“Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, ‘The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.'” ~Numbers 14:6-9
Giants have been a theme in my life the past year. Everywhere I turned for a while, it seemed, the picture arose. Whether in a song, or a reference in a book, or in a sermon or conversation.
I’ve thought about Joshua and Caleb and the Promised Land, and how it all relates to my life. I wondered why they were so full of faith and the other spies were not. And then one day, while reading in Exodus 33 about the “tent of meeting” that Moses pitched outside the camp to meet with God, before the tabernacle and priests were established, I noticed something that I had never noticed before. It said that “anyone who inquired of the Lord could go to the tent of meeting” (v. 7) but then it only speaks of Moses going, and how the people when they saw the pillar of cloud would worship from the entrance of their own tents. Then it says the most intriguing thing in verse 11:
“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent.” (bold print added by me)
This was so stunning to me. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I don’t know what Joshua saw or experienced, and I don’t know why he stayed. But, I do know that he must have been among those who “inquired of the Lord” because he went there in the first place, and secondly, he lingered.
Wow. This is still so exciting to me because Joshua sought the Lord and lingered in His presence, and then fast forward a few years and he is one of only two whose confidence in the Lord was greater than their fear of the giants in the land that God had promised them.
This gives me such hope! I know that if I will seek and linger {wait on} God, I will see Him more and more and as His greatness dawns those giants will shrink more and more.
And then as I come to Hebrews 11, and read “by faith, by faith, by faith” I am inspired as I look over the list of names, that these people were not being commended for flawless performance, unquestionable character or perfect track records. This passage, sometimes called the “faith hall of fame” would be a “hall of shame” if it were based on each individuals’ own merit, as the Bible openly records the wrong doings of most, and for the rest, we know that they had a sinful nature just like us.
No, it was simply that they believed God.
I am so thankful for the hope that I have, and that it is all based on God’s promises and not my own strength. I am so thankful that “he is the rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6b)
There have been many “giants” lately it seems, both within and without, and my awareness of my inability to overcome them except by His grace and power has been ever so keen. Therefore this hope and these promises are more precious to me than I can express.
He. is. bigger.
Sixty-six books in a year 