STICK WITH THE WORD

“…If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him… and if anyone
takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy
God will take away his part from the book of life…”
Revelation 22:18b-19

God puts a lot of value to His Word and so should we.  There will always be a problem when anyone adds to or take away from God’s Word.  And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel…’” Numbers 13:1 NKJV.

God is a promise keeper.  Therefore, it is so important that we hold fast to what God has said. We have an excellent example of what can happen when the Word of God is not taken to heart.  Moses sent out 12 men to spy out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:1-14:38).  Moses gave the men specific instructions:

  1. See what the land is like.  Whether the land is good or bad, rich or poor.
  2. See if the people are strong or weak, few or many.
  3. See whether the cities are like camps or strongholds.
  4. See whether there is forest or not.     
  5. Be of good courage.
  6. Bring back some of the fruit of the land.

Ten of the spies did not remember the most important things:  (1) The Lord is giving the land to the children of Israel; and (2) Be of good courage.  The Lord is aware of our sinful nature and our fears, so it is necessary not to forget what God says to us.  God has told us:  I am with you always, even to the end of the age” Matthews 28:20b (KJV).

When we lose courage, our confidence in God is lost and we begin to reason from a natural standpoint.  The men returned with a report.  Let’s us look at how well they followed their instructions

  1. See what the land is like: the land flows with milk and honey.
  2. See the people:  The people who dwell in the land are strong.  We saw the descendants of Anak there.
  3. See the cities:  The cities are fortified and very large.
  4. See if there is forest.  They did not address this issue, but stated that the land devours its inhabitants.
  5. Be of good courage.  They did not operate in courage.  Instead they gave a bad report.  We saw giants and  were like grasshoppers in our own sight and in there sight. 
  6. Bring back some of the fruit.  They returned with some of the fruit of the land—a cluster of grapes, some pomegranates, and figs.

The report from ten spies filled the people with fear and the people lifted up their voices, cried and wept that night.  The people complained against Moses and Aaron and stated if only they had died in Egypt or the wilderness.  They wanted to select a leader to return to Egypt.

Joshua and Caleb were the only two spies that tried to encourage the congregation. They stated:  The land we passed through is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into the land and give it to us.  The people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb.  The glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meetings.

God saw the action of the people as rejecting Him.  The punishment was forty years in the wilderness and death to those rejecting God.  All who were 20 years and older died in the wilderness.   Because Joshua and Caleb followed the Lord wholeheartedly, they were granted the privilege to live and were able to go into the land forty year later.

God said He was giving the land of Canaan to the children of Israel. It had nothing to do with giants in the land, fortified cities, or a land that could devour.  God’s Word is God’s promise.  God equates the Word with Himself.  Because they rejected the Word, God said they rejected Him.  The prophet Balaam knew this about God:  God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” Numbers 23:11 (NKJV).

Let us stick with the Word of God. Let us not add to it or take from it. The ten spies acted as if taking the land was in their hands.  Instead of believing that God would give them the land, they focused on their insufficiencies.

What are you struggling with today?  Are you holding fast to the Word or are you looking at your insufficiencies?  Each time we are faced with a problem, it gives us the opportunity to trust God’s Word. Search His Word and find out what God is saying about the situation you are facing.