February 26th

There is another thing to consider from the story we read about yesterday. Notice the 10 spies not only saw the people of the promised land as giants, they also said that those people thought the Israelites were just puny grasshoppers to them. It doesn’t say anything about the enemies saying that to them, it is just what those 10 spies thought that those enemies thought of them.

Numbers 13:33 …We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Now that doesn’t sound like a big assumption if they really were big people who seemed like giants to the spies. Notice Joshua and Caleb didn’t say that the people weren’t giants, they just focused on the fact that God is bigger and able/willing to defeat them since He called them to do it. Therefore, it seems like they were big people. SO what’s the big deal, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to assume that those big people considered the spies to be little grasshoppers. Ah, but when we make that assumption, we are leaving our Mighty God out of the equation.

Let’s look at some verses that tell us what the enemies in that promised land actually did think of the Israelites. Joshua chapter 2 reveals the details. Joshua sent 2 spies to scout the land especially Jericho and they ended up at Rahab’s house in Jericho. The king got wind they were there and wanted them captured but she hid them and sent the king’s men to look for them outside the city. She told the spies what everyone there thought of them.

Joshua 2:9-11 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

That doesn’t sound like the people in the promised land thought anything like what the 10 spies said does it?! When we leave God out of the equation, we fall prey to fear and lies of the enemy. Other people’s opinions may not be what we think. Especially when God has anything to do with it. People in the promised land had heard about what God did at the Red Sea so they could escape Egypt and they were terrified of Israel because they knew that God was with them. Not only were those 10 spies wrong because they were ignoring God’s power to conquer giants, but they were also completely mistaken about the people’s opinions of the Israelites. The giants didn’t notice how small the spies were, they noticed how BIG Israel’s GOD was.

We can confidently walk in obedience and faith because we know we can count on God being not just IN the equation but being in control of the equation. Let’s quit worrying about what other people think and start trusting what God is doing.

Lord Jesus, you truly are overwhelming. There is none like you, you alone have the power that cannot be defeated by any enemy. You alone are worthy of all glory, and honor and praise. Help me to remember that you are with me and are in control and that changes everything. Help me to quit even worrying about what other people think of me. Thank you for your love, your plan and your victory for me.