As Promised

Have you ever struggled to believe something that someone told you, even though they had never lied to you or lead you down the wrong road? This is the story of Israel at this point in their journey to the Promised Land. God had promised to give them the land, but they were at a crossroads. Would they believe God or believe what they saw? Today’s text comes from Numbers 14:8-9, “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of this land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

Moses had sent 12 spies into the Promised Land to spy out the land. After 40 days, they return to give their reports. 10 of the spies give a bad report. Only two of them give a favorable report. The verses here in Numbers 14 is Caleb’s report. Caleb never denies that the people in the land are strong and they have fortified cities. He gives a favorable report because the Lord had promised to give Israel this land. Caleb knew that the Lord was with them, and therefore the Lord would fight for them and victory would be Israel’s. Therefore, Caleb and Joshua told the people that it was time to go and claim what God had promised them. Sadly, the people chose to believe the majority report. This sin lead to disastrous consequences for Israel. God said they would wander in the desert for one year per day the spies had been in the land. Therefore, since they were in the land spying it out for 40 days, Israel was going to wander the wilderness for 40 years. Of those who were 20 years and older, God said that they would die in the wilderness. Because of their faith in God, Joshua and Caleb are the only two of their generation who would enter into the Promised Land 40 years later.

The main takeaway from this story is that we must learn to trust the word of God no matter what. It may be easier to trust what we can see or what we think, but all that matters is what the Lord has said. This is why four times in Scripture we read the phrase, “we walk by faith, not by sight.” When we can’t understand the plan of God, we must choose to trust the person and character of God. It’s vital that we not only have a right view of ourselves, it’s more vital that we have a right view of God. God never asked Israel to wage this war, He never told them that they were going to have to go in and fight on their own. God was simply calling them to trust Him more than they trust themselves.

What is God calling you to trust Him for today? You can know that if God has promised it, He will provide it in His time and in His way.

By His grace and for His glory,

Pastor Justin