456
Patriarchs and Prophets
Caleb obtained the inheritance upon which his heart had been set
for forty years, and, trusting in God to be with him, he “drove thence
the three sons of Anak.” Having thus secured a possession for himself
and his house, his zeal did not abate; he did not settle down to enjoy
his inheritance, but pushed on to further conquests for the benefit of
the nation and the glory of God.
The cowards and rebels had perished in the wilderness, but the righ-
teous spies ate of the grapes of Eschol. To each was given according
to his faith. The unbelieving had seen their fears fulfilled. Notwith-
standing God’s promise, they had declared that it was impossible to
inherit Canaan, and they did not possess it. But those who trusted in
God, looking not so much to the difficulties to be encountered as to
the strength of their Almighty Helper, entered the goodly land. It was
through faith that the ancient worthies “subdued kingdoms, ... escaped
the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”
Hebrews
11:33, 34
. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our
faith.”
1 John 5:4
.
Another claim concerning the division of the land revealed a spirit
widely different from that of Caleb. It was presented by the children of
Joseph, the tribe of Ephraim with the half tribe of Manasseh. In con-
sideration of their superior numbers, these tribes demanded a double
portion of territory. The lot designated for them was the richest in the
land, including the fertile plain of Sharon; but many of the principal
towns in the valley were still in possession of the Canaanites, and the
tribes shrank from the toil and danger of conquering their possessions,
and desired an additional portion in territory already subdued. The
tribe of Ephraim was one of the largest in Israel, as well as the one to
which Joshua himself belonged, and its members naturally regarded
themselves as entitled to special consideration. “Why hast thou given
me but one lot and one portion to inherit,” they said, “seeing I am a
great people?” But no departure from strict justice could be won from
the inflexible leader.
His answer was, “If thou be a great people, then get thee up to
the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the
[514]
Perizzites and of the giants, if Mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.”
Their reply showed the real cause of complaint. They lacked faith
and courage to drive out the Canaanites. “The hill is not enough for