Fear Not, Be Not Afraid Part 1

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Fear Not; Do Not Be Afraid Part 1

(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)

Introduction

Happy New Year everyone! As we begin a new year, we wanted our first lesson to be one of encouragement. Many people start the year feeling anxiety and fear about what a new year will bring. Analysts are talking about a recession and some are concerned about their job security. Still, others are dealing with unexpected health issues and have treatment plans that are not providing comfort based on the anticipated outcome. If you are experiencing any fear, anxiety, or concerns about this year, this lesson is for you. If you know of others who might be experiencing fear for this New Year, please share this lesson with them because God has said repeatedly in His Word to His children “Fear not and be not afraid.” Before we begin, I want to open with a word of prayer.

The Story of The Twelve Spies

To set the stage for this series of lessons on fear, we want to open with a true story about why it took the Children of Israel forty years to enter the Promised Land. The story is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Numbers. As Moses prepared to lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land, at the request of the people, God directed him to send out leaders from the twelve tribes to spy out the land.

Numbers 13:1-3 records, “(1) Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, (2) ‘Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among them.’ (3) So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel.”

Moses did as God had directed him. Now we want to draw this to your attention because of the impact these leaders will have on how the people responded to Moses later. You will hear us repeat this throughout this portion of the lesson.

When Moses sent out the leaders they departed with confidence and high expectations because of what God had promised. They returned with proof that the land was everything God said it would be. However, ten of the spies returned full of fear and dread believing that the inhabitants would overpower Israel and destroy them. Now, before we read the account in Numbers chapter 13, let’s turn to Deuteronomy chapter one where Moses reminds the people of God’s promise to them.

Let’s start with verses 19-21. “(19) Then we set out from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, just as the Lord our God had commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. (20) I said to you, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites which the Lord our God is about to give us. (21) See, the Lord your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’” (Deuteronomy 1:19-21)

First and foremost, these verses reveal to us the fact that Moses, instead of sending spies, would have gone up immediately to occupy Canaan from the south. The people were the ones who suggested sending up the spies. Moses took the matter to God Who then commanded him to send the spies as recorded in Numbers 13:1-2.

Now, there are three things in these verses that deserve our attention.

*The first thing we see in verse 19 is that the Children of Israel were being obedient – “just as the Lord our God had commanded us.” Obedience, doing what God asks us to do, is crucial to receiving His promises. After seeing that they were being obedient, God tells them, in verse 21, to “go up, take possession [of the land].”