So many times we seek to bypass the Old Testament and run straight to the New Testament, or if we go to the Old Testament it is usually to the Psalms. I know, because I do it quite a lot. After chatting to my WordPress friend I have decided to spend a bit more time looking at the Old Testament and see what lessons it may have for us to learn from. I will do this as I ask for God’s guidance, as I too can find the Old Testament a very difficult book to read at times.
….. “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31
God told Moses to send the people out to spy out the land He was going to give to them. The twelve spies did go and look and saw a land. In the land was all kind of goodness. They saw clusters of grapes and pomegranates and figs. The land flowed with milk and honey. However, they were discouraged by the power and the stature of the people, and decided they could not fight against them.
The Minority Speaks:
Only two of the men, Joshua and Caleb out of the twelve spies had something positive to say. They agreed that the land was flowing with milk and honey, and that if God wanted them to have the land….He would give it to them.
But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, Numbers 14:6-9
In This Period Of Time:
Today in our lives we still have similar situations happening even though we are far removed from the Old Testament times. Sometime we are asked to speak up and do what we know to be right, but because we fear the people, we keep quiet and say nothing, standing with the majority.
Perhaps if we go forward and do what we know God would truly want us to do, we would get an even bigger blessing, just like Joshua and Caleb did for speaking up for doing what they knew to be right.
Prayer: Dear Lord I pray that You may give me the courage to step forward and follow Your Guidance. Let me not fear what people may want to do to me.
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Amen. I don’t want to be standing there on judgment day and the LORD ask me why did you do nothing, and my only answer could be that, well, no one else would do anything, and I was scared of what man thought more than I was concerned with what You wanted me to do. Great lesson from the Old Testament showing just as you said(paraphrasing) believe and have faith in what God has told us, and not what man wants. 🙂
Very true. We really do have to have faith and put our trust in God and not man. God has a wonderful way of working things out even better for us than we could imagine.
Amen!!!
Don’t let the fears of the majority prevent you from doing what is right in the eyes of God.
Be wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove.
Yes, Joshua and Caleb were very wise. Even though they saw some pitfalls they decided to use their wisdom and focused on the positive side, believing that God would see them through, rather than letting their minds wander to believe that the people could take them out.