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13 Now he gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh a portion among the sons of Judah, in accordance with the command of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron).
14 And Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.
15 Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of Debir; now the name of Debir previously was Kiriath-sepher.
16 And Caleb said, “The one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter as a wife.”
17 Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, captured it; so he gave him Achsah his daughter as a wife.
18 And it happened that when she came to him, she incited him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from the donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”
19 Then she said, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me springs of water also.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Joshua already had given Caleb the land of Kiriath-arba (Hebron) as his inheritance before the casting of the lot for the distribution of the land. This was according to Caleb’s request. At 85 years old, he conquered the land as promised. It says in Verse 14, “Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.” Though, in his old age, Caleb was healthy and acted confidently. Let’s pray to the Lord that we, too, may have the same faith and ability to take action as Caleb. We especially should pray that we can remain diligent in valuable work even in our last days.
Next, Caleb moved to take the city of Debir. (1) Before taking the city, he promised that he will give his daughter, Achsah, as wife to whoever captured the city. (2) To be married to the daughter of Caleb, one of the elders of the tribe of Judah, meant to receive great honor. It also meant that he could expect a great bridal payment, as well as to inherit the city of Debir. (3) It was Othniel, Caleb’s younger brother (who became the first judge), who captured the city, so he received Achsah as his wife. (4) Othniela and Achsah requested Caleb and received two springs. Achsah said to her father, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also springs of water.” As a result, she received the upper springs and the lower springs. The land of Negev was fertile but lacked water. It is impossible to thrive without a spring. We, too, should seek a rich spring, a spring that blesses us materially (lower spring), and a spring that blesses us spiritually (upper spring). Our Father in heaven will give to those who seek. “[…]You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:2–3).
Today's prayer
God the Father of Jesus Christ, please grant two springs in my life. May I taste all the privileges bestowed upon a child of God and live for Your glory. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.