21 DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING 16

HH, Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

Yesterday, we looked at the story of Caleb in the Old Testament. There is another fascinating story about Caleb found in two separate places in the Bible, both in Joshua 15:13-19

And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. ¹⁴ And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. ¹⁵ And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. ¹⁶ And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹⁷ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. ¹⁸ And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? ¹⁹ Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

and Judges 1:9-15

And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. ¹⁰ And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. ¹¹ And from thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher: ¹² And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹³ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. ¹⁴ And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? ¹⁵ And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.

In this story, we find Caleb in the latter part of his life when he has just received his portion of the Promised Land from Joshua. His daughter, Acsah, has just married one of the mighty warriors of Israel, Othniel – a man of integrity and honour. In this story, Acsah wants Othniel to ask her father for a field. But after they have been given the land, Acsah decides to ask for even more.

Joshua 15:18-19 says, “When Acsah married Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. As she got down off her donkey, Caleb asked her, ‘What’s the matter?’ She said, ‘Give me another gift. You have already given me land in the Negev; now please give me springs of water, too.’ So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.”

In those days, fields and springs would have been incredibly valuable property which would ensure great wealth for whoever owned it. This was a BIG gift she was asking for!

On the surface, it could look like Acsah is simply asking for more land, but the reality is she understood something very important about her father’s nature. Acsah knew that she had a good father who desired to give her good things. She recognized that she was incredibly blessed, but also knew that her father would be happy to bless her with even more.

When it comes to prayer, this is the same posture we should have with God. God is our perfect heavenly Father who desires to give good gifts to His children. We can have confidence that as we go to Him in prayer, He is not bothered when we ask for more…He is excited about it!

What is amazing about this story is that Caleb not only gave her the field but gladly provided her with an upper spring and a lower spring! Acsah got a great husband, a field, and two springs – double what she asked for!

Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: ⁸ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

We can approach God with confidence because we know God loves to provide generously for His people. As we continue to seek God during this fast, let’s pray and ask God for more! Let us realign our perspective about God to realize that He is a good God and He desires to pour out His blessing in abundance.

Scriptures Reading

Joshua 15:13-19 

And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, even the city of Arba the father of Anak, which city is Hebron. ¹⁴ And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. ¹⁵ And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before was Kirjathsepher. ¹⁶ And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. ¹⁷ And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. ¹⁸ And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? ¹⁹ Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.

Matthew 7:7-8 

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: ⁸ For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Matthew 7:11 

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.