Calebs Mountain: A Novel

By Alton Lynn Cooper

Caleb's heart continues to burn with God's promise to give him a mountain home in the land of Canaan. He works the family farm in his small village while dreaming of one day going to war and claiming the land awaiting him. His wife and her family do all they can to dissuade him from leaving the village and reentering the war, risking his life and those around him. There are many in his village telling him he is a foolish old man pursuing what they believe is a suicide mission sure to destroy himself and those who join with him. Caleb forms a small group and travels to the mountain to spy out the land and prepare for war. A traitor from one of the cities on the mountain learns of Caleb's plans and sets out to inform the murderous leader in Debir of his activities. Joshua joins in with Caleb, and the two of them wage one last war, driving out the wickedness that destroyed the lives of many living in Hebron and Debir.

The reader is carried along through the intense battles on the mountain, costing many their lives, and is blessed in the end, realizing God's promises to His children never fail. He goes before them in war, leading them to victory as they face insurmountable odds, trusting in the power of God to protect and see them through.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890435170

Book preview

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Calebs Mountain

A Novel

Alton Lynn Cooper

ISBN 979-8-89043-516-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89043-517-0 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Alton Lynn Cooper

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All scriptural references are taken from the King James Version (KJV) of God’s Holy Word.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Planning for War

Chapter 2

Family Troubles

Chapter 3

Seeking Allies

Chapter 4

Destruction at Home

Chapter 5

Final Preparations

Chapter 6

Send in the Spies

Chapter 7

A Deceiver among Us

Chapter 8

Entering into Battle

Chapter 9

Death and Destruction

Chapter 10

Victory at Last

Chapter 11

Home in Hebron

About the Author

Books by Alton Lynn Cooper

Introduction

Caleb is becoming old in years but remains young at heart. His mind wonders back to the time when Moses chose him and eleven other men, who were leaders in the twelve tribes of Israel, to go on a dangerous mission. He felt no fear about going because he knew God was with their group being sent to spy out the Promised Land. He and his comrades moved through the land and were amazed at the massive walled cities they encountered. It was a beautiful land filled with fertile fields that produced fruits and vegetables in abundance.

He laughed as he watched two of his companions pick a large bunch of grapes from a vineyard, stringing it up on a pole to carry between them. The men were excited to see the beauty of the land. He remembered how their attitudes began changing when they encountered the giant men that occupied the walled cities. There was grumbling and complaining in their camp at night when ten of their fellow spies were determined to flee the land, reporting back to Moses that the task before them was impossible. The walled cities and the giants that occupied them were a terror to those men. Joshua and Caleb tried to calm their fears by reminding them that God was on their side and would surely give them the strength to possess the land. Victory was theirs if they would only trust in God, Who had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt, destined for a beautiful new land flowing with milk and honey. Their pleas were to no avail. After forty days of traveling through the land, their group returned to give Moses and the people of Israel their report concerning the land that lay before them. The ten men talked of the giants and the walled cities that would be impossible to conquer. Joshua and Caleb did their best to encourage the people to go and take the land that God had promised them, but their efforts were in vain. The people became enraged against them, threatening to stone them to death.

Caleb was now in his mideighties, but the mountain still loomed large and beautiful in his memory from seeing it forty years before. He determined in his heart that God had given him the mountain, and it was now time to rise and take it. As he announces his plan to go to war to those around him, he is met with mockery and skepticism and encouraged to live out his life peacefully in the valley home he has been given. But the naysayers soon learned the fire God had instilled in him was still burning brightly and that no amount of resistance could stop him from taking what God had given him all those years ago.

Chapter 1

Planning for War

You're a foolish old man. I understand that a dream is a hard thing to let go of, but you need to face reality. Setting off at your age on a fool's mission will leave your wife with no husband and your daughter fatherless.

