Caleb

The voice of the minority is not often given a hearing. Nevertheless, truth cannot be measured by numbers. On the contrary, it often stands against majority opinion.

Truth remains unchanged because it is guaranteed by the character of God. God is truth. What he says is the last word. At times a person must stand alone on this side of truth.

Caleb was not so much a man of great faith as a man of faith in a great God! His boldness rested on his understanding of God, not on his confidence in Israel's abilities to conquer the land. He could not agree with the majority, for that would be to disagree with God.

We, on the other hand, often back our decisions on what everyone else is doing. Few of us are first order cowards like the ten spies in the Bible. We are more like the people of Israel, getting our cowardice secondhand. Our search for right and wrong usually starts with questions such as what does God say?

The principles we learn as we study the Bible provide a dependable road map for life. They draw us into a personal relationship with God whose Word is the Bible. The God who gave Caleb his boldness is the same God who offers us the gift of eternal life through his son, Jesus. That's truth worth beleiving!

Strengths and accomplishments
*One of the spies sent by Moses to survey the land of Canaan
*One of the only two adults who left Egypt and entered the promised land
*Voice of the minority opinion in favor of conquering the land
*Expressed faith in God's promises in spite of apparent obstacles

Lessons from his life
*Majority opinion is not an accurate measurement of right and wrong.
*Boldness based on God's faithfulness is appropriate.
*For courage and faith to be effective, they must combine words and actions.

What did Caleb and Esther have in common? The courage to change the situation. Both took a stand, not knowing what their outcomes was going to be.

That is the same way that we, as a people, need to do in a situation that we don't see the outcome: step out on faith.

Currently in my own life, I am taking action in a different situation. Do I know what the outcome will be? Absolutely not. But I had the courage to step out and put action to do the situation.