Numbers Chapters 13, 14

The Group’s Report: “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.”

Caleb’s Report: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

The Group’s Response: “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

The two opinions that are presented to Moses and Aaron show two different beliefs of the power of the Israelites. The group sees that they are outnumbered. They have 600,000 fighting men, and sized up against those in the promised land, they feel they are no match. Yet Caleb and Joshua don’t see it in this way. They see their enemies against the almighty God, who brought plagues to Egypt, led them safely out of slavery, parted the Red Sea, fed them in the desert for almost 4 years at this point, kept their clothes from becoming worn, led them with a cloud and a pillar of fire, and promised that they would be the chosen people, and their descendents would be many.

Joshua’s faithfulness in the “we” that includes the almighty God is what led him to be the leader of God’s people, conquering many lands and continually trusted that the “we” of the Israelites always outnumbered their enemies. The entire book of Joshua shows a faith in God, not a faith in numbers, chariots, armor, or city walls. 600,000 men can defeat many thousands of men, but even 600,000 men cannot bring down the walls of Jerico that God brought down alone.

How does this make sense in my life? What have I not gone after because I felt outnumbered? Where have I failed to calculate the power of the almighty and faithful God? Where have I failed to remember the many ways he has rescued and restored me in the past? What chances for success have been weighed without factoring in the power that waits to assist me?

Chapter 14 says this:

“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 swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.’”

Failing to recognize the great strength we possess in and through God is one of the greatest lies of Satan. Our attempts at accomplishing things on our own bring him great joy, all while the God who has brought us through everything waits to be factored in, to be included in the equation.

At the beginning of the Book of Numbers, God asks Moses to take a census of all the Israelite men. The requirements were that they only count men who were 20 years or older and who could fight in the army. This number that was collected was 603,550. For most of the Israelite men, every obstacle they faced, every nation they feared they would have to fight, was measured up against this number. This was their census. They weighed their chances of success against this number. The theme of Numbers chapters 13 and 14 then, must be this: Do I count God in my census?

When we look at the things in our life that we need to accomplish, do we see them measured up against our abilities, our gifts, our time, our potential to succeed…Or do we count God? Do we fail to enter into the land that God wants to give us because we see it impossible? The dreams that God puts in our hearts are not a “get in there” slap on the butt. He backs it up. He has been faithful, and he will be faithful. We must never measure the things in our life up against anything short of God’s perfect power.