Caleb had come to expect the criticism from his so-called friends. Why he kept coming to the Wayside Inn and sharing his dreams with them was beyond him. Their response was always the same. He recognized that through the years they had settled into their everyday lives, not expecting God to do any great or mighty things through them. The land had, for the most part, been taken from the Amalekites, Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, but pockets of those wicked people were still found here and there, with their way of life becoming a snare to many of his Jewish brethren.

He looked at his brother-in-law, Alpheus, who always mocked him at times like this. You call foolish what God calls His will? I wished to God that Moses would have told us to prepare for battle and led us across that river. He was directed by God to send spies into the land, but maybe that was God's way of testing the people's trust in Him. God had already given us the land. To doubt God is the true height of foolishness. As a result, an entire nation wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and only Joshua and I of that generation are now here alive in the Promised Land. God in His mercy allowed all those who were twenty years old and younger to enter also. I thank God for that. My three younger brothers were spared dying in that barren wilderness as a result of unbelief.

Alpheus went silent, staring at his brother-in-law in disgust. How could a man his age continue to talk war when all the tribes around them had settled into living in peace after years of struggle when they first entered this land?

Joshua is still dividing up the land. You could ask him to give you something different if you're not satisfied living here in the valley.

Uriel, I know you mean well, but it's not seeking another place here that burns in my heart. I believe with everything within me that God gave me that mountain. He intended to give it to our entire nation back then, along with the rest of the Promised Land, but because of their unbelief and a weak moment in Moses's life, we didn't claim it. I fully intend to take that mountain. Joshua and I have recently discussed our plans going forward. We will meet in the near future to finalize our plans after he finishes dividing the land among the tribes. He is in full agreement that God will bless our endeavors and deliver the mountain into our hands.

Uriel was Caleb's younger brother by twenty-three years and knew that arguing would not deter his older brother from his obsession with claiming his mountain home. They had been meeting here in the inn on Friday evenings with their other two brothers, Kenaz, fifty-five years old, and Elon at fifty-one. The four of them, along with Caleb's brother-in-law, came together every week with a host of other farmers and friends to discuss current events.

The inn was a cozy meeting place with excellent food, giving the men a slight reprieve from their regular duties.

I, for one, think that a man should pursue his dreams, no matter what those around him may think. Without dreams, what would keep us going at our age?

Caleb looked over at his friend Rufus with a smile on his face. "Yes, my dear friend, what indeed would keep us going if our God didn't send new opportunities our way? Joshua and I fully intend to put together a serious war plan and take that mountain. All who are willing to fight with us can make their desires known at next week's meeting. I won't feel differently toward any of you if you decide that it's not God's leading in your own life. But keep this in mind. God never goes back on His promises. That mountain has stayed in my heart these many years, and I feel God telling me once again to go and take it. God made me a promise through Moses, His servant, saying, ‘But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.'"

Caleb was deep in thought as he left the inn, beginning his walk back to his home. It was one thing to have his dream driving him, but what of those men's lives that may decide to join him on this venture? He didn't know if any would or, for that matter, how many. From a physical standpoint, he had talked of going it alone if necessary, but one old man up against a mountain full of giants wasn't exactly an even match. He knew one thing, however, and that was that his belief in the God of Israel had never faltered. He also knew that his desire to claim the mountain as his home kept him awake in bed many nights. At times, the longing to take it drove him out into the night, walking the lane before his cottage and pleading with God to give him direction in the days ahead.

* * * * *

Well, how did your man time go tonight?

About the same as it always does. Nothing different from last week. Some of the men are still complaining about their poor crops from last year and the price of goods in the village. I've noticed those who do the most complaining are the same ones who don't attend synagogue.

So you think attending synagogue is the answer to bad crops and high prices?

Caleb looked at his wife as she busied herself preparing her bread dough for baking. He had married Daniela when she was eighteen years old while they were still wandering the wilderness shortly after returning from his spying assignment. After entering the new land and settling in, she became more and more distant from the things of God. He had prayed through the years for her heart to soften, seek the Lord, and be strengthened spiritually. They were twenty-three years apart in age, with her at sixty-one years old, and none of his coaching toward spiritual matters had made any significant change in her outlook on life. He loved her and prayed for God to open up her heart so that more of His light could enter. He had come to realize that every individual must desire the things of God themselves if His presence Is to indeed make a difference in their lives.

