"And every one of you came near to me and said, 'Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.' "The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.'"Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; Deuteronomy 1:22-26
Here are the Israelites doing something we all do...looking before we leap. I think Moses misread their motives here thinking that they were going into the land to figure out the best way, practically speaking, to enter and conquer the land. I do not read, however, that Moses prayed and asked for God's confirmation. Judging from the "fruit" of the expedition the true motive of the children of Israel in going into the land and searching it out was to determine whether to go in at all...not where to enter as Moses might have thought. God's word was not enough for them...they needed to check things out for themselves.
Instead of coming back exhuberant with all the Lord's blessings, most of the 12 spies came back with a litany of reasons as to why they should not go in and conquer as God had commanded. Uh oh...they were walking by sight here...not faith. Remember Moses words to them...
Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.'
SIGH! Their unbelief cost them much! Many years that could have been spent in the promised land were spent wandering in the wilderness.
The children of Israel "forgot" all that God had already done and all that He had promised and focused on the obstacles and difficulties rather than on God's faithfulness! They looked at the situation they found themselves in, searched it out and evaluated it based on human vision and perception rather than trusting God's word to them. Trials truly show US where the foundation of our trust is. Despite all God had done for them, the majority of those who left Egypt had not truly placed their trust in Him. We can say we believe with our mouth, but our actions will tell the real story. The real story here is that the children of Israel trusted what they saw rather than what their God said.
And you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, "The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there." --Deuteronomy 1:27-28
Murmuring and complaining is so contagious! How different it might have been had the children of Israel chosen to speak words of faith to one another rather than words of discouragement. Bring you lack of faith to Him. Lay it all out before Him. Wait on Him and He will strengthen your heart. Do not share it with your husband, your wife, your child or your neighbor. BRING IT TO HIM! Now I am not saying to speak words of faith and encouragement to others that you do not feel..that would be a lie. I am, however, saying that if you have nothing encouraging to say...don't say anything until you can speak words of faith from your heart that the Lord has placed there. Focusing on the negatives rather than God's faithfulness to complete the good work He started (see 1 Thessalonians 5:24) increases fear and decreases the likelihood of moving ahead in faith. Do not let discouragement take up residence in your heart or in your home. Bring your fears to God and allow Him to shore up your faith!
"Then I said to you, 'Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.' --Deuteronomy 1:29-31
It is so clear to me who had the true relationship with the Lord. Trials truly reveal where we are placing our trust. Moses, Caleb and Joshua's trust was in their God. Their relationship with Him was daily, intimate and strong. They did not doubt that God would make short work of the giants in the land. They knew it was Him who carried them through their journey here on earth and it was Him that would see them victorious in what lay ahead.
Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day. --Deuteronomy 1:32-33
This is where I will end...do you see my last point? The children of Israel did not have to go into the land and search it out beforehand...their God had already done that. He went before them always and prepared their path...He even searched out a place ahead of time for them to pitch their tents. He does the same for us today. There is nowhere you can go in this life where He has not gone before and prepared for you. There is no where we can go from His Spirit or flee from His presence. THAT IS SUCH A GOOD THING! May His mercy and grace follow and fill your every step as you walk with Him by faith. Read Psalm 139 through and be blessed!
1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.[c]
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.[c]
21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Love
Mom
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