Rahab: When God Prepares the Way

Joshua 2

Some battles seem too big for us.

Many of us reach an uneasy truce with our battles.  Maybe your battle is with anger.  Maybe your battle is with lust.  Maybe your battle is with envy.  Maybe your battle is with lying.  We all have battles.

Jesus has saved us.  We are going to heaven.  However, the battle with sin and victory in this life continues.  We accepted Christ and received new life, but we still struggle with sin.

Is the promised land of our salvation just for the future?  Is it just for heaven, or is it for this life and the next?  I believe it is for this life and the next.

The things that happened to Israel are an example for us.  As the Children of Israel were to enter into the Promised Land, so, we too, are to enter into our promised land.  Hebrews 4:1 calls it entering into his rest when it says, “God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.”[i] 

A generation of Israelites died in the wilderness.  They never entered the promised rest.  They never entered the Promised Land.  Hebrews 3:17 says of them, “And who made God angry for forty years?  Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?”  Hebrews 3:19 sums up the lesson we learn from this generation.  It says, “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.”

We were not brought out of the Egypt, otherwise known as the world, in order to end up corpses in the wilderness.

Joshua led the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan.  He led them into the Promised Land.  He led them into their rest.  However, it was a battle.  Three times God said to Joshua, “Be Strong and courageous.”  (Joshua 1)  Joshua’s job would take courage and strength.  However, the promise of God’s presence accompanied it.  God promised that no one would be able to stand up to Joshua.

In Joshua chapter 2, Joshua makes his first tenuous expedition into the Promised Land.  It is not an assault.  It is not a bold move.  He looks at the situation.  Verse 1 of chapter 2 says, “He secretly sent out two spies.”

I do not understand what Joshua is thinking.  He could stand on his side of the Jordan and see the other side.  He could look and see the walled city of Jericho.  What is he hoping to find out?  We do not know the answers to these questions.  However, we do know what Joshua found out.  He found out that God had prepared the way before them.

As we look at our battles, we too will find that God has prepared the way before us.

Look at Joshua 2:1.

Then Joshua secretly sent out two spies from the Israelite camp at Acacia Grove.  He instructed them, “Scout out the land on the other side of the Jordan River, especially around Jericho.”  So the two men set out and came to the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there that night.

I do not think these were immoral men.  One of the commentaries I read said that the word translated “prostitute” could also be translated “Innkeeper.”  However, they could have entered town and asked for a prostitute just to stay in disguise, pretending to be weary travelers doing what weary travelers do.  Whatever the reason, how likely was it they would by pure chance end up at the house of the one person who would feed them, hide them, protect them and advise them?  How is it that they just “happened” to stay the night at Rahab’s house?

God had prepared the way.

As you set out on your first tenuous expeditions to claim your promise, you will find that God has prepared the way.  Others have fought the same battle you face.  For example, if your battle is anger, you will find that many have fought that battle.  Or, if your battle is lust, you will find that many have fought that battle.

The story continues.  Look at Joshua 2:2-3.

But someone told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land.”  So the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab: “Bring out the men who have come into your house, for they have come here to spy out the whole land.”

Busted!  Joshua may have sent the spies out secretly, but the enemy was not fooled.  He knew why the Israelites were there, and he was out to stop them.  He was king.  This was his city.  He was there to protect it.

As you set out on your first tenuous expeditions to claim your promise you will find that the enemy is there and will not like you poking around in his territory.

Rahab’s quick thinking saved the men from certain death.

Look at verses 4 through 7 of Joshua chapter 2.

⁴Rahab had hidden the two men, but she replied, “Yes, the men were here earlier, but I didn’t know where they were from.  ⁵They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close.  I don’t know where they went.  If you hurry, you can probably catch up with them.”  ⁶(Actually, she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them beneath bundles of flax she had laid out.)  ⁷So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River.  And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut.

Rahab was ready.  It says here that she had hidden the spies.  It does not say she was warned in advance, but somehow she knew and she prepared a hiding place.  She had hid them under flax bundles.  She then diverted the search.  She directed the king’s men to search in the wrong place.

I cannot say that you will be hidden under bundles of flax.  However, God does promise in 2 Corinthians 10:13, “When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

God knows what we need and prepares the way before we set out. 

