This past year our ministry www.morningsidemc.org had a series of teaching and sermons on Numbers chapters 13 and 14 with a focus on the 12 spy’s responses and reactions to what they saw and experienced while spying out the land that God had given to the children of Israel. One of the things that our Pastor emphasized is the fact that all of the spies experienced the same journey together but only 2 out of the 12 had a positive response to their ability to have what God had promised and already given to them. For forty days they all saw, heard, touched and tasted what the land had to offer but fear caused 10 of the leaders to falter in their belief that it could really be theirs. Our immediate response may be that it was silly for them to be afraid to go and get something that God had already promised them but you have to remember that the same way they saw the good things that the land had to offer, they also saw the bad (Numbers 13:19 KJV) Caleb and Joshua stood out because they did not allow the bad that they saw; the people, the strong holds, etc. to discourage them because they believed God and they made a decision to walk by faith and not by sight. Even though it included some battles (literally) to defeat the people already living in the land that God promised them, they were up for the fight because God was with them!
In modern times we often use the terms “risk verses benefits or risks verses reward” in decision making. This can be a very practical formula and used in making all kinds of decisions but it is important to remember that when you decide to walk by faith, regardless of what the risks look like, you must still believe that if God is with you the benefits will ALWAYS outweigh the risks. We also can not forget that we have an adversary, satan, whose constant task is to make us doubt that we can overcome the risks.
Two Lessons that I learned from these chapters that I hope you will take away as well:
1-God’s promises are certain but still require some work on our part. How can I say this? Because faith without works is dead “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26 KJV). Be prepared to do your part.
2-Being outnumbered doesn’t matter with God, you must remind yourself daily, that if God is for you, who can be against you. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 KJV)