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‘They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”’
(Numbers 13:26-30, NIV)
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Forty years.
For forty years the Israelite people had wandered in the desert, taking the very scenic route to the Promised land.
Now, on the cusp of taking hold of the land that God had promised time and time again to give them, there was an opportunity to scout out the land and see what the promise looked like, before taking possession.
Twelve capable men, tribal leaders, were selected to explore the land and come back with a report of the status quo.
‘Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” (It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.)’
(Numbers 13: 17-20, NLT)
I believe it was the kindness of God to allow them to scout out the land prior to taking possession. It was an opportunity for the Israelite people to see that, yes, the land was as wonderful as the Lord had promised. He was telling the truth.
God could have sent the people in on His Word alone, but He allowed them to see that all He had declared was true.
All was going well…until that one fatal word slipped out of the spies’ mouths – but.
The land does flow with milk and honey…but.
From there came a barrage of negativity and doubt from ten of the twelve spies.
But Caleb and Joshua had a different kind of faith…
‘Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we travelled through and explored is a wonderful land! And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”’
(Numbers14: 5-9, NLT)
I wonder, when the promises God has made you seem insurmountable in practicality, who do you resonate more deeply with – Caleb and Joshua or the other ten spies?
God had repeatedly promised to give the land to the Israelites. Take a moment to look up the promises made in the following verses:
The Lord promised to give the land to the Israelites, yet when the time came to actually possess the land, the majority of the people stuttered and listened to the anxious report rather than trust in the promise of God.
Friends, what has God promised you? Personally?
What has He promised us, as His people?
Why do we doubt when it comes time to step up to the plate and stand on the promises of God?
When He said He will never leave us or forsake us, why do we hesitate and lean on our own understanding rather than the truth of His Word that says He isn’t going anywhere?
When He said do not worry about your life for He will provide for us even more than He already does for the flowers of the field and the birds of the air, why do we grip tightly to the bills that arrive through the letterbox and stay up late into the night making our own calculations of how we will make it through?
If God has promised something, especially when He repeatedly affirms that promise, let’s not dismantle our faith one doubt at a time but rather build on the faith we have with promise upon promise which are yes and amen in Christ Jesus! (2 Corinthians 1:20).
If the Lord can make a coin appear in the mouth of a fish – He can provide for you. (See Matthew 17:24-27).
If He can heal eyes that were once blind so that they now see, He can heal you. (See John 9:1-12).
If He can cause a donkey to rebuke its owner – He can surely speak to you! (Numbers 22:21-30).
When the grapes (the evidence of God’s good promises) are good but the giants (the obstacles we need to face to possess the promise) are real, let’s hold unswervingly to the hope we have in Jesus. (See Hebrews 10:23).
He has never failed us and He won’t start now.
