Numbers 13:1 - 14:4
The Israelites had come through the wilderness following their escape from Egypt all by God's hand. Sure, they had some hiccups along the way, made some mistakes and got off track a bit, but they were well on their way now; literally just steps from their Promised Land. It had taken them a couple years to get their with all their en route missions and setbacks, but they had come so far and gotten so close. Now was the time for them to actually see the promise and explore it a little. They were given the opportunity to sample what wonderful things God had in store for them.
So, what went wrong? Why does the story of this journey cover so much time? God had provided them with everything they needed for their journey - even when they didn't deserve it. He commanded Moses to gather a group of 12 scouts, one from each tribe, to go and explore the land. He even told them exactly what to look for (13:17-20). And so they did; so far, so good. When they got to the land, Canaan, they found it to be just as the Lord had described - flowing with milk and honey, bountiful with enormous fruit and inhabited by giants. Again, just as the Lord had said.
And this is where they ran into trouble. Twelve scouts were sent to explore. Twelve scouts saw the great bounty and fruitfulness of the land, and 12 scouts saw the giant inhabitants there. Two scouts saw the promise, 10 saw the problems. What a difference perspective makes! With the exact same information, two different conclusions were drawn - one based on sight and the other on faith. Unfortunately for the Israelites, the majority held the sight-based opinion and set about spreading it amongst the people, creating and uproar.
This conclusion - that there was no way they could take the land, the giants were too intimidating and powerful, they would be viewed as grasshoppers and crushed - was based solely on what they saw. Oddly enough, the very sight that caused them to doubt and fear and lose faith was the source of their blindness to God's blessings for them. You would have thought that God had never done a thing for them, the way they reacted to their discovery. They were blinded to their blessings by what they saw. I wish I could say that I don't understand how they did that, but I can't; I've done it myself...several times.
But, all hope was not lost; let us not forget the two! When the people began to cry out and protest after receiving the negative report, Caleb took a stand. He tried to calm everyone down and rally them to proceed with the plan God had set in motion for them so many years ago. He had seen the same things the others had, but also remembered God. He remembered God's promise to them, protection of them, and provision for them. He saw that the giants were formidable, but his faith in God's ultimate power was greater. It left no room for fear and doubt!
In true Israelite style though, instead of reflecting on all the good God had done for them and believing that he would continue to do it, they chose to go along with the bad report and spent the night weeping and mourning and wishing they could go back to the land of their bondage. I can sympathize with their thought process and not wanting to move forward with a plan for fear of failure or defeat. What I don't get is their willingness to return to what they already knew for sure was worse. That just doesn't make sense to me. Not that one is better than the other, but if you're not going to move forward, certainly don't go back. The worst case scenario should consist of standing still (not in a sense of waiting for God - that can be a good thing, but in a place of stagnation).
Lord, strengthen our faith, cast our fear and remove all doubt from our hearts and minds. Show us your will, give us your guidance, then help us move forward boldly in your Spirit. Help us to give no thought to the naysayers and down-players, but always remember your Word and promises and faithfulness. Write it in our hearts and on our minds so that it's forever in the forefront, placing any situation in the right perspective - yours. Thank you, Lord, for your love. Thank you for your grace and mercy. And thank you for your will. Let it be done in our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.
The Israelites had come through the wilderness following their escape from Egypt all by God's hand. Sure, they had some hiccups along the way, made some mistakes and got off track a bit, but they were well on their way now; literally just steps from their Promised Land. It had taken them a couple years to get their with all their en route missions and setbacks, but they had come so far and gotten so close. Now was the time for them to actually see the promise and explore it a little. They were given the opportunity to sample what wonderful things God had in store for them.
So, what went wrong? Why does the story of this journey cover so much time? God had provided them with everything they needed for their journey - even when they didn't deserve it. He commanded Moses to gather a group of 12 scouts, one from each tribe, to go and explore the land. He even told them exactly what to look for (13:17-20). And so they did; so far, so good. When they got to the land, Canaan, they found it to be just as the Lord had described - flowing with milk and honey, bountiful with enormous fruit and inhabited by giants. Again, just as the Lord had said.
And this is where they ran into trouble. Twelve scouts were sent to explore. Twelve scouts saw the great bounty and fruitfulness of the land, and 12 scouts saw the giant inhabitants there. Two scouts saw the promise, 10 saw the problems. What a difference perspective makes! With the exact same information, two different conclusions were drawn - one based on sight and the other on faith. Unfortunately for the Israelites, the majority held the sight-based opinion and set about spreading it amongst the people, creating and uproar.
This conclusion - that there was no way they could take the land, the giants were too intimidating and powerful, they would be viewed as grasshoppers and crushed - was based solely on what they saw. Oddly enough, the very sight that caused them to doubt and fear and lose faith was the source of their blindness to God's blessings for them. You would have thought that God had never done a thing for them, the way they reacted to their discovery. They were blinded to their blessings by what they saw. I wish I could say that I don't understand how they did that, but I can't; I've done it myself...several times.
But, all hope was not lost; let us not forget the two! When the people began to cry out and protest after receiving the negative report, Caleb took a stand. He tried to calm everyone down and rally them to proceed with the plan God had set in motion for them so many years ago. He had seen the same things the others had, but also remembered God. He remembered God's promise to them, protection of them, and provision for them. He saw that the giants were formidable, but his faith in God's ultimate power was greater. It left no room for fear and doubt!
In true Israelite style though, instead of reflecting on all the good God had done for them and believing that he would continue to do it, they chose to go along with the bad report and spent the night weeping and mourning and wishing they could go back to the land of their bondage. I can sympathize with their thought process and not wanting to move forward with a plan for fear of failure or defeat. What I don't get is their willingness to return to what they already knew for sure was worse. That just doesn't make sense to me. Not that one is better than the other, but if you're not going to move forward, certainly don't go back. The worst case scenario should consist of standing still (not in a sense of waiting for God - that can be a good thing, but in a place of stagnation).
Lord, strengthen our faith, cast our fear and remove all doubt from our hearts and minds. Show us your will, give us your guidance, then help us move forward boldly in your Spirit. Help us to give no thought to the naysayers and down-players, but always remember your Word and promises and faithfulness. Write it in our hearts and on our minds so that it's forever in the forefront, placing any situation in the right perspective - yours. Thank you, Lord, for your love. Thank you for your grace and mercy. And thank you for your will. Let it be done in our lives, in Jesus' name. Amen.
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