While he and the men met on Friday evenings at the inn, his wife and her lady friends rotated meeting in one another's homes. His brother Uriel's wife, Chloe, loved God and was a bright spot in the ladies' meetings. Caleb often prayed that her testimony would touch Daniela's heart, softening it for God, but for now, nothing had changed.

Did your wild and crazy talk of taking that mountain come up again?

Caleb cringed within himself. His wife's brother, Alpheus, gave his sister regular reports concerning the discussions at the weekly men's meeting. She shared her brother's disdain for her husband's frequent talking of his impossible dreams with the group at the inn. In her mind, they had a comfortable home, even though it was small, with plenty of food on the table, and a quiet lifestyle in the valley that had become their home. She wanted to live out her days in peace, but his constant talk of going to war wearied her.

Talking about what God has put in a man's heart is not crazy.

Not thinking about what would happen to me and your daughter if you don't come back from your mountain is crazy.

Caleb and Daniela had two sons, both of whom died in childbirth, and then God blessed them two years later with a daughter, who was now twenty-three years old. He often grieved within himself that God hadn't given them more children but was resolved to continue seeking God's direction for their lives.

Achsah was a quiet child growing up and was still shy as a young adult woman. As a result of this, many of the boys at school gave up on winning her favor and moved on to other pursuits. She displayed a more reverent heart toward the things of God than her mother, often spending time with her father discussing His Word.

I would never do anything to hurt you or our daughter. If I didn't have full faith in God's direction concerning this thing, I would be silent and speak of it no more.

* * * * *

Over the next few days, he prayed earnestly for God's direction going forward. He was confident God was leading him to take the mountain and do it soon, but he wasn't as confident in his ability to come up with the right plan to get the job done. He and Joshua had agreed that Caleb should form a small group to go in and spy out the land, as they had done years ago, and then meet to firm up their battle plans. With much of the land already taken and divided up between the tribes, more and more of the men were ready to lay aside their weapons of war and devote themselves to building their homes and lives on their allotted ground. Joshua had challenged him to gather as many men as possible from his village who would still be willing to go to war. The number of Israel's soldiers willing to enter battle continued to dwindle as time moved on.

He worked the small field behind their cottage, walking on the loose soil while pleading with God to speak to him. It was strange, but while his heart was at rest, knowing God's will on the matter, his mind was in a state of turmoil. He would hear his friend Rufus's words of encouragement and then immediately hear his wife and her brother's comments telling him he was a foolish old man. It was already Wednesday, and he would be meeting with the men at the inn on Friday to ask who was on his side. How could he possibly ask them such a question if he himself didn't understand the full ramifications of such a decision? He remembered the stories his father had told him concerning Abraham.

God called him to leave his hometown and those whom he knew, going out in search of a foreign land. Abraham trusted God completely and went out, not knowing where God was leading him but determined to follow his Lord. Caleb sat on the old wooden bench behind his small barn, thinking of Abraham asking God to give him that same degree of faith in his own life. God had taken care of Abraham, leading him through many years of struggle, and then made a mighty nation of him. His mind then settled on Moses. He remained faithful to God's call upon his life, continuing to lead a stubborn and rebellious group of people all those years in the wilderness. He had watched as God answered Moses's prayers when he didn't know where to go. The cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night still spoke to his heart even now. God never failed His children in times of need, giving them manna for food and water out of a rock.

God, help me to know Your plan. I've been thinking that I need to develop a plan going forward, but I know that You already have a plan for victory. I will wait on You as You have said in Your Word and trust You to reveal Your plan to Joshua and me when the time is right.

