Not long after Israel entered the Promised Land, Caleb was fighting to secure the land he had been allotted. Caleb was trying to capture the town of Keriath Sepher. Caleb promised, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher (Judges 1:12).”
Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, captured the town. Caleb was so pleased that he not only gave his daughter, but he also gave the couple a parcel of land as a wedding gift. But the land lacked water. So Aksah asked her father for more—land with a water source. Caleb gave them both the upper and lower springs as a gift. This was the blessing they needed.
There is a lesson here about attitude and opportunity. First, the blessing grew out of an act of faith. Aksah appreciated the land she and her husband had received. She knew it could serve many useful purposes. But she also knew that, for the land to reach its potential, they had to have water. She was not ungrateful for what she had, but she knew it was incomplete. Aksah’s vision was not limited to what was, but was broad enough to see what could be.
God has blessed us and our potential is great. But we can’t be content with what we are; we must consider what we can become.
Aksah trusted that her father would show love to his child. Caleb was a man that intimidated others—it appeared that he intimidated Othniel. But Aksah didn’t hesitate; she knew her father was also a man of love.
God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, transcendent, immanent and immutable. But God’s greatest attribute is not power, wisdom, presence or changelessness. God’s greatest attribute is love. God loves us, so God will provide and protect us.
Finally, we must act on the opportunities that God gives to us. Othniel knew what they needed. He knew Caleb had what they needed. But they didn’t get any water until Aksah acted and put the problem in her father’s hands. We must do the same—put it in our Father’s hands!
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