Bible Ballistics: BBs #331 Joshua And Caleb Or The 10???

 

As we observe all of the media frenzy going on around us, I am reminded that we must remember that it IS NOT the side you’re on, or even if you are in the majority. The question is whose side are YOU on? Now I know that sounds like a bit of double-talk, and it really is a bit of a conundrum to get us to think about life from the right perspective. God won’t ask us if we were a republican, or a democrat, or a libertarian, or even if you were part of the ‘green’ party, or an independent; but God will ask each one if you are His child through the blood of His Son?

One of my favorite Bible accounts is a reminder of this. It relates to Joshua and Caleb. Joshua, of course, had been Moses’ assistant, and Caleb one of the leaders of the people. They were part of the twelve sent to spy out the “Promised Land”, and return with a report. Well, they did that—all twelve went through the land, all saw the beauty and splendor of God’s “Promised Land” of “milk and honey”, yet they didn’t all come back with the same report. Let’s examine portions of the account in Numbers 13 and 14.

“And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel……and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 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. 28 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. 29 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. 30 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. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel……and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature….and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Numbers 13:25-32

Twelve men sent on a reconnaissance mission; ten came back defeated already, but two came back confident that the God who had promised Abraham this land, the God who had brought them to this land, the God who had shown them the ‘milk and honey’ was (And still is!) able to bring them victoriously in.

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 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! 3 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?” Numbers 14:1-3

The ten influenced the whole nation of Israel, and discouraged them to the point that they wept in despair, they murmured against Moses and accused God of misleading them! Whoa! Do you understand how easy it is to get our eyes on the giants and off of GOD! God had delivered them from Egypt; God had led them across the Red Sea; God had provided their food, water and protection; yet now they are ready to abandon God in fear because the “majority” said, “we can’t do it”! Ever hear that? We all have, but the story isn’t over there. There were two who had a different report—same event, same scouting mission, same observances—but they were looking through eyes of faith and trust in the Lord God Almighty!!! What did these two men see that the others didn’t? It wasn’t what they saw that was different, but they saw it differently, because of whom they trusted with what they saw. How about you?

“And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7 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.

8 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.

9 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 14:6-9

Joshua and Caleb called the people to stand fast on the promises of God, but they wouldn’t listen, and because of their rebellion God set them to wander in the wilderness until all of those who rejected God died, and the children for whom they feared, were brought in. But what happened to Joshua and Caleb? They were both rewarded for their faithfulness to God. Joshua became the successor to Moses when they came to the Jordan River, and Caleb was spared and blessed to conquer the land God promised him. Why? God Himself gives us that answer.

“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

And bring him in He did. So you and I must decide day by day, even today, will we believe God or men? We will be fearful or confident in our Lord Jesus Christ? We must “stand fast in the evil day”—and friends that is where we are! And God gives us the power to succeed by faith.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord….” 2 Timothy 1:7-8a

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Thessalonians 4:19-20

The choice is yours! Will you choose to respond like Joshua and Caleb, or will you be swayed by men—whether they are the majority or the minority? Will your stand fast on the promises of God and His Word, or will you believe the lies of the enemy? These are choices we make every day, and we must be grounded in God’s Word, and have confidence in the faithfulness of God, to make the right ones. May we choose wisely today! May we take heart from the testimony of Caleb, and though it’s a bit long, I think it worth the time and have recorded it for you here:

“Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart. 8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. 9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. 11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. 12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. 13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.” Joshua 14:7-13

Oh, what a precious testimony, “I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me”! What stand will you be called upon to take for God today? I pray that we may have the boldness and confidence of these two godly men, today. God’s blessing on you dear ones as you face your “giants” today and each day! We serve the same faithful God—and remember—we win because God wins!!! Remember God brought David’s “giant” down with a rock and a slingshot! Pick up your ‘rock’!!! The Rock of Ages, that is!

Bible Ballistics: BBs #330      Only Your Own Story???

