Numbers – Chapter 13

They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) Numbers 13:22 – To understand this some contextual aids would be helpful. First the descendants of Anak mentioned here were noted at people of great stature. They were taller and stronger than the normal man, and they were known as dreaded warriors. Some believe that Goliath and his siblings are from this linage. Second Hebron was a location in Israel’s history centuries prior for it was the burial place of the patriarch Abraham. Here is one of the key locations the spies of Israel came to, a place filled with giants and giants of the faith. Yet which did their eyes focus on? Did they focus on the example of faithfulness that was set before them with Abraham or did they focus on the size of their enemy that faithfulness in God would lead them to stand up against? By reading the chapter we see their focus was only on the size of the enemy and this led them to the disastrous future of wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. While our situation in life likely is far different than that of the Israelites here on the edge of the Promised Land, the challenge that faced these spies faces us. When confronted with something overwhelming and scary, does our eyes dwell on the object that is filling us with fear and anxiety or does our eyes dwell on the Faithful Father that is with us? In every season we have a great cloud of witness, as Hebrews 11 speaks about, that reminds us that faithfulness to the Lord even in the difficult is possible. We also have scripture repeatedly reminding us God is with us and never will forsake us. The question is what will you focus on the next time the enemy stands in your way to entering God’s promise? Will you dwell on the size of the giant in front of you or will you dwell on the size of the God with you? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3363

And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.” Numbers 13:27-28 – Yes, all that they said was true. The land did have fruit and it was good and it did have strong cities and strong people there. Up to this point nothing was done wrong, just the information given. It’s what the people did with the information that caused the problem. Some believed God was big enough to handle this large enemy. Others though only looked at their own might and began to cause others to doubt God too. We can’t change what’s ahead of us, but we can choose how we react to it. We can either choose to trust God in the face of danger or be the ones instilling fear in others. It’s one thing to not step into your promise land because of your fear, but it’s a whole separate thing to let your fear hold back others from their’s. So don’t only have faith in God for yourself, but also for the ones you have influence on. If you have the power to influence them away from God’s plan you have the power to influence towards it too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1429

Numbers 13 – Pastor Mac Daily DEVO So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. Numbers 13:21 – We have finally stepped into the passage where the 12 spies enter the future promise land to see what it’s all about. What’s hitting me this morning is how doable the journey was for the 12 spies. Yes, the people of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness during their journey to the promise land, but it wasn’t because it was just that far away. The 12 men were able to get there, visit the land, and return apparently fairly easily. Imagine then being Joshua and Caleb, who had seen the promise land with their own eyes, and they even knew the pathway to get there, yet were told to wait 40 years before seeing it again. I’ll be real with you, it would take a lot for me if I was Joshua or Caleb to not just slip out one afternoon and go taste that milk and honey again for myself since I knew the path to get there. This just shows though the faithfulness to God of these two men. That while yes, they physically could have gone to the promise land by themselves, and they knew even how to do it, they remained with God’s people serving God’s people and setting an example of faithfulness for them. Sometimes we too may have the physically capability to do something, and even the plans of how to do it, but God hasn’t called us to that. We may be able to say something hurtful or may be able to quit, but God hasn’t called us to that. Ability doesn’t always equal God’s directions for you. Faithfulness to the Lord is demonstrated when you possess the ability to be unfaithful but chose to follow Him instead. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2294