The men were led by providence to the right place to stay.  Their hiding place and safety were prepared before them.  Next, we will see the information Rahab gives them.

Look at verses 8 through 11 of Joshua chapter 2.

⁸Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them.  ⁹“I know the LORD has given you this land,” she told them.  “We are all afraid of you.  Everyone in the land is living in terror.  ¹⁰For we have heard how the LORD made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt.  And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed.  ¹¹No wonder our hearts have melted in fear!  No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things.  For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.

What incredible words!  “I know the LORD has given you this land.”  This came from one of the residence of the land.  She had not lived under Moses’s leadership.  She had not eaten Manna.  She had not seen the miraculous hand of God defeating Pharaoh’s army.  She had only heard about all these things.  What is more, she informs the spies that everyone in the land has heard.  “Everyone in the land is living in terror.”  “Our hearts have melted in fear!”  “No one has the courage to fight.”

If Joshua and the spies needed confirmation of God’s leading, this was it.  God said to Joshua, “You are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.”  (Joshua 1:6, NLT)  The information Rahab gave them was confirmation.  Victory was guaranteed.

In our battles, we have the same kind of information.  In John 16:33 Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world." 

Some say there is no battle to be fought.  Based on Romans 6:11, which says, “So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”  And, based on other verses in Romans 6 that say to yield control to God, some say that we are passive.  However, these verses are not passive.  The New Living Translation gets Romans 6:13 right when it says, “Give yourselves completely to God.”  This giving ourselves to God or yielding is not passive.  “The just shall live by faith.”  (Romans 1:17)  This certainly is the truth of Scripture.  In addition, we are called upon to put on the full armor of God.  Furthermore, we are called upon to stand firm.  All these are acts of faith, and they are also pictures of battle.

Many people have gone before and have given testimony to the life of faith.  Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

God has set a race before us.  He has prepared the way.  However, there is the sin that so easily trips us up.  Sin in general will keep us from entering the rest God has promised.  Unbelief in particular is the most grievous sin.  However, each person has a sin that easily trips him or her up.  I find I have many.  Whether by natural tendencies, upbringing or training we all have places in our life that will trip us up. 

These places are like Jericho.  They have strong walls.  They have armies. 

When Moses sent the twelve spies, ten of them came back and said, “They have strong armies and walls we cannot do this.”  Perhaps you have fought with your favorite sin all your life and are convinced you cannot defeat it.  Listen to the voice of Rahab.  She said, “For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”  (Joshua 2:11, NLT)

Jesus died to set us free.  It is possible to be free. 

I am not talking about sinless perfection.  The Scripture is clear, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.”  (1 John 1:8, NLT)  God has prepared the way before us, but have we failed to take Jericho?

Rahab believed God, and because of this, she took action.  She arranged with the spies to save the lives of herself and her family.  Because of her faith, God has honored her with a place in Scripture, a place in the ancestry of Christ and we can assume a home in heaven.

The spies who had gone out secretly on this tenuous expedition came back with this report.  “The LORD has given us the whole land,” they said, “for all the people in the land are terrified of us.”  (Joshua 2:24, NLT)

The first step in being free is being willing to take the first step.  If you are willing to send out your spies, you will find that God has prepared the way. 

If your tongue is your Jericho, you will find the Scriptures have an answer.  If your temper is your Jericho, you will find the Scriptures have an answer. If your lust is your Jericho, you will find the Scripture has an answer.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

Joshua

Read Joshua 1

The day had finally arrived.

The Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness living in tents, eating Manna and wandering.  All those who were 20 years old or older at the time of their departure from Egypt had passed away.  40 years before when the Israelites faced this challenge, they had rebelled and refused to face it.

We all face big days.  Students will always have big tests to prepare for.  We all have deadlines.  We all look forward with anticipation to important events.  How do we face the challenges of life?  Are we overcome with anxiety?  Do we worry and fret?

Today we will learn from Joshua how God has designed for us to face life.

The short answer is faith.  God tells us to trust Him.  Joshua is an example of trusting God.  He trusted God for the timing.  He trusted God for the assignment.  Finally, he trusted God for the strength.

First, He trusted God for the timing.

