We have just entered into the Hebrew month of Av. The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, with the beginning of each month marked by the new moon. Each month is significant in what the Lord is saying to His people as he reveals more about who He is and about His plans and purposes.
Historically, Av was the month God had intended for His people to come into their inheritance, to enter into the promised land. Moving forward, it would be a month of remembrance and celebrating His goodness. But that is not what happened. On the 9th of Av, after the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt, provided for them in the desert, instructed them and showed them His glory, they came to the threshold of the promised land at Kadish Barnea. Here they were faced with a choice to either believe God would lead them in to inherit the land or to align themselves with fear and unbelief. They chose unbelief. And it cost them everything.
Ten and Two
In Numbers 13-14, we see the children of Israel (having been miraculously delivered out of Egypt) coming to the entrance of the promised land. This is their inheritance, the land God has promised to give to them. The Lord tells Moses to send twelve spies into the land on a reconnaissance mission. These twelve men (one from each tribe) spend forty days scoping out the territory and its people. When they return, they confirm that the land is just as the Lord has said – flowing with milk and honey. They also display its bountiful fruit-bearing potential (a single cluster of grapes was carried on a pole between two men).
But then ten of the spies launch into a fear-mongering report focused on how many inhabitants were in the land and how big they were. They took their eyes off the promise of God and placed them squarely on the enemy in front of them. They partnered with fear and intimidation. They failed to believe they could take the land, even though God had already said He would give it into their hands.
Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, stood squarely in front of Moses and Aaron and brought the minority report: “We can take this land! God can do this!”
So, what was the people’s response to these two men of faith and valor – two young pups who dared to believe the Lord is who is said He is and would do what He said He would do? They panicked. They called for Moses to be replaced by a new leader who would take them back to Egypt – back to the bondage they had just been freed from. Joshua and Caleb stepped up again and reminded the people that this land that had been promised to them was “exceedingly good land.”
“… do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. (Numbers 14:9-10)
Does this Sound Familiar?
We face a situation (individually or as a nation) where the enemy looks big and intimidating. We see the goodness of the territory the Lord has promised to us and we even taste its fruit. Do we trust Him to be faithful and true to His word, or do we partner with fear and intimidation? Do we seek to shut up and shut down those who call out our fear and unbelief? Do we seek to replace the leader(s) who led us to the edge of the promise and find someone who will take us back into bondage? Or do we stand behind him/her/them and let them lead us in? Whose report will we believe?
What happened next in this story is interesting to me. Here is Numbers 14:10 in its entirety:
But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
Wait. What? The people sought to kill Joshua and Caleb for not partnering with the enemies of fear and intimidation. And God showed up. Throughout the Old Testament, God showed up in His physical manifest presence at different times for a variety of reasons. I believe this moment was one where He was saying, “Enough is enough!” The Lord had had enough of His people grumbling and complaining and placing their trust in anything and anyone but Him. He sentenced them to forty years in the wilderness (one for each day the spies spent in the land bringing their hearts into alignment with the enemy). He proclaimed that the entire generation would die off in the desert and that the next generation, led by Joshua and Caleb, would be the ones to lead the people into their inheritance.
The ten spies? Here is what happened to them:
As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land, even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land. (Numbers 14:36-38)
Who are You?
Joshua and Caleb were the remnant. God has always had and always will have a remnant, a people whose hearts are completely His, who press in to Him, who know Him deeply and trust Him completely. They know who their God is. They are confident in their own identity as His sons and daughters and the authority they carry. These are the ones who will step into their inheritance, who will walk into their promised land with the bodies of their slain enemies behind them.
So now, one question remains. Are you one of the ten? If you find yourself agreeing by your words and actions with the lies of the enemy in your life (or in the lives of those around you), stop. Break your partnership with fear and intimidation when you see an enemy that appears big and strong. Come into alignment with the word, plans and promises of God. He will deliver your enemy into your hands and establish you in the territory He has promised to you.
Be the remnant.
This month of Av is the time to hear and understand. Hear what the Lord is saying and review what He has already told you and promised to you. Rid yourself of anything that would hinder your heart from coming into alignment with His plans and purposes. Trust Him. He is faithful. The promised land is ours for the taking!
(NOTE: Journey with us as we explore the Issachar anointing of discerning signs and seasons by joining the Facebook group Signs & Seasons.)