By Nadine Bushell, Member of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
Whatever position the society assigns to us, our personality will have the greatest impact on our future
Many of us will never appear on the newspaper or be known to many outside of our circle of family, friends and work colleagues. However, many of us would make names for ourselves in our own circle. We are special to those around us, highly valued and prized and able to influence our world with our own special set of gifts, skills and intelligence.
Most of us know nothing of Achsah. She is not one of the popular biblical characters. She was the daughter of Caleb, one of two spies who had urged the Israelites to trust God and invade Canaan. Caleb survived 38 years in the wilderness. Caleb attacked a Canaanite stronghold and promised his daughter Achsah to the man that would conquer Kiriath-Sepher.
“Caleb said, ‘To the man who conquers and captures Kiriath-Sepher, I shall give my daughter Achsah as wife.’ The man who captured it was Othniel son of Kenaz, younger brother of Caleb, who gave him his daughter Achsah as wife. When she arrived, he urged her to ask her father for arable land, but when she alighted from the donkey and Caleb asked her, ‘What is the matter?’ she said to him, ‘Grant me a blessing! As the land you have given me is the Negeb, give me springs of water, too!’ So Caleb gave her what she wanted: the upper springs and the lower springs.” Judges 12-15.
We can assume that Achsah was special to her father Caleb, since he wanted the best for her. He wanted someone who was able to conquer Kirjath Sepher. Additionally, the fact that Othniel accepted the challenge indicates that he also thought Achsah was special and worth the challenge.
What is most striking about this simple character is she had a special relationship with her father and felt very confident of her relationship with him. She also demonstrated that she understood her father, as she clearly felt confident that he would accede to her husband’s request. Achsah, because of this confidence and understanding of her father and their relationship, persuaded her husband to ask for land. She also took her request further by herself asking him for land with springs.
What can we learn from Achsah? She was clear on what she wanted. She was confident in her ability to influence her husband and her father. She was confident in her relationships with them. She was direct and assertive and was able to get what she wanted. Even though Achsah was not legally entitled to land she used her position within her family to get the desired outcome. She was regarded highly by both her husband and father; they took her counsel. Even though society at that time would have placed some limitations on Achsah, she used her personal traits of directness and assertiveness to influence her situation and the situation of her family. Achsah teaches us the benefits of directness. Seek and you shall find; ask and it will be given to you.
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