Joshua 1:1-2 says:

¹After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant.  He said, ²“Moses my servant is dead.  Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.[i]

“Moses my servant is dead.”  This could have been a time of upheaval and trouble.  Moses led the people for 40 years.  Moses was the one who gave the law and taught the way of the Lord.  Joshua had been his assistant for 40 years.  These 40 years served as an apprenticeship for Joshua.  What is more, in Numbers 27 we are told that Moses laid hands on Joshua and transferred authority to him before the whole community.  In this manner, preparations were made for the transfer of leadership.

Even with the preparations, this was a big test for Joshua.  He had never been tested like this before.

There is a principle here.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.”  Temptations, experience and tests come into all of our lives.  Some are expected and others are not expected.  Some tests we have time to prepare for and others we do not.  The principle remains.  God will not allow the test to be more than you can stand.

There is a condition to this principle.  Wait on God’s timing.  God said to Joshua, “The time has come for you to lead these people.”  A number of times throughout the 40 years the people rebelled against Moses, and wanted to choose another leader.  Joshua could have joined the rebellion.  However, he was wholly devoted to the Lord. 

Another example of a person who had many opportunities to seize power and lead the people is David.  On a number of occasions, David could have killed Saul and seized the kingship.  Even though Samuel anointed David as a boy and David knew he was destined for the throne, he refused to take it before God’s time.

One area in which I see anxiety to rush God’s timing is in the desire to find a spouse.  Anxiety to rush God’s timing also happens in regards to jobs, houses, cars and possessions.  It is best to trust God to provide in His time. 

Having waited for God’s timing, the day came for Joshua.

Joshua trusted God for the assignment.

Joshua 1:2 says, “The time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.” 

How long had Joshua known this would be his role?  Throughout the 40 years in the wilderness, he was Moses’s assistant.  Moses defined his role or job.  At least from a human point of view, Moses was the boss.  We do not see Joshua complaining that He was not being used to his potential, or dissatisfied with his role.  Compare this to Aaron and Miriam, Moses’s brother and sister.  At one point, they took the attitude of saying, “Who does Moses think he is?” They challenged Moses’s authority and leadership.  They commented that God also spoke through them and that Moses was not the only one who could lead.  This was not a matter of waiting for timing to be right.  This was a matter of assignment.  What did God want them to be doing? 

They saw Moses.  Moses was in power.  Moses was in control.  In their view, they were just as capable, maybe more capable than Moses.  The eye of faith sees God.  God is in control.  Trusting God for our assignment means exercising these eyes of faith.

Please, do not interpret this to mean that anyone should stay in a bad situation.  If you are trapped in a situation in which you do not belong, then free yourself.  For example, if the law is being broken by you, your employer or by your partner, the situation has to change. 

Trusting God for our assignment means being faithful.  There will be seasons when you are used way under your potential.  A good example of this is Moses’s 40 years of tending sheep in the wilderness.  He was an educated competent leader, and he was tending sheep.  Moses, Joshua and David all had something in common.  They each knew God had chosen them for something special.  They all also spent years not doing what they knew they were meant for.  Not one of those years was wasted.  They each had a deep relationship with God.

There is a saying, “Bloom where you are planted.”  I would put it in Biblical terms:

⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  ⁶Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

If you are seeking God’s will in all you do, you can be sure that God will put you where He wants you, and it will be the assignment you were meant for.  This is where Joshua was, in the assignment he was meant for.

In this assignment, he trusted God for the strength.

God encouraged Joshua three times to be strong and courageous.  In this encouragement, we find two important elements to trusting God.  First is the promise of God.  God says repeatedly, “I will never leave you or abandon you.”  God promised and repeated His promise to give Israel the land.  Second, Joshua is encouraged not to abandon God.  He is instructed to mediate on the Word of God day and night.  He is admonished to keep and do all that the Word of God required.

We have the same promise that Joshua had.  Jesus promised He will never leave us.  He has promised that He is always with us.  He has promised to keep us for Himself.  We also have the same encouragement not to abandon God.  Jesus said, “⁴Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”  (John 15:4) 

The Psalms tell us of the secret of happiness when Psalms on says:

¹Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  ²But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.

Do you want to know the secret of being strong and courageous?  It is here.  First, know and trust the promise of God.  Second, meditate on the Word of God.

Colossians 3:2 encourages us, “Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.”

