No Small Parts – Caleb
May 31, 2020 Sunday Evening Study

Let’s talk about nicknames! Nicknames today often have more direct meaning than given names, as they tend to refer to the character, attitude, or actions of a person. When people mention a nickname, what they are saying is “I am known by this” and it is usually very descriptive. That isn’t to say that all nicknames are meant to be descriptive – I have called my daughter Ari Monkey Butt since she was born – and by no means do I apply that name in the literal sense.

Sometimes, however, nicknames mean something. When I was in college, I grew great massive mutton chops on my face. My manager at the time made the offhand comment that it looked like I had 2 dead badgers on my face – and from then on, at least at work, I was called Badger. Every country club has that one golfer who once nailed a hole in one on the course, so everyone calls him Ace. My dad grew up racing open wheel race cars, even as a kid, and has been called Buzz for the last 65 years.

As we read through the Bible, often when we learn the given name of a person, the Bible then explains why they have that name. Often, the name reflects the individual, much as nicknames do today. Last week we talked about Jethro and learned that Moses gave his first son a name meaning “I am a stranger in a strange land” referring to his life circumstances in Midian.

Names and nicknames conjure assumptions. For instance, take these:

Sly – to me that means that maybe this is someone I should watch out for – someone tricky
Lucky – usually means quite the opposite

How about this name – Mad Dog. I imagine someone who is not only overly aggressive, but maybe even a few bricks short of a fireplace. I think of Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen from Back To The Future 3 – crazy, mean, and not too smart.

Enter the scene one of the 12 spies sent into the Promised Land – Caleb. In Arabic, Caleb means “dog,” and that is the association most common for that name – referring to the “faithful servant” aspect of a dog. But in the Hebrew, it literally means “raging with canine madness” or in my own terms, Mad Dog. Based on what we know of Caleb and his life, I would very much love to know how he came to be named what amounts to Mad Dog.

Open your Bibles to Numbers 13. We are going to read – v1-3, 23-25, 26-30, 14:1-10.

So basically, the people have already given up on what God has promised them. Immediately, Mad Dog steps out and tells them that it is no problem, they have totally got this. This first time he speaks up, he is the only one who does so, as recorded. The Bible does not say that Joshua says anything at this time, so it’s essentially Mad Dog Caleb against the world. He does not hesitate.

I am going to pause here, because although my original intent was to simply present the stories of each of these characters and give us the opportunity to learn more about their lives and influence, there is some rich theological significance here. Caleb knows that the land flowing with milk and honey has been promised to them by God, and he leans on that promise boldly. We learn later that Caleb’s stance brings danger upon himself – when he sticks to his guns later with the support of Joshua, the people want to stone them for disagreeing with them.

Take a moment and consider the things in your life that you would hold to in the face of dangerous opposition. I think many of us can say confidently that we would not renounce our faith, even at gunpoint, and I think that is probably valid. Is the Promised Land central to their faith structure at this point? As we look back on it now, it certainly is. But then? It wasn’t a foundational piece of their history at this point.

Clearly, Mad Dog sees different. He knows what God has promised, and he has faith in that promise. To him, this is foundational, even to the point of death. Caleb has made his choice, and in this sense from a practical standpoint, we see some of the madness from which his name may have come, as he goes against self-preservation in favor of his faith in God.

So what are the fruits of Caleb’s faith? As you know, God has little patience for the Israelites who doubt Him, yet again, and he basically bans them all from entering the Promised Land. He doesn’t rescind His promise, but rather, he holds it for the next generation, causing them to wander for 40 years until they are all dead. Caleb and Joshua, on the other hand, because of their faith, they survive to see that faith realized.

Joshua goes on to become the leader of the Israelites after Moses. It seems almost as though he is rewarded more than good old Mad Dog, but Caleb gets exactly what he wants – land to be the home of his tribe under Judah. He settles in Hebron and Debir, which are in the territory of Judah, in present day Palestine. Hebron carries some considerable political weight in the future, as it is the site of the first capitol under the reign of David before he moves to Jerusalem.

Why Hebron? If you study more traditional Jewish holy writings, specifically the Midrash which is a collection of teachings on the Torah, it tells that while spying the land with the other 11, Caleb came to know of their plan to deliver the negative report, and snuck off to the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron and prayed to God for the strength to faithfully complete his mission without being ensnared in the spies plotting. Thus, in Jewish traditional thinking, it made sense that Caleb would then receive that area as part of his inheritance.

Jewish writings go on to tell of other events in Caleb’s life, although these are not supported or contradicted by the Bible, so we cannot verify if in fact they are fully true. The Talmud which is the outline for Rabbinic Jewish Law, states that Caleb went on to marry Moses and Aaron’s older sister Miriam, as well as Batya the princess of Egypt who pulled Moses from the Nile and purportedly left Egypt with the Israelites. He was said to have had children with both of them, including a son named Chur, who went on to become a leader of the Jews when still in the desert.

The Bible tells us little else about Caleb other than that he settled in his given land, obeying the Lord by fully driving out its inhabitants – a command not followed by all of the Israelites. We know that Caleb gave his daughter Achsah as a reward to Othniel as the conqueror of Debir, and they are allotted a portion of land with upper and lower springs as requested by Achsah. The couple were actually cousins by marriage, though it does not indicate who Achsah’s mother was.

Caleb goes on to become a bit of a clan of his own, even though he is incorporated as a part of Judah. His ties to the reign of David do not end with the location of the capitol either. One of David’s wives – Abigail, her first husband Nabal lived in Hebron and was called a “Calebite” (1 Sam 25:3)

So we look at our hero of the evening, the Mad Dog Caleb. We see a man of immense and unwavering faith, who spoke out in boldness, and was rewarded by God for his faithfulness. We see him continue to live in obedience as he takes his inheritance, showing generosity as he gives to his family. His legacy is well-established, living on through the period of the judges and recognized under David’s reign. Like Joshua, Caleb was one of the few who grew up under Moses and remained faithful throughout their lifetimes, even though unlike Joshua, there is no mention of Caleb having 1 on 1 encounters with God. If ever there was a character to emulate in the Old Testament, I submit that Caleb is one.