Sept 17, 2017
Don’t Give in to Fear
Israel's Refusal to Enter the Land
19 "Then we set out from Horeb and went
through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to
the hill country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us. And we came
to Kadesh-barnea. 20 And I said to you, 'You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the
LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has set the land before
you. Go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has told
you. Do not fear or be dismayed.' 22 Then all of you came near me and said,
'Let us send men before us, that they may explore the land for us and bring us
word again of the way by which we must go up and the cities into which we shall
come.' 23 The thing seemed good to me, and I took twelve men from you, one man
from each tribe. 24 And they turned and went up into the hill country, and came
to the Valley of Eshcol and spied it out. 25 And they
took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us,
and brought us word again and said, 'It is a good land that the LORD our God is
giving us.' 26 "Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command
of the LORD your God. 27 And you murmured in your tents and said, 'Because the
LORD hated us he has brought us out of the land of Egypt, to give us into the
hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where are we going up? Our brothers
have made our hearts melt, saying, "The people are greater and taller than
we. The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. And besides, we have seen
the sons of the Anakim there."' 29 Then I said
to you, 'Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God who goes
before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before
your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God
carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came
to this place.' 32 Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your
God, 33 who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your
tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you
should go.
The Penalty for Israel's Rebellion
34 "And the LORD heard your words and was angered, and he swore, 35
'Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I
swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which
he has trodden, because he has wholly followed the LORD!'
Standing on the edge of the Promised Land, the Israelites were overcome
by fear. The size and strength of the enemy contrasted sharply with their own
weakness and inability. Because we're human, everyone at times will experience
inadequacy and the uncomfortable feelings that accompany it. The issue you and
I face is not whether we are sufficient for a task, but how we will respond
when a challenge is beyond our capabilities.
Like the children of Israel, we can give in to fear and then focus on
the expectation of certain failure. As the obstacle grows in our minds, our
feet run in the opposite direction, away from the challenge and toward safety.
However, turning away from the task that God has given us will lead us not to
security but into bondage. By allowing fear to control our choices, we'll
become chained to feelings of inadequacy, which will shape our future decisions
and, ultimately, our destinies.
As a result of their refusal to trust the Lord and move forward to
conquer the land, the Israelites were consigned to wander in the wilderness for
40 years. The men who did not believe God's promise never saw the land that He
wanted to give them. Opportunities are always lost when we let fear overrule
our faith.
When God calls you to a task beyond your abilities, instead of giving in
to your feelings, choose to rely on what you know about Him and His promises.
By moving forward in faith despite your inadequacy, you will discover the
Lord's faithfulness. He always empowers us for the works He assigns.