Achsah-The Woman Who Asked

• Joshua 15:16--Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

• Joshua 15:17--Othniel the son of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

• Judges 1:12--Caleb said, "He who strikes Kiriath Sepher, and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife."

• Judges 1:13--Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.

• 1 Chronicles 2:49--She bore also Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbena, and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.

Man has problem. Man also has daughter. Man offers daughter as prize to fierce warrior who defeats enemy. Warrior wins girl. End of fairy tale, right? Not in this case.

Achsah is only mentioned five times in the Bible. This seems to be a common trend for many of the women who made an impact on the history of the Israelites and in the Bible itself. We barely hear of them but the power of their involvement remains part of history forever. Achsah was such a woman.

Her father, Caleb, was a mighty man of God. He was one of the spies who had gone into the land to see what the Israelites were up against when they finally reached the borders after wandering in the desert for forty years. Ten of the spies were negative, seeing only the challenges. However Caleb and Joshua saw the wonderful opportunities ahead in the land promised them by God Himself. By the time Achsah was grown, all ten of the faithless spies and the disobedient generation who had forsaken God were dead and gone. The rest of the former slaves had left the Egypt far behind and were creating a new life in the Promised Land. Her father, Caleb, went to the leader Joshua and asked for his inheritance. Joshua gave a blessing also to him along with territory on the outskirts of Hebron since Hebron itself was a city of refuge.

It came with thorns however and Caleb removed three of them, the sons of Anak. This might seem harsh but these people had been bred in sin and were "nephilim", a crossbreed of fallen angels and the daughters of man. They were from Satan’s own crew. They were giants also, and the fight to overcome them must have been hard indeed. Now there was only one holdout to be removed. This was Debir, also known as Kiriath Sepher, and the tough inhabitants who would not go willingly. Caleb had been on the 40 year trek through the desert and he intended to never do that again. He wanted immediate action.

Caleb knew he needed help so he went to the bravest and smartest men he knew. And he promised them a great prize to the man who succeeded-his own daughter. This may on first sight seem just another case of a father using his daughter as a pawn. But Caleb had a long term plan. His son in law would receive great riches when he married Achsah. And he must be able to provide well and protect his family and their future. So Caleb was looking out for his daughter and his grandchildren and their inheritance. God had promised them great things and many blessings. A good steward would be necessary to preserve and increase those riches. Additionally, Achsah is the only daughter mentioned so Caleb would have been protective over her and wanted her to have a good and worthy husband.

As a descendent of Abraham, Achsah is a true blood Israelite by birth and her position in the family comes with the Covenant relationship that Abraham had with God. As Caleb made his request for an inheritance he specifically words it for himself AND future generations. And Caleb was bold. He asked for a MOUNTAIN, not just a piece of land. Joshua gave the area of Hebron to Caleb. This was the very land which Caleb saw when he was a spy in the land. Later, when he challenged the men of Judah to take the land of Kiriath Sepher, he was seeking one who saw God’s promise for truth and one who saw that promise as his own. This took great faith and endurance. Caleb wanted his future son in law to be like himself-strong and not easily given to fear and doubt. He wanted a man who walked in faith and not in fear.

Caleb was also growing old and knew he could not continue to fight like as in his youth. As the patriarch, he was responsible to teach the next generation to fight also. He wanted his family, and his tribe to be God fearing people who weren't afraid to take what was rightfully theirs. So Achsah’s husband must be a man who of ambition, forcefulness, bravery and strength. It is assumed that more than one man took on the task of defeating the giants in order to win favor with Caleb and all the glory that came with it. Only one succeeded though. He was Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb. We know he must have been much younger because none of the people from Egypt entered into Caanan except Caleb and Joshua, except ones who were twenty or younger.

When Caleb challenged the men of Judah to attack and capture Kiriath Sepher and to promise his daughter to the man who completes the task, what he was really looking for was a man who would not compromise, but go after God’s promise wholeheartedly and obediently. Othniel stepped up to the challenge. And, it demonstrated that Othniel was a man of faith in God’s power, faithfulness, unfailing love and his promise.

Othniel went to battle and won. We are not told how many fighting men he had with him and it really is not important. He was the leader who planned the tactical maneuvers and shouted the "Charge" command. And he came back victorious to claim his bride. No woman had ever come with such a bride price; the blood of the enemy. And her dowry brought family blessings, lands, status among the tribes and victory over evil.

It seems the couple settled into a normal marriage and began to build a life together. However the land of Negev that Achsah’s father had given them was dry, arid and barren. Indeed the very name means “dry.” Nothing would grow in such a place. So they decided to ask Caleb for more. All Bible translations state that the plan was hatched when Achsah went “in” to Othniel. That sounds like intimate pillow talk which is common for married couples. Achsah seemed to be quite wise and astute in the ways of acquiring more financial providence and wealth to increase her family’s status. And she knew her children would depend on this bounty. She had much at stake.

We do not know what happened to change the plan, but Achsah herself made the request not Othniel. So she rode her donkey (a common mode of transportation for women) to her father’s place. Caleb seems to have been quite familiar with his daughter and figured she didn't just come to visit for fun because he immediately asked her what she wanted. And she was sure of getting her way since she answered in a forthright manner. “You have given me the land of Negev (a dry and arid place) now give me springs of water.” Now this woman was getting in the middle of the family finances. This would change her new husband into a man of great wealth and give her children an inheritance that would last for generations. The land was currently almost worthless without this vital moisture. Her doting father bestowed upon her TWO springs, the upper and lower. She knew to request the best. Also with an unlimited water supply, travelers and caravans would stop, thereby bringing trade and paying for the right to rent space on the property. This was life changing for her family.

And her husband Othniel became the very first judges of Israel, see Judges Chapter 3. He was a very strong and spiritual man. The Judges were prophetic and received direct communication from the Lord God Jehovah Himself. So he was no pushover weakling who just gave in to his wife. Othniel knew what was at stake and allowing his wife to exercise her authority as Caleb’s daughter did not threaten his manhood at all. He was willing to accept the rewards and blessings that came from her efforts.

Achsah was the woman who asked. And she received. This causes me to remember the Scripture in Matthew 7: 7-11, ⁷“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ 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!”

How does all of this affect us today? That all happened thousands of years ago. It is an outline of how we should approach God when we pray and is pertinent today. We ask our Heavenly Father for many things. Do we ask with the intention that we will receive? Do we really expect Him to give it to us? We should be like Achsah, ask because we know we are loved and a loving father desires to fulfill our needs.

He has provided us with water-living water in the form of His Son Jesus Christ. This water will never dry up or fail to sustain us. Jesus Himself said in John Chapter 4,verses 13-14, ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Be an Achsah. Ask and receive. Your own Heavenly Father is just waiting for you to do that so He can provide for your every need. What an amazing revelation and one that is life changing.

• Wycliffe’s is the only translation that I read that said Othniel wanted Achsah to ask for a blessing. All others say she prevailed upon him to ask.

• I encourage the reader to read chapters 1 and 15 in the Book of Judges. It is entertaining and of great spiritual significance.

• The name Othniel means the ‘power of God’

• The name Achsah means "bangle or anklet"

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