If your hope is in the things of earth, you have reason to fear.   If it is made of metal, it will rust.  If it is made of wood, it will rot.  If it is flesh, it will grow old.  If it is solid, it can be taken.

Why would we put our confidence and trust in such things?  The eye of faith sees the Almighty.  Without the eye of faith, we see only the world.

We can learn from the example of Joshua to trust God when our tests come.

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

Donkey Talk, Numbers 22

Numbers 22 gives the account of the donkey that talked.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.[i]  (Proverbs 4:23)

Animals do not talk.  What would it be like if one of your animals talked to you?  I do not mean the usual communication that we have every day with our pets.  My dog lets me know he wants to go out to go to the bathroom, and my cat lets me know he wants food.  What would it be like if one or your animals started reasoning with you?

The story of Balaam fascinates me.  Balaam’s donkey talked to him.  Balaam apparently had this donkey for quite some time and they were quite familiar with each other.  The donkey left the road and Balaam beat him and forced him back onto the road.  Then the donkey pushed up against a wall and Balaam’s foot was caught.  So again, Balaam beat him and forced him back onto the path.  The third time the donkey sat down.  This time Balaam was in a rage.  However, when he started to beat the donkey, the donkey said, “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?”  (Numbers 22:28) 

Animals do not talk.  Therefore, the story of Balaam’s donkey talking is one of the better-remembered stories in the Bible, on the level of Jonah being swallowed by a big fish.

Historically, this incident takes place at the end of the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  Numbers 22 and 23 record the events.  Numbers 20 tells us of the death of Aaron, Moses’ brother, and Numbers 21 tells us how Israel began defeating the nations on the east side of the Jordan River.  Therefore, this story takes place near the end of Moses’ life, and at the beginning of the conquest of Canaan.

The Israelites traveled up the east side of the Jordan River and camped in the Jordan Valley.  Here is a picture, taken from Wikipedia, of the Jordan Valley.

[ii]  Can you imagine this valley filled with 2 million people?

They were in the territory of the Moabites.  The Moabites were the descendants of Lot, born to him through his daughters.  Thus, they were related to Israel because Abraham was Lot’s uncle.  However, by the time the Israelites camped in the valley, the then king of Moab, Balak, had forgotten all the family connections.  To Balak, the Israelites were a vast horde of people who came out of Egypt.  He said, “Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt.  They cover the face of the earth.” (Numbers 22:5-6)  As a result, his concern was (and I quote), “This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”  (Numbers 22:4)

Although he made an alliance with the Midianites, Balak did not believe he could challenge Israel’s strength with his military.  Balak’s solution was to send for a prophet or diviner with an international reputation.  Balak said of Balaam, “I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.”  (Numbers 22:6)  Because he was convinced of Balaam’s power to bless or curse, Balak’s plan was to pay Balaam to curse Israel.

Balak sent men to hire Balaam, but God warned Balaam not to go with these men to curse Israel.  God explained that Israel was blessed, and therefore could not be cursed.  Balaam sent the officials back.  However, his explanation was, “God will not let me go with you.” (Numbers 22:13)

This seems minor on the surface, but let’s look a little deeper.  Is Balaam telling the truth?  Well, he is not lying, but he is not giving the men the information they should have.   God said, “You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”  Balak’s message and request made it clear that he wanted these people cursed.   A straightforward answer or a complete answer should have made it clear to Balak that God had blessed these people and they could not be cursed.  As it was, Balak took the prophet’s refusal as a negotiation.  He sent more men who were also more distinguished men to persuade Balaam. 

This is how Balaam responded:

Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD my God.  But stay here one more night, and I will see if the LORD has anything else to say to me.  (Numbers 22:18-19)

Here we see that Balaam is playing a game with these men.  He is trying to get more money.  God had made it clear that the people were already blessed.  Nothing Balaam could do was going to change that, but in a show of “trying” Balaam says he will consult with God overnight.

As a result, God tells Balaam to go ahead and go.  God says, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them.” (Numbers 22:20)  However, God was angry.  This is stated plainly in Numbers 22:22.  We also see it in the “since” of this statement.  If Balaam had been clear, these men would not have wasted their time.  As it was, Balaam left the door open when he sent the first men away.  He also makes money an issue when he says, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD my God.”  (Numbers 22:18)  Why did he not say something like, “I am sorry you wasted your time?  I apologize.  I was not clear the first time.  God says these people are blessed.  Therefore, there is nothing I can do to help you.”

