Wholly Following the Lord

“Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (KJV).

Obtaining Divine blessing is a two-way street which we often forget. We expect God to bless us greatly without our fulfilling any requirements for obtaining those blessings. “Hebron” was a choice location and blessing in Canaan, and it was given to Caleb because he “wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.” There are “Hebron” blessings which God want to give each of us, but we must meet the requirements. In our verse, “wholly following the Lord God” means at least three things: we must follow God regardless of duration, desertion (by others), or difficulties.

Duration – “Wholly” means all the time. It is not part-time devotion to God but full-time devotion. Caleb followed God when he was a young man; and our text says he was still following the Lord with great zeal when he was old. Many older believers need to ponder this truth. Retirement from a secular employment does not mean retiring from serving the Lord.

Desertion – “Wholly” means following the Lord even when others do not follow Him. Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan. He and Joshua brought back a good report. The other ten spies deserted God and brought back a report of unbelief and caused the people to rebel against God. A lot of pressure may have been placed on Caleb to go along with the majority, but he stood faithful to God even if he was in the minority. To obtain “Hebron” blessings, we must stand true to God regardless of what others do.

Difficulties – “Wholly” means to follow the Lord even if the way is difficult. Caleb conquered the “mountain” which was filled with giants and walled cities (Joshua 14:12). He did not ask for an easy piece of land to conquer in Canaan. Difficulties did not deter him from following the Lord. It is not always easy to “wholly” follow God, but it is the way of blessing.

(Adapted from Butler’s Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“You don’t trust God until you trust Him for the impossible!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Compulsion (distress)

In 1 Thessalonians 3:7 we read, “For this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith” (NASB).

Compulsion (distress) is the Greek word anagke or Ananke (αναγκη). It is made up of two words – “ana” which means up, again, back, renewal, intensity, reversal, repetition and “agkale” which speaks of the arm when bent. Literally, the word refers to any necessity or compulsion, outer or inner, brought on by a variety of circumstances. It can mean necessity imposed either by external conditions or by the law of duty.

The Greek approach to life was largely shaped by the consciousness of a necessity in existence and events which is subject to the laws and norms of fate. Thus, for the Greeks ananke (anagke) was the power which determined all reality, the principle which dominated the universe. However, here in 1Thess. 3:7, Paul use of anagke refers to the difficult circumstances that come upon a person with compelling force.

Bible Facts

David is famous for slaying Goliath, using a sling and a stone (1 Sam. 17:49-50). A lesser known story is Elhanan the Benjamite, slaying Goliath’s brother in battle (2 Sam. 21:19). The staff of his spear was like “a weaver' beam.” A weaver’s beam weighed about 17lb.

Bible Trivia

Who was the first woman in Scripture to die in childbirth?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: Who had the first birthday party in Scripture? The Pharaoh (Genesis 40:20).

That’s in the Bible

“Live for one’s self”

“And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15 KJV).

Whether it is money, fame, power, work, family, etc., everybody lives for something. If there ever comes a time when these things don’t matter anymore, people will then say we have “nothing to live for.” On the other hand, the Christian life is not about “living for one’s self,” but living for the God who died for us. Further, the expression “get a life” is true of the believer in Jesus because he is the recipient of life from the One who is “the way, the truth, and the life.”

Did You Know – Christian History

Founded in 1733 by Jesuit priest Fr. Joseph Greaton, Old St. Joseph’s Church is the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia. It is the only Roman Catholic Church built and maintained in the American colonies before the American Revolutionary War. Further, Old St. Joseph’s Church was the only place in the English-speaking world where public celebration of the Mass was permitted by law. Old St. Joseph’s was also the home base for Jesuit circuit riders. Eight Catholic dioceses (Allentown, Harrisburg, PA; Camden, Trenton, Patterson, Metuchen, NJ; Wilmington, DE; New York, NY.) trace their heritage to Jesuit missionaries from St. Joseph’s. Throughout the 18th century, St. Joseph’s became an integral part Philadelphia’s civic, cultural and religious life.

A Little Humor

Leaving the snow-filled streets of Chicago, an Illinois man headed to Florida for a vacation. His wife who was on a business trip, was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick e-mail. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her e-mail address, he did his best to type it in from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter, and his note was instead directed to an elderly preacher’s wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out a piercing scream, and fainted to the floor. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: “Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Signed, Your eternally loving husband. P.S. Sure is hot down here.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“No one is good enough to save himself; no one is so bad that God cannot save him!”