We Still Win
Numbers 13:27-33 [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, 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. [33] 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 14:23-24 [23] Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: [24] 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.
What if the masks were just the beginning? Think back to when 9/11 happened. People were willing to give up freedoms in the name of peace and security. The last 2 years have shown how much people are willing to give up in the name of health. We know Jesus is coming again. However, we don’t know when. It amazes us how far our country has fallen over the last few years. The things that are acceptable in the worlds view, and the things that go completely against the Word of God. Things could still get worse. Some have tried to make preaching the Bible a hate crime. What if that becomes successful. They closed churches over a virus, what if they say we continue to be “deplorable” and have to start meeting underground? It’s easy to say that would never happen here, but I’m sure we all have seen things accepted now that we never thought would be accepted in our lifetime. We have no idea what the rest of our time here on this earth may hold. That wicked crowd seems to be very loud. Let me first say we need to be louder. We need to share Christ. We need to realize the urgency of the situation. What happens though if the louder we get the louder they continue to get? Just remember, we still win in the end. In our text today we know God has promised Canaan to the children of Israel. God has instructed Moses to send men search the land. They come back and tell Moses how great the land is, they even show them the fruit of the land when they bring back a cluster of grapes, pomegranates, and figs. Yet they tell Moses that they shouldn’t go because the people in the land are so great. In verse 30 though we see Caleb make a stand and try to still the people and say that they can overcome them. If you then read chapter 14 you find the people lifted up their voice and cried and wept that night. They just tried to be louder to get their way. They murmured against Moses and Aaron to the point that Joshua and Caleb again try to tell them they can possess the land. Those people then want to stone Joshua and Caleb. It gets to the point that God is about to wipe them out in verse 12:
Numbers 14:12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
Moses beseeches the Lord on their behalf and we know God spares them, but they will now spend 40 years in the wilderness. However, none of them twenty years and up will now see Canaan land. Joshua and Caleb wholeheartedly believed God would do what He said He would do. Therefore, they would get to see the promised land. It still took 40 years for that to take place. I can’t imagine everything they seen that’s not recorded for us. The feelings they had towards all that was going on. They knew though they had a promise. They had something to hold on to.
Joshua 14:7-13 [7] Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea 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.
Yes things have been crazy. Yes things continually seem to get more wicked. Things are going to continue to deteriorate. However, don’t give up now! We must press on and make the wicked have to get louder if they want their way. We must make our voices heard. Then no matter what may come our way, don’t lose sight of the fact that in the end, we still win! We get to spend eternity with Christ in heaven! Don’t let the world get you discouraged. Be encouraged that we serve a God that keeps His promises!
God bless you today! Bro. Josh Richardson
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