The Jews were staying in Egypt for 430 years. In the last two hundred years, they were enslaved by the Egyptians. God sent Moses to deliver them from slavery and entered the Promised Land. Before they entered it, in verses 1 and 2, God gave the command through Moses to send twelve men, one from each tribe, to explore the land of Canaan, which God was going to give to them. In verses 17-20, Moses told those leaders to observe the people, their lifestyles, their cities, and their produce. And after that, they should come back to give the report. So, these 12 men left and spent 40 days spying out the land. Then they came back to give their account.
In Numbers 13:26-27, they reported to them and the whole assembly and showed them the land's fruit. They gave Moses this account, "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit." And they brought back a massive cluster of grapes and pomegranates and figs as evidence of its fertility. That news brought great joy to the whole people.
Unfortunately, those ten spies continued their report in verse 28, telling them that everything they saw was so good, but they would not be able to enter the Promised Land. Why? Because they said, "the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large." In verse 31, those fearful spies continued, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And each time they told it, the story got worse and worse. Verse 32 and 33 told us, "And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size." In other words, they said, "We don't stand a chance because there are giants in the land! Everywhere you go, there are giants!
But Caleb and Joshua, even though they are in the minority, urged the people to go right ahead and do what God wanted them to do. They argued, if God is leading the way, then why should they be afraid? Sadly, the people of Israel chose to listen to those ten spies rather than Caleb and Joshua. People tend to be affected more by bad news than much good news.
How could those ten spies give a different response to the situation? Didn't they see and experience the same thing with Caleb and Joshua? They saw the same thing, but they had a different focus! (See the PP). The ten spies focused on the challenges they faced (V 28-33). Because of that, they were afraid (They felt helpless). When we focus on the challenges we face, we'll become afraid, worry, discourage, having a negative attitude, and don't appreciate the good things that God gives to us. We'll lose joy and peace in our lives. They forgot what God has done to them. Not long ago, God had sent the plagues in Egypt and forced Pharaoh to let them go. He had divided the Red Sea waters for them and then closed those waters upon Egypt's chariots. He had given them water in the desert when they were thirsty, and manna when they were hungry, and quail when they wanted meat. God had been with them all through the wilderness as they headed for the Promised Land. He had led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They had even heard His voice amid the thunder and lightning and smoke on Mt. Sinai as He prepared to give them His commandments. But those ten spies seemed to forget the great things that God had done for them.
Application: When you face challenges, don't ever forget what God has done in your lives. Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever! (Heb 13:8). He who helped you in the past will help you again. He never forsakes you!
The two spies (Joshua and Caleb), on the other hand, focused on God. Look what they said in Numbers 14:8-9, "If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." Caleb and Joshua were not naïve. They didn't deny or ignore that they faced a significant challenge. They knew their enemies were huge and very strong. They saw the whole picture.
They did more than positive thinking: see a half-full glass of water instead of half-empty glass. Positive thinking tends to ignore challenges or belittle difficulties. People like to say something that sounds good but can be dangerous, like: "No problem. Everything is okay." Joshua and Caleb are men of faith! They didn't let what they saw scare them. They lived by faith, not by sight. They trusted in the Lord! They believed they could conquer their enemies (13:30), and they thought God was with them (14:6-9). God is greater than their enemies. God is greater than the giants whom He created!
Application: We don't deny that life sometimes is problematic. We don't need to pretend that we are fine when we are not. But we don't let the problems control us. Like Caleb and Joshua, we believe that God is greater than the giants of problems in our lives.
Since the Israelites didn't trust in the Lord, God punished them (14:36-38). Only Caleb and Joshua were allowed by God to enter the Promised Land (14:25,30). But unfortunately, they have to wait for forty years!!
Application: Like the people of Israel, we are currently heading to the "Promised Land." But as Hebrews 11:10 says, our Promised Land is not on earth but in heaven, which is "a city of foundations, which was planned and built by God." That is the place that Jesus is preparing for us (John 14:1-3). On the way to the Promised Heaven, we face various difficulties and challenges, which can be different for each of us. Some have problems with their health; some face financial problems because of losing their jobs. According to a report published Monday by the International Labor Organization, at least 225 million full-time jobs disappeared worldwide last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, losses four times worse than those from the global financial crisis in 2009. Some have family problems because of disharmony in the relationship between husband and wife or parent and child.
For those of us who live in America, as Christians who believe that the Bible is the word of God and, therefore, want to do God's commands, we will face increasingly severe challenges. President Biden has vowed to sign the Equality Act into law within the first 100 days of his presidency.
Here's what the Equality Act means in practice:
- Faith-based hospitals and insurers could be forced to provide gender-transition therapies that violate their religious beliefs.
- Children could seek to change their gender without parental knowledge or consent.
- Faith-based adoption and foster care agencies could be forced to place children with same-sex couples or lose their licenses.
- The Act would dismantle sex-specific facilities, sports, and other spaces. As a result, biological females would be forced to compete with biological males in sports and for athletic scholarships. Sexual assaults on girls in bathrooms and showers could escalate.
- Faith-based schools and businesses could be forced to violate their beliefs regarding homosexual activity or face fines, censure, or worse.
- Churches that rent their facilities to the public could be forced to rent them for same-sex marriages and other LGBTQ events.
The Act passed the House of Representatives in May 2019. Its prospects in the Senate are uncertain, given its fifty-fifty partisan composition. As I have stated often over the years, the Bible clearly forbids homosexual behavior. Now Christians who refuse to yield their biblical convictions regarding sexuality may face discrimination on an unprecedented level. Churches, schools, hospitals, ministries, and faith-based businesses could all be affected directly. So, what should we do? Last Sunday, we learned to 1) respect the government, 2) pray for those in authority, 3) support what is good, and 4) dare to speak out the truth. We will continue to do all of them.
Regarding no 4, four years ago, God moved me to study homosexuality. I didn't know why then, but I obeyed. Now I know why. The gay movement has influenced hundreds of millions of people around the world to support same-sex marriage. Today 29 countries have legalized same-sex marriage, and many church conferences blessed them. They claim that science has proved that people are born gay or trans. And that the Bible allows homosexual relationship that based on love and commitment.
God surely wants us to love the LGBTQ community and to treat them with respect. But in my study, I found they want to change biblical teachings on marriage and that their claims are wrong. Through the webinars on homosexuality, which is based on my third book, I explained what the Bible and science say about it. Praise the Lord; those three webinars got a very positive response. Thanks for your prayers. God willing, next Sunday, SAAT will host this Webinar again at 7 p.m. our time. This is something that I can do to speak out the truth. Something that you can do is to write your senators or call their offices, urging them to vote against the Equality Act.
Like Caleb and Joshua, we do not deny the challenges we'll face this year. But let's focus on God (not on the "giants"); remember that He is with us and can help us. Our God is great and almighty. He is in control of everything. The Bible says of our Lord: "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him" (Daniel 2:21–22).