Let’s look at how the Apostle Peter understood Balaam’s motivation.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter says, [Balaam] . . . “loved to earn money by doing wrong.  But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.  (2 Peter 2:15-16)

God used the voice of a donkey to get the attention of this man, Balaam.

However, in spite of even this extreme, Balaam still helped Balak.  Oh, he did not curse Israel, but he told Balak how to entice Israel to sin against God with sex and idols.  (Numbers 25)

Balaam shows up a couple of times in the New Testament.  In 2 Peter and in Jude, he shows up in connection with false teachers.  In Jude, it is especially significant that he name is listed with Cain and Korah as comparable.  Cain killed his brother over sacrifices and Korah led a rebellion against Moses.

The story of Balaam is given to us as a warning.

We must guard our hearts.  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Jesus taught us that the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and strength.

Let’s quickly consider the lessons we learn from Balaam.

First, God’s will is clear.

For Balaam, this meant God stated clearly that Israel was blessed.  For us, it means that God tells us clearly what He wants.  The Ten Commandments are clear as to how we are to treat God and others.  However, God makes it clear that the only way to please Him is to believe in Him.  Without faith, it is impossible to please God.  God has given us the Bible, His Holy Spirit and His people to help make it all clear to us.   If this is not enough, what can be known about God is clear from what He has made.  So that, humanity is without excuse.  You and I have no excuse for mixing up the truth.  The only way to please God is by believing in Him.

In spite of this clear communication, there seems to be massive amounts of confusion about this. 

This is because the enticement of sin is powerful.  For Balaam, we are told, “He loved to earn money by doing wrong.”   The king offered to give Balaam anything he wanted.  For us, the temptation is the same.  The world offers to give us exactly what we want.  1 John lists the desires we have as, 1) the lust of the eyes, 2) the lust of the flesh, 3) the boastful pride of life.  The world appeals to these desires that are born into us.  And, in this lies the powerful enticement of sin.  The heart is the issue.  What do we want?  It is our desires that put us into conflict with God.  False teachings do not arise from misunderstanding the Biblical text.  According to 2 Peter and Jude, they arise from evil desires, self-centered desires.

In all the confusion created by this powerful enticement, what does God do to get our attention? 

God can reach us.

With Balaam, God used a donkey.

If one of my animals talked to me, it would scare me.  It would scare me really bad.

God has never resorted to using animals to talk to me.  He speaks to me from the Bible.  He speaks to me in dreams.  He speaks to me through my wife and children.  He speaks to me through His people and His preachers.

God speaks to the world through creation, through the Bible and through His Church.  He does not normally use donkeys, even though He can.  During the tribulation, God will speak to the world with the megaphone of suffering and judgment.

How does God speak to you?  Are you fighting God on something right now?  Maybe this talk has been a donkey talk to you.  I mean by that, perhaps God is trying to get your attention.  God has been clear and you are confusing the issue because of your desires?

All of us must guard our hearts.  An easy question to ask is, “Do you have peace in you heart?”

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[i]  Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Valley_(Middle_East)#/media/File:Jordan_Valley_Panorama.jpg

Grasshoppers

Numbers 13-14 

We have been following the descendants of Jacob on their journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land.  They left Egypt by crossing the Red Sea and traveled across the wilderness to Mt. Sinai.  They stayed at Mt. Sinai 11 months and 5 days as God gave the law.  Moses went up and down the mountain several times meeting with God.  From Mt. Sinai, they traveled toward the Promised Land and camped at a place called Kadesh Barnea.  (Numbers 32:8)

It has been quite an adventure.  The people have seen the presence of God in an unprecedented way.  The miracles they have seen are incredible.  For example, they saw Egypt devastated with plagues.  They saw the waters of the Red Sea part before them.  They saw water come out of a rock.  They saw bread from heaven every morning and flocks of quail every evening.  They saw the mountain shake and felt the earth tremble.  On top of all of this, there was the pillar of fire that stood in the camp day and night.  These people were living daily with the presence of God in their camp.

