The walls came tumbling down

They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. Numbers 13: 27 – 28

I am sure we are all familiar with the story of the 12 spies sent into the Promised Land to scout it out. They saw what a wonderful place it was flowing with milk and honey just as God had said but they also the powerful people and the fortified cities. 10 of the spies, full of fear, persuaded the Israelites that they could not take they land despite Joshua and Caleb’s assurance that with God on their side, it could be done.

No doubt the 10 spies looked at the fortified cities and remembered the towering walls of Egypt and their life of slavery. For them it meant disaster and failure, an obstacle too big to overcome but they were looking at the cities and themselves instead of their God. They forgot the ten amazing plagues and how God completely routed the Egyptian army whilst leading them safely across the Red Sea on dry land. They forgot how God provided water, manna and quail for them to eat. All they saw was an insurmountable problem. 

Forty years later, another generation also saw the fortified city of Jericho but they knew who their God was and what he could do. They had not grown up in slavery; they had grown up in the desert and were keen to get into the Promised Land. In order to do this the fortified city would have to be defeated. They learned that looking to God, being obedient by praising him and towering, fortified walls would just collapse at a unified obedient shout to the Lord of hosts.  They didn’t have to fight but they did have to overcome fear – fear of looking stupid, fear of it ‘not working’, fear of failure. They trusted their miracle working God and they were not disappointed.

We too may have fortified cities standing against us by which I mean problems that look insurmountable or situations that seem all locked up. It may be unbelieving family or friends and it feels like they will never get saved. It may be problems at work or even in church which seem as if they will never change. It can be in a host of different situations but the solution is always the same. God – our miracle working God.  There is nothing than can withstand our God and his obedient people. Absolutely nothing. We need to ask God for the strategy to see these insurmountable difficulties overcome and the walls will come tumbling down.

Caleb - a man with a different spirit

 When God told Moses to ‘send some men to explore the land of Canaan which I am giving to the Israelites’ Number 13:1 the idea was for the men to scout out and explore the land.  It was not up to them to decide whether or not the land could be taken.  God had promised them the land, all they had to do was take it. 

The trouble was they looked at the land, which they freely admitted was a good land flowing with milk and honey and then looked at their own abilities and decided it couldn’t be done.  The problems were too big.  They were not looking to God and his promise.  At the deepest level it was a terrible presumption because they were saying that they knew better than God. It was also a deep unbelief that the God who had performed an amazing array of miracles from the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna and quail could not take them into the land.  They did not believe God could bring them into the land he had promised. 

Caleb however was a man with a different spirit who followed God whole heartedly (Numbers 14:24).  When the 10 spies brought their bad report and tried to turn the whole community away from God’s promise, Caleb spoke up and assured everyone that ‘we can certainly do it’ (Numbers 13:30).  Caleb knew that if God, who had delivered them from the Egyptians, the mightiest nation in the region, had promised it then they could do it.  He was looking to God.  Like Abraham, he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Romans 4: 20 – 21)

Caleb did not have a ‘who am I?’ mentality.  He had a ‘look at God’ attitude and he had no doubt that God was mighty and could and would do it. 

When God asks us to do something we must not look at ourselves and our abilities and resources. This leads us to re-define God’s plan to fit our abilities instead of re-aligning ourselves to fit God’s plan.  To do that is unbelief and presumption that we know better than God. Instead let us remember what Paul said to the Philippians.  ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ Philippians 4:13 (NKJV). This is not presumption, this is an assurance in the God who holds all things in his hands and who will guide us into his plans and purposes as we trust him.