Let The Weak, Say I Am Strong ♡♡♡

"Then all the congregation of Israel raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept that night. All the Israelites murmured [in discontent] against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, "Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or that we had died in the wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land [of Canaan], to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said one to another, Let us appoint a [new] leader and return to Egypt" - Numbers 14:1-4 AMP

So here I am thinking hang on, did I miss something in between flipping the pages of numbers 13 & numbers 14? I mean, chapter 13 was just telling how some of  the Israelite men had been sent out to spy the land God was promising them. So how did that then escalate so quickly to the Israelites now murmuring, crying and desiring to return to Egypt. Did anything happen? Who is killing who by the sword and who is plundering wives and children?. Drama much right? until you pause and recognize that this could be you too. dang!

"Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, "Go up this way into the Negev (the South country); then go up into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many, and whether the land in which they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are open camps or fortications, and what the land is whether it is fat (productive) or lean, whether there is timber on it or not. Make an effort to get some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes" - Numbers 13:17-20

What a time it was, when God was planning to give the Israelites the land of Canaan. Scripture says, it was the time of the first ripe grapes, "yum" - what a time! - The focus here guys, was to spy the land and to bring back some of it's fruit. God was not asking that they go posses it themselves. If you are all too familiar with this portion of scripture, you'll remember that it was after thier visit to Canaan that some of the men came back and gave the Israelites a bad report. ------> "The land devours it's inhabitants, the people they saw were men of great stature, and they felt like they were not only grasshoppers in thier own eyes, but also in the eyes of the people they were intimidated by" - Numbers 13:31-33. I mean, not even one good report back!!!!! -  How did they even get to know what they seemed or looked like in the eyes of the inhabitants of the people in that land? That was not the assignment, but like the Israelites we can get entangled with things that we have no business being entangled by. Goliaths, Nephilim's, great statures, mountains, tall heights though appearing intimidating, are no big feats for God.

So they got fearful, anxious, worried. Anyone of us can relate to these kind of emotions. The Israelite men experienced some anxieties from observing the strength and "great stature" of the inhabitants. Could they have humbled out instead? Admitting thier own fears, instead of projecting thier insecurities on God and thier leaders? Their irrational fear, had nothing to do with feeling like Egypt was better off, or that thier wives and children would become plunder. It had a lot to do with thier own heart and thier own insecurities. Could that energy crying out and murmuring in fear against God and thier leaders, be better channelled into asking God to help thier unbelief? Afterall, God had brought them this far by many signs and wonders. Fear makes us think and do irrational things my friends. Fear tempts us to live out a life that is not true. "Why is God bringing us to this land of Canaan, to fall by the sword?" Not true. "Our wives and children will become plunder" Not true. "Oh that we had died in the wilderness" Not true. "Oh that we had died in the land of Egypt" Not true. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? Not true.

Are there things appearing real that are not God's true picture of your current situation? What are those things you could be projecting on God, that's really about your own heart. The longing for a place we once were, relationships we once had that God took us out of [insert here other things that represent Egypt in your life]; could be an indication of our lack of complete trust in God. When God has plans for our lives, promises for our future, He doesn't somehow lose his ability and power to bring what he plans to pass. God is not intimidated by strength and stature. He is not intimated by giants and Nephilim's. He created them, how can he be intimidated by them?!

The Israelites became so fearful in a moment, they longed for a new leader to take them back to where they had come from. Why does anyone want to do that? This is what irrational fear does, rather than admitting to our struggles before God. Murmuring, fear, grumbling and complaining slowly starts to become a lifestyle. When we are afraid, anxious, unbelieving, it is not an indication that our king is powerless or that we are in need of a new king. It's an indication that we do not know our king. And when we don't know someone too well, what do we do? We get to know them better!

   "Do not say why were the old days better than these? For it is not wise to ask such questions?" - Ecc7:10

"The Lord said to Moses. Is the Lord's hand (ability, power) limited (short, inadequate)? You shall see now whether My word will come to pass for you or not" - Numbers 11:23 AMP

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" - Philippians 4:6-7

Love,

Shay!