the greater Joshua, with Jordan behind us, and the land of promise immediately before us.

Why not take a leaf out of this book of experience? Why not believe what God has

revealed, and lovingly accept as best the fact that He withholds certain things?

Before closing this article, let us record the encouraging words of faith given by Caleb:

The word translated `stilled' does not indicate that the people were calmed or

comforted, the seven other occurrences of hasah suggest some element of authority, `Let

all the earth keep silence before him' (Hab. 2: 20). Men recognize the majesty of faith,

even though they refuse to follow it. Caleb did not merely say `Let us go up' or `Let us

go up and possess it', but "Let us go up AT ONCE and possess it". While there is no

adverb in the original to correspond with the words `at once', there is an insistence that is

very marked, for the Hebrew reads `going up, let us go up', suggesting a prompt

unhesitating obedience without delay and without dallying.

"We are well able to overcome it." These words in another context may indicate

unholy and unwarranted self-confidence, but God is faithful to His promise, Who has

gone before and Who calls upon us to follow. His commands are then His enablings.

Again, after the dreadful desire to make a captain and return into Egypt, both Joshua

and Caleb repeated their testimony and their exhortation saying "If the Lord delight in us,

then He will bring us into this land and give it us: a land which floweth with milk and

honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for

they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear

them not" (Numb. 14: 8, 9).

Later the Psalmist said:

Caleb and Joshua stood firm upon the ground of grace.

There are a number of key words that are used by Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Israel and

the Prophets, the Psalmist and the Apostles afterwards that provide a solemn lesson as we

think of helps and hindrances that we meet when we would `possess our possessions'.

These we must consider together in another study. There is also the great revelation

concerning the Amorites, the Canaanites and their spiritual equivalents to be pondered,

and the contrast between the original plan to possess the land, and that which was

subsequently followed. To these themes we must return and pray that increasing light

may be given as we meditate upon these things that have been written for our learning.