The Story of Caleb, Othniel, and Achsah (Judges 1:12-15)

Then Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give my daughter Achsah as wife.” And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, took it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. Now it happened, when she came to him, that she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you wish?” So she said to him, “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 1:12-15)

I don't remember noticing this passage before, but I appreciated this explanation/application of it:

1. God loves to tell the stories of those who’ve trusted Him; thus, He chose to record this story of Caleb and Othniel both here and in Joshua 15:13-19. Both men are examples of those who trusted the promises of God and they stand in contrast to the unbelieving disobedience we see characterize the Book of Judges as a whole and the latter part of chapter one. 

Exhortation: Seeing that God is faithful and well pleased with faith (Heb 11:6a) let us strive, by his grace, to walk in faith, trust Him to fulfill that which He has promised us in Christ, and pursue Him in prayer seeing that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6b).

2. Our Heavenly Father, like Caleb is seen in this narrative, loves when His children come to Him and ask freely for what they want. Caleb, here, reflects the generous kind of giving our heavenly Father loves to display towards us. We remember the words of Christ to the flock of God’s sheep: “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Lk 12:32)”. And even more explicitly, consider what the Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things (Rom 8:32)”. 

Exhortation: All Achsah did was ask her father for springs of water and he generously gave springs in the north and the south. How much more, then, should we boldly approach our heavenly Father with our needs, requests, and concerns. After all, if we being evil know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father give good gifts and the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? (Mt 7:11; Lk 11:13)

3. This passage also introduces us to Othniel who would be the first judge of Israel.

4. Caleb modeled the kind of protective concern the men of Israel ought to have had for their wives and daughters. He wanted her to have a worthy husband; one who trusted God. And he wanted her to have provision via the inheritance he gave her. This kind of protective concern stands in sharp contrast to Jephthah’s vow that led to the death of his daughter and the brutality of the tribe of Benjamin towards a Levite’s concubine later in the Book of Judges. When God’s people walked in obedience to Him there are domestic blessings that followed. However, as the moral fabric of the nation of Israel degenerates throughout the book, so do those familial relationships.)

Exhortation: By way of application, let us remember that it is imperative that men who identify themselves as followers of Christ love their wives (Eph 5:25a) not be harsh with them (Col 3:19), and be considerate of them (1 Pet 3:7); they must also train their children in the way of the Lord (Eph 6:4), not exasperate them (Col 3:21), but instead model the self-sacrificing example of the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 5:2)

[http://dailyexhortation.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/the-story-of-caleb-othniel-and-achsah-judges-112-15/]