“We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong”
This time of year is full of graduations. From Kindergarten to College there are graduations around every corner. While the future plans are nearly always different, apprehension is always present. In life, we all go through phases of leaving what is known to reach for something better, if not mysterious. Anxiety is a very real threat that prevents us from reaching our potential.
Anxiety, fear, apprehension, whatever you want to call it, the Israelites experienced it in Numbers 13:28. However, their worries stemmed from one singular faulty idea. The Israelites thought they alone were going to battle the Canaanites. They said in Numbers 13:33, "we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them." They were faulty in their thinking because they compared themselves to their foes, and forgot about God.
Remember, in the Lord told Moses in Numbers 13:1, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel". The battle the Israelites faced was not Canaan versus Isreal, it was Canaan versus Israel and their God. Joshua understood this when we told the people, "do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them” (Numbers 14:9b).
Joshua and Caleb were blessed 1) because they did the will of the Lord and 2) because they had the courage to maintain their faith in Him even under adversity. While we are not commanded to "vanquish" Canaanites today, we are commanded to go our into all the world and spread the gospel. Let us go out and do the will of the Lord and have the courage to maintain our Faith in God under even the worst of adversity.
Let your light shine!