: . , . ? The lie comes in the assumption that there is no help for us. Saving faith is the first priority of faith. God had already promised them the promised land. As he understood the soldiers of Israels army around him, the visible army of the living God impressive not in themselves but in their connection to their commander in chief, the Lord of hosts, mighty in battle. In order to do so, we have to resolve that there is nothing bigger than God Almighty. Rashi's comment expands upon this concept. They all will spoil. Theres no consideration of what God might do to help them. The spies who go out into the land see many things but what, ultimately, do they understand? What is a giant? Fortified cities up to the heavens! We nourish our choices to trust God. He says, Lets go and possess not Lets go and conquer. God had already promised. We see in the very last verse of this passage a mindset that is described. To think of a few, Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Well see much at home and at work, among friends and coworkers and extended family that will make us feel like grasshoppers insufficient, weak, unable, unprepared. You and I are rarely enough to face what is before us, but its not all the truth either. They know more about whats ahead of them than we will know whats ahead of us. (In case you couldn't already tell that from the title of this post.) Scripture: read more, Scripture: This is in the midst of the report from the spies: But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. Then the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And Father, Your intention and promise is to send forth Your Word that it would accomplish all that You intend before it returns to You. Twelve men were sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. We trust none other to be right with God save the person of Jesus Christ and the work that He has done on our behalf to save sinners. By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) Open your Bibles to Numbers, chapter 13, please. Weve got decisions to make, weve got roles to play, things to do that cant wait on whether or not God might show up. They sent spies into the land to check it out. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Israelites far outnumbered all of these groups combined. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them., See the self-infliction? A doubt-caster takes naysaying to a whole new level. This is a case of hyperbole. Sometimes we, like those spies, motivated by fear, see ourselves as little better than insects. We saw the Nephilim. Certainly their attitude was picked up by the majority of the people who say in verse 2 of chapter 14, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Any creature of exceptional size. Our Torah portion says: In our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes as well! Says the Midrash: I take no objection to your saying In our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, but I take offense when you say, and so we were in their eyes as well! How do you know how I made you look to them? Have you not heard? I give a weekly parsha shiur at Beit Moses home for the elderly in Jerusalem. If we can be apathetic, then really it doesnt matter very much about God at all. One last lesson thats really about right now, this place and this moment: There is in this world much of which to be afraid. He checked his signal again. Numbers 13:33 said: "There we saw the giants (the sons of Anak . While they may be able to do all that, they are not known for their ability to think. If you would open your Bibles to Numbers chapter 13. Their only reported action was to pick a bunch of grapes so large that it required two men to carry. God brought them there to keep faith, not to destroy them. All rights reserved. He dug and could not find anything. Generation Of Grasshoppers (Num.13) ".and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num.13:33). Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days Then they said to him, 'We are like grasshoppers in their sight.'. We spend most of our lives chasing these things and looking for the hand of God, for the provision of a father for his childrens physical needs. Prayer GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP. Caleb remembers here, that with God, all things are possible! This was the children of Israel's problem in this story. When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Unbelief tells us that who God is and His attitude and intentions towards us dont really matter in the way events fall out. Well, one last thing. Theyve seen ten plagues that brought the great nation of Egypt to its knees, culminating in the night of the Passover and the death of all of Egypts firstborn. And Edmond Dantes of course crying out to God for justice and mercy, the jailor says, You cry out to God. A naysayer will only see part of the picture instead of the whole thing. We cant find out what November will be like. They are called upon to trust God for that very enterprise. He speaks with confidence. God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a land that he had promised them. There is no room for stinking thinking. The promise of God made to Abraham is about to become reality. Why did you go, Why did you die? He shows bravery and courage. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. a great leader. The main character of the series, Kwai Chang Caine, is played by David Carradine. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. That just makes them a bigger target. Ask Patricia Schultz, 1000 Places to See Before You Die, Millie Goes encourages people to step outside their comfort zone, Who Tells Vivid Visual Stories? They looked at the powerful people instead the power of God Almighty. These naysayers doubted the Word of God. Baptist. And there were giants: we were like grasshoppers in their sight . Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. Charismatic. Fear not, I have redeemed you. If others see us as those things but we are not really those things, what have we accomplished? Instead of a bolstered trust in Gods willingness to help them and to keep His promise to place them in the land, they were begging to go back into bitter slavery in Egypt. First, I see it demonstrated through naysayers. Do you have powerful people in your life? read more, Scripture: Or, perhaps, as fierce and clever warriors. Their protection is removed from them and the Lord is with us. Note with me that these are the children of those who have died in the desert because of their doubt and unbelief. