03- 08- 11 MI DAILY DEVOTION
THEY NEED FAITH AS THEY GATHERED THE INFO (Numbers 13:18- 20)
18- “And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19- And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20- And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.”
The other job or responsibility of the leaders was to see the land. It sounds so easy and the instructions of Moses were simple and basic. They need to know the exact location of the land and they need to know the land geographically so they would know the boundaries, the entrance and the exit of the land. They also needed to know how many mountains, hills, valleys, rivers and springs. They were also instructed to know the agricultural land, the fruits and its supplies. They were instructed to know the people and its culture and language. It is also important for them to know their military power and their capabilities. And Joshua was good on this. He was the warrior of God and for God. He was a good soldier of God and that could be one of the reasons why Moses entrusted to him the leadership and God turned the table to him after the death of Moses. He took the baton that Moses left after his death with the Lord’s blessing. I don’t know if the world is using these principles in spying their enemies or other countries. But it seems that Moses was telling them to observe and spy on and know the people, properties, places and their prosperity in general. It is very important for us to know all these information because Moses sent them as spies so he (Moses) would know which step to take and what he would do as their leader. It is very important to us to know our enemy- the devil. It is also very important to us Christians to be faithful to the Word of God and to the instructions of our leaders for our good and for the benefit of others and the Christian community.
Their lives were in danger as they gathered the information that they can bring back to Moses their leader. They need faith and the grace of God as they worked hard for their country and countrymen and as they served the Lord as spies. They were away from their families and friends for at least forty days. In these verses, it’s very clear that they were inside the enemy line and was there for more than a month. (Verses 25- 26) 25- And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. 26- And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.” It was a great sacrifice on their part, but after all the sacrifices they made, it seems that they blew it off when they came back for reporting time with Moses and the Israelites. We will talk about it on the next portion of this series. But notice what the wisest man on earth said in the Book of (Proverbs 13:1- 3) 1- “A wise son heareth his father's instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2- A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. 3-He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.”
