Grapes, Grasshoppers, Giants, & God
Numbers 13:17-33, 14:1-9, 26-32
17. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
18. And see the land, what it is, and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;
20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
21. So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.
22. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23. And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut dowkeep the pictures they neva change only the people in them do
n from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
24. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
25. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.
27. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.
28. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
29. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
31. 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.
32. 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.
33. 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.
1. And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.
26. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27. How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29. Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me.
30. Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
How much do you want God to bless you ? Then....let me pose another question.....how far are you willing to go with God ?.........How obedient are you willing to be ?
The congregation of Israel is poised to enter the Promised Land....but first the Lord orders Moses to send out 12 spies...one from each of the tribes.
They are to spy out the land to see if it fruitful.....they are to spy on the inhabitants to see if they are few or many....weak or strong....and if they dwell in tents or in fortified cities. They are to report back to the congregation......and after 40 days they return. The congregation must have anxiously awaited their report. Would this land be as God had promised.....a land flowing with milk and honey....a fertile, productive land ? Let us look together at some things about this important event.
First of all notice.....
1. Their Opportunity......Special
They brought back word to Moses, and to the rest of the congregation....
Was this land fertile ? Was it productive ? Was it flowing with milk and honey the way God had said.....the answer is yes, yes, yes............and as evidence....they brought back a cluster of grapes.....just one cluster on one branch....but the grapes were so large and heavy that they carried it between two of the men. If the grapes were this big......imagine how big those pomegranages, and figs were.
The congregation of Israel now had the opportunity that they had all waited for........to occupy the land that had been promised to their forefathers........the opportunity that had been delayed because of their bondage in Egypt. This was it ! This was their day ! This was their time ! It was theirs.....God had promised it to them.....all they had to do was enter the land, and occupy it......God had promised them victory ! What could possibly hinder them from taking advantage of such a awesome opportunity ? Could anything stand in ther way of receiving the promises of God
2. Their Outlook..............Small
After all this time.....years in the waiting.....the exodus from Egypt.....the thirst, and the hunger......all the traveling......nothing going to stop them now.....right ? Wrong !
Their outlook was.....small. We’re too small ! We can’t do it !
The Bible says.....”As a man thinketh in his heart....so is he”. Where did they get the idea that they were like grasshoppers..........? You think you can’t do something.....then you can’t......you think you’re too small....then you are.......you think you’re not talented enough.....then you’re not.......you think you’re not smart enough......then you’re not........you think you’re never going to get out of the bind that you’re in........then you’re not.
Many times we underachieve because we underestimate ourselves !
3. Their Opposition......Strong
The people who dwell there are strong.........their giants in statute !
Any attempt at doing the will of God.......of moving forward by faith is always going to be met by opposition. There are giants today that would prevent people from coming to Jesus......from the church from moving forward.......prevent us from walking by faith, and doing the will of God.
To anything great there is oppostion.......any attempt at success is going to be met by giants. Here are some giants that we face today......
a. The Giant of Self.........the biggest giant in my life is me. The biggest giant in the path of those standing on the border of Canaan was not the children of Anak.....but it was that own person staring back at them from a mirror. I have met the enemy and it is me.
b. The Giant of Sin. What was the root that was keeping these people from inheriting the promised land ? What was keeping them from victory....from the promises of God ? What was standing between them, and God’s best. SIN ! The sin of unbelief..........they chose to believe the unbelieving spies rather than the faithful, living God ! Unbelief will keep us out of heaven.......unbelief is the vehicle that will carry us all the hell....
unbelief robs Christians of the joy of being obedient.........unbelief stands in the way of churches growing......unbelief is the wall that is driven up to keep us from enjoying all the blessings of God !
c. The Giant of Spinelessness. They lacked courage ! They had no guts....
They were paralyzed by fear ! We can’t do it ! We’re going to fail ! We’re all going to die ! Oh......the sky is falling...........!
d. The Giant of Subversion. Their was a subversion of the authority over them.......not only the leadership that God had placed over them......but essentially against God....this was not to be a call for a decision as to whether they would enter Canaan......it was not to see if they thought they could win a battle.....it would only for the sake of being prepared.....but the will of Lord was subverted !
One group compared the giants to themselves.....and was defeated.....the other group compared the giants to their God....and they were victorious !
4. Their Omnipotence.....Sovereign
The most important thing did not weigh in on their decision......they forgot all about the Omnipotent God !.....we may be grasshopper......our foes might be giants.......but the opportunities that God gives us are great....and the God who affords us those opportunities is more than able to give us the victory ! We must never leave God out of the equation.....if you feel like a grasshopper.....and your opposition looks like giants.....then your God is too small. God is a all-powerful God....and if he leads us.....if he wills us to do something.....their is nothing that can hinder it from happening.....there are not enough demons in hell to keep us from accomplishing God’s will for our lives.....if we are faithful to him !
5. Their Outcome..........Sad
Their lack of faith.....their loss to fear.....their leaving off of the facts kept them from entering the promised land.....they endured Egypt...and the flight out of Egypt......and all the other trials on the journey......to stand on the verge......and to fail. Because of their unbelief.....their faithlessness.....they were condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty years.....out of all those who came out of Eypgt only two would enter in.....
We know for a fact that there were 603,550 men age 20 and up in the congregation.....it has been said that an average of 82 people died a day in the wilderness.......How many people are dying each day after living a incomplete life ?
Those two were Joshua and Caleb.....they were the only two of the spies to
be ......positve.......the only two who wanted to progress.......and the only two who believed and trusted in God.......and as a result of their faith.....they rec’d the promises of God.
This morning......great are our opportunities........what Giants are keeping you back ? What’s keeping you from victory ? Are you feeling like a grasshopper ? Feeling as if you can’t do anything.......remember this morning our God of omnipotence. He is all powerful....he can handle the giants in our lives......if we’ve got him in our corner ! Would you this morning......trust him first of all as Savior......believing that he will forgive you of all your sins.....will you trust him with your future ? Will you believe his promises....take him at his word ? Would you come this morning expressing your faith in him ?
