GOD'S PROMISES IN THE FACE OF FEAR

Numbers 14:1 'So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.'

Today we are meditate if we are going to choose fear or the promises of the Lord. When we remember and confess the promises of the Lord, we can overcome any kind of fear. In the above passage, we can understand the journey of Israelites from Egypt in the wilderness. We read the congregation raised a loud cry and wept all night. The reason for their cry is recorded in previous chapter. Number 14 is a crucial chapter in the journey of Israel from Egypt to the promised land. They sent spies to scout on the land they are about to inherit. They chose one person from each tribes to spy out if the land is good or bad. After spying out the land, the spies reported the land is good but the people in the land are stronger and we cannot prevail them. Only two people shared good report but the majority of the people shared a false report. They faced a lot of consequences due to their false report. We must realize the great consequences that our statements can create. Due to the false report, the people of Israel were petrified. However Caleb and Joshua they encouraged people in holding onto the faith and the promises of the Lord. Other ten spies spread out fear leading the people of Israel into rebellion. We need to understand that fear will keep us away from the promises of the Lord. But the faith will help us to receive the promises from God. When we are given into circumstances, are we looking into fear or promises of God ? This chapter teaches us powerful lessons about faith, obedience and the consequences of distrust in God.

Faith that overcomes fear

Numbers 14:2-3 'And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?'

When the people of Israel started their journey it all seemed nice and they were motivated. Here we see after hearing the report of spies, they panicked and they were lamenting. Instead of trusting upon the Lord, they cried out in fear wanting to return to Egypt. The fear distorted their vision. They seemed to have forgotten all the works of the Lord. All the past miracles they witnessed in their way were forgotten. If only they had recalled the works and miracles of the Lord, they could have handled this situation better. They forgot how the Lord brought plagues into the land of Egypt to drive them out , how the Lord parted the red sea and provided them with divine manna. Fear made their problems look bigger than God. We need to understand that faith will see the power of the Lord whereas the fear will only see the problems. Joshua and Caleb reminded the people that God was with them and he will command a great victory for them. Every time we get up in the morning, our body will remind us all the negative things that took place last night. This is the work of Satan. When we face challenges like this, how are we handling them ? Do we respond with fear or faith ? Do we trust upon the Lord or Do we let fear drive us away from the promises of the Lord. Here we see when Israelites handled this problem with fear and failed to trust in the Lord. They looked upon the fear but they failed to look upon the Lord. This fear made them to decide it is better to go back to Egypt. If they had the faith on the Lord, they would have easily overcome the fear that gripped them.
Lessons Learnt : Fear makes us forget the past faithfulness of God and it will only lead to disobedience.

The consequences of Rebellion

Numbers 14:11 'Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? '

Over here we see the consequences they faced as fear gripped them. We see the Lord angered by their disbelief and it invited the punishment of the Lord. Since they refused to trust in the Lord, the Lord declared that no one over 20 years (except Caleb and Joshua) would enter into the Promised land. We read about this in Numbers 14:30. Also the Lord declared they will be wandering in the wilderness for forty years until the unbelieving generation died. We see disobedience paves the way for discipline. Even in our lives, everyone can re-count the beatings we got from our parents to reform us. Due to this disobedience, the people of Israel missed out on the blessings reserved by the Lord.

Interestingly, in the same chapter we see the Lord also honours the people who have their faith upon him. The Lord honors the faith of Joshua and Caleb. They ended up receiving the promise of the Lord when they trusted upon him. The same Canaan which was lost by many was given to them that trusted upon him. We need to know when we fail to believe on the Lord, we will end up losing a lot of blessings. We also see this theme in another incident in Numbers 20:12 'Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.' Here we see the Lord records that Moses and Aaron failed to believe in the Lord. But those two are not the only ones that is impacted. Same way, we need to understand that due to our lack of faith, our children and family will be affected. We the children of God should motivate and encourage other people during their tough times.
Lessons Learnt : Faith sees opportunities whereas fear sees obstacles.

Half hearted Repentance

Numbers 14:34,41-42 ' According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!” And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed.'

Here we see they had a half-hearted repentance. Initially they were excited to reach Canaan but now they wanted to return to Egypt. Now, after hearing their punishment, the Israelites tried to enter Canaan without the help of the Lord. We see they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain. Moses warned them but they ignored him and they ended up getting defeated. They could not take a decision in that situation. A delayed obedience is still a disobedience. They disobeyed God first by refusing to go, then by going when he told them not to. They did not follow the Lord whole-heartedly. They wanted to succeed without the help of the Lord. Even in our lives, the Lord has set a time for certain things. We need to wait patiently for his time to obtain the blessings. We will be victorious only when we trust upon the Lord. Are we trying to fix our mistakes in our own strength or Are we waiting on he time of the Lord ?

If we take a brisk walk between Egypt and Canaan, we can reach the destination within 15 days covering 400-500KMS. But we see Israelites travelled over 40 years due to their disobedience.
Only Joshua and Caleb inherited the promised land.
Lessons Learnt : Disobedience delays the blessings of the Lord. Faith unlocks the promises of the Lord.

POINTS TO REMEMBER :
> Numbers 14 reminds us that faith leads to victory but fear leads to failure.
> Like Joshua and Caleb, we must trust in God no matter how difficult the situation looks like.
> Instead of rebelling or taking matter in our own hands, we should wait on the promises of God and obey him completely.
> Are we responding in faith or fear when we face challenges ?
> God is faithful to his promises and trust upon God during difficult situations.
> We must be like Caleb and Joshua, standing firm in faith.
> Encourage the congregation to trust in God fully, even when situations seem overwhelming.
> Fear leads to wandering but faith leads to Victory.

Amen!!