Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Excellence in quality used to be a big deal. I remember when houseware items were made from strong metals that would last. In 1980, I purchased a steam iron that still works today. Nowadays, there’s a lot of plastic breakable parts in the merchandise we buy. Things aren’t built to last and certainly aren’t manufactured with excellence in mind. Anything that’s run-of-the-mill is not outstanding in quality and is considered ordinary, average, and not special. I’m not fond, and certainly not impressed, with the attitude and design that screams “it doesn’t matter.” Excellence absolutely matters in all areas of life.

The Lord told Moses to send twelve spies into the land of Canaan which He was giving to the Israelites. At God’s command, Moses commissioned them to find out what kind of country it was, the number of people, how strong they were, etc. They returned after their 40-day reconnaissance mission and reported that the land was rich and fertile. Caleb said, “We should attack now and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it” (Numbers 13:30 TEV). But the other ten spies disagreed, “No, we are not strong enough to attack them; the people there are more powerful than we are” (Numbers 13:31 TEV).

Not only were the ten negative spies disagreeing with Caleb and Joshua, they were ignorantly disagreeing with God because God had said that He was giving it to them. It was a done deal, but the Israelites had to display obedience, courage, and faith in order for God to give them the victory. In Numbers 14:36, the ten spies who incited rebellion against the Lord with their bad report were immediately struck dead with a plague. If they  had stuck to their assignment, things would have turned out differently for them. They were to simply scout out the land, not give their opinion.

After this serious meeting, Moses and God had a heart-to-heart conversation about the Israelites’ stubbornness and lack of trust in the Great I AM. God said to Moses, “They have tried My patience over and over again and have refused to obey Me. They will never enter the land which I promised to their ancestors. None of those who have rejected Me will ever enter it” (Numbers 14:22-23 TEV.) God also had something important to say about Caleb: “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows Me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it” (Numbers 14:24 NIV.)

Caleb’s integrity stood out from the other run-of-the-mill spies. He chose to believe that God would do what He said. God promised to give His chosen people a good and large land flowing with milk and honey. However, it wouldn’t be handed to them on a silver platter; they had to do their part to believe God and fight. Caleb was not a half-hearted individual; he gave his whole heart to following and obeying God. And God noticed and rewarded him for being different from the others.

Caleb was a leader of the Tribe of Judah and was a faithful servant of God, known for his courage, strength, and determination. He had guts and grit and was as tenacious as a Bulldog after a bone. He wasn’t wishy-washy in half-believing and half-doubting God’s promises. Caleb’s character should inspire all of us to strive for a spirit of excellence in everything we do, including following Jesus with all our heart.

The Key: Let’s live exemplary lives of faith and obedience. And a bushel basket of dogged determination wouldn‘t hurt either.