The Spies to Canaan and Why God Was Angry (Part Three)

Good morning.

One thing I noticed with these ten spies is that they didn’t want to be on their own. Through influencing the people they looked for support. “And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored,” (Numbers 13:32).

Isn’t it just the same today? We see it in the schools, in the workplace and in the clubs – you always get a small group of negative instigators who gather for themselves a following from the indecisive majority, whereas the true leaders, and the morally and ethically strong people are in the minority and often the target of the majority. The moviemakers frequently focus on this, especially in the teenage movies.

Where do we stand in this regard? In which of these groups do we find ourselves? Do we want to be popular and accepted and as a result compromise our values? The ten spies did it and the nation chose to side with them in spite of what they had experienced of the Lord, and what was the price? They spent forty years in the desert and never got what they were promised. Why did they not get what they were promised? Isn’t the Lord faithful to His promises? They did not want what was promised to them. They constantly wanted to go back to Egypt and slavery. Every time something seemed a bit out of the ordinary, threatening to take them out of their comfort zones, they longed back to what they were used to.

How about us? Are we prepared to plunge into the deep end and swim where the Lord is leading us, reaching for that Promised Land with its good and bad? The Lord Jesus promised us that standing out for Him, like He stood out for us, would not be easy. Doesn’t Jesus refer to a similar situation awaiting His disciples (us included) in these words of His in John 15:18-20? “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.”

In this picture Jesus actually put His disciples before a choice. Either we are like our master and are part of the minority who are being persecuted, or we shrink back from the hatred and persecution that we receive from the world and end up compromising with the world. This is well summarised in this passage: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it,” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Do you think it was easy for Joshua and Caleb to stand in faith alone against two million Israelites? Do you think they considered succumbing to the pressure? Is it easy for anybody to swim against the stream? Yet we read in verses 30-31: “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.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’”

As Christians we need to decide whether we are going to side with those who serve the Lord diligently, or whether we are going to be popular and acceptable, living in compromise. What does this entail in reality? Do we stand out for Jesus when others compromise? Do we follow the popular Christian status quo or do we obey what the Bible says - for example do we worship the pastor and great men of God, or do we worship the Lord? What is the motive in our hearts – a big flamboyant church or ministry that reflect on our efficiency or an effective one that involves developing everybody, doesn’t matter how big it is. When we need to obey by using the Word “for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work,” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) are we prepared to be unpopular because of doing that?

Lord, please help me to choose the right way.

Thank you Lord that your Word went out from your mouth, via your servant’s pen, and it will not return to you empty, but will accomplish what you desire and achieve the purpose for which you sent it.

Please pass this on if you think others may benefit by it.