Faith over fear

The children of Israel were in a cycle of faith to fear, grumbling, and complaining amid God moving in supernatural ways. This was the tenth time they chose to rebel against God (Numbers 14:22). Prior rebellions against God were at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:11-12), at Marah (Exodus 15:24), at the Wilderness (Exodus 16:2-3), at Rephidim (Exodus 17:1-3), at Sinai (Exodus 32:1-6), en route to Kadesh 3X’s (Numbers 11:1-3, 4-9, 31-34), and at Kadesh 2X’s (Numbers 14:1-4, 10). In this period of transition, God was moving the people of Israel from being enslaved people in Egypt and wanderers without land or country to giving them a land that was “good and spacious” (Exodus 3:7-8). This land was theirs for the taking, but it would require the children of Israel to move forward in faith and take their inheritance.

1. Fear is cultivated in the soil of unbelief. In Numbers 13:27-28, we find a report that is 75% positive while the remaining portion is negative. That little word, ‘but’ or ‘nevertheless’ changed the whole equation. The report was accurate (v.26-29) but became a false report (v. 31-33) when 10 of the spies chose fear over faith (v.30) and spread it among the people.

2. Fear exaggerates the situation (v.32-33). This verse states, “The land we explored devours those living in it” and “all the people we saw there are of great size.” This was interpreted as: “They are all giants who devour humans.” "Every one of them!" Fear will make them appear so. A genuine obstacle will be magnified by fear.

3. Fear can prevent us from achieving our God-given potential. God’s people were meant to enter the Promised Land, but only two did. The rest were enslaved by fear. The fear of the unknown will cause people to choose what is known and “comfortable,” even if it is oppression over freedom. The children of Israel, after hearing the report and seeing all that God had done with signs and miracles, were willing to go back to slavery (Numbers 14:1-4).

4. Faith is cultivated in the soil of assurance. Minimise the obstacles and maximise God's promises. The rest of the spies evaluated things based on their resources and abilities. Caleb, on the other hand, saw things from the perspective of God's ability. He believed that God had promised them the land. Indeed, He must be able to give them what He had pledged to despite the massive obstacles. When fear is confronted by faith, it gathers support from doubt and insecurity.

5. Align your ear to the heart of God. Israel was promised the land, though they had to overcome obstacles to possess it. Their spies even brought back fruit, proving how good it was, showing it was worth their effort to trust God. Yet they did not trust God and failed to enter the Promised Land without fear and compromise. Instead, they fought long, extended, draining wars. They disobeyed, grumbled, and they did not trust their God. They trusted in their fears rather than their Father.

Learn from their mistakes and respond to God in faith rather than to your circumstances by fear. Be as Caleb, who, according to God, “has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully” (Numbers 14:24).

Application Questions:

1. What are you seeing? Are you seeing your problems from the perspective of God or your limited understanding and resources?

2. In doing God’s work, do you feel like a “grasshopper”? How so? How will your memory of God’s past help affect how you face this present difficulty?

Quote:

“Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” - Alexander McLaren.

Prayer:

Lord, help me not to be enslaved by fear but to live in faith. Please help me to step out in faith, trusting in you, magnifying your goodness towards me and not the obstacles in front of me. Help me to fix my eyes on You, the author and perfector of my faith. Amen.