It has been an adventure in another way as well.  At every step along the way, the people have rebelled, resisted and complained.  They sound like a broken record, repeating the same thing over and over.  They complained about Moses and blamed him for taking them out of Egypt.  Along the way they said, “Is the LORD here with us or not?”  (Exodus 17:7[i])  In view of His presence and His miracles, this was especially offensive to God.

At the beginning of Numbers 13, when at the Lord’s command Moses sent out twelve men to spy on the land of Canaan, it had been two years since the people left Egypt.  They traveled two years to this point, and experienced the mighty hand of the Lord.  Moreover, Moses sent out men who were leaders of their tribes.  These experienced leaders spent 40 days traveling through the land of Canaan gathering information.  They all saw the same things.

First, they saw the abundance of the land.  They picked a cluster of grapes so large it took two men to carry it.  I have never seen anything like this, and could not find anything comparable in Google images.  In addition, they brought back samples of pomegranates and figs.  Here is what they said, “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey.”  (Numbers 13:27)

Second, they saw the cities of the land.  They said, “Their towns are large and fortified.”  (Numbers 13:28)

Third they saw the people of the land.  Their report on their findings included, “But the people living there are powerful.  We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!” (Numbers 13:28)

All 12 spies report these three things.  They all saw the same things.  However, they reached two different conclusions. 

These men were all leaders of their tribes.  There were twelve tribes.  For this reason there were twelve spies.  Each tribe originated from one of the sons of Jacob, and each tribe was named for the son it was descended from.  The tribe of Reuben was named after Jacob’s son Reuben and was made up of those descended from Reuben.  The spy or leader from the tribe of Reuben was Shammua son of Zaccur as we are told in Numbers 13:4. Given that these men were leaders of their tribes, it is only natural that they should go beyond reporting their findings and give their opinions about those findings.  Thus, the conclusions they reached are reported.  Furthermore, it was for this reason the conclusions they reached were so influential.

First, Caleb son of Jephunneh of the tribe of Judah gave his conclusion.  Joshua son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim was in agreement.  They said, “Let’s go at once to take the land.  We can certainly conquer it!”  (Numbers 13:30)

However, the other 10 leaders who had explored the land disagreed.  They said:

 We can’t go up against them!  They are stronger than we are!  The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there.  All the people we saw were huge.  We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak.  Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!  (Numbers 13:31-33)

These 12 men all saw the same things and yet arrived at opposite conclusions.  If we go with the majority view, then it would seem that this thing is impossible since 10 out of 12 said, “It can’t be done.”  Why did the majority arrive at such a conclusion?  Why did they seem like grasshoppers in their own eyes?

There are two things that will help us understand.  First, we will understand their thinking if we look at their complaint.  In addition, we will further understand their thinking if we look at God’s judgment.

First, let us look at their complaint.  Numbers 14:2-5 tells us about the people’s complaint. It says:

²Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron.  “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained.  ³“Why is the LORD taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”  ⁴Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

When we look at this in order to understand the conclusion they reached in their report on the land, we see that this complaint is very similar to the complaint they had each time they encountered difficulty.  It is the same complaint they have made over and over.  Their two years of experience have not changed their attitude.  Attitude is the issue.  The challenges changed.  However, the response and attitude did not. 

God’s judgment on their attitude also helps us to understand.  God says, “How long will these people treat me with contempt?  Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?”  (Numbers 14:11)  We see two things in this.  One of these things is their stubborn refusal to believe God.  They had every reason to believe God, but they refused.  In addition, a second thing we see is their contempt for God.  Although God provided everything they needed and proved continually that He had their best interest at heart, it was not what they wanted.  They wanted to go back to Egypt.  Egypt was wealthy.  Egypt had spicy, delicious food instead of Manna and camp food.  Egypt had houses and beds instead of tents.  Egypt was known instead of unknown.  1 Corinthians 10:6 tells us that they craved evil things.

From their complaint and God’s judgment, we understand that the conclusion of the 10 spies was arrived at based on their attitude. In addition, we understand that their attitude was shaped primarily by what they desired.

This is true of us as well.  Our conclusions are based on our attitudes and our attitudes are shaped primarily by what we desire.

Let’s consider the conclusion reached by Caleb and Joshua.  They started with the same information.  They saw the same thing.  However, they reached the opposite conclusion.  They said, “Let’s go at once to take the land.  We can certainly conquer it!”  (Numbers 13:30) 

When the people complained and started talking about going back to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb defended their conclusion.  In their defense and in God’s judgment, we understand the difference in attitude that brought the different conclusion. 

