For 40 Days – Day 15: The Scouts’ Reports: Consequences

Key Episode Scripture: Numbers chapters 13-14

“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”  (Numbers 14:7-9 ESVUK)

All the Israelites needed to do was get a report on the land promised by God, and then they could celebrate what they were about to receive. For 40 days, 12 men spied out the land. The majority report afterwards heavily influenced the people to turn from God. This episode included a view of the context and then an outline of the content before exploring some concepts to help with understanding what’s going on. We reached some conclusions in the previous entry.

There is a food manufacturer here in England called Mr Kipling’s. Among other things, they market their products with the catchphrase that they make “exceedingly” good material. Their marketing works for me. I like their Cherry Bakewell Tarts, and I truly find them to be exceedingly good cakes. That is to say, I take Mr Kipling at his word and taste and see that the tarts are good, and so I invest my money and time to enjoy further what they’ve said.

Often, we can act as observers and commentators on what we read in scripture. We can read this episode and tut as we shake our heads at Israel’s faithlessness and presumptuous behaviour. This is here, however, not just for us to pass comment on what we read; it’s here to act as a warning and an encouragement to us. It’s here, and the consequences for us on mission are significant. Significant enough in the hope that we, too, will not miss out on the exceedingly good promises that our Father – who is even better than Mr Kipling’s – has in store for us.

Here are some of the consequences for us on the mission in the light of this episode.

The Mission of God is in pursuit of the glory of God – Do we wake up in the morning and say to ourselves that we’re here for the glory of God? Do we map out our day with the thought that all that we do is for the glory of God? Do we acknowledge that our beliefs and behaviours reveal what we’re pursuing? God was upset at Israel for the umpteenth time for completely missing the point of why they’ve been rescued – and that was about them missing the perspective of the value of the glory of God. In as much as we’re grateful that we have the presence of God wherever we go as His children, the order of things doesn’t see us take Him with us to do our business. The order of things is that He takes us to do His business – His business in the home, His business in the community, His business in the workplace, His business in our hobbies and interests, His business in the use of resources. As we do His business in the way He orders, He gets glory. That doesn’t need to go viral on social media; it doesn’t require attention from hundreds, thousands or millions; it just requires our focus on God with the desire to do what He instructs – for His glory. As Jesus prayed in John 17, it started on the basis that He brought glory to the Father by doing His will. The people of Israel might have rejected that value, but Caleb and Joshua had the idea. Learning from them is for us to highly value God’s glory in what we endeavour in response to Him.

The Mission of God is based on the word of God – We can receive conflicting reports on what God says. Some reports can reinforce His Word; others seem to contradict it. When Jesus had informed His disciples what awaited Him – including rejection by the rulers and crucifixion – Peter rebuked Jesus as though Jesus didn’t know what He was talking about. Jesus couldn’t let that stay as it was; He knew He needed to make it plain to His disciples. He knew what God said and wouldn’t be shifted from that standard. Where the people of Israel chose to ignore God’s word, we cannot afford to do so. Where the people of Israel chose to go with a majority report that rejected the word of God, we cannot afford to do so. The mission of God only operates on His Word – word expressed in Christ, word expressed in print and word made alive by the Spirit of God in those who obey. It is very easy to be dissuaded from the Word of God, especially if we prefer to be gripped by fear or then exalt ourselves, behave presumptuously and take matters into our own hands. It is very easy, which makes it more important that we take the time to remind ourselves of what God has said and treasure His Word just as we value His glory.

The Mission of God is propelled by the vision from God – God often communicates through people by inviting them to see what He sees. That turns an experience of a potter and clay into a perspective on how God relates to His people. That turns a view of being besieged by the enemy into viewing the enemy themselves being besieged by the hosts of heaven’s army. That turns a perspective of being beaten and imprisoned into a prayer and praise service that sets up an opportunity to share the good news that saves a family and more. These things happen because life is a matter of perspective. Twelve men observed the same thing; two saw something different from what the other ten did. Why? Because God said this is their land, God said it was a good land; God said He who had taken them out of slavery would be capable of taking them in and keeping them. Not only did God say it, but Caleb and Joshua saw it – not just the land, but the vision of the good land inhabited by the people God rescued.

When God instructs, what do we see? Do we see what God sees? That can propel us even as circumstances appear to be adverse. That can motivate even when reports suggest a negative outcome. It does this because it is a vision from God with God at its very centre. With that perspective, how can we be anything other than enthused at the opportunity we see in front of us? It’s not about relying on emotions to get us through; it is about training and conditioning ourselves to lift our eyes to the Lord to see all around us from His perspective.

The Mission of God is sustained by deepening faith in God. Faith does not necessarily stay the same from our point of view. The faith we exercised at the start of our journey with Jesus could be very different from what we have at a different stage and what we use at a later stage. It’s why it’s a humbling and enriching acknowledgement to understand we may not have much of it, but we do want to grow in it. To grow in faith is to see how we respond to episodes where it’s challenged. To grow in faith is to see how we interact with God when doubts and fears arise. Caleb and Joshua could have backed down, especially when they were about to be stoned by the people. There is an episode where three Hebrew men are challenged about their devotion to God when told to bow before an image. In an episode, the apostles are told to stop talking about Jesus, who was crucified and rose again. These are times to see faith grow. The mission of God is carried out in the crucibles of life where, in whatever form, we are challenged to be like Caleb and fully follow God or shrink back in fear. If God says it, then God is responsible for delivering it – our part is to see if we’ll agree with Him and follow Him. We may occasionally falter and stumble, but God’s grace is present to allow us to grow from the experience, express that faith, and build from there. Two men endured 40 years of seeing their peers die out in the wilderness, but they could see and enjoy what God promised. Faith in God values God’s glory, trusts God’s Word, and has His perspective to persist and persevere. This faith is essential for us to return to God and, having enjoyed His exceedingly great presence with us, delightedly proclaim – mission accomplished.

Next, we will check a new episode of Forty Days that shows God’s people having to endure that length of time under a barrage of verbal assault as we explore … Intimidation.

For His Name’s Sake

C. L. J. Dryden

Shalom