Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends all around the world,
One year ago today a new Presidential administration was sworn into office in Washington DC, amid very high security, remember? Oh my, so much has changed in America and our world in one year! Very soon political debate will again dominate the airwaves as American ‘mid term elections’ will take place during 2022. Over these next months Americans, and to some degree the whole world, will be deluged with political rhetoric as evaluation is made of this past year and projections, promises and cautions are made regarding the future. Millions of people, voters of all persuasions, will be pressured to decide the future direction of America.
Yesterday I left you sitting around the campfire with 12 men. Had we stood at a distance and watched, we could have presumed they were simply a group of ordinary travelers who’d stopped for the night. But we of course know them to be 12 carefully selected leaders of the Hebrew people, whom God had rescued out of Egypt, a little more than one year before. These 12 are on a mission, a very important mission, to investigate a land called Canaan, and return to Moses and the Hebrews with their report.
The record of Numbers 13 tells us these 12 got up the next morning and “…went up and explored the land…” (Numbers 13:21) They took a full 40 days and nights for their due diligence and finally they “…came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: ‘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 their cities are fortified and very large…” (Numbers 13:26-29) Two of the men were carrying a large branch with a huge cluster of grapes they had brought back with them. Others were carrying other fruit and samples of other things from the land. Look around at Moses and other leaders of the people, what do you see… hope or discouragement, confidence or fear? By the way their phrase “..it does flow with milk and honey” does not mean there were actually streams of cows milk running along the sides of the road, but rather milk stands for nourishment needed for young animals and children. Honey stands for sweetness and bounty which they saw in abundance.
Evidently the people then did as we would have done. As soon as those who spoke stopped for a breath, the listeners began talking to one another about what they saw and had just heard. The noise got louder as the people clamored to be heard. We don’t know which or how many of the leaders had given the report thus far, but the record says Caleb stepped forward “…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) Look around again, what do you see? Lots of heads nodding, people affirming maybe even starting to shout their support and shaking their fists in the air signifying their readiness to charge forward?
But look, another of the leaders raises his arms to silence the crowd, “We can’t attack those people, they are stronger than we are!” And look, several others of the leaders who’d spied the land stand up and affirm their caution, their urge to restrain. Oh my, now we have two very different reports coming to Moses and the people from these 12 leaders. How could their assessment be in such opposition to each other? Didn’t they all see the same thing and taste the same food? Hadn’t they all experienced the same journey from Egypt over the past year? Listen, another of the scouts is speaking: “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw are of great size… we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:31-33)
If you are a sports fan you understand the world ‘momentum’ and how quickly this can change in athletic competition, especially when the crowd gets passionately involved cheering on their favorite team. That was happening here as the people listened to leaders whom they knew and trusted give the report of their 40 day investigation of a land none of them had ever seen. Evidently Moses did not call for a vote nor did he call the 70 elders to make a decision. I’m sure there was much more of a report given then we have recorded in Numbers 14, and probably many questions asked of the 12 by Moses, Aaron and the others who were listening to their report. It appears Moses sent everyone home for the night to think about two things… what they knew from the experience of the past year since God rescued them from Egypt, and what they had heard from these 12 leaders they’d sent in to scout the land.
The record says: “That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said: ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! ‘Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” (Numbers 14:1-4) This is now more than grumbling, more than an avalanche of complaint. This is nearly an insurrection, a ‘coup-d’état’! Emotions are rapidly escalating to a fever pitch. A mob has gathered, and Moses and Aaron fear for their lives. Can you feel it?
The record says: “Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire assembly: ‘The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, HE will lead us into that land and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us! Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:5-9) Look around at this scene my friends. History is being made right here, right now! Two old men lying face down on the ground, Moses and Aaron, calling on God to guide them. Two men a generation younger, standing beside the two old men on the ground. These two younger men Joshua & Caleb have shouted out a call to hope, to faith, to trust in God, and to watch God work as He has so many times in the past. And look at the people, all stirred up, emotions flaring, arms flailing, everyone shouting. It’s all just loud noise now, but wait…
Listen, can you hear it… from back there in the crowd some just shouted ‘kill them’! Now others are picking up the chant, the call for death to Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb. Can you feel the tension, the hair standing up on your arms and the back of your neck? But then suddenly the crowd is hushing, the people are pointing, with eyes wide open, and hands over their mouths, some are falling to their knees. The record says: “Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. And the LORD said to Moses, ‘how long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.” (Numbers 14:10-12)
I do not know what they saw as they looked at the Tent, but clearly they understood God was there among them. It must have been terrifying. They’d seen the mighty power of God many times in the past. I don’t know if when God spoke they could all hear His voice, but I suspect only Moses heard God. Had all the people heard what God said, I’m sure they’d have fallen on their faces in repentance. Moses now faced a big decision. God faced a big decision too. The people had once again turned away from God and turned toward fear. Let’s pause right here while we wait to see what God will do.
Look around your world, no matter where you live in our world, today my friends. Do you see and hear much the same as what Moses saw and heard? And what do you think God should do in our day about all the rebellion in every country, every community, even every extended family in our entire world! Tomorrow we’ll see how God and Moses responded to this situation. For today do you remember what Jesus said as evil people crucified Him? “Father, forgive them, they don’t understand what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
Here’s a song to help us reflect on how we should see the world around us, through God’s eyes, in these tumultuous days:
Today’s Scripture is Numbers 13:21-14:12.
Choose below to read or listen.
Numbers 13:21-33
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Numbers 14:1-12
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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