You are called to be more! You are called to be a giant slayer You would think that nothing could have kept Israel from entering the Promised Land after being so close to it for forty days. They waited on the borders of Canaan for the return of the spies. They were poised to enter Canaan Land. They had the assurance of success. They had witnessed God's Divine power, miracles in the wilderness and God’s divine presence. They had been slaves in Egypt, yet God delivered them and showed himself to be all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present. This lesson shows us how easily Believers can vacillate between faith and doubt. What you believe can change everything! Noone expect the report of the spies to promote distrusted in God's power and promise. How much we are robbed by our own doubt, unbelief and mental attitude!
When the messengers returned; the greater part discouraged the people from going forward into Canaan. The Israelites placed more confidence in the judgment of men than they did in the word of God. They had found the land as good as God had said, yet they doubted could have it as God had promised. The Bible calls the ten men unbelievers. Their unbelief caused them to doubt the promises and power of God. They magnified every danger and difficulty and filled the hearts of the people with discouragement and fear.
Caleb and Joshua encouraged the people to go forward. Caleb does not say, “Let us go up and conquer it; but, Let us go and possess it.” Difficulties that are in our way, will dwindle and vanish before our lively, active faith in the power and promise of God. All things are possible, to him that believes. We must trust God and his promises more than our carnal senses. Those who trust the promises of God and follow his directions will find that His promises are true. Caleb looks on the situation as being already done. Let us go up and possess it! There is nothing to be done, but to enter without delay, and take the possession of that which our great God is now ready to give us!
This report was given publicly in the audience of the people. We must be careful when reporting to a crowd. Crowds can be easily swayed or mislead. The report began accurately enough, they said, we found the land just as God said, "surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." You can almost hear the excitement of the crowd, as their eyes beheld the fruit of the land. Then they said, "the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great:" Even that was an accurate report. But they concluded their report with an opinion and a recommendation, they said, "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." And further, "And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature."
In spite of all they had witnessed, these leaders of Israel allowed the size and number of the giants to cause them to question the power, and truth, and goodness of God. In order to possess the land, you will have to slay some giants. If we are become a giant slayer, we must not get our assignment twisted. These spies were sent to investigate the Land so that a plan of attack could be developed. God had chosen the land and gave it to his chosen people. God said, Go up and possess it. Giant slayers must not allow the opinion of others to keep them from following God. Giant slayers must be daring! They must have guts! Why, because giants of the land will not leave on their own. Giants don’t go away; they must be faced and defeated! Giants come to steal the peace of God’s people; Giants come to stop the progress of God’s people and seize the possessions of God’s people, so Giant slayers must recognize who they are and be daring.
1. Dare to Reject the Contradictory Opinions of Others. Reject those opinions come to prevent us from following God’s plan for our lives. God commanded Moses to send the spies so that they could develop a plan of attack. The size of the men and the challenges of the land was not a surprise to God. Men will always have an opinion about the giants in the land, about the prospect of success, and about limits of your ability. Yet, we must remember what God said and not allow the opinion of others to keep us from following God. Others may see the giants as invincible. They may see themselves and you as grasshoppers. God knows who you are, what you can do and what he has for you. You are more than grasshoppers, but you will only rise to the level of how you see yourself. Dare to reject those opinions that would contradict what God has said. Choose to follow God. God saw His people as a giant slayer when they were in Egypt. The giants in the land were not a surprise to God.
2. Dare to Allow the God’s Promises to Serve as Your Motivation. As the people of God, we must accept that the Promises of God are true. These spies went up together and witnessed the same thing but returned with different reports. Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit and saw things a different way. They saw life and victory, while the other ten saw defeat and death. God's command was “go up and possess the land, I have given it to you and I will be with you.” Giant slayers must allow the promises of God to serve as your motivation. That’s what the teenager, David did when he faced Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. David stood on the word of the Lord in the name of the Lord. Goliath wouldn’t leave, he had to be faced and defeated. David’s victory had little to do with his statue, it had to do with his faith in God. The promises of God are sure and steadfast. They can be trusted. We must allow God’s Promises to serve as our motivation.
3. Dare To Believe You Are What God Says You Are. You are well able to possess the land. Even when the opinions of men and the circumstances of life seem to contradict what God has promise, you can do what God says you can. "But the men that went up with him said, “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." Men are often very inconsistent, contradictory and make excuses for not doing the will of God. Many constantly confess, “We are not able to do what God requires.” These men said, “the land is good, but we are not able to take it.” The people are very strong and healthy, but the land eats up the inhabitants. Beware when the report of men contradicts the report of the Lord. Which report will you believe?
