But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out
Trust but verify. President Ronald Reagan made this phrase famous in reference to the Soviet Union. In this case, the track record of that regime required the extra step of making sure they could be trusted before trusting them. Almost all of the spies Moses sent into the Promised Land could have used this phrase to describe their behavior. What they saw filled them with fear and they could not envision taking over the nations because of their strength. They trusted their own fear instead of God who promised the land to them.
We live in a land that seems impervious to the gospel and is offended by it. Instead of filling us with fear, we can rejoice that it verifies what Jesus said, that they would hate us because they hated him. Jesus promised that it would be hard for us to build his church and we agree. The good news is that he promised that he himself would build his church, just as God would give the land to the Israelites. In this election season, we can easily bring a bad report of the land we call home. Let us go up at once.
Dear Lord, thank you for the promises that you will bring victory. May we trust you and not our own fear. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church