The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Numbers 14:9,
"Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them."
When the nation of Israel listened to the words of fear ten of the twelve spies brought back after having reconnoitered the promised land, the remaining two spies, Joshua and Caleb, attempted to encourage the Israelites to not rebel against the Lord. Rejecting God's promise to give them success in taking the land was to reject God himself.
One of the things Joshua and Caleb said was fascinating, "Their [the Canaanites'] protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Verse 9. Whatever "protection" the inhabitants of the land had, had been removed by the Lord and the Lord was going to fight together with the Israelites against the occupants of the land.
Unfortunately, the Israelites listened to the ten. The nation feared the people of Canaan and spoke of stoning Joshua and Caleb. They feared people rather than the Lord. I am reminded of the proverb, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25.
"Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them."
When the nation of Israel listened to the words of fear ten of the twelve spies brought back after having reconnoitered the promised land, the remaining two spies, Joshua and Caleb, attempted to encourage the Israelites to not rebel against the Lord. Rejecting God's promise to give them success in taking the land was to reject God himself.
One of the things Joshua and Caleb said was fascinating, "Their [the Canaanites'] protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Verse 9. Whatever "protection" the inhabitants of the land had, had been removed by the Lord and the Lord was going to fight together with the Israelites against the occupants of the land.
Unfortunately, the Israelites listened to the ten. The nation feared the people of Canaan and spoke of stoning Joshua and Caleb. They feared people rather than the Lord. I am reminded of the proverb, "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25.
When we are in the midst of God's will we need not fear any man. We need to remain true to the Lord and be faithful in all he gives us to do. Afterall, what is the worst that could happen? Pleasing God and remaining true to him is the very best we can achieve in this life! Even if it costs us our life here, we gain eternal pleasures at the right hand of God (Psalm 16:11) in doing so.
I suspect this is a message many of us will need to be encouraged by in the not so distant future.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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