Chapter 2

Family Troubles

Caleb stoked up the fire and settled into his chair to study the manuscripts loaned him by their rabbi. It was Thursday evening, and he desperately needed to hear a word from God concerning his discussion with the men at the inn tomorrow night. Their rabbi had been sending portions of the Torah home with different members of the synagogue, encouraging them to immerse themselves more fully in God's Word. They returned them at the next Sabbath day meeting, allowing more of their brethren to share in them. The loud knock on the door jarred him from his thoughts.

I'll get it. You stay seated. The curt tone in Daniela's voice came as a surprise to him. She had never addressed him in that way even though she was quick to share her disapproval of his plans concerning the mountain.

The room filled up quickly with Alpheus leading a group of men into Caleb's home while asking his sister to bring the men some refreshments. I know this may seem like an intrusion, Caleb, but I think we need to settle some things tonight before you address the group at tomorrow's meeting. Daniela asked me to bring some of the men, hoping to talk some sense into your head.

Caleb gave his wife a stern look as she quickly turned away heading for the kitchen to prepare drinks for the group. His brother-in-law was a portly man at five feet, ten inches tall with a full head of raven black hair matched by a flowing beard covering the lower portion of his rounded face. He always attempted to assert his will on those around him and, as a result, had very few friends in the village.

Now before you start in on us, please hear us out first.

I will listen to you only if the conversation remains civil and doesn't begin to insult my God and His leading in my life.

See. That's exactly why I asked you to permit us to present our side of the situation first. You have a closed mind and refuse to hear counsel even when those giving it are trying to save your life.

Very well. You speak, and I will listen on one condition. After you have finished, providing you don't continue into the early hours of the morning, you will then listen to me and what I have to say.

That's fine with me and I'm sure with the men who have come with me. Alpheus seated himself directly across from Caleb while the other men nervously took their places, settling themselves on the floor.

Daniela hurried into the room, bringing the men containers of spiced pomegranate juice along with a dish of sweet bread wafers. She announced that she would be visiting with Joanna, her friend next door, as she put on her shawl and hurried out the door.

Caleb knew he had been set up and was determined to remain calm, letting God do the leading. He looked at the faces of the men in the room, recognizing some of them as the more negative ones from their meetings at the inn. There was one new person who he hadn't seen before.

Alpheus caught his stare and spoke up introducing the man as Marcus. Marcus is the legal assistant to the leading elder in the village assisting him with certain difficult business dealings.

So am I to understand that I am in legal trouble with you men, and you have brought this individual to press your cause against me?

No. Young Marcus is a learned man at his age in things of legal importance, and I thought it wise to bring him along in case certain decisions should take place here tonight.

The only decision to be made here is just how long I'm going to tolerate the bunch of you in my home. Now get on with your speech, leaving me time to share what God is doing in my life.

Alpheus gave Caleb a strong look of disapproval as he gathered his thoughts, preparing to launch into what he considered sharing his vast amount of wisdom with one not so wise. "Caleb, you have taken care of my sister since the time the two of you came together in the wilderness. I know that both of you felt a great loss when your two sons didn't survive at birth. I admired the way you consoled Daniela during those times. Now you have a beautiful young daughter who is beyond marrying age and is still here in your home. I trust that she will not become an old maid, never knowing the joys of having a husband and children of her own. She seems to cling to you and your belief in your God and, perhaps as a result, has had difficulty finding a suitor who would accept her with these thoughts in her head. I hope you encourage Achsah to think on her own, letting her determine her own way in life.

"Keeping a child under one's thumb can only lead to their becoming dependent on their parent, never striking out on their own. Please don't misunderstand me. Attending synagogue is good, but it should not become the only thing guiding our thoughts. There is a vast amount of wisdom in this world that many aged men have passed down to us as well. Our coming here tonight is to share the wisdom we have accumulated through our years of experience. Your first duty is to provide for your family. Going off with a half-baked idea of taking a vast mountain area filled with hostile people is not taking care of your own. It is exactly the opposite. It is your wanting to drag your family into these troubled dreams of yours that will