The Warrior by Francine Rivers

Author:Francine Rivers [Rivers, Francine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Bible, Christian, Caleb, Biographical fiction, General, Historical, Religious fiction, Fiction, Religious
ISBN: 9780842382663
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2005-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

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FOUR

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“WHEN you cross the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, you must drive out all the people living there.”

Caleb stood in front of the tribe of Judah, listening to Moses give the Lord’s instructions. This should be a day of exultation, but he felt weighed down. Forty years had passed. The wandering was over. And he was an eighty-year-old man. But it was not the years that burdened him. It was the responsibility for these people.

“You must destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines.” Moses’ voice carried. “Take possession of the land and settle in it, because I have given it to you to occupy. You must distribute the land among the clans.”

Caleb had been placed in charge of all of Judah.

“If you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. And then the Lord will do to you what He plans to do to them!”

Time passed quickly as Moses reminded them of the plagues of Egypt and their own sins. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commandments I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again. They are life to you. Make no treaties with the people of the land and show them no mercy. Do not intermarry with them.”

Moses spread his hands as though he would embrace all of them. “I am now one hundred and twenty years old and am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has told me that I will not cross the Jordan River.”

The people wailed and cried out in protest. Caleb clenched his teeth, tears spilled into his beard, his throat was tight and on fire. He looked at Joshua, standing tall beside Moses, his face set.

Moses raised his voice and through it came the voice of God. The Lord your God Himself will cross over ahead of you!

The people grew quiet again, grieving, yet obedient.

“The Lord will destroy the nations living there, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua is your new leader, and he will go with you, just as the Lord promised.”

Eleazar the high priest anointed Joshua, after which Moses laid hands upon him and commissioned him to carry out the Lord’s commands. Then raising his hands to the cloud overshadowing them, Moses sang Israel’s history. He sang blessings upon them. And then he dismissed the congregation.

“He’s gone.” Joshua’s voice was thick, fear glistening in his dark eyes.

“Gone where?”

“Up Mount Nebo.” Joshua wept like a boy who had lost his father.

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