You remember what
Joshua and Caleb were famous for, right? Of course, you do. Moses had sent out 12 spies into the promised land to help prepare for battle. The story is found in Numbers 13, but 45 years later in Joshua 14, Caleb reminds Joshua what happened in Kadesh Barnea. Not that Joshua could have ever
forgotten that...as a result of the events that transpired, the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years.
Remember What He has done. Caleb
didn’t have to remind Joshua. But it is
important that we remember what God has
done for us. It is wonderful and marvelous that God chooses
not to call into remembrance our bad, but it is a terrible shame if we do not
call into remembrance God’s good works. Moses sent the twelve spies into
the land from Kadesh Barnea but only two brought a good report.
The story is found in Numbers
13.
1 And the LORD spoke
to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I
am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall
send a man, every one a leader among them.”
3 So Moses sent them
from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them
men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4 Now these were their
names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; 5 from
the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the tribe of
Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar,
Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea[fn] the
son of Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10
from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the
tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12
from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe
of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali,
Nahbi the son of Vophsi; 15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of
Machi.
16 These are the names
of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son
of Nun, Joshua.
The reason for the spies to go out was not to determine whether
they could take the land. God already made that decision. The passage says clearly that God was giving it to them. That was why they had
been delivered from Egypt in the first place! God wanted to
restore them to the Holy Land.
Has God been good to you? Do you call it into your remembrance, as Caleb did to Joshua 45 years later. There is a reason we celebrate the Lord's Supper in the church. There is a reason we have Memorial Day for those who have fallen in service of our country. God wants us to remember the good things of the past so that we can take courage for the future.
Remember What
He desires. If we are to fully follow God, we have to remember what God
has called us for. You have a purpose
for being here on earth. You have a mission.
Moses had sent out the spies to “see what
the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or
many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they
inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and
whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of
the fruit of the land.”
Nowhere was their mission to
see whether
they could take the land. Their job description did not say, “Go see if God
knows what He is talking about.” Their mission as spies were to spy the land
for the battle that was about to come.
You know the story. Ten came
back with a bad report. A report that made the people’s heart melt. Write down three words.
Word # 1 “NOTABLE.”
#2 “NOT”
#3 “Able.”
If you know someone named “Joshua” or “Caleb”, think about them and how “notable the names are based on this Bible story. Then ask yourself if you have ever met anyone named for the 10 spies who said they were “not able”. (It's okay to glance back at the passage above if you don't remember them...you probably read right past them.)
Moses, for some reason,
recorded the names of the other ten. Do you want to be notable like Caleb and Joshua. Or do
you want to be in group of 10 spies who said “We’re NOT ABLE. We’re NOT
ABLE to do what God has called us to do.”
Let us all have a reverent remembrance of what has done in the past so that we can do what He desires in the future.
