SMALL HILLS ARE DO-ABLE
Joshua 2:24: “They [two spies Joshua sent to explore Canaan] said to Joshua, ‘The LORD has certainly given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.’”
Their report sounds small hill do-able. However, the original report that God told Moses to get about Canaan returned with mountains of impossible obstacles. “The people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. … We cannot attack these people; they are stronger than we are.” (Numbers 13:28, and 31).
Numbers 13:32, and 33 reports, “The land we explored devours everyone in it. All the people we saw there were of great size. … We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
These faithless spies intended to arouse fear in the people. Their plan worked. Numbers 14 shows the people wailed loudly. They didn’t want to enter Canaan anymore. In fact, they wanted to name a new leader who’d return them to Egypt and slavery!
Only faithful Caleb and Joshua tried to sway the people to enter their “Promised Land” that God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 6:2-4). Numbers 13:30 says, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” The lesson linked below shows more debates by Caleb.
The Israelites’ rebellion against God began their 40-year journey. Canaan is only an eleven day “small hill”-do-able obstacle (Deuteronomy 1:2). The people had a bad attitude and no faith. They envisioned entering Canaan was impossible. They never reached their “Promised Land” nor their potential.
God reacted to Israelite mutiny in Numbers 14:23, “Not one of the men who saw My glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert who disobeyed Me and tested Me ten times—not one of them will ever see the l and I promised to their forefathers. Not one who has treated Me with contempt will ever see it.”
Take Home Nugget
Both the righteous and the wicked envision the same life landscape. The picture only changes compared to one’s perspective. The wicked see a mountain and say. “I can never do that!” While they could have reached their goals, a bad attitude and little faith stops them cold. At life’s end, they are tormented with regret.
The righteous see a small hill and think, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13). At life’s end, the righteous see their accomplishments as monumental!
Help me Holy Father, to seize challenges You present as do-able by the power of Your Son and Spirit. Amen.
Adapted from “Reaching Our Goals” by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. www.HolyLandMoments.com. July 25, 2017.
J.D. Griffith
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