Sunday, July 26, 2020
1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of
Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each
ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.” 17-20 When Moses sent them off to scout out Canaan, he said, “Go up
through the Negev and then into the hill country. Look the land over, see what
it is like. Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many?
Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh? Describe the towns where they live:
Are they open camps or fortified with walls? And the soil: Is it fertile or
barren? Are there forests? And try to bring back a sample of the produce that
grows there—this is the season for the first ripe grapes.”
21-25 With
that they were on their way.
After forty days of scouting out the land, they returned home.
26-27 They
presented themselves before Moses and Aaron and the whole congregation of the
People of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh.
27-29 “We
went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow
with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people
who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet,
we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev;
Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are
established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan.”
30 Caleb
interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take
the land—now. We can do it.”
31-33 But
the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we
are.” They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, “We
scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people
whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the
Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers.
And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.”
(Numbers 13)
“They
brought to the Israelites an unfavorable report.” That’s the New Revised Standard Version
of the Bible. In another version, The
Message, it reads, “They spread scary rumors among the people.” Why is this
ancient history important for believers today?
Numbers
12 is a part of the Exodus story. The
Hebrew people – God’s chosen people, according to the Old Testament – were
slaves in Egypt. Working through his
mighty prophet Moses, God led them through the Red Sea. God saved them from the Egyptians and went
with them as they moved East toward Canaan.
Canaan
was the land God promised to their ancestor Abraham. Having marched through the Sinai wilderness, in
Numbers 13, the Israelites were at the front door, about to cross into the land. Of course, other nations occupy the land and
they would have to drive them out, destroy them, or live with them.
Moses
recruits a scouting party that is to see what the land is like, and assess the
people who occupy the land (13:17-20). After
40 days they return and tell Moses, the land “flows with milk and honey.” They
bring back a cluster of grapes to show how delectable the fruit is in this
wonderful land.
What
else could it be? God offers good things
to his people. In Christ, we get to be
included among God’s people. Romans
10:12-13 says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek [Gentile];
the same Lord is Lord of all, and is generous to all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.” The promises God
made to Israel in the Old Testament are extended to all who give their lives to
Jesus. God promised his people a land
flowing with milk and honey, flowering in wonderful fruit.
Today,
God promises his followers a full life of joy, rich relationships, and
unfailing hope. Jesus gives abundant
life (John 10:10). Are you living in
abundance, a life of absolute faith in Jesus?
If not, what’s getting in the way?
What fears prevent you from seeing and receiving the blessings God has
for you right now? Numbers says the
spies spread scary rumors. What scary
rumors are you hearing and believing, and how are these rumors stealing the joy
God has for you?
The
spreaders of those scary rumors were the same scouting party members who
brought the grapes and talked about flowing milk and honey. The scouting party was comprised of 12 men, a
representative from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim and Caleb of
the tribe of Judah, were ready! “Moses,”
they said, “We can do this. We can take
this land in the power of God.” The
other 10, the scary rumor spreaders, didn’t think so.
“We are not able to go against these
people, for they are stronger than we,” the other 10 scouts said. They mentioned the Amalakites and the Nephilim,
ancient people said to be uncommonly large and fierce. Goliath the nine-foot tall giant David
battled is thought to have descended from these enormous ancient warriors. The Israelites felt like insects about to be
squashed.
Additionally, even though they had
just said how fruitful the land was, the spies added that it was harsh. The land “devours its inhabitants” they said
(13:32).
The people believed the10 and caved
in, giving in to their fears. Did they
have any reason to think otherwise? Well,
the Egyptians were so mighty they held the people in cruel slavery and made
their lives a misery. The people had
seen God bring plagues through Moses and Aaron, plagues that brought Egypt to
its knees.
Did
they have any other reason to think they might have a chance against these
giants in Canaan? When they finally got
out of Egypt, because of the might of God, exhibited through the plagues, the
Egyptians chased them on chariots and caught them. God dropped down a cloud of impenetrable
darkness that the Egyptians could not get through. They were right there, and God held them at
bay.
Then God, split the sea. The entire nation of Israel walked right
through. Egypt, finally permitted past
the darkness, pursued. God closed the
sea on the chariots. No power at this point
could match Egypt. God crushed them, and
easily.
Did Israel have any other reason to
believe God might be able to help against the giant Amalakites and super strong
Nephilim? They saw Moses climb Sinai as
the mountain top was engulfed in thunder and lightning. He came down aglow, so dazzling they couldn’t
look him. They ate the manna and the
quail meat God provided in the wilderness, and they drank the water God brought
from the rocks.
