I'm going to let you in on a secret... and it's free, guess what? It's in yo' bible actually, not just mine, not just your neighbor, but yours too. The person you marry plays a key role in whether your home is a Blessing or a Burden. Let's dive in, the source of this blog is Joshua 15: 16-19.
Before we move on we need some context. Here's the backstory, when God delivers the children of Israel out of Egypt under Moses' leadership (The whole..."Pharaoh let my people go" part of the bible [Exodus 5: 1]), they are finally freed after 12 plagues. Pharaoh along with Egypt, are ultimately defeated by God's power. God's plan is to deliver the Children of Israel to the promised land, a place called Canaan, but to get there they had to go through the wilderness, a place called Kadesh, which is part of the modern day Negev. After some time in the wilderness God tells Moses to send 10 spies to the land of Canaan and bring back a report along with some fruit of the land . Their mission lasted 40 days.
This next part is paramount to our story. So after 40 days they come back with the fruit and report how fruitful the land and like God said, it was flowing with milk and honey. "...However there are giants in this land, so big they make us look like grasshoppers..." they report. Numbers 13: 33 . They make complaints saying that there is no way they can beat the giants, (completely ignoring the fact that God defeated an entire nation for them, provided food from the sky, drew water from a rock, parted the red sea [as in yes, split the ocean in half so they could walk across the sea floor and escape the Egyptians, and then drowned all the Egyptian soldiers attempting to pursue them] and many more wonders proving that he could do anything, over and over again) they then start screaming that God should have just let them die in the land of Egypt... The only two men in this entire group of 600,000, yes six hundred thousand people (excluding Moses and potentially Aaron, [Aaron was kind of wishy washy, not really sure if he believed they could beat the giants] were Caleb and Joshua who were saying “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” Numbers 14: 7-9
To make a long story short, after all this God says he has enough of the Children of Israel their disrespect and ungratefulness and disobedience and that none of them will see the Promised Land except for Caleb and Joshua because they had faith. And because of the spies story the entire nation will wander in the wilderness for 40 years (1 year per day of their mission) and until all the people of the current generation die.
Now that we've got context let's catch up it's now been 45 years later and Joshua has taken Moses' place as leader of the Children on Israel. As promised the Lord keeps his word and Caleb inherits a land called Hebron. After Caleb drives out the people there and gets his land. He says this “I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the one who attacks and captures Kiriath-sepher. (alternatively called Debir) Joshua 15: 16 - 19. Othniel, a young man of God, who was the son of Caleb's brother, takes the land, and as promised, his valor and faith proves him to be a good husband to Caleb's daughter, Acsah.
When Acsah and Othniel are getting married, Acsah asks Othiel to ask her father for springs to accompany the desert land they've just gotten as a wedding present. Othniel says nothing, so Ascah gets off her donkey, (a sign of respect) and goes toward her father. Caleb asks "What do you wish?" to which she answers "You have been kind enough to give us the the land in the Negev, but please give us springs of water too." And Caleb gives her both the upper and lower springs"
Do you remember what I said earlier about the Negev? It was a vast land, but it was barren. This was part of the wilderness that the Children of Israel dwelled in. Land just like today is an asset, it is always valuable, because more of it cannot be made. However back in biblical days, land that had no potential of yielding fruit or growing vegetation was not very useful on its own. These were days of agriculture, land without access to water would remain dry and barren, it wouldn't be useful in trying to keep cattle, farm, or live on. There was no water, and like life today, places without access to water struggle to maintain life. But where Othniel lacked vision, his wife Acsah had foresight. (I assume Othniel's like myself's male pride of not wanting to ask another man for help got in the way).
Acsah had wisdom, she was financially literate, she knew that agriculture ensured wealth. She knew that water was central to all fruit, life, etc. And that the dry land would not be very useful. She knew how to respectfully request for what she and her husband needed. She asked her husband to do it, but he wouldn't, so she did it herself to ensure their future. She had the foresight even when he didn't.
What she also had was a relationship with her father and knew he would honor her request.
Also what stands out to me to is her choice of words, she said "some springs and not a spring" this household would not be limited to their level of thinking. Ephesians 3:20 is so important.
Acsah was a good wife because she had foresight, understanding and wisdom. And knew that with respect, some action had to be taken with or without her husband, to ensure their future.
I pray that God, you would please prepare us, help us to submit to our spouses or spouses to be and give our husbands and wives the foresight and financial literacy to plan accordingly for the best for our future. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.
Be blessed today fam.
- Akeil Davis
CEO of A Kingdom Company LLC.
Servant of God (In whichever way He needs me to be)
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