Word of Salvation – January 2011

 

Numbers 13 – TWO FROGS AND TEN TOADS – by Rev. John Westendorp

(Sermon 13 in a series on Numbers)

Scripture Reading: Numbers 13.

Singing: Book of Worship 27 (1,3,4,10) / 103b / 468 / 214

 

Introduction: Australia had a number of early explorers who helped open up the country for settlement.

One of the most inspiring stories is about (Robert) Burke and (William) Wills.

Burke and Wills set out to travel right across the centre of this land from south to north.
They wanted to see what their country looked like… what kind of people lived there.
Was it the kind of land where people could live and build cities and plant gardens?

But the story of Burke and Wills is a sad story. Does anyone recall how it ended?
Yes…! They found that Australia is a harsh country… that swallows up its people.
Neither Burke nor Wills made it back home… they died somewhere near Innamincka.

 

Why am I telling you this story? Because we have a similar story in Numbers 13.

It too is an inspiring story about a forty-day expedition by a team of twelve men.

They too travelled right across the centre of their land from south to north.
They wanted to see what their country looked like… what kind of people lived there.
Was it the kind of land where people could live and build cities and plant gardens?

But the story of these twelve explorers is also a sad story. The Bible tells us how it ended.
Those explorers said it was a very harsh country… that swallows up its people.
And ten of the twelve never ever made it back to that country but died on its borders.

 

But I’m telling you this for another reason as well… because in some ways it’s our story too.

God sends His people out on an expedition… to claim territory for Him.

Travelling across Canaan is a little like travelling through life checking out its opportunities.
To see what life is like and what we can do with it… the kind of people we interact with.
Checking out how we will live and serve and work… there where God has placed us.

But it’s possible for your story to also become a very sad story in the end.
Because this life is a harsh, tough life… that swallows up its people.
And many people become sad casualties who never get where God wants them to be.

 

A] A DECISIVE WILDERNESS EVENT FOR ISRAEL.

 

1. This exploration of Canaan was meant to encourage Israel.

God had already told them what a wonderful country it was.

And He had told them what kind of people lived there.

But He wanted them to see it for themselves to encourage them to take up their inheritance.

So twelve leaders (one from each tribe) are chosen to investigate:
To check out the land and the people… the soil and the trees… the towns and villages.
And what a trip it turns out to be. Some wonderful fruit of the land is brought back.
Including a bunch of grapes so large it has to be carried on a pole between two men.

 

When these twelve explorers come home forty days later Moses calls a congregational meeting.
And there’s just one item on the agenda:
To hear the report of these brave explorers about their expedition.
To check out the wonderful produce they brought back from the land of Canaan.

 

But that meeting turns sour… (or as we might say today) it all went ‘pear shaped’.
All their future plans and programs are given the ‘thumbs down’ at this meeting.
Ten of the twelve explorers become totally negative about their future prospects.
And that whole community of people begins to grumble against Moses and God.

 

2. The story continues in chapter 14, showing us the outcome of this meeting.

It says: That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.

 

Just try to imagine that. Hundreds of thousands of people.
The census – in Numbers 1 – lists the men alone as being as many as half a million.
And that whole community begins weeping and wailing aloud that night.
You can imagine how the negativity became totally contagious – like catching a bad flu.
As news of the expedition spread… the negative response spread with it.
Until the whole nation is in turmoil.

 

After that the grumbling and complaints start… first just against Moses and Aaron.
But then even against the Lord their God.
Amazingly, they even charge God with murderous intentions:
That He’s bringing them into this land for only one reason… to kill them.

Moses and Aaron get a vote of no-confidence.
And the people talk about choosing a new leader to take them back to Egypt.
They are so worked up… so scared… that slave life in Egypt even begins to seem good.

And it gets worse… much worse… two of the explorers are positive and try to calm the crowd.
But they won’t have that at all… so they talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb to death.

 

It’s at that point Almighty God intervenes and threatens to destroy them all.
There is talk of a new beginning and God making Moses into a great nation.
And God relents only when Moses pleads on the basis of God’s covenant faithfulness.

 

So what do we do with this story?

What lessons are there for us in the behaviour of these twelve explorers?

 

3. It’s important for us to ask that question because these things were written for our instruction.

At first glance this might seem like just a warning not to rebel against God.

Because, that’s the context of this story in the book of Numbers.

This is actually the third “rebellion” story in a row.
And there are more “rebellion” stories to follow.
Israel was a nation of grumblers and rebels… and we should not be like them.

 

But there is much more at stake here than just another instance of rebellion.
This is a watershed event in Israel’s history.
It’s the great turning point in Israel’s wilderness story.
Up to this point they have spent a year camped at Mt Sinai. Then they set out.
Now a few weeks later they are on the border… and the land is theirs for the taking.

And yet as a result of what happens here they wander in the desert for forty years.
Until that whole generation has died out and their children have grown up.
Only then does the Lord finally lead them into the Promised Land.

 

So we have this simple story of a forty-day expedition.
With two different responses and reactions to that expedition.
But the consequence of those two different responses are dramatic and lasting.
For one lot of people it means defeat and death.
For the other lot of people it means life and success.

So the reactions to that expedition are momentous.
The reactions actually decide who enters Canaan and who dies in the desert.

 

B] THE TEN EXPLORERS WHO RELIED ON THEMSELVES.

 

1. Let’s have a look then first of all at the explorers who came with the majority report.

And – by the way – this story clearly shows us that majority is not always right.

The twelve report to the community that it is indeed a wonderful land.
We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey.
And then they bring out the wonderful produce of the land they have brought back:
Figs and pomegranates and that enormous bunch of grapes.

 

They not only speak about the productivity of the land.
They also speak about powerful people… and large fortified cities.
They even met some especially big people… descendants of Anak.
And then they list the various nations that lived in the land.
So… did they get that wrong?
No! They tell it exactly how it is and precisely what they saw.

 

At this point we need to say that those ten spies were not essentially different.
All twelve explorers saw the same land of milk and honey.
All twelve of them noted the strong people, the fortified cities and the giants.
Every one of those twelve could count the various nations.
There was no disagreement about those things… they were facts.

 

However… despite that… the majority report of the ten has a negative twist.
Verse 28 begins with a “but”… in the Hebrew text it’s even stronger.
Nevertheless…! It’s great land… just like the Lord said… but… nevertheless…!
So read that report again in the light of that word “nevertheless” and you get a slanted picture.
‘Great land… nevertheless their cities are fortified and large.
‘Wonderful country… but despite that we also saw some giants there.

 

2. Do you see why this report takes a negative slant and why people reacted negatively?

What should have happened…?

Every believing Israelite should have stood up and shouted: Nevertheless nothing!
How can you say: It’s exactly as God promised… nevertheless…!

 

That’s a common problem isn’t it? The ‘neverthelesses’ so often set us up for defeat and failure
The ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ already put us in a negative frame of mind.
And then they really become excuses that stop us from moving ahead as Christians.
I enjoy my work… but… the people there don’t like me talking about my faith.
I’d love to serve in the church in some way… but… I’m always so busy.
I know I should give my life to Jesus… but… my friends would give me a hard time.

 

This is the message of the ten explorers: ’Great country…. but… powerful people and strong cities!
’Wonderful land… but… there’s no vacancies… it’s fully occupied.
And when negativity then begins to set in among the people then Caleb has to quieten them.
But that only makes matters worse.

 

The ten then twist the rest of the story to discourage the people. They spread a bad report.
They now specifically tell the people that to enter Canaