Numbers 13:1-14:45

When I was at University one of the books we had to study was Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Protestants, said Weber, characteristically worked hard, and for long hours, and saved their pennies.

It seems that during the twentieth century this work ethic permeated most sections of Western society – yes, even among Catholics! But recent statistics point to a drastic reversal of this longterm trend.

According to one survey, less than 25 per cent of Americans work at full capacity. Commitment to work ranked highest among Israelis, at 57 per cent, and lowest among the British, at 17 per cent. There was no mention of where Australia ranked – but I wonder how we would have ranked as a nation?

Unused talents are a potential problem in the general community, and in the business world, and they’re a particular deficiency within the church of Jesus Christ. I’m sure no one would claim that all the resources available to the church are being used today.

Imagine what the church would look like if we were all fully devoted followers of Christ, and if all our spiritual gifts were being utilised to their full capacity! Let’s encourage one another toward those ideals as we serve the Lord together.

Today’s passage narrates a series of events that Israel experienced when they were camped at the southernmost tip of the promised land, poised to mount their long-awaited assault on the occupying nations and claim their inheritance.

A commitment to excellence

Rather than rushing headlong into the fray, they are advised by the Lord to send 12 representative men to explore the land of Canaan (13:1). These men were handpicked by Moses, and I’m sure a great deal of honour attached to both their persons and their mission.

They were probably chosen for their experience and reliability, and their good standing in the community. These were momentous times, and these men would be the first of Abraham’s descendants to set foot in the promised land!

For them, and for us, a commitment to Christian service is a commitment to excellence. As Paul says in the New Testament, “Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58b).

I can imagine these 12 men setting out in high spirits, commissioned by Moses, consecrated by Aaron, and encouraged by the people. They’re filled with enthusiasm, anticipation and hope. They’re serving the Lord, doing his will. Their talents and their passion are not being wasted.

And what an experience awaited them in Canaan! [Read 13:21-25]. But what a sad tale they told upon returning to the Israelite camp! “They gave Moses this account: ‘We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there . . . ‘ ” (13:27-28).

And then Caleb spoke: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (13:30). We can always benefit from the voice of calm, optimistic faith. Unfortunately, the majority disagreed, and spread an unfavourable report about the land among the Israelites (13:31-33).

The perspective of Caleb (and Joshua) was in total opposition to that of the other ten spies. Caleb and Joshua approached their task with the perspective of faith, while the others were filled with pessimism and fear.

An attitude of faith

Effective ministry is founded on godly spirituality and faith. That was the defining difference between the two and the ten. The two were empowered by living faith; the ten by irrational fear. The two expressed confidence in their God; the ten projected fear of their enemies.

It is those who live by faith, and who perceive their world through the eye of faith, who accomplish great things for God, and deeply impact their contemporaries and their world. The perspective of faith is crucial.

The early church knew the power of this principle in developing an effective ministry: “They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 6:5b). We can sum up the principle in Paul’s familiar words: “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Assassinated Baptist minister and US civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr once said, “In the midst of outer dangers I have felt an inner calm and known resources of strength that only God could give. In many instances I have felt the power of God transforming the fatigue of despair into the buoyancy of hope. I am convinced that the universe is under the control of a loving purpose and that in the struggle for righteousness man has cosmic companionship. Behind the harsh appearances of the world there is a benign power.”

And that power is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Joshua and Caleb, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our God.

The reward of unfaithfulness

God rewards faithfulness, and judges wilful faithlessness. “The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his” (Proverbs 14:14).

Israel proved this time and time again; the same principle applies today. Both the exercise of faith, and the lack of faith, carry their rewards. Joshua and Caleb, along with Moses and Aaron, were people of faith. In response to the grumbling of the people, the two spies said to the entire Israelite assembly,

The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (14:7-9).

What was it that made the ten to see only terrifying giants and large fortified cities, while Joshua and Caleb simply said, “We will swallow them up. Their protection is gone”? The difference was that Joshua and Caleb viewed the situation from the perspective of faith.

Sadly, despite these encouragements, the voice of the majority was louder, and the whole community considered stoning Joshua and Caleb to death (14:10): if the messenger gives an unfavourable report, shoot the messenger.

The people had forgotten that God had instructed Moses to send the advance party into Canaan, and that God had led Israel out of Egypt to the border of the land, and that God had promised the land to Abraham and his descendants.

They were about to discover that lack of faith can have disastrous consequences. The Lord confides in Moses the chilling fact that he can no longer use these stubborn and rebellious people.