 

I am a great C.S. Lewis fan, and I just love the Chronicles of Narnia. I enjoy the great spiritual parallels and in some of the stories there is a line that Aslan speaks to a person he is encountering personally; when asked about some other person in the story Aslan’s reply is classic, “I only tell you ‘your’ story, not theirs!” A principle we should take to heart.

We are living in a culture that is plagued with, what I call, a ‘Pass the buck’ syndrome. No one is responsible for his own actions, and it seems that our favorite pastime is to criticize circumstances, motives (Or ulterior motives!) and intentions of others; as well as determining how they measure up to our particular expectations. There is a principle in scripture that calls us to ‘run in our own lane’—we are to run the race that Jesus places before us without regard to the race that someone else may be running.

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,

let us lay aside every weight,

and the sin which doth so easily beset us,

and let us run with patience

the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus

the author

and finisher

of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him

endured the cross,

despising the shame,

and is set down

at the right hand

of the throne of God.”     Hebrews 12:1-2

We are called to run “the race that is set before us”! Take note of pronouns used in this passage:

 “we also are compassed about—

  let us lay aside–

  doth so easily beset us—

  let us run—

  set before us—

  our faith—“ 

We are each called by God, each one given the opportunity to place our faith in Jesus, and each one is called to consider the testimony of those who are around us, both presently and those who have gone on before us (Whether recorded in scripture or great Christian biographies!). We must recognize that temptations and trials come to each one of us, yet we are not all tempted by the same things, and different issues may affect each of us differently. We are called to have unity in Jesus Christ, not to be uniform! We are called to run ‘the race’ that is set ‘before us’, not the race set before someone else. God sets the race, my job is to run faithfully and finish well. I don’t have to beat anyone else; this is a personal best not a competition with the rest of the body of Christ. Really? My race is not the same as yours, in the sense that we are each uniquely called and gifted to do what ‘only’ we can do. Yes there are basics that we are all called to pursue—God, Jesus, holiness, the knowledge of God through His Word, the fruit of the Spirit—but we all have unique giftings through which we accomplish God’s will.

I’d like to leave you with some words of Jesus to Peter after the resurrection, and at a restoration encounter at the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had just challenged Peter three times with the question, “lovest thou me?”, and to Peter’s positive response each time Jesus had commissioned him to feed and tend his sheep/lambs. Jesus then told Peter He would follow HIM to death for his faith. At this Peter, seeming to want to ‘change the subject’ turned to the Apostle John and asked Jesus a question about “John’s” story. Let’s consider what Jesus had to say in response to Peter’s inquiry.

“Verily, verily, I say unto thee,

When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself,

and walkedst whither thou wouldest:

but when thou shalt be old,

thou shalt stretch forth thy hands,

and another shall gird thee,

and carry thee whither

thou wouldest not.

19 This spake he,

signifying by what death

he should glorify God.

And when he had spoken this,

he saith unto him,

Follow me.

20 Then Peter,

turning about,

Philseeth the disciple

whom Jesus loved

following;

which also leaned on his breast

at supper,

and said, Lord, which is he

that betrayeth thee?

21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus,

Lord, and what shall this man do?

22 Jesus saith unto him,

If I will that he tarry till I come,

what is that to thee?

follow thou me.” John 21:18-22

So my friend, I ask you, “what is that to thee?” Are you so busy checking out everyone else’s race, that you aren’t running your own? Are you neglecting your race, to be a judge of someone else’s race? The solution is simple but not easy.

“follow thou me”—

And there is only one way to successfully do that:

“Looking unto Jesus

the author

and finisher

of our faith”

Or as the NASB translates it, we are to keep “fixing our eyes” on Jesus. So keep your eyes on the prize—Jesus– and don’t worry about what HE is calling others to do. Jesus is only concerned about you and I doing what HE has called us to do. Let’s press on together in “our lane” running “our race” with patience, love and diligence. Press on dear one, press on. Remember, we WIN! Jesus IS the prize!!!

“Brethren, I count not myself

to have apprehended:

but this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind,

and reaching forth unto those things

which are before,

14 I press toward the mark

for the prize

of the high calling

of God

in Christ Jesus.”     Philippians 3:13-14