Why we are naming our son “Caleb”

We’ve officially chosen a first name for our son: Caleb. This may be a surprise for some of you or maybe not if you’ve heard me musing since long before we knew we were having a boy. This name is special for a lot of reasons, but, most of all, it represents how we hope to shape our son’s character as his parents.

Over the past year, my youth group girls have been studying the books of Joshua and Judges in the Bible. Since we read the story of Caleb (multiple times), I just couldn’t get over how many admirable qualities that man possessed. Here are just a few of them (read his whole story in Numbers 13-14, Joshua 14:6-14, 15:13-19, 21:11-13, Judges 1:1-20, and 1 Chronicles 2:42-54):

• Caleb was highly respected by his tribe and chosen to represent them in “spying out” the promised land.

Numbers 13:1, 6: “The LORD said to Moses, “send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders’… from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh…”

• Caleb saw the goodness of God’s promises and believed that God would fulfill every single one. Caleb, with Moses and Joshua, stood up against the rest of Israel (talk about peer pressure!) when the rest of the nation was too afraid to fight for the land God had promised. He acknowledged that the task would involve great struggle against overwhelming odds, but he also trusted that they would be victorious with God’s help. Caleb’s courage came from the strong conviction that God would be with and fight for His people.

Numbers 13:30: “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Numbers 14: 6-10: Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

• Caleb was one of two people in his generation allowed to enter the promised land after wandering in the desert for 40 years. Even Moses and Aaron disqualified themselves…

Numbers 14:24: But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.

• After 40 years of wandering in the desert and 5 years of fighting alongside the rest of Israel, (which puts Caleb at 85 years old!), Caleb was eager to lead his tribe into battle for the land given to him. He volunteered to clear out the land inhabited by the same giant people that made Israel want to turn back the first time.

Joshua 14:10-12: “Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

Joshua 15:13-15: In accordance with the LORD’s command to him, Joshua gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh a portion in Judah—Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. (Arba was the forefather of Anak.) From Hebron, Caleb drove out the three Anakites—Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai, the sons of Anak. From there he marched against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher).

• Caleb married his daughter to a quality guy who showed as much courage and trust in God as himself. Othniel, the son-in-law, went on to be the 1st judge to rescue Israel from oppression in the book of Judges.

Numbers 15:16-17: And Caleb said, “I will give my daughter Aksah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher.” 17 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him in marriage.

Judges 3:9-11: “But when [Israel] cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. The Spirit of the LORD came on him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.”

• Caleb seems to have loved his daughter tenderly. He gifted to her the best land along with very valuable springs of water, just for asking.

Numbers 15:18-19: One day when [Aksah] came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” She replied, “Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.

• Caleb’s town, Horeb, is later named both a “city of refuge” and “Levitical town,” making it a center of both justice and worship. Joshua 21:11-13

Most of all, Numbers 14:24, Numbers 32: 12, Deuteronomy 1:26, and Joshua 14:14 all emphasize that Caleb “followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” More than anything else, this is what we pray for concerning our son, that he would know the joy and satisfaction of loving and serving his King. We also hope to instill in him the virtues of a godly man: one who is tough in protecting his family yet tender in caring for them, courageous in speaking truth to both enemies and friends, and serious about investing in the Kingdom to produce a long legacy of love for Jesus.

Of course, it is convenient that this name is also very close to his daddy’s name, who decided not to continue the tradition to make our son Kayle Keith Hinkle IV (as the numbers get higher, they start to sound a little too much like European kings or popes). We also like that it has a hard “k” sound, like the rest of the Hinkle biological siblings (Cody, Kristen, and Casey) and a Maxey family middle name (Christopher/Krista).

Since everyone has been asking, and I was dying to officially share, this is the first name for our little boy. It will be a relief to start calling him Caleb full-time, since I am not keen on keeping secrets! Please pray for our son whenever you think of him. This mama is now entering her 3rd trimester, so it feels much more like we will meet him face-to-face SOON!

Angie and Kayle

P.S. We are still undecided on Caleb’s middle name…