respect. She remained that way for a long moment and then straightened. Then she mounted the donkey and rode away.

  All had misjudged this girl, including him. She didn’t wait for her husband to come to her, but rode out to meet him. She tapped the side of the donkey with a stick so the animal trotted more quickly. He smiled. At least she wasn’t dragging her feet and going out with misgivings and hesitance. No, she went out eagerly to meet the man God had chosen for her.

  As the distance widened between them and Acsah became smaller, Caleb felt sorrow mingle with joy. Until this moment when he watched her ride away, he had not realized how much comfort he received from his daughter’s presence.

  Never had he felt so alone.

  Days passed slowly and then word came that his sons were returning, Othniel at their head and Acsah with them.

  “Acsah!” Too weak now to rise from his pallet, Caleb told the servants to take him outside. They lifted him and carried him out and made him comfortable so that he could see the procession coming up to his village. Acsah rode beside her husband, not behind him.

  Othniel came to him first and greeted him with the respect due a father. And then, blushing, he asked for a field already producing grain. Taken aback, Caleb thought about it for a moment. It would take time to tame the Negev. Caleb granted his request. Next Caleb’s sons came, kissing him and talking excitedly of the battle. They then dispersed to their families.

  Othniel went to Acsah and spoke to her. She smiled and put her hands upon her husband’s shoulders, alighting gracefully from her donkey. She said something to Othniel. He shook his head. She spoke again and came toward Caleb. She was no longer veiled, but her hair was covered. She had become a woman in the past few days, for there was an air about her that was different. She knelt close to Caleb, her hands loosely clasped in her lap.

  “Thank you for granting my husband a field, Father.”

  Caleb raised his brows. “Did you suggest he ask for it?”

  She blushed as her husband had. “We must have grain to sustain ourselves until all the enemies of God are driven from the Negev.”

  “Provisions.” He lowered his head and peered at her. “What is it? What can I do for you?”

  She took a deep breath. “Give me a further blessing. You have been kind enough to give me land in the Negev; please give me springs as well.”

  Caleb smiled. She was shrewd as well as courageous. He’d only thought of the land, not the provisions needed to take it. “The upper and lower springs are yours.”

  It was time to celebrate, time to feast and give thanks. He watched his sons dance in the firelight and listened to their songs of praise. His daughter danced with the women, her face alight as she twirled and raised her hands.

  Caleb dozed for a while, replete and deeply satisfied. When he awakened, the celebration was still going on, the stars twinkling in the canopy of the night sky. He saw Acsah and Othniel standing in the rim of firelight, off by themselves, talking. Othniel lifted his hand and touched her. It was a gesture of tenderness. When Acsah stepped closer and reached up to her husband, Caleb closed his eyes.

  Othniel and Acsah came to him before they headed south. He knew it was the last time he would see his daughter, for he was an old man with death fast approaching. When she knelt before him, he held her face between his hands and looked long into her eyes. “Do not weep so.”

  “How can I not weep?” She fell into his arms and buried her face in his shoulder.

  “I have lived a long life and been a witness to God’s signs and wonders. Could any man ask for a greater blessing? And now, I hold hope for the future. I hold that hope in you.” His arms tightened around her briefly. “Your husband awaits.” As she drew back, he cupped her face and kissed her cheeks and forehead. “May the Lord bless you with many God-fearing sons.”

  She smiled through her tears. “And daughters.”

  “May all your children be like you.”

  Othniel helped her to her feet and left his hand lightly upon her, a possessive gesture that pleased Caleb. He knew he had gained something precious, something to be protected and cherished. A wise man who saw what he himself had missed for far too long.

  Caleb held his hands out as though to embrace them both. “May righteousness go before you, and the glory of the Lord be your rear guard.”

  He couldn’t watch them ride away. They were followed by Othniel’s relatives and some of his own grandsons, eager now to wage war and drive God’s enemies from the land.

  May they succeed this time, Lord. May they not pause to rest until every last enemy is vanquished!

  But Caleb knew men were weak. They were like sheep in desperate need of a shepherd. As long as they had one, they followed. May all their shepherds be upright, honest men of integrity who will hold fast to Your laws and statutes, Lord.

  We will rise up in faith and then fall into sin again, won’t we, Lord? Is that our destiny?

  The servants came out to lift his pallet. “No. Leave me here a little longer.” He gestured impatiently when they hovered. “Go!” As they turned to obey, he called them back. “Bring me my sword.” Troubled, they hesitated. “My sword!”

  A young man ran to do Caleb’s bidding and brought the weapon back. He bent down reverently, presenting the hilt to Caleb.

  Caleb held his sword once more. He remembered a time when he would go into battle with this sword, swinging it to the right and left for hours without tiring. Now, he barely had the strength to lift it. Arm trembling, he used all his will not to drop it. “Go now.”

  How is it, Lord, that within this aging husk of a body my heart still beats for battle? I remember the day I pounded my plowshare into this sword. I thought a day would come when I would heat it in the fire and place it upon the anvil and make another plowshare. But it was not to be. Even now, I know the battle is far from over.

  We cried for a deliverer and You sent us Moses. When Pharaoh refused to let Your people go, You sent plagues upon Egypt. You opened the sea for our escape and closed it over the army of Your enemies. You sheltered us with a cloud by day and protected us as a pillar of fire by night. You fed us manna from heaven and water from a rock. You satisfied my thirsty soul and filled my hungry heart with what is good and lasting.

  Caleb dozed in the afternoon sun, his strength seeping, his breath slowing. He saw a temple rise, shining white with gold, glorious. A strong wind came up and blew across the land, and the temple crumbled. People wailed as they were led away in chains. An
d then another procession back up the mountain and another temple rose, less grand, then walls around it and a man upon the battlements calling out to the workers. “Do not be afraid. Do not grow weary. Finish the work God has given you!” But again, destruction came, again a temple rose, grander still. And light came so bright that Caleb felt pain, such pain, he moaned and clutched at his heart. Oh, God, oh, God, will You have to do that? You are perfect! You are holy! And then the heavens darkened, but brightened again, light spreading slowly across the land like a new dawn.

  Once again destruction came.

  Caleb’s soul cried out in agony. His heart broke. Oh, Lord, will it ever be so? Oh, Lord, Lord!

  The heavens opened and there came One riding a white horse, riding from the swirling clouds, riding swiftly with a sword in His hand, and upon Him emblazoned Faithful and True, the Word of God. Armies came with Him, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, following Him. Caleb heard the blast of the shofar. Eager to obey the call to battle, he grasped the hilt of his sword, half rising from his pallet. “Lord! Yes!”

  King of kings, Lord of Lords!

  A myriad singing. “Holy! Holy! Holy!”

  Caleb drew in his breath at the blaze of colors: reds, yellows, blues, purples. Light streaming, water rushing, life pulsing.

  Wait, and you will see.

  Releasing his breath in a long, slow sigh, Caleb let his sword drop to his side. He closed his eyes. For now, he could rest.

  For he knew one day he would awaken and rise again in strength.

  SEEK AND FIND

  Dear Reader,

  We hope you enjoyed this fictional account of the life of Caleb, tribal leader, half-breed, scout, and beloved of God. This powerful story of faith and obedience by Francine Rivers is meant to whet your appetite. Francine’s first and foremost desire is to take you back to God’s Word to decide for yourself the truth about Caleb—his persistence, his promises, and his source of peace.

  The following Bible study is designed to guide you through Scripture to seek the truth about Caleb and to find applications for your own life.