Numbers 13 and 14

Only on God’s Bidding

Only when God directs shall we go

When God says

Go and conquer the land

We shall succeed

When God has not bid us to go

We fail disastrously

Numbers  13 and 14

Moses sent out twelve spies

Ten were afraid

When they saw giants in the Promised Land

They discouraged the rest of the Israelites

The hearers of the bad news were terrified

They saw themselves as grasshoppers

in the eyes of the giants

What they were not able to see with their carnal eyes

Was what Joshua and Caleb saw

With their faith-filled eyes

Joshua and Caleb

Knew Who their God is

They knew

If God is with them

They will succeed and conquer the land of the giants

The descendants of the much feared Anak

Joshua and Caleb

Knew nothing was impossible

No one was

Too tall

Too big

Too strong

Too difficult

For their God

The God of

I Am Who I Am

The God who

Demonstrated Who He is

Through the ten plaques

The slaughter of all the first born

and spared the households covered with blood

Dried up the Red Sea over night

Drowned the pursuing chariots in the Red Sea

Guided the Israelites with Pillar of Cloud by day

And Pillar of Fire by night

The God Who is Present

The God who delivers

Who goes before and goes after

Is in the very midst

Of them all

This same God

Who has been

Is present

And will continue to be

With His own people

His Chosen Possession

To conquer the land of the giants

The Promised Land

Flowing with milk and honey

Lush and gigantic fruits are in abundance

The Lord is with us

We will devour them

Just do not rebel against God

Nor be afraid of the giants

The Israelites were terrified in their own eyes

They spoke of stoning Joshua and Caleb

The glory of the Lord had to intervene

And forbade the doubters from ever entering the Promised Land

Each day of scouting the Promised Land is turned into a year

Forty days scouting becomes forty years wondering in the wilderness

The ten fear-filled scouts were struck down with a plaque

The Israelites mourned bitterly

And decided to go conquer the land on their own

Even when God was not going with them

They were obsessed with wanting to prove they have changed

They are now

“obedient”

They were rebellious the day before

Now they are ready

To “obey”

And conquer the land

They continued to not get the point

The point is

When God says

Go

 Then we go

When God says no

We

Stay

Two disobediences to God’s bidding

God’s timing

Do not make it right

Two disobediences

Reaped

Two dire consequences

The first was not being able to enter the Promised Land

The second was the death of those who forged ahead

In their presumption

Without God

These died  

As the Amalekites and the Canaanites 

Slaughtered them

Because God was not with them

For He has not told them

To go

To go

Or

To stay

Is all up to God

What God says

At His perfect timing

His own Will

His dictate

Not ours

Not out of our fear

Not out of our presumption

Simply

God’s Will

God’s bidding

God’s timing

Whatever God says

We will do

Wherever He leads

We will go

Whenever He wants

We obey

That is the key to

Joy in the Lord

Protection by the Lord

Provision from the Lord

Contentment in our walk with the Lord

Yes Lord

Speak

Here I am

Send me

To go 

or

To stay

Whatever Your Will

Let me obey