First, Let’s consider their defense.  They said:

The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land!  ⁸And if the LORD is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us.  It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey.  ⁹Do not rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land.  They are only helpless prey to us!  They have no protection, but the LORD is with us!  Don’t be afraid of them!”  (Numbers 14:7-9)

In their defense, Joshua and Caleb focus on the Lord and what the Lord would do.  They had spiritual eyes with which to see the truth of the situation.  Therefore, their conclusion was completely different.  We understand then that their attitude was informed or shaped by their faith in God.  Where the others refused to believe God, they accepted the evidence of God’s presence and leading and believed that God was at work.

In addition to the understanding we gain from their defense, we also gain understanding by God’s judgment.  God says of Caleb, “My servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have.  He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored.”  (Numbers 14:24)  This is God’s judgment of the attitude of Caleb and Joshua that led to their different conclusion.  Where the NLT has translated the statement as, “He has remained loyal to me,” other translations have rendered it, “He has followed me fully.”  Here, like the case of the ten, the issue is primarily the desires of the heart.  In contrast to those who desired the things of Egypt, Caleb and Joshua desired the things of God.

We understand then, that it was the desires that shaped the attitudes that determined what they concluded from what they saw.

This could change your life.  Do you seem to be a grasshopper in your own eyes?  What is your response to the challenges that face you?

My default response is “Oh no, I am going to die!”  It really does not matter the challenge.  The water pipe breaks.  “Oh no, I am going to die!”  The car blows an engine.  “Oh no, I am going to die!”  You name it.  “Oh no, I am going to die!”  Whenever I revert to the default response, I have to check my desires.  What is my heart set on? 

Do you know what the Bible says?  It says, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”  (Philippians 4:13)

The people who died in the desert because of their unbelief asked the wrong question.  The question is never, “Can I do this?”  The question is, “What does God want me to do?”

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[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

To the Ends of the Earth

Luke wrote for us an account of all that Jesus began to do from the time of His birth until His crucifixion.  The Gospel of Luke is one of the four eyewitness accounts of the story of Jesus’s life.  One of the unique aspects of Luke’s account is that he treats the story as more of a historian than the other gospel writers do.

Luke, the historian, continues the story of what Jesus was doing in his account of the work of the Apostles.  We call the account “Acts.”  The full title is “The Acts of the Apostles.”  Another way of translating or saying this would be “the Works of the Apostles.”

It is the continuing story of what Jesus began to do. During His three years of public ministry, Jesus trained 12 men whom He called Apostles.  Apostle means sent one.  Strong’s Greek dictionary says it means, “a messenger, an envoy, a delegate.”  The word missionary or missions originated from the Latin word meaning to send. 

The idea of mission in English has come to mean “any important task or duty that is assigned, allotted, or self-imposed” according to dictionary dot com.

The Apostles were sent by Jesus with a very important mission.  They were given the office and authority to carry out that mission.  The book of Acts tells how they carried out that mission.  Church history is the continuation of that story, just as the book of Acts is the continuation of Jesus’s story.  Church history is also the continuation of Jesus’s story.

The world persecuted Jesus as the religious leaders of His day along with the help of the Romans crucified Jesus.  This persecution continued in the book of Acts as the same leaders stoned Stephen.  It continued in the Middle Ages as believers were burnt at the stake in Europe and crucified on crosses in Japan.  It continues today as believers are beheaded in the Middle East and imprisoned in Asia.

Jesus said, “I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”  (Matthew 16:18)[i]  This is the story of Acts and it continues in the story of the Church.  The Church is the Body of Christ.  We are His hands, His feet and His voice in this world.

When the Apostles kept asking, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”  (Acts 1:6) they had no idea of what was to come.  Jesus told Pilot: “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom.  If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders.  But my Kingdom is not of this world.”  (John 18:36) 

The Apostles knew Jesus was God’s anointed servant that had been prophesied.  They knew Jesus was the long awaited Savior.  Now that Jesus was raised from the dead, they looked to Him for what was to come next.  They had no idea of worldwide conquest or grandiose schemes.  They were asking, “What comes next?” this is when Jesus said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.  ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.  And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  (Acts 1:7-8) 

We still wait for His return.  He has promised to return.  But the dates and times are not for us to know.  However, He did lay out what was going to be happening in the meantime.  What follows in verse 8 of Acts 1 gives an outline.  First was the receiving of power when the Holy Spirit was given.

