Who's In?

Numbers 13

Go

Shammua from the tribe of Reuben,

Shaphat from the tribe of Simeon,

Caleb from the tribe of Judah,

Igal, the son of Joseph,

Hoshea (Joshua) from the tribe of Ephraim,

Palti from the tribe of Benjamin,

Gaddiel from the tribe of Zebulun,

Gaddi from the tribe of Manasseh,

Ammiel from the tribe of Dan,

Sethur from the tribe of Asher,

Nahbi from the tribe of Naphtali,

Geuel from the tribe of Gad,

Twelve men.  Twelve leaders.  Twelve called.  

Twelve sent.  Twelve spies.

From Moses

~ See what the land is like?

~ Are the people who dwell in it strong or weak?

~ Are they few or many?

~ Is the land good or bad?

~ Are the cities like camps or strongholds?
~ Is the land rich or poor?
~ Are there forests or not?
~ Don't be afraid!
~ Bring back fruit of the land . . .

Our inheritance. Our promise.

Breathtaking

~ A land flowing with plentiful milk and abundant honey,
more than they could ever use
~ Amazing, unbelievable, immense, abounding fruit,
like nothing they had ever seen
~ Enormous, heavily fortified cities, yikes!
~ Powerful, strongly built people,
GIANTS,
 by the sea,
in the mountains,
in the south,
everywhere

Gorgeous, but . . .

Conflicting

We're Out! ~ Ten out of the twelve said, "We are grasshoppers compared to those people. Who are we kidding! No way."  (Paraphrased)

Were In! ~ Caleb and Joshua went against popular sentiment.

Yes, there were strong giants,
and fortified cities,
but none of that could stand in God's way!

"If God said it, it's a done deal.  As long as we obey,
He'll take care of the miracle."
(Another paraphrase)

Shocking

 "Stone them!" the people cried.
Stone who?  The giants?
No.  Caleb and Joshua!

Unfortunate

~ Grumblers and unbelievers would forfeit
their opportunity to see the promise.
~ The next generation would inhabit the land their parents rejected.

For Those Who Believed

Caleb and Joshua would inherit the promise along with their children.
For the Lord was pleased and noticed they had a "different spirit" and followed God "wholeheartedly". They honored and believed God even when others wouldn't.

Joshua 14

Without Missing A Beat

Caleb, now 85, is as passionate and eager as he was in his 40's to receive His inheritance. He witnessed as his own generation defaulted by failing to trust God.

On the day of land distribution, it was Judah's turn to receive their promise, Caleb triumphantly declared, "Give me this hill..."  The one he had seen 45 years prior, inhabited with fortifications and brawny giants. Even now he still believed if God was with him, he had nothing to fear.  And so it was, at 85,  Caleb conquered his mountain.

God is committed to His promises for me and for you.
Just because we see "giants",
Just because we see "fortifications",
and "difficulties",
it doesn't mean that God is mistaken,
or, "God must not be in this."

Why would God send us to a land filled with giants? Why would God send us to a land that would require us to fight?
If God is in this, shouldn't it be easy?

The hardest part is not the physical one, it's the "trust" one.  Caleb and Joshua didn't have a trust issue with God, the other spies may have.  When our confidence and complete resolve is in knowing that God is who He says He is, and He will do what He said he will do, then his "yoke is easy" and his "burden is light". However, when we have trust issues, then the yoke is ours and the burden is, also.

Amazingly, there is no evidence to show that  Caleb was weary in waiting or that he questioned, "Why now, at 85? Really?!?"  On the contrary, he was just as passionate at 85 as he was at 45.  Caleb did not allow the wait to jeopardize or weaken his faith.

We're In! 

Believing together,

Encouraging each other,

Remaining in Him, 

Trusting His timing and His word, 

Conquering our mountains.

Take a moment to visit with Holley Gerth

Love,