Give me this hill country (The Key to Building the Lord's Outposts)

Abraham buried his wife here at Hebron

Joshua 14:12 holds the key to building the Lord's outposts (or the launching pad on which to build and expand the Lord's kingdom) here on this planet earth.

Inasmuch as Caleb claimed "this hill country", the Lord's people were able to turn an otherwise devil's launching pad (or bunker if you will) into the foot-hold on which to make a break-through into the enemies' territory, turn the hostile land into the Lord's territory,  and build the rule of the Lord here on earth.

Note:

- Hebron was built seven years prior to Zoan (Numbers 13:22), the great and important city, used as the capital of the hyksos, who ruled Egypt for more than 500 years. There Pharaoh was holding  his court at the time of his various interviews with Moses and Aaron (about 14 centuries before Christ.)

- Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba after Arba, who was the greatest man among the Anakites.

- Anakites are descendants of Nephillim (Numbers 13:33).

- The Nephillim were the offspring that came out as the result of crossbreeding between the sons of God and the "daughters of men" (Genesis 6:4), per demonic intervention.

- Hebron is a hill country, nestled in the Judean Mountains and it lies 930 meters (3,050 ft) above the sea level.

- Prior to Caleb claiming the land, Abraham bought a cave there as a burial site, which constitutes a seminal moment in the development of the settlement for his descendants.

- Thanks to Caleb claiming the area, later David came and ruled there for a while and then moved to Jerusalem where the Lord established His rule (temple as completed by his son Solomon).

The message for us today is the spirit of pioneer. By faith in the Lord's promise to be with us, we are called to claim first, then develop otherwise uncultivated (uncivil, and wicked) lands ruled by the wicked, as wicked as Arba and his bunch, developing them into the lands where the Lord rules as the King.

Learn also that in Caleb's eyes, difficult lands are good lands. So do not say, "Oh, this land (campus or mission field) is too difficult to cultivate."