Unique

When Psalm 139 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made, it is no lie. God made

everyone different, and amazingly enough, that uniqueness is what God did to work through us in a very original and unique way. Point case: Caleb had a very unique relationship with God, and he believed deeply in God's promises, to the point that his belief set him apart from others. Caleb had a unique faith that surfaced in him ^as a great warrior for the Lord.

Numbers 14: 1Then all the congregation raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept that night. ² And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! ³ So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. ⁶ And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; ⁷ and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection is gone from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” ¹⁰ But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

Caleb was the one who went into the land of giants or Anak, ran them out of Hebron, and took the land that God had promised him. Get this. He was 85 years old when he ran them out, and Caleb said he felt as good as he felt when he was 40 years old. Caleb, oh what a man!! Caleb believed God's promises so much that he waited for 45 years to see those promises come to pass, and God came through. Caleb was a warrior who had a much different relationship with God than anyone else, because God made him unique. In the above verses, we see that 12 spies went into the promised land, and Joshua and Caleb gave a favorable report that God would give this land to them. But the other ten spies said that the land could not be taken and stirred up the people to rebel against Moses. This angered God because the people doubted Him, and His punishment for them was that anyone over 20 years of age would not get to go into the promised land. The other ten spies who stirred up the people against Moses died suddenly from a plague.

There were some unique characteristics that only Caleb had, and God deepened this unique closeness He had with Caleb. If you feel like God has called you to a unique way of worshipping Him and following Him, then you are a lot like Caleb, and here will be some of the results of that type of relationship with God.

1. You totally believe God's promises. You don't just say it, but you live it.

2. Other believers have trouble relating to your direction and your passion.

3. Some get jealous because you seem to have a calling that is different than their's.

4. People doubt what God is telling you to do and try to talk you out of it.

5. You know there are giants in the land, but you don't care and know God will come through.

6. You will not let go of the calling God has put on your heart, cause you know it is important to kingdom work.

7. You can't explain how you feel because it has become your identity and it seems weird to even you.

Caleb went on to do great things for God and here is what God did for him. Joshua 14:⁶ Then the sons of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which the Lord spoke to Moses the man of God on account of you and me in Kadesh-barnea. 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 word back to him as it was in my heart. ⁸ Nevertheless my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the Lord my God fully. ⁹ So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has walked shall certainly be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God fully.’ ¹⁰ And now behold, the Lord has let me live, just as He spoke, these forty-five years, from the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, when Israel walked in the wilderness; and now behold, I am eighty-five years old today. ¹¹ I am still as strong today as I was on the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in. ¹² Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out just as the Lord has spoken.”

You are unique, so let God use how He made you to do something special for Him. God is calling, so answer with a yes!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren