Yesterday I read an interesting phrase. The writer said the father of Benjamin Franklin had 17 children “of which to dispose.” But it’s not what you think. The arcane phrase simply means Josiah Franklin had to find jobs, apprenticeships, husbands, or other arrangements to secure the future of each of his 17 children.
Dispose, used this way, was not a negative term, but described a parent’s natural concern about finding a reliable source of income or livelihood for each of his children. Whether a parent has one child or seventeen, it is only natural to try to secure for each of them the best life possible. And because one of mine will marry in two weeks, these things are certainly on my mind.
They were also on the mind of Caleb when Israel divided up the Promised Land. Caleb’s tribe received the Land of Judah, and a portion of it was allotted to Caleb, one of only two in his generation who did not doubt God forty years before. Old Caleb’s land included a city filled with wicked pagans that God told Israel to defeat, and Caleb himself had an unmarried daughter for whom he must provide.
“And Caleb said, ‘he that smiteth Kiriath-Sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.’ And Othniel, son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it. And Caleb gave his daughter to Othniel” Joshua 15:16-17.
Westerners do not understand arranged marriages. But we must recognize that they worked well in Bible times. By making the offer he did, Caleb conquered the city he needed to conquer, while also marrying his daughter to a war hero. Othniel was a good catch, and would later go on to serve as Israel’s first judge following the death of Joshua.
But there is more.
Caleb’s daughter was using her head. Caleb may have found her a “prominent man of noble character,” (Ruth 2:1) but he gave her a territory in the arid south where water could be a problem. So Achsah went to her father with a request.
“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 lower springs” Joshua 15:19.
And THIS is how fathers feel about their children.
Whether you have one child or seventeen, you want to bless them. You would give them the world if you could. And an amazing spouse—not because they “need” to be married, but because families are God’s plan, and he gives tremendous joy and blessings through the riches of families. So Caleb provides a husband for his daughter. And a city. And two reliable water sources. And if he could do more for her, he would.
God loves you that way. Do you come to God with a tiny spoon? Or an empty pocket, maybe, asking him for a tiny blessing? Instead come to him with a tractor-trailer, or a freight train, or an ocean liner. Ask God for big blessings! After he gives you a great spouse, ask for a city. Ask for water wells.
“You have not because you ask not,” James 4:2.
Are you asking? When was the last time you prayed hard, knocking down the doors of heaven? The Bible uses an urgent present tense. It’s not “ask, seek, knock,” Matthew 7:7. It’s “keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking AND DON’T STOP” Matthew 7:7.
Do you know how much your earthly father loves you? Do you know what your mother would do to bless you if she could? God loves you so much more than that!
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, then how much more will your father in heaven give what is good to those that ask him?” Matthew 7:11.
Come to God boldly, like Caleb’s daughter. ASK FOR A BLESSING! Ask for a blessing for you—and for your children! Ask AND KEEP ON ASKING! God loves you! He wants to bless you in a big way!
AΩ.
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