Jump Start # 3941
Numbers 14:10 “But all the congregation said to sone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.”
Our verse today expresses the faithless desperation and disagreement that Israel had with Joshua and Caleb. Those two were part of the team chosen to go an inspect and spy out the promise land. God had promised this long ago to Abraham. Now, on the doorstep of seeing that promise fulfilled they go to check out the land.
Indeed, as they saw with their own eyes and as they brought back samples, it was a good land, flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord said. But, they saw something else. They saw fortified cities. They saw inhabitants that were strong. They saw giants. God didn’t tell them about those things. The report given by the majority was negative and lacking faith. There is no way we can take possession. We’ll be wiped out. The hearts melted. It wasn’t what they were expecting. They grumbled. Then, as our verse indicates, they decided to kill Joshua and Caleb. They were going to quiet and eliminate the voices that disagreed with them.
Coupled with further faithless complaining, God decided that the adults of that generation would not enter the land promised. Their children would and Joshua and Caleb would.
What is remarkable about our verse today is that the threat of violence, stoning and death did not come from the enemies within the land. It was not the cry from the walls of the fortified cities. This is not what the giants were saying. No, this came from Israel, the people of God. God’s own people wanted to kill Joshua and Caleb because they disagreed with them. Silence the voices. Remove the voices. Eliminate the disagreement and all will be good.
This same mentality is alive and well these days. Disagree with someone and you are defriended on Facebook, dropped as a friend and your named blocked from their contacts. The feeling today is of emotional rocks being thrown at those who we disagree with.
That spirit among Israel crippled any unity that they believed existed among them. It demonstrated that the nation did not believe nor trust the promises of God. They got so worked up that they decided that if they went into the promise land that they would be killed. God brought them this far only to be wiped out by giants in the land. The trouble wasn’t the giants. The trouble was Israel. When faith and faithless intersect, trouble abounds.
There ought to be some lessons we can see here:
First, just because God’s people raise a doubting question, does not mean that they are right. It does not mean all the good that is being done needs to stop. Some of our greatest trials and troubles is found within the walls of the church building. It’s not the atheists that are bring havoc to our hearts and assemblies. It’s coming from God’s people who are convinced that success is not possible.
Dissensions among elders can lead to dissolving the eldership. Disagreements among brethren can lead to sour spirits and a spirit that no longer trusts each other.
Second, if we set about stoning everyone that disagreed with us, before long we’d be the last one standing. Sometimes we forget who the enemy is. Killing Joshua and Caleb would not prove the bad report was the right report. Killing Joshua and Caleb would set a standard that if there was something we didn’t like, we’d remove that person or silence that voice.
This concept is repeated throughout the Bible. When David’s men returned home and found that their families had been kidnapped, they wanted to stone David. Would that have brought their families back? Would that had set things right? When the Jews heard Stephen preaching, they covered their ears, rushed him and put him to death. Our political climate today is to mock, make fun of and silence those who disagree with you. Where is the platform for open discussion? Can we talk about it?
This atmosphere prevails in many congregations today. Someone disagrees with a statement made in a Bible class, but they are afraid to say anything lest they are verbally attacked and mocked. Just open our Bibles. Talk things through. Stand upon the word of God, not what I think, how I feel or what I’d like to see.
Third, for Israel, the problem really wasn’t that Joshua and Caleb presented a positive report that differed with theirs. The real problem was that the nation lacked faith in God. So there were giants in the land. So there were fortified cities. So the inhabitants were stronger than Israel. Had they not walked through the parted sea? Had they not seen the greatest army at that time, Egypt destroyed? Did they really believe that God brought them out only to die in a land He promised them? Faithless is the belt worn by cowards. And the faithless cry often breeds more faithlessness. The nation sided with the bad report and the bad reporters. It was the believing Joshua and Caleb that were allowed to walk into the land of promise.
Israel saw the problems. Joshua and Caleb saw the Lord. Israel believed it couldn’t be done. Joshua and Caleb believed they couldn’t fail. When we walk by sight rather than by faith, we don’t want to hear the voice of hope and promise.
We need to be reminded of these things in these times.
Roger