Caleb’s actions, along with being grounded in God’s promises, also resulted in loneliness and isolation. Caleb refers to this in Joshua 14:8 when he mentions that all of his brothers made the heart of the people melt yet I wholly followed the Lord.
In the account from Numbers 13:1–33 where we have the report of the spies, Caleb and Joshua were the only two who believed God; the rest of the spies were driven by fear. They saw the big men and the strong cities and thought of their lives, their children, and their future. Common sense told them there was no chance of any victory. They thought it best to turn around and go back to Egypt.
When this narrative was challenged by Caleb, when he and Joshua said, No, let us go and fight. Remember God's promises. These people are bread for us, do not fear them,
do you know what happened then? The Israelites picked up stones to stone them (Numbers 14:10). They did not like the challenge to obedience and wanted to silence the voices of those who highlighted their sin and fear. And now, forty-five years later, Caleb stands here once again. An old man by himself, yet still eager to serve the Lord no matter the cost.
There is an expression sometimes heard in Christian circles: Let God’s Word be true and every man a liar.
That statement has much to commend it. In the first place, it is a recognition that God’s Word sits in judgment above us and not the other way round. When I read and study Scripture, my reason is not primary. If there is something I do not understand, I do not have the right to reject what the Bible teaches. I must submit even if God’s truth defies my reason. The doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Christ, sovereign election, and human responsibility—those are all truths which fall into this category.
But along with recognising the authority of God’s Word, the statement also expresses an attitude which ought to characterise the Christian. Let God’s Word be true and every man a liar. Lord, may I be willing to stand on your promises, even if everyone around me should reject them and mock me for it. This may happen at the office when I am criticised for not acknowledging someone’s madness and calling them by their preferred pronoun, or at school or university when I am mocked for rejecting macro-evolution and holding fast to the doctrine of creation. It can happen in a church family where I am unwilling to go along with the consensus if that should mean ignoring or twisting God’s Word, or even in my own family, when I am asked to join in practices that I know to be sinful.
All of us—no matter our stage of life—will face times where faithfulness to God requires that we take a stand which is unpopular. This is a stand which makes relationships uncomfortable. In those moments it will be lonely and scary. It is not easy to stand up for what is right. Of course we need to make sure what we are not simply swimming upstream for the sake of it, and that the Bible is truly clear on an issue before we dig in our heels. That is one of the reasons why we have creeds and confessions: they summarise Bible truths and help us to distinguish between what is essential and what is not.
But when those moments do come, and they will, remember Caleb. He trusted in God though he was one of only two in a crowd of thousands. Remember Jesus Christ, he trusted in his Father though he was forsaken by all friends and family. He trusted in his Father even though he himself had the experience of being forsaken by him, completely alone in this world knowing only the Father’s wrath. But he was vindicated for his trust. He was raised from the dead and we will be raised like him if we are united to God through faith.
7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.