City Life Starter

By Heather Mattingly

The WORD:

Joshua 15: 15-19

“Then [Caleb] 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 me land in the South, give me also springs of water.’ So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.”

Last Sunday, Kacee brought a powerful message on Sunday, and to repeat this amazing Truth: ladies, you are not a problem. You are an answer – God’s answer. God made a man, the pinnacle of His creation, and as incredible as man is, the creation of man alone was the first time we hear God say the words “not good.” God, Himself said it was “not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” (Gen. 2:18). Something was missing….and so He made you, ladies. As you walk out your destiny in Him, He will show you how you are His answer. Be free in this Truth!

We have discussed the Creation story (Genesis) quite a bit; so today, we’re going to do something different: let’s take a look at another Bible story which shows us how men and women are meant to, and can, work together for the glory of God, and how a woman fulfilling her destiny in the Lord is a powerful thing to behold. (And brothers in Christ, don’t worry, and please keep reading; a man fulfills his destiny in the Lord in this story, too!)

Today’s story is about a woman named Achsah, and her story is in the Bible not just once, but twice. (Joshua 15:15-19 & Judges 1:11-15). Achsah is also mentioned in Israel’s long genealogy list of men in 1 Chron. 2:49. If a story is told twice in the Bible, God is making a strong point, because He does not waste words. Who was this woman? Achsah was Caleb’s daughter. Do you remember Caleb? He and Joshua were the only two men (out of 12) who came back from Canaan excited about the land God had promised the Israelites, while the other ten men said the land was swarming with giants who would kill them (Numbers 13-14). Both Joshua and Caleb became mighty men of faith, and warriors of God, leading Israel into God’s Promised Land.  This story from Joshua 15 occurs as the Israelites are entering into Canaan and taking possession of the Promised Land city by city.

And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife.’ (Joshua 15:15)

On first glance it’s easy to infer, ‘Caleb used his daughter as an incentive?’ Look deeper, and you see that Achsah willingly trusted her father in all things. She submitted to him and trusted his decision and provision. What amazing trust and faith. Now, Achsah was no wilting flower; her father was a warrior, and she had many, many brothers (see Caleb’s family line in 1 Chron. 2). I’m certain Achsah knew how to hold her own. Question: Caleb could have called on any of his many sons or other men of the tribe of Judah to lead the battle, but he didn’t. He chose to involve Achsah in this way. Why? Could it be that he, a man of great faith, recognized this same faith in his daughter?  And that Caleb wanted to teach the next generation of warriors not only how to physically fight, but how to fight the good fight of faith, too? And that Achsah already had that faith that he wanted to impart to this next generation of warriors?

So Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. (Josh 15:16)

Here we see Othniel rise up, take the challenge, fight, and win (by the way, ‘Othniel’ in Hebrew means ‘Lion of God’). Because Achsah willingly submitted to her father (again, this takes great faith and trust for a strong woman not to ‘take things into her own hands’), a young man took the challenge that lay in front of him, was victorious, and stepped into his own identity and destiny. Did you know that in the Old Testament your name was your identity and destiny? Othniel became the Lion of God that God had destined him to be. And in time, he also became Israel’s very first Judge (see Judges 4:7-11). Since Othniel was a relative of Achsah’s, it’s reasonable to assume that he already had feelings for her before he went to fight. Question: Would Othniel have fought without this challenge from Caleb? Or if Achsah had not been the motivation? Would Othniel have stepped into his destiny, fought, or become Israel’s first Judge without Achsah’s involvement in this story? Men, what do you think? Ladies, what do you think?

Now it was so, when she came to him, that she persuaded him to ask her father for a field. (Josh 15:17)

Here we see Othniel’s character, Achsah’s influence, and how they worked together. Othniel was not a coward; he had just won a battle. But he was humble. And perhaps nervous; after all, this was Caleb! Caleb, who at this point was 85 years old and still fighting battles with the same strength he had as a young man (Josh 14:10-11). But Achsah knew her father; she had a relationship with Caleb that Othniel didn’t; she knew that if Othniel asked, Caleb would give. Thus, she persuaded him to ask. (Ladies, I hope this part also warms your feminine hearts in that Othniel obviously thought Achsah was the prize to win when he fought, not the land. If he thought the land was the prize rather than Achsah, he would have demanded the land and Achsah would not have persuaded him to ask for it). Question: Would Othniel have asked Caleb for a portion of land without Achsah’s encouragement?

So she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, ‘What do you wish?’ She answered, ‘Give me a blessing; since you have me land in the South, give me also springs of water.’ (Josh 15:17-18)

Here, we see Achsah’s bold faith in action. Again, this Miss is no wilting flower! She dismounted from her donkey – she got in a posture to “do business” with her father. She knew that land is a gift, but land in a desert is worthless without water access. But water is precious; so, how to get it? She would ask. Would her father be angry? Say no? Say she was ungrateful? And where is Othniel in this scene? Here Achsah shows us that some battles a woman is appointed to fight alone – especially asking (praying). Achsah is fighting for the supernatural provision of her husband’s (and her) portion of land. Before she says one word, Caleb asks, “What do you wish?” Isn’t this just like our Father God?! We are nervous, but we gather up our courage to go to Him, and actually come ready to do business with Him, and before we can even say a word, He is there with open arms, saying, “what can I do for you, My daughter?” And Achsah answers, “Give me a blessing….give me also….” Oh, to ask like this! What expression do you think came over Caleb’s face in response to Achsah’s asking? I think this detail is left out because we can experience our True Father’s response when we gather our courage to ask Him for His blessing as His princess daughters ourselves. And what was His response?

So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. (Joshua 15:19)

Not just one spring, but two. Not just one portion, but a double portion – abundance. Abundance!

What a story – the power of a woman fulfilling her destiny in the Lord, and willingly working with the men God placed in her life. Ladies, you are not a problem; you are God’s powerful answer! And Jesus is the ultimate Othniel – fighting the greatest battle ever fought, gaining the greatest victory ever won, and winning the greatest prize – which He says is you! Your femininity is not a weakness, and it is not a mistake, it is a gift. You are His gift.

Prayer

Father, thank You for making me Your daughter/son. Thank You for the destiny You’ve placed inside me. I know that I cannot achieve Your destiny for me alone, no matter what the world tells me. I need my brothers in You, and my sisters in You. Show me how to grow deeper into Your family. Thank You for the men/women of the opposite sex that You’ve placed in my life; show me how to work side-by-side with them for Your glory.