Achsah – See Possibilities with God

To see possibilities with God is an act of faith. It is when we choose to believe in the word of God, over and above what we see before us. Choosing to see in faith, can be a defining moment and a lifetime commitment. Achsah was a biblical woman who chose to see the possibilities with God. More than that, she acted on that vision and received a double blessing!

Achsah

Achsah, or Aksah, is an inspirational woman who had the vision, and motivation, to fulfill her potential. Her story appears in only a couple of verses of Scripture, but her voice is still there, speaking out to us today. Achsah was a child of the wilderness, born during Israel’s exodus from Egypt. She was part of the new generation, on the move, and traveling towards the promised land.

Caleb’s Daughter

Achsah was Caleb’s daughter – one of the men that Moses had sent to spy out the land of Canaan. Caleb and Joshua were the ones who came back with a good report. They had the faith to believe that God would give them what He had promised – a productive and prosperous land. And because of Caleb’s faithfulness in following God wholeheartedly, Moses promised that the area in which he had explored would be given to him and his children as an inheritance forever.

I can imagine the conversations Achsah could have had with her father during their travels in the wilderness. Where are we going? What is our new home going to be like? Remember Caleb had actually seen the richness of the land and the size of the fruit that it produced – a land full of good things!

Related Post: Who was Caleb?

Where is Achsah in the Bible?

Achsah in the Bible is mentioned in the account of the division of the land in Joshua chapter 15:13-19. Her father Caleb was given a portion of land as an inheritance within the allocation of the tribe of Judah. Her story is also recorded in Judges chapter 1: 9-15 as part of the success of the tribe of Judah in claiming their allotted territory in Canaan.

Caleb offered his daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who would attack and capture the city of Kiriath Sepher. Victory in battle was one way to pay the bride-price for a potential wife. And Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, is the man who won this battle and claimed his bride.

Caleb out of his inheritance, allocated land in the Negev to his daughter Achsah as a gift. In Hebrew, the word Negev means dry and this area of land is often referred to as wasteland, being a rocky and arid area.

Achsah, I would suggest, did not focus on the limitations of what she saw before her, but believed in the promises of God, and saw the possibilities. For her to use her inheritance to its full potential, she would need more than what she had been given

Lessons From Achsah

The dry and rocky hill country of the Negev did not look like a land flowing with ‘milk and honey’. But Achsah had a godly heritage, and she was her father’s daughter in every sense. She approached her father Caleb with a request, for a special favor, she was looking for an extra blessing!

When Achsah approached her father, Caleb, he straight away asked her “What can I do for you?” She saw what was needed to be able to make full use of her inheritance. I’m sure that she also knew that access to water, in this region, was a valuable commodity. But Achsah didn’t hesitate and boldly asked for springs of water.

Upper and Lower Springs in the Negev

“Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.”

Judges 1:15 NKJV

Achsah received a double blessing when she came boldly to her father looking for the means to utilize the gift that he had already given her. The upper and lower springs would be more than enough to make full use of all of her inheritance.

“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.”

Joshua 15:19 NIV

Achsah asked with confidence knowing the nature and character of her father, and she was not disappointed!

See Possibilities With God

We begin to see possibilities with God when we are willing to take Him at His word. With godly vision and belief in the goodness of God, regardless of the landscape before us, we have the faith to act! And with faith we have the motivation to step out, and to do something, to try, with the possibility for a change!

Each one of us has a God-given inheritance, with unique gifts and talents. We have a calling in our lives to make full use of all that God has given us. And we have a Heavenly Father who gives generously and richly blesses all who call on His name. God responds to faith!

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11

We can all be challenged to examine ourselves. Is there an area of our life today where we need to move forward into the wide-open space of God’s grace? To step into the place of freedom, of knowing His love, and of being secure in who we are as a child of God.

This could be the time for a fresh perspective of God’s plan for our lives. It is never too late to respond and to seek God for a new season of blessing. Don’t be held back by fear, but instead see the possibilities with God – reach out to our Heavenly Father who desires to bless us!

“Now may the God of peace: “equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.”

Hebrews 13:21