Canaan was a type of the kingdom of God. The promises of God are given to every believer; but many are discouraged by the difficulties in the way and fail to possess the land! A slothful, unbelieving heart sees dangers or lions or giants everywhere; and refuse to proceed or go forth for fear of what might happen. These spies brought a evil report against the good land that God had provided for them. Others will say, "the land is good, that it flows with milk and honey," and may even display some of its fruits; but they discourage the people by stating the impossibility of overcoming their enemies. The enemy maybe sin or an addiction or poverty or education or the lack of support. They believe it cannot be overcome in this life. Many choose to live in defeat and fall short of what God intended for them. Others believe the giants (Anakim) cannot be conquered by us because we are just grasshoppers. They confess “we never overcome this habit or sin; we can never be debt free; we can never be well or healed; or we can never have a good marriage!” They are defeated before they start. They are giant slayers, handpicked by God yet they become paralyzed and destined to die in the wilderness.
I came to talk to a few Joshua's and Caleb's that remain. There are still a few around. They are still trusting in the power of God, been washed in His blood, cleansed from all unrighteousness, empowered by the Holy Spirit and are ready to boldly stand forth and say: "Let us go up at once, for we are well able to possess the land." The Lord is on our side. Their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us; let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome." We can do all things through Christ strengthening us. We must take God at his word! He has never failed us yet. Since we are handpicked giant slayers, let dare to reject the contradictory opinions of others; dare to allow the God’s promises to serve as your motivation; and dare to believe you are who and what God says you are. Finally, dare to magnify your God and not your problems. God is greater than our giants.
4. Dare To Magnify Your God and Not Your Problems. A grasshopper mentality is a tendency to magnify the problem instead of magnifying the Lord. "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Their report was altogether discouraging. How much better would it have been for Israel had they walked by faith and not by sight! Every circumstance which could discourage the heart, these spies took careful note of, and at the same time, they omitted, or misinterpreted many hopeful signs. They saw the giants as being more than they were but saw themselves as small and insignificant. They had great cause to rejoice but they fail to see it. (1) The land was exactly as God said, flowing with milk and honey (2) the fruit of the land was plentiful and able sustain their army (3) the people of the land lack unity; they were scattered out and divided; some in the south, some by the sea, some in the mountains, etc. By reason of their separation, they could not soon get together, and by reason of their divided interests they could not long keep together, to oppose Israel. (4) the cities were walled, but if they could beat them in the field, the strong-holds would fall into Israel’s hands (5) they were giants or men of great statue, their overgrown stature would but make them overly confident, an easy target, a better mark, and (6) God was on Israel’s side and had given the land to them.
Israel had the manifestation of God's presence with them, and his power working in their behalf. Even if the Canaanites were stronger than Israel; they were no match for the God of Israel? Even if Israel was not able, God Almighty was well able. Was not God amid Israel? Did not God promise to go before them? Is anything too hard for God? If we are grasshoppers before the giants, are they not less than grasshoppers before our God? Their cities are walled against us, but can they be walled against heaven?
For forty years, Israel had experienced God's care and provision. This is not their first fight. The Egyptians were much stronger than they and yet, without a sword or spear; without chariots and horsemen, God defeated Egypt and left it routed and ruined. The Amalekites attacked Israel from the rear, at their weakest point, yet God turned the battle and discomfited Amalek. When they fought hunger and unemployment, God sustained them with a miracle of daily bread; and how could they believe that God would leave them now! I came to remind you….this is not your first fight!
God’s promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were promises that should have assured their seed of victory and success in their wars against the Canaanites. God had given Abraham the assurances that he would put his seed in possession of that land. God had expressed the same promise to Moses. God himself would drive out the Canaanites from before them and that he would do it by little and little. And, after all this, How could they say, “We are not able to go up against them?” God is more than able to make his words good." And God is more than able to cause you to possess the Lord! Let us go up at once and possess the land and claim our inheritance. Dare to Reject the Contradictory Opinions of Others; Dare to Allow the God’s Promises to Serve as Your Motivation; and Dare To Believe You Are What God Says You Are. Finally, Dare to magnify Your God and Not Your Problems. God is greater than our giants.
