An Altogether Different Spirit

And so the time was come…

to go up and possess the land…

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 

Numbers 13:1-2

And Moses sent them out…

with special instructions…

…and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;

And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;

And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.   Numbers 13:17-20

For the next 40 days…

they traveled throughout the promised land…

         taking careful note of everything …

And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.  Numbers 13:25-26

And they gave a report…

of all they saw…

And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.

Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.  Numbers 13:27-29

Suddenly, Caleb spoke up…

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said,

Let us go up at once, and possess it;

for we are well able to overcome it.  

Numbers 13:30

But the voice of unbelief prevailed…

We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Numbers 13:31-33

The congregation was distraught at the news….

Disheartened. Intimidated. Doubtful.

they voiced their discouragement…

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them…

Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt!

or would God we had died in this wilderness!

And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land,

to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey?

were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

And they said one to another, Let us make a captain,

and let us return into Egypt.  Numbers 14:1-4

Then Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb were greatly distressed…

and fell on their faces…

and rent their clothes…

Because they were of an altogether different spirit…

And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying…

The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land,

and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.

Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them,

and the LORD is with us: fear them not.

Numbers 14:7-9

And how did the congregation respond to the call of FAITH?

But all the congregation bade stone them with stones.

Numbers 14:10

And how did God respond?

And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,

Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.

But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.   

Numbers 14:26-33

I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.   Numbers 14:35

And the men which brought up the evil report…

what became of them?

And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.   Numbers 14:36-37

And the men of FAITH, Joshua and Caleb…

what was their lot?

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Numbers 14:24

But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.  Numbers 14:38

And so it was…

Through the eyes of unbelief, the task was…

Intimidating. Hopeless. Unattainable.  Impossible.

And through the eyes of FAITH…

The land be ALREADY conquered.

We are WELL ABLE to overcome.

He WILL bring us IN!

You are faced with the same question today.

How will you respond?

Unbelief or FAITH?

In the words of Joshua…

Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:

and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve;

whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood,or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell:

but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

Joshua 24:14-15