March 17 - Giants or Promised Land?

(submitted by Erin & Dan Gildner)

Read Numbers 13:17-14:9

Up to this point the people of Israel had seen ten plagues come and go, they had seen the water of the Red Sea part for them to cross and than collapse on top of Pharaoh’s army in the nick of time. They had seen water flow from a rock…TWICE, had manna every morning and even quail, and to top it off, they were following a pillar of fire at night and a pillar of smoke in the daytime that showed God’s real presence leading them. It seems that God had done some amazing things to teach the people about Himself and who He is, to build their trust in Him. There were lots of bumps along the way and more whining than a class of preschoolers.

Now here they were, facing a new challenge. They were literally at the doorstep of the Promised Land, what they had endured all that time and pain to get to. Moses sends in twelve spies to scope out the land. They return all agreeing that the land was amazing, all they had hoped it would be and more! But there was a huge “but” that was keeping them from moving into the land. Ten of the spies report of huge people who lived there, fortified cities and even that the land “devours those living in it” (13:32). Their focus, after all that God had already taken them through, turned back to themselves and their weaknesses and inabilities (13:31, 33). They had already been defeated, even choosing to go back to Egypt!

I don’t know about you, but every time I read this passage, I want to jump into the pages of my Bible and fling my Bible at these people. Don’t they get it? Back to Egypt? Are you serious?

But another voice is heard. Caleb and Joshua stand up to tell the people that they can get their Promised Land because God was going to lead them to “swallow them up” (14:9). All the people of Israel had to do was to please the Lord…by not rebelling but believing (14:8-9). But they reverted back to being slaves again, slaves to their giants of self-doubt and focus on their own weakness.

Like the Israelites we use our past, our weaknesses, our inabilities as an excuse to _______, you fill in the blank. So we believe a lie, that it can’t be done. The strength of the giants and cities was real, but what they didn’t see was another reality—that God was already making provision for them to take the land, taking away the protection of their enemies.

What is your Promised Land? Where is it that God is trying to take you that you are struggling to get to? What is your attitude that keeps you from getting there, your “but”, your giant? What lie are you believing? Or like Caleb and Joshua, do you have the attitude that God will swallow up your giant? Are you choosing to believe and move forward or is your own disbelief, self-doubt or insecurity holding God back? Yes, I think we hold God back from experiencing our Promised Land. God has already shown Himself strong in your life, like water from the rock or the parting of a sea or answered prayer. Believe again. Funny thing that when the Israelites finally did go into the Promised Land (40 years later), the first battle they had and won was the battle of Jericho, where the walls crashed down when the people yelled. Do you see God’s provision?