He says to Moses, “I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they” (14:12).

But Moses graciously intercedes for his people once again: “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now” (14:19).

And the Lord forgives the people, releasing them from the threat of immediate destruction, but pronouncing an equally terrible judgement on the whole community for their lack of faith:

‘Not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers . . . Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the desert.’

But the ten faithless spies were not absolved from their guilt: ” these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord’ (Numbers 14:23, 32, 37).

Lack of faith can have far-reaching and disastrous consequences. We’ve seen the consequences of the Israelites’ lack of faith; what about our own? Where have we been empowered by fear rather than faith? Where have we been so immobilised by our opponents that we fail to adopt the perspective of faith?

The reward for faithful service

A small, simple, humble faith leads to big rewards. Once the king of Persia needed a faithful servant and had two candidates for the office. He took both at fixed wages and told them to fill a cane basket with water from a nearby well, saying that he would come by in the evening to inspect their work.

After dumping a few buckets of water in the basket, one threw down his bucket and walked away in disgust, saying, “I’m not going to do such fool’s work!” The other man continued until he had drained the well. Looking down into it, he saw something shining at the bottom that proved to be a diamond ring.

“Now I see the use of pouring water into a basket!” he exclaimed. “If the ring had come up with the bucket before the well was dry, it would have stayed in the basket. Our work was not useless.”

Sometimes God’s blessing does not coincide with our expectations, and it seems futile to continue. But remember to wait until the well is dry, because there might be a pleasant surprise in store for you. That’s the perspective of faith and trust in a wise and loving God.

Throughout the church’s history, Christians who possessed a strong, vibrant faith have shared these ten characteristics:

1. They believed in a God who was powerful, loving and constantly available.

2. They applied biblical accounts of faith to their own experience (they said,

“If God did it for them, he’ll do it for me!”).

3. They noted the importance of faith in the teaching of Jesus.

4. They used the faith they had, not the faith they didn’t have, to obey God.

5. They approached life positively, with vision and optimism.

6. They verbalised their commitment to the vision (e.g. Philippians 4:13; 1 John 4:18).

7. They analysed, researched, organised and planned to reach their destiny.

8. They were prepared to take risks.

9. They lived clean, godly lives.

10. They fed their faith with discipline and hard work.

Making it personal

What about you? Where do you stand when it comes to faith? What would a full and frank appraisal of your faith commitment reveal? Times may grow tough, but the blessings of a life approached from the perspective of faith are quite literally out of this world! In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote that

In God you come up against something which is in every respect immeasurably superior to yourself . . . A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

When I left my home church, Sunnybank District Baptist Church in Brisbane, to commence my first pastorate, my senior pastor gave me two books, and in one he wrote these words: “Remember, whatever the outlook, practise the uplook.” Those were wise words.

Jesus said, “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25). Look up to Jesus today, and live. God blesses those who approach life with the perspective of faith.

A personal faith commitment to Jesus Christ cancels your guilt, imparts peace and joy, and radically transforms your destiny. It’s not a matter of having a big faith in God; it’s about genuine faith in a big God!

A small, simple, humble faith will, I believe, result in a positive relationship with God, a secure salvation, material blessings, and a partnership with God and his people in which you make worthwhile investments.

A small, simple, humble faith will also result in inconceivably great eternal benefits: endless life, a kingdom inheritance, and rewards for faithfulness.

In Jesus’ parable of the talents, those who invested their resources well received this commendation when their Master returned: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your Master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21).

Likewise, in the closely related parable of the sheep and goats, when the Son of Man (the eschatological Christ) returns in glory, he will say to the faithful, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).

Paul counsels us to draw encouragement and hope from the Scriptures (Romans 15:4). Let’s affirm from our passage today the excellence and urgency of Christian service; that effective ministry is founded on godly spirituality and faith; and that God rewards faithfulness and judges unfaithfulness.

Let’s also recognise that lack of faith can have disastrous consequences; and that a personal faith, though it may be small, simple and humble, leads to big rewards. God blesses those who approach life with the perspective of faith.

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E129 Copyright (c) 2003 Rod Benson. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: New International Version (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1980). To talk with Rod about this message, email or write to P.O. Box 1790, MACQUARIE CENTRE 2113 AUSTRALIA. To subscribe, email with “subscribe-river” in the subject. To unsubscribe, type “unsubscribe-river” in the subject.