Give Me The Hill CountryНамуна

The Hollywood version of this story would have the people rejoicing when Joshua and Caleb give this rousing speech about how wonderful their Promised Land was and how if they just go and fight for it, the Lord will give it to them. The problem is that these are human beings, and the Bible never shies away from describing human beings exactly how they are: selfish and fearful.

The people want the wonderful stuff God is providing them, but they don’t have the heart to go and claim it through battle. By speaking the truth and casting an amazing vision of prosperity and joy, Joshua and Caleb are threatened with stoning. That’s humanity for you.

The Lord doesn’t take this lightly. As soon as the narrator mentions the assembly had begun threatening to stone them for this good news, the “glory of the Lord appeared.” This is a great way for God to make His point that the grumbling and complaining needed to cease—the glory of the Lord suddenly appearing in all majesty right in front of them. The words are chosen carefully to convey His authority.

God is justifiably angry with Israel here. Hardly any time has passed since He struck down all Egyptian power for the sake of lowly slaves, and this is how they respond to His desire to bless them?

The bottom line is that great stands of moral character are not always greeted with cheers and rousing music. Sometimes we are threatened with stoning even though we are delivering good news, and this is especially the case with the Gospel. Our prayer must be for the Living God who defeated the Egyptians to empower us and give us the grace to carry His messages regardless of the reactions of man.