The book of Numbers (in the Bible) is interesting. You would not think so by the title and when you start it does not have that quality that reaches out and grabs your attention. The first few chapters contain information about a census and how they are supposed to build and furnish the tabernacle, and then bam, God lit the camp on fire because some people are complaining about hardships. And then they complain about the manna and God gives them quail until they are were literally sick from it. Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses so God makes Miriam leprous. Then the twelve are sent into the promise land and the majority report is negative, the people are distraught so God punishes them by giving them an additional forty years in the desert. Then it is back to the laws.
I want to focus on the reaction of the people to the report of the spies. But first let’s recap the journey to this point. God had systematically punished their enemy with plagues that culminated in their release from slavery because the death of the first born of every Egyptians. After they were on their way God placed them in a position so they could see Him deliver them in a way only He could. He let them cross a sea on dry land and then wipes out the enemy by first fighting them and then drowning the entire army so there is no way the enemy can pursue them further.
The entire time they were traveling, not only was God giving Moses specific directions but also there is a pillar of fire and a cloud of smoke confirming to the people that God was with then and directing them. He fed them, gave them water, and gave them a system of laws. So now they are ready to go into the Promised Land and they get the report that indeed the land is bountiful and the fruit is magnificent. But there is one problem; the people there are big, they have big walls around their cities, and taking it could be a big problem. Caleb says that is true but we can do it.
Everything they said up to this point is ok and true. The problem is what happens next. Ten of the twelve begin to stir up the people telling them it is impossible to take the land God has promised them and led them to. How crazy is that? Look at all He has done over the past few months in their site. These are not stories they had heard; they lived them! Their reaction is amazing. They would rather return to Egypt as slaves than face the big problems in front of them.
They had forgotten that they had not had to fight a single battle without God going before them to prepare the way. They were going to have to work for the land and God never told them this would be easy, but He did promise them great things if they would follow Him and do what He told them to do. What they forgot is that their God was bigger than any possible situations they would face. It would not be easy and the work would be hard, but in the end they would succeed. They paid a big price for their disobedience and lack of faith. Most of them died without seeing the promise and the people had to wait another 40 years to receive that promise.
It is easy to condemn them for this, but how often so we do the same thing? We see God work in great ways and then He gives us a new direction and we balk at it because it looks hard, or we are uncomfortable with what we will have to do to get the better thing. We say, I know things were not good like they were and God is going to give us something better, but it’s going to be __________ (hard, different, uncomfortable, a struggle; take your pick) so let’s go back.
We see it all the time. Companies that don’t want to change, people who don’t want to take a chance, but more importantly churches that do not want to follow God. It’s clear that if you don’t step out on faith and follow the leadership God has put in place you are going to die. We would rather stay in slavery rather than struggle with change and reach a community that is dying all around us. The people of Israel were in slavery for 430 years. It was a miserable existence, but they would rather return to that than face the giants that stood in the way of what God had promised. We shake our heads, clack our tongues and condemn them for their lack of faith while we do the same thing.
Here is a principle we need to remember; God does not call us to do anything of consequence that is easy. If it were easy we would not need God to accomplish it.
The question we need to answer is what is God calling you to do and what is God calling our church to do to have an impact for the Kingdom? And then is our faith big enough to allow the God we serve to show His power and faithfulness. God will accomplish His purpose, but will we get to be a part of what He wants to do?

This is cross posted to howard.chbcblogs.org