As Christians we know that we can only enter into the Kingdom of God through Yahshua – who by His death, burial and resurrection paid the price for our sins. He is the shepherd, the door through which we pass, and the voice we follow in order to enter the Kingdom (John 10:1-18).
When we hear our Shepherd’s voice, thereby realising that He has redeemed us from our sins, the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of our heart – permitting us to see our calling, our inheritance and the power that is at work within us (Ephesians 1:17-20).
Caleb had “another Spirit” (Numbers 14:24). He was therefore able to see that through the power of God the people of Israel would be able to overcome the giants and thereby secure their inheritance, the Promised Land.
In contrast the other ten spies, looking through “eyes of flesh”, rejected the Promised Land because of the giants – which they realised could not be overcome by their inferior physical strength (Numbers 13:32-33). In the same way man is unable to take possession of the Kingdom of God by relying on his own strength. By rejecting the power of the King, Yahshua, man rejects His Kingdom.
Sheep (we, as the nation of Israel) do not enter the pasture (the Kingdom of God) only by hearing the voice of the shepherd (Yahshua). Following is also required (John 10:4).
In addition to having “another Spirit” Caleb “followed fully”. Following fully is being “All Heart”. It is seeing Yahshua not only as Saviour but also as King.
The Kingdom that we belong to is connected to the King we follow. The King we follow is the one we obey. The King we obey is the voice that we hear. The voice articulates the Word of the King – which is His Law.
The story of Caleb entering the Promised Land serves as a blueprint for us today – showing how we are able to enter into the Kingdom of God by seeing Yahshua as both Saviour and King.
The Secret of Englands Greatness
In this portrait Queen Victoria is shown at Windsor Castle receiving an ambassador from East Africa, to whom she is presenting a fine Bible.
The scene depicted is based on a popular but unfounded anecdote current in the 1850s. This stated that, when asked by a diplomatic delegation how Britain had become powerful in the world, ‘our beloved Queen sent him, not the number of her fleet, not the number of her armies, not the account of her boundless merchandise, not the details of her inexhaustible wealth … but handing him a beautifully bound copy of the Bible, she said ‘Tell the Prince that this is the Secret of England’s Greatness’.