What
fears prevent you from seeing and receiving the blessings God has for you right
now? What scary rumors are you hearing
and believing? How are these rumors stealing the joy God has for you? Fear is real and has a powerful hold on
us. We have COVID-19 related anxiety. We have other fears that paralyze us. Name the.
Name the fears that haunt you. Keep
that list at the forefront of your vision.
Now,
there’s another list, just as important and just as real. When we stay focused on our fears, we miss
this list. Cite all the ways God has
provided, surprised you with blessings, and exhibited his power and love for
you. This list –demonstrations of God’s
presence and might – makes it possible to face our fears. But we have to discipline ourselves to see
and believe the blessings are real.
The
fears certainly are. There are dangers
we cannot overcome. Those 10 spies were
right. The inhabitants of Canaan would
crush Israel. But Israel wasn’t going
alone. Joshua and Caleb were also right. God went with them. What grips us, fear, or belief in God’s
presence and help?
The
Israelites sided with the 10 scouts who spread doom through the camp. The people turned on Moses and Aaron. Why couldn’t we have died in Egypt or in
the wilderness? They grumbled,
whined, and lamented. Then, they decided
to fire Moses and Aaron. They said, “Let
us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt” (14:4).
Moses
and Aaron fell on their faces in a panicked prayer of grief and sorrow before
the people. Meanwhile, Caleb and Joshua
are over here yelling “We can do it!”
Caleb and Joshua saw the same giants the other 10 spies saw. But Caleb and Joshua saw God. They said, “The Lord is with us; do not fear
them” (14:10).
The
people didn’t share the faithful optimism.
They wanted to shut Joshua and Caleb up so much, they threatened to
stone these scouts who were eager to conquer the land God had promised
them. They were terrified of the Amalekites and
Nephilim. They weren’t at all afraid of
Joshua and Caleb.
“Then,”
the Bible says, “the glory of the Lord appeared” (14:10b). God decides to wipe out the Israelites and
start over with Moses. Probably Joshua
and Caleb would be part of the new beginning.
Moses does what Moses always did.
He steps into the gap.
In
Numbers 14:13-19, Moses argues with God on behalf of the people who threatened
to fire him and kill Joshua and Caleb.
He quotes God’s own words back to God.
He threatens that if God kills the people it will ruin God’s reputation
as well besmirch God’s character. I
can’t imagine how much Moses’ voice quavered.
The people worried about standing as grasshoppers before the mighty
Amalekites and Nephilim. How small did
Moses feel arguing with God?
How
small do we feel, when life gets too big and too fast? How often do we wish we could run and hide
under the covers until the monsters go away?
Where could Moses go? Stuck
between an angry nation and a furious God, he turned to to God. God said, OK, you win. I will again forgive these people as you have
asked.
This
though was not “forgive and forget.” The
people would march for 40 years, a year of marching for each day the scouts had
been in the Promised Land. The
generation would die off. They had
wailed that their children would become booty taken by the giants of the
land. God told them those children would
occupy the land and establish his nation.
Only Caleb and Joshua of the Exodus generation would enter the land.
We
will walk in circles, wondering how life can be better, if we keep our focus on
our fears. COVID-19; personal injury;
worry about our children; financial struggles; worry about our country;
uncertainty about our church’s future; so many struggles confront us. Only a fool would pretend these things are
unimportant. They are real threats. Life can be very hard. But that’s not all that life is.
Along
with the fears that stress us out, along with all the traumas that haunt our
memories, we need to clearly see that other list. God is real.
God defeated the Egyptians. God
gave the law, which showed the people how to live. God provided in the desert and ushered them
into the Promised Land.
God
came and walked among us – Jesus of Nazareth.
He died on the cross, taking our sins and our death on himself. Rising
from the grave, he defeated death.
God
created you. You are made in God’s image,
His image bearer. God created this
church to welcome you no matter where you are.
In the 21st century, the internet allows us to stay connected
and with people everywhere. You aren’t
alone. You have us and you have God with
you. God the Holy Spirit is with all
people at all times. Even when you can’t
sense God’s presence, God is with you.
We
have to confront the list of challenges in order to face them. We have to face the giants and put the scary
rumors to rest. We have to keep in mind
the list of blessing and remember we don’t face our challenges alone. The power of God carries us forward.
Caleb
and Joshua are ready. “Come on,” they
tell us. “God’s got this.” And God has us, each and every one of
us. No longer will our fears hold us
back. We step forward into his
blessings, into the abundant life he has promised.
AMEN
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