June 27, 2019

Have you ever been promised something that seemed too good to be true? Something that seemed so good that you were not sure if it was actually going to happen or was happening in the moment? I felt that way when I received my first “nice guitar” for a Christmas gift. My wife would feel that if I ever bought her a horse.

We find the Israelites in a similar situation; they are finally approaching the land of Canaan, and they are probably experiencing excitement, nervousness, and doubt. Let’s break down this encounter.

Verses 19-20: Israelites leave Horeb and arrive outside the land of Canaan (the hill country of the Amorites).

Verse 21: Israelites are commanded to take the land that God has given to them and to not fear.

Verses 22-23: Israelites ask if they can send a group of men to explore the land and “bring [them] word again of the way by which [they] must go up.” This seemed like a good idea to Moses, so he sent a man from each of the 12 tribes.

Verses 24-25: The 12 men explore the land, and they come back with the following report, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”

So while God promises the Israelites that the land is theirs for the taking and there’s nothing to fear, we see their doubt lead to a search party. Even though hesitation and doubt are not necessarily sins, continuing to live in them is. As we are going to see in our next Jumpstart (or if you read ahead one verse), the Israelites still refuse to enter Canaan!

What are some things God has given you or promised you that you generally have a hard time accepting? Is it his complete control over every situation? Is it it his salvation through Jesus? Whatever it is, we can know because of his word that he is faithful, even in the unknown. “See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”