The Apostles at this point had no idea who the Holy Spirit was.

Jesus had told them, “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come.  If I do go away, then I will send him to you.”  (John 16:7)  They did not yet understand what He meant when He said this.  He said this to them when they were worried and upset because Jesus was telling them that He was going away. 

Jesus had also told them, “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”  (John 14:12)  They did not put the two things together.  The Advocate coming and the greater works were part of the same thing, the giving of the Holy Spirit.

This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”

Our world sees power in the ability to perform wonderful works.  For example, in Star Wars, the mighty Jedi, Yoda, lifts what amounts to a small fighter aircraft from the swamp by concentrating and using the “force.” This is how our world sees power, power to change things with the wave of one’s hand.

However, consider this.  In 2010, 2.2 billion people called themselves Christians.[ii]  That is over one third of the world’s population at the time.  I would go with a much smaller number because I believe that many that are called “Christian” by the world do not know the Lord Jesus Christ.  Even given this, billions of Christians around the world in spite of hell’s best efforts to stop the building of the Church is a great testament to the power of the Holy Spirit.  What is lifting objects with one’s mind when compared to shaping world history and defying the power of hell? 

This power is still at work in us today.

Once the Apostles received power, the work of the Church began.  The outline in the book of Acts continues.  The story of Acts is how the gospel spread through Jerusalem and then through Judea to Samaria and then to the ends of the earth.

The story is wonderful and it is varied.

Philip was traveling in the desert and met an Ethiopian Eunuch who was reading Isaiah 53.  Philip explained to the Eunuch how this prophecy was about Jesus.  The Ethiopian believed and the Church was established in Ethiopia.

Stephen was stoned and a great persecution of Christians started in Jerusalem.  The Church spread through the region of Judea as believers in Jesus moved out of Jerusalem.

Acts 11 tells us how these believers, scattered by persecution, established the Church in Antioch of Syria.  Later, in Acts 13:2-3 we are told:

“One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.”  So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.”

The remainder of the book of Acts tells how through this endeavor the Church was spread to the ends of the earth.

  This is where the missionary endeavor started.  The Church spread organically as believers followed Jesus.  We are all to make disciples.  And, the statement is true that everywhere we go is the mission field.  According to 2 Corinthians 5:20,) “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.  We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”  This is the mission of the Church.  It is our task.

However, in Acts 13 we learn the practice of dedicating or setting apart certain ones from amongst us for the special work that God has called them to.  We call these people missionaries.  In this sense, we are not all missionaries.  When looked at in this way, a missionary is one set apart with a special calling from God.

A couple years back, we laid hands on Kirk and Becca, dedicating them to the special work that God has called them to do.  We watched in alarm and prayer as the churches burned in Niamey.  We sent gifts to help our brothers and sisters in Christ rebuild from the ashes.  Later, we rejoiced as we heard the news of what God was beginning to do with the future leaders of the Church in Niger.

Friends, the story is not over.  It continues.  The Clearwater Evangelical Free Church started supporting Tom and Marcy Dorsch as missionaries shortly after the church began some 30 years ago.  It is through them that we are connected to Niamey.  This is part of Acts 1:8 in action.

The believers in Antioch did not send out Paul and Barnabas because the work was done there.  They sent out Paul and Barnabas because the Holy Spirit told them to.  The work is not done here in Clearwater.  With seven churches here in Clearwater, there are around 700 people in church in town this morning.  If another 300 traveled in to Wichita this morning to go to church, that leaves 1,500 people who are not in church in town this morning.  I do not know what the actual numbers are.  And even if my estimates are very low, I have a question.  Even among those in church this morning, how many of them are true believers?  Are half of our friends and neighbors on their way to hell?

We have been given the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses.  We have the privilege of being a part of the exciting things He is doing in the ends of the earth, and the privilege of participating with Him as He works right here in Clearwater.

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[i]  Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation.  Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.  Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[ii] http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/04/02/397042004/muslim-population-will-surpass-christians-this-century-pew-says