Failure to Reach the Promised Land

Numbers 13-14 We live in a world that offers many opportunities. When we are successful in obtaining our opportunities, we can say that we have reached our promised land. The central question for this article is: “Why do so many people fail to reach their promised land? This article is written from the perspective that God gives His children the opportunity to take possession of a land that He has already given to them. The word “land” can serve as a metaphor for anything that God has placed upon our hearts to do. The land belongs to us, but too often we fail to take possession of what God has given us. This article is based on Numbers 13-14. God has promised the Israelites that He is giving them a homeland that is full of opportunities for prosperity. Prosperity, in this case means that they will be able to fulfill the mission that God is calling them to. Do we as Christians realize that when God blesses us with opportunities we are expected to fulfill a mission for God? Our vocation, our place of employment and our social gatherings are platforms that we are to use to make God known, and it is an opportunity to minister to the needs of the people that we encounter. Let us be reminded that ministry is not limited to church activities. The late boxing champion Muhammad Ali wanted to become the world champion so that he could use his success as a platform to help meet the needs of poor people, and he fulfilled his dreams. In this text God is giving the Israelites the land so that they can make God known to the people who live in the land because they have no knowledge of God. Does this sound like your work place? However, the Israelites refuse to take possession of the Promised Land. Let us review the events that lead up to the point in which we say that the people failed to take possession of the Promised Land. In the book of Exodus we learn that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have been in bondage to the Egyptians for 400-430 years. God calls Moses and commissions him to lead the people out of Egypt into the land that He had promised their forefathers. Moses tells Pharaoh that God commands him to let the people go free, but the king denies the authority of God, and he refuses to let the people go. Because Pharaoh worships many gods and does not know God, God releases ten plagues against the gods of Egypt until at last the king allows the people to leave Egypt. God opens the sea and the Israelites escape the prison of Egypt. God is now sending the people to take possession of the land. At God’s command Moses sends twelve leaders of the tribes of Israel to spy out the land. They discover that the land is good just as God had said. They see a land that “flows with milk and honey” (Num. 13:27), but they find reasons not to take possession of the land. They rebel against the Lord (Num. 14:9). Since they are free from Egypt and have this golden opportunity, why do they fail to take advantage of the opportunity that God is giving to them? What are some reasons that we fail to take advantage of the opportunities that God gives to us? The first reason is that they are afraid of the opposition. They see three formidable foes in the people who live in the land, the large land space, and the fortified cities. They say, “Nevertheless the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there” (v. 28). They also see various other people groups living throughout the land (v. 29). Since God has defeated Pharaoh, why are the people afraid of the people that live in the land? Yes, the people are strong, but God has just defeated the Egyptian army? Why are the people intimidated by the land? The Israelites know nothing about ownership of property. The spies report that the land is good and produces an abundance of fruit. They see large cities with fortified walls; having well trained soldiers to defend them. They will not be able to penetrate their walls and overthrow the cities. The problem is that the people see the oppositions as being a bigger problem than the opportunities that God is giving to them. Up until this point God has done everything that needs to be done to defeat the opposition. Now, they are being called to participate with God in overcoming the opposition. The Israelites had been slaves for over four hundred years. They were the property and the responsibility of the Egyptians. They were protected by the Egyptians. The Egyptians provided for their needs. They had learned to wait on the decisions of the Egyptians. They knew very little about taking responsibility for themselves. Now, the responsibility is theirs. They must make choices and decisions for themselves. In this we can find a comparison to the Christian life. God calls us out of darkness and frees us from the dominion of sin, but when we are set free we are given the responsibility to live according to the commands of God. The second reason is the result of the first one. In Egypt they were nobodies. They were weak while the Egyptians were strong. Thus, they see themselves as weak when compared to the people of the land. The people of the land are great warriors. The descendants of Anak are physical giants. When the Israelites see them they see themselves as grasshoppers, small and insignificant insects that are at the mercy of people. The Israelites cannot imagine themselves as being able to defeat these giants. In the United States, all citizens have been given the legal right to opportunities; and for many their ancestors never received them. Yet, many never realize their potential. Why? Is it because we see ourselves as grasshoppers in the land of giants? Do we protest and turn to violence and addictive behaviors because of our fear of the challenges that are before us? There is no doubt that discrimination, poverty, lack of education and other forms of opposition stand in front of us. The real question is can we be like David (1 Sam. 17) and take the weapons that God has given us and destroy the giant in front of us? Do we believe that God has given us the victory? Will we seize that opportunities that God places in front of us? The third reason is their lack of faith in God. When we read this text we see that the ten spies tell of their fear of the land and its people. They persuade the people that they are unable to take the land. They will be better off if they choose a leader (not Moses) and return to Egypt. At least in Egypt they will have food, shelter, and clothing necessary for survival (Num. 14:1-4). They can only see death for themselves in the Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb try to convince the people to take God at His word. ‘“If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us- a land which flows with milk and honey. “Only do not rebel against the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them (14:8-9, NASB). Did you get that? The people spoke of their fears, but Joshua and Caleb said that it was really a matter of rebellion against the Lord. When we fail to act by faith in God it is really our lack of belief (v. 11) in God and His power to bring to pass what he has promised. We rebel against God. Here is a warning for those who refuse to take possession of the Promised Land. God will not allow this generation to enter the Promised Land. They will wander in the wilderness for forty years and die. God will keep His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will keep it through the next generation (14:26-38). Let us not rebel against the Lord. Let us have faith in our God. We can take possession of anything that God promises to give to us.