Unexpected turns, unwarranted fear, lessons in faith and prayer
By Dean Collins
Time and time again we see unexpected turns of events in the narrative of Scripture. It’s true with God’s children in the Old Testament and in the life of the apostles and in the early church. Just when you think something is impossible, God steps in. And in almost every case there are people who trust God to intervene and those who disregard God’s promises that he can and will bring good out of the most desperate and impossible, even fatal, situations.
In God’s deliverance of his people from bondage in Egypt until they arrive in the Promised Land, we see the push and pull of the children of Israel on Moses. One might think everyone would row together toward deliverance. But sadly it seems that just like us, the issues of pride, ingenuity, and lack of faith result in behaviors that often resist God’s plans.
Majority opinion
As we come to Numbers 13, we would expect excitement and anticipation of receiving God’s deliverance and finally getting into the land flowing with milk and honey. For all the complaining about food selection, it would seem everyone would be ready to go. God’s instructions to Moses were to send men to spy out the land of Canaan. The instructions were clear. The men were each to be known as a leader from their respective tribes. Logically, if the leaders are on the same page then the mission is achievable.
The actions and reactions of Numbers 13 and 14 create the biggest setback yet for the deliverance from bondage to freedom. Twelve men go to Canaan. All 12 agree that the land is rich in resources. They bring back the evidence to show Moses and their tribes. But 10 of the 12 react in fear of the size of those who possess the land. Only two leaders have faith that God can bring victory. Maybe majority opinions aren’t always right.
Most of the people were focused on the size of the opposition instead of the proven track record of their God. We know bad news travels fast and is often exaggerated and misreported. By that night the wilderness was filled with the sound of weeping and anguish. The drama escalated to the point that some were even setting strategy to replace Moses and find a leader who would take them back to Egypt. It was a desperate moment of chaos.
Faith and truth
Moses and Aaron had seen this mob mentality before. They also knew the justice of God. Their response was to fall on their faces before the Lord in prayer. While these two prayed, it was Joshua and Caleb who attempted to speak truth into the situation. Their message was filled with faith in God:
“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land,” they said. “If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”
Unfortunately, the masses often do not listen to truth. In this case, the crowd was about to turn on Caleb and Joshua and stone them to death. It is probably not overreaching to think that Moses and Aaron might have been next. All of this could have happened had it not been for the glory of the Lord being revealed in that moment. From that glory the Lord spoke to Moses: “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them?
It was a fair question. It’s a fair question for us as well. How long will we defer to our own solutions, our own lack of faith, instead of fully trusting the one who has time and time again revealed signs to us of his power, his love, his mercy, and his grace? We even have the resurrection of Jesus and still resist fully trusting God for his outcomes over ours.
Bold prayer
There is a lesson to learn about prayer from this passage as well. Moses was not afraid to remind God of his promises. God indicated he would simply obliterate the crowd and start over with the handful of faithful followers. But Moses boldly petitioned God: “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, ‘It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ “
After suggesting that God would diminish his influence on the surrounding nations, Moses challenged God to keep his promises: “And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”
Quoting God
Could the challenge of Moses for God to keep his promises suggest that we can remind God of his promises as well? I think a good reading of Scripture suggests that praying God’s Word back to God is possibly our best approach in prayer. When we speak to God, quoting his own Word, we by default remind ourselves of God’s promises to us. God will never go against his own word. Prayers that declare God’s promises will deepen our confidence in God and will remind us of his past answers to us when we were in similar circumstances.
The prayer of Moses did not stop God’s justice. The adults in the story paid for their disobedience and lack of faith by never getting to enter the Promised Land. But by God’s mercy, their children did receive their deliverance.
Seeking relief
The Israelites longed for relief, deliverance, and rest, first from bondage in Egypt and then from their self-inflicted wilderness wandering. Many times we too long for relief from our struggles in this fallen world. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that we can experience rest and deliverance, and it can be today. The secret to receiving God’s rest and experiencing his promises involves believers holding each other accountable. We are called to remind each other to resist evil, not let our hearts grow hardened by sin, and hold confidence in Christ until the end of our lives or until he comes in glory.
Lord, we confess that we are not that different from the Israelites of old. We often let the voices of others infect our hearts and minds. We listen to the crowd instead of listening to the promises of Scripture. Forgive us. Fill us with your Holy Spirit who will remind us of your promises. Give us boldness in our encouragement to each other and in our confidence in you as Savior, King, and Deliverer over every challenge the enemy places in our paths. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your time with God’s Word
Numbers 13:1-3, 17-33; 14:1-24, 28-35; Hebrews 3:7-19 ESV
Photo by Neuvalence on Unsplash
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