Numbers 14:6-9 - Flesh Can Never Accomplish What Only Faith Can Do.
Numbers 14:6-9 (NIV) Joshua son of Nun and
Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who
had explored the land, tore their clothes and
said to the entire Israelite assembly, The land
we passed through and explored is exceedingly
good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead
us into that land, a land flowing with milk and
honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel
against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people
of the land, because we will devour them. Their
protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be
afraid of them.
INTRODUCTION
God pardoned the people, but at the same
time He judged their sins (Gal. 6:7-8). The ten
spies died in a plague, and the nation was
consigned to forty years of wandering until the people
who were twenty years old or older died. Faith
brings life, but unbelief brings defeat and death.
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren
Wiersbe]
Like Caleb and Joshua, sometimes we must
suffer because of the sins of others; but in the
end, God will vindicate those who trust Him. (See
Acts 20:24; 1 Cor. 15:58.) [Chapter by Chapter
Bible Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Facing Obstacles with Faith
Have you ever been so discouraged that
you wanted to die?
Thats how the Israelites felt as they
were poised to enter the Promised Land. They
said, If only we had died in the land of Egypt!
Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
(Numbers 14:2 NLT).
These people had lost perspective. They
were allowing their fear to overwhelm them.
But Caleb and Joshua told the people,
Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the
people of the land, for they are our bread; their
protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with
us. Do not fear them (Numbers 14:9 NKJV).
God doesnt want us to run from our
giants. He wants us to attack them. For example,
lets take the giant of addiction. Lets say you
have a problem with drugs or a problem with
drinking. Recognize you have a problem. Bring it into
the open, into the light of day. Make yourself
accountable to someone and realize that you cannot do
this in your own strength.
Call on God and pray for His power. But
dont just face your giants; defeat them. Dont
leave any backup plan to go back and do that thing
again. Deal with your giants. Dont let them
conquer you.
Faith and worry cannot coexist because
when faith walks in, worry walks out. And when
worry steps in, faith walks out. They dont get
along. In fact, they cancel each other out.
Someone has wisely pointed out that when
you trust, you dont worry, and when you
worry, you dont trust. So we want faith in our
lives, not worry.
Every Christian will face difficulty. The
Christian life is not a cakewalk; its a conflict.
The Christian life is not a playground; its a
battleground. So lets face the obstacles that are
before us with great faith. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Faith and Perseverance
"If the Lord is pleased with us ...
That sounds awfully performance-oriented for a
God of grace, but Caleb's words turn out to be
accurate. God was not pleased with the fear and
complaining of the multitudes, so He waited to give the
Promised Land to their children. The majority view
neglected an essential fact about God's processes:
They aren't instant.
We forget that too. When we become
convinced of Gods plans for us, we expect to see them
coming to pass immediately. They rarely do. The
path from Egypt to Canaan was traumatic to begin
with - it took ten plagues and a miraculous
exodus to get free - and there were hardships
immediately after freedom came. We forget that there
might be dry seasons, obstacles, enemies, and
severe temptations to complain about along the way.
We easily lose heart, see the need for
perseverance as a sign that something has gone wrong, and
weaken in faith. All the while, God's promise lies
before us, waiting for those who have both faith
and patience. Only this tandem of attitudes
makes the inheritance possible (Hebrews 6:12). One
or the other is not enough.
Perseverance is a necessary Kingdom
attribute. The writer of Hebrews urged his readers not
to shrink back in fear or unbelief, citing the
spies' report in the wilderness and the people's
response to it as the prime example of what not to
do. The Kingdom is not a place of fear,
complaining, or weak wills. It's a place of encountering
obstacles and opposition and overcoming them, of
enduring to the end, of setting our sights on the
inheritance and never swerving from it. Remember that in
whatever you face today. Nothing can undo God's plans
for you if you anchor yourself in what you know
to be true and refuse to be moved. [The One
Year Heaven On Earth Devotional by Chris
Tiegreen]
CONCLUDING THOUGHT
Whatever our motive, a failure to trust God
enough to obey Him has consequences. How much
wiser to simply put ourselves completely in
Gods hands, and to obey Him without holding back.
[The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Numbers 14:6-9 - Flesh Can Never Accomplish
What Only Faith Can Do.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20090311-0845.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
