“I am this day fourscore and five years old…Now therefore give me this mountain.” Caleb reminds us of Bunyan’s “Mr. Great-heart.” It is said of Caleb, the ageless adventurer, that from the time he was a sprig until he became an old oak, “…he wholly followed the Lord.” He had soared like an eagle in his youth, and run in mid-life without growing weary, but now this advanced, aggressive achiever is going for his greatest victory. He was not retiring; he was re-firing!
“Give me this mountain,” he says to his old friend, Joshua. In old age, though alone, Caleb was still climbing upward. It is said only of this vintage saint that he completely subdued the territory allotted him. He had evicted all his enemies. He had waited over forty years for God to keep His promise to Him, but the wait was well worth it. He is now entering the land of milk and honey, the place where he would go from victory to victory. It can be said of “Caleb’s clan,” winter is on their heads, but spring is in their hearts.
To all you aging saints, let me encourage you to be mountain men, always climbing higher. As one has said, “Wrinkles may be upon our brows, but let them never be upon our hearts.” Let us stay young at heart.
For age is opportunity no less/Than youth itself, though in another dress. (Longfellow )
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