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Let him have a spear like a weaver's beam. His master is blind. To start saving items to a SermonFolder, please create an account. Lets pray. and let me show you a different perspective. Has it not been toldyou from the beginning? He had kept them united. Numbers 13 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I have given to the Israelites. When we limit the power of God in our life to accomplish the impossible, To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. There they reported to themand to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage We see obstacles; we see challenges. Think about who these people were they had seen God bring plague and hardship on the nation of Egypt and been delivered completely from slavery. We scorn Him. You discern my going out and my lying down; If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Perhaps you appeared to them as angels?. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. There is one little, ruddy-faced boy who has the blessing and power of God on him and he says, "I'll lick that big giant. Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didnt stop him. I remember it from re-runs. And I would call us to examine our hearts today to know that indeed we trust none other save Christ. Look at verse 11 of chapter 14. A naysayer will allow what is big to become irrationally bigger. But Moses replied, Are you jealous for my sake? The Moabites fear that Israel will devour the land: Numbers 22:2Now Balak son of Zipporsaw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,3and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. We seem to ourselves like grasshoppers and so we seem to them. Theyre saying, We are not enough to face what is before us, and theres no lie there. The Three Lessons of the Grasshopper. David is mining Gods truth to discover how to understand the world he finds himself living in. One more word about being a doubt-caster. TEXT: Numbers 13: 25-33; 14: 6-10; Josh. The original Hebrew word peger holds within it the sense of being eaten. We can be more. Well, were not standing before the land but were standing before an unknown year. The land that God promised them the land and they only had to go and process it. 33We saw the Nephilimthere (the descendants of Anakcome from the Nephilim). Numbers 13:33-14:9, Denomination: Hes brought us here to take away from us. Hes carried us this far ultimately just to do us in.. This weeks Torah portion offers us several grasshopper lessons. Its a good land. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. And this is not an intellectual exercise this morning. We cant send spies into 2020. (verses 1-17) When they got there ten of the men saw problems and had a bad report to delivery but The reality of time as God has created it will propel us forward into 2020, whether we want it to or not. One that springs to mind is that the spies seem to have been worried in equal measure about being overpowered by the existing inhabitants of the land and being feared by them. A couple of factors point in this direction. They were spread all over the land and could not have easily or quickly come together. He explains himself this way. God is good. Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? His word is infallible. Please contact us in case of abuse. . The 2018 season of excavation at a Late Roman synagogue at Huqoq revealed more fascinating mosaics, including this one referencing Numbers 13:23: two Israelite spies sent by Moses to scout out the land of Canaan carrying a pole with a cluster of grapes. Heres His response as He questions Moses. INTRODUCTION: Do you believe God is a loving God? Over 600,000 Israelites were delivered from the captivity in Egypt and wandered for years in the wilderness anticipating going into the Promised Land, which the Bible describes as flowing with milk and honey. you were bought at a price. ? In addition to being a people of the Word, lets be a people of faith, trusting God to lead us and to carry us through hardships, to carry us through undesirable circumstances to the place of rest and security that He has for us. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, A Bible scholar on the streets of Jerusalem. Romans 5:6-8, Denomination: In verse 30, Caleb says: He shows some heart. And King Balak is afraid that the Israelites will cover the face (literally eye) of the land: Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt;they cover the eye of the land and have settled next to me. I cant serve the Lord because its too hard. Sometimes in life and in our spirituality we have to understand that nothing worth having comes easy. And four. . They couldn't hear God tell them how they were going to take the promised land because their eyes were too busy focusing on the challenges. I have good news. What does the passage tell us about faith? 21Throughout the generations to comeyou are to give this offering to theLordfrom the first of your ground meal. Hes brought us here to do us harm. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me. We shape our understanding of the world around us and the relationships that give texture to it by trusting what God has said to us about Himself, about us, and about everything around us, as well as the future ahead of us. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day drawing near. We have an obligation as the church of God to nourish faith among each other. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also graciously with Him give us all things?. Will He help? And Ive found that the more I trust Him, the more I choose to believe Him, the more I love Him; the more I love Him, the more deeply I want to know Him. World Travel Bug, Best Things to do in the Finger Lakes: A Four-Seasons Destination, Keeping the Faith in the Land of The Free, The Bittersweets of Traveling: Life as an Emirates Cabin Crew Member, Second Chances: Two Very Different Visits to the Dead Sea, Travel Photo Contests, Classes and Resources, Travel Writing Contests, Classes and Resources, And then, after just praising the land for its bounty, they now spread lies about it, calling it a land devours its inhabitants , how they looked to others.
Manchester, Nh Crime Rate,
What Is A Light Breakfast Before Colonoscopy,
What Glows Red Under Uv Light,
Beatles I Think We're Alone Now,
Articles W
