The Book of Joshua: Caleb, Achsah and the springs

The Book of Joshua follows the five Books of Moses. After Moses the law, the entrance into the promised land is depicted. Later in the Book, important verses may be found. They're repeated in the Book of Judges - almost literally, and some translations keep the verses exactly the same. In the New Testament, some of the miracles of Jesus are written down by all of the evangelists whereas some miracles may be found from only one source. There's a purpose for this. Let's find out what we can read from the Book of Joshua and the Book of Judges.

Joshua, Caleb and Achsah

The following verses from the Book of Joshua and Book of Judges are pretty much the same; the springs are in bold as we're going to talk about them shortly:

16 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 17 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wouldest thou? 19 Who answered, Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs. (Josh. 15:16-19)

12 And Caleb said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife. 13 And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter to wife. 14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou? 15 And she said unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs. (Judg. 1:12-15)

Martin Luther the reformer wrote about the upper springs and the nether springs in the following manner:

7. Such, you perceive, is the true faith, the faith that justifies before God. It is the Christian’s righteousness, which receives blessings from above and delivers them below. We find a beautiful illustration of it in the piece of land Caleb, the holy father, gave to his daughter Achsah (Judges 1:13-15), from which issued beautiful fountains of water. The land was watered by springs above and springs below: hence it was very fertile and very valuable. As already stated, we cannot say too much concerning this faith. (Martin Luther: The Christmas Postil of 1522: DAY OF ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST, (SIRACH) ECCLESIASTICUS 15:1-8.)

We should understand that the springs signify the true faith. How did Achsah get it? She asked. In like manner, you can ask a person in the true faith for the gospel. This person having the true faith has the Holy Spirit. The gospel is essentially the forgiveness of all sins. That purifies you and makes you acceptable in the eyes of the almighty God.

Caleb, figure of the true church

Caleb and Joshua were the only adults making it to the promised land from Egypt. The promised land signifies heaven. Joshua was a type of Christ, and Jesus had no sins and was thus able to make it to heaven as we can read from the Acts 1:11. Similarly, Joshua was able to make it to the promised land, prefiguring Jesus' route to heaven. On the other hand, Caleb, signifying also the end-time church, will not die either, but the true believers will be changed:

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1.Cor. 15:52)

Joshua blesses Caleb

We can learn from the Book of Joshua that Caleb asked Hebron for an inheritance. The very next thing is that Joshua blesses Caleb (Josh. 14:12-13). In like manner, the members of the true church will be in Hebron and are blessed by Jesus Christ. It it so that by the blessings one ends up in Hebron? Does Hebron mean something very special? What exactly does Hebron mean? Let's find it out!

12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. 14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel. 15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war. (Josh. 14:12-15)

The Cave of the Patriarchs (Gen.23, Gen.25, Gen.50) is located in Hebron. Abraham and his wife Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah were buried there. This cave is figuratively - or to be more exact, literally the Abraham's bosom:

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Lk. 16:22-23)

You see the angels carrying the poor Lazatus to Abraham's bosom; that's no other than heaven. Hebron prefigured Abraham's bosom, meaning heaven. Hebron is a place where the elect gets after death - which is by no means a purgatory, but heaven.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matt. 24:31)

Hebron signifies heaven

We have learned that Hebron, in other words Abraham's bosom, signifies heaven. Caleb's daughter, Achsah, noticed her inheritance will be without water. Every one of us will inherit a place in heaven or hell. If in doubt what yours will be, ask Caleb, the true church, for the springs of living water just like Achsah did. She received the upper springs and the nether springs, or as Luther mentioned, the true faith.