Hebron

When he was 85,
Caleb son of Jephunneh said
To Joshua son of Nun,
“Give me this mountain.”

And Caleb went and drove out the Anakim,
Giants dwelling in Hebron.

Hebron became his inheritance,
And the land had rest from war.

Seven chapters later,
The children of Israel set aside cities
For the Levites,
And cities of refuge for the man-slayers.

Some are clearly set aside by lot,
And some are not so clear,
Sounding more as if they were simply chosen
Arbitrarily.
One of these is Hebron.

“But the fields of the city,
And the villages thereof,
Gave they to Caleb the son of Jephunneh
For his possession.”

Translation: Caleb single-handedly drove out the giants
And they took his city but left him some fields.
Excellent.

And better yet, Hebron was given not only to the Levites
But, as a city of refuge,
It became the haven for the man slayers
And killers waiting for trial.

I had never noticed that before.
I had hoped that Caleb,
Rich in strength and filled with trust,
Lived happily ever after on his mountain,

Not subjected to some early form of eminent domain
And surrounded by unsavories
Who were too weak and unfaithful to join him in battle.

I’m just being honest.

But this initial reaction was a divine set-up.

Because, really, what would I want for godly Caleb?
A life of increasing wealth and private satisfaction,
A fairy-tale existence of blessing?

Or a life spent with the servants of God, ministering to them?
And a life spent in ministry to those in shock,
The refugees whose world unexpectedly went wrong?

Whether Hebron was given by lot by God,
Or seized by eminent domain by cowards,
No longer is my critical issue.

Rather, what does one do with the spoiling of one’s goods?
What does one do with a life that doesn’t go as expected?