makes demands.
Joshua 15:13–19
Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak). Caleb drove out the three sons of Anak from there: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. Then he went up from there to the inhabitants of Debir (formerly the name of Debir was Kirjath Sepher).
And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.” So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
Hoo-boy. An arranged marriage? Caleb’s daughter Achsah as a prize? This “collective,” “people not as individuals” theme just won’t let up.
Caleb is all full of the confidence of faith, right? Yet now he wants to pawn off the task of conquering Kirjath Sepher. If one guy conquers the city, everyone benefits, but one guy gets the prize and Achsah pays the price. Actually, she is the price. She gets a husband whether she likes him or not.
This might be best for “everyone” collectively, but at an individual level, it’s got issues. To the western mind this almost looks like human trafficking. Remember Joshua 14:10–11?
And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in.
Could it be that Caleb’s daughter’s attractiveness counts as his strength?
All this bargaining has put Achsah in a position to make demands, but only of her father. First, she has to persuade her new husband to ask her father for a field.
But once that’s done, she ready to make the big ask. When she dismounted from her donkey, that signified, in the lingo of the day, that she wants something. So Caleb asks, “What do you wish?”
Her demand for springs is bold. Springs are precious. Caleb allocating them to her is huge.
His sons just lost out.
This shows a relationship between collective responsibility and individual responsibility.
Here, the collective feels its debt to the individual.
These Monday—Friday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. The Weekend DEEPs are written by Matt Richardson. To subscribe to all the DEEPs click here:
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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.