STANDING BOLDLY FOR GOD’S TRUTH AND HIS PROMISES
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“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.” – Exodus 19:4
The Promised Land lies in the distance as the Israelites encamp at the oasis of Kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin. Jehovah has freed His people from bondage in Egypt and has carried them through the desert. Now, His chosen nation is poised to step out in faith… to enter and possess the land He promised to Abraham many years before.
→ Do you have faith in the promises of God for your life?
“For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.” – Exodus 23:23
When God made His covenant with Moses at Mount Sinai, He assured the prophet that His angel would go before the Israelites into the new land. This angel, considered a theophany – a preincarnate appearance of Christ – would lead and protect the people. Jehovah pledges to be an enemy to His nation’s enemies (Exodus 23:22)… and to rid the Promised Land of their adversaries.
→ Do you appreciate the presence of Jesus guiding and protecting you on your Christian journey?
“Moses sent them to explore Canaan… ‘See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many.’” – Numbers 13:17-18
God has a challenging mission for a select few with bold faith. He commands Moses to choose 12 men, a leader from each ancestral tribe, to be spies undercover. They will scout out the new land… observing its townspeople, surveying any dangers, and exploring the bounty of the region.
→ Has God called you to a new mission for your life?
“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.” – Numbers 13:27-28
After 40 days, the spies return from their mission and present an account of their discoveries to the Israelites. The land is rich and bountiful, as God promised. The cluster of grapes they bring back is so great that two men are needed to carry it. Yet, the cities are walled, the inhabitants are formidable, with some even appearing as giants. The crowd is stricken with fear after the foreboding report.
→ Do your fears cause you to forget the presence and power of God with you?
“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 13:30
One of the spies from the tribe of Judah, Caleb, steps boldly forward to counter the faithless account of his fellow undercover scouts. Only Caleb and Joshua have the faith in Jehovah’s promise to purge the land of their enemies. The 10 spies whose faith has withered sow seeds of fright and despair among the people. Once again, God’s chosen ones forsake Him, bemoaning their fate, and longing for their days in Egypt.
→ Does your faith falter when your fears mount?
“The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good… Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people in the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us.” – Numbers 14:7, 9
Joshua and Caleb speak words of truth with resolute faith to the hostile crowd. They caution the people not to defy Jehovah. For the One who has loyally carried them to this point on their journey can be trusted to lead them safely onward and deliver them from their enemies.
→ Do you boldly defend the truth in the face of opposition?
“How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?” – Numbers 14:11
God speaks these words of frustration to Moses. For He is set to destroy His people. Yet Moses pleads the case for the Israelites. He reasons that the nations will think Jehovah could not bring His people to the new land, so He destroyed them in the wilderness (Numbers 14:16). Seeking ever to glorify his Lord, Moses contends that Jehovah must uphold His reputation of preeminence and omnipotence.
→ Do you courageously seek to always glorify God?
“In accordance with Your great love, forgive the sin of these people just as You have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” – Numbers 14:19
Moses reminds Jehovah of His enduring love, patience and forgiveness toward His people despite their waywardness. Time and again, God has pardoned their iniquities and rebelliousness. In His great mercy, He has blessed and protected them throughout their journey.
→ Does the Lord’s boundless love draw you back when you stray?
“Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb… and Joshua… For forty years – one for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have Me against you.” – Numbers 14:30, 34
Jehovah orders the people to retreat from the land of Canaan. No longer will He protect them if they enter. He metes out His discipline… 40 years of desert wandering. All will perish in the wilderness except Caleb and Joshua. Only these two, who exhibited bold faith, will be rewarded. At the end of the 40 years, Joshua will lead a new generation of Israelites to conquer the Promised Land.
→ Will you be rewarded for your faith in the Lord?
† Eternal Takeaway – God remembers and rewards the faith of the bold †
