Numbers 14:2-3 (NKJV) And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”
The occupation of the Promised Land was not an option, but it was the will of God for God’s covenant people to have a land of their own. It was part of the Abrahamic covenant plan. Therefore, it had to be fulfilled and executed by faith. All that the people needed to do was to go in and possess it. God would conquer it for them but it had to be taken by faith.
Fear immobilised the Israelites because it was built on the negative reports brought about by the 10 spies. Fear said that they were grasshoppers while the enemies were giants. Fear concentrated on what the enemies could do—what is factual without the God factor in it. Fear causes us to worry about things that might not even happen. Fear causes us to have panic attacks and torments us throughout the day. Fear is also an outward manifestation of an inward conviction of negativism and a possible bad outcome. Fear increases all the more when we speak about and discuss the problem till it becomes an even bigger challenge for us. It steals our peace and joy.
Did God know about the giants in the land? Of course! Would God have any difficulty defeating them? No! However, there had to be a willingness for the people to act on God’s promises because it is faith that pleases God. This is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. The “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews Chapter 11 speaks of those individuals who were called by God, and who acted in faith despite their seemingly impossible situations.
Deuteronomy 1:34-36 (NKJV) And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.’.
Whenever we are given a promise by God, there will always be some who see the possibilities by faith while others will choose to look at the obstacles in the natural. This generation of Israelites failed to enter the Promised Land because they were evil, rebellious, stubborn, complainers, and half-hearted in following God. God gave them a choice because God has created men to have freewill, so which way will you choose?
Sermon Series: Having a Different Spirit
你会选择哪条路？
民数记14:2-3 以色列众人向摩西、亚伦发怨言，全会众对他们说：“巴不得我们早死在埃及地，或是死在这旷野。耶和华为什么把我们领到那地，使我们倒在刀下呢？我们的妻子和孩子必被掳掠，我们回埃及去岂不好吗？”
占领应许之地不是一个选项，而是神的旨意，神要祂盟约的子民能拥有自己的土地。这是亚伯拉罕之约的一部分。因此必须凭信心来实现和完成。人要做的就是进入应许之地并拥有它。神会为祂的子民征服那地，但必须凭信心才能获得。
因着十名探子带回的负面报告，恐惧让以色列人丧失了前行的动力。 恐惧说他们如蚱蜢而敌人是巨人。恐惧使人聚焦在敌人会对我们做什么 — 假如没有神在其中，这些使人恐惧的事可能真的会发生。恐惧会让我们担忧那些可能根本不会发生的事情。恐惧让我们惊慌失措，整日备受折磨。恐惧也是我们内心的消极信念和相信可能会有坏结果的外在表现。当我们不断述说和讨论问题直至它变成更大的挑战时，恐惧就越发的增长。它偷走了我们的平安和喜乐。
神知道那块土地有难以打败的巨人吗？当然了！击败他们对于神困难吗？不！然而，百姓必须愿意按神的应许行事，因为信心蒙神喜悦。这是贯穿整本圣经的主题。希伯来书11章中的”信心名人堂” 讲述了那些被神呼召的人，在看似不可能的情况下仍然凭信心行事。
申命记1:34-36 “耶和华听见你们这话，就发怒起誓说： ‘这恶世代的人，连一个也不得见我起誓应许赐给你们列祖的美地；惟有耶孚尼的儿子迦勒必得看见，并且我要将他所踏过的地赐给他和他的子孙，因为他专心跟从我。’
每当神给我们应许时，总会有人凭着信心看到实现的可能性，而另一些人则选择看那些现实中的障碍。这一代的以色列人无法进入应许之地，因为他们邪恶、叛逆、顽梗、抱怨，并三心二意地跟随神。神给了他们选择，因为神创造人时给了他们自由意志，那么你会选择哪条路呢？
讲章系列：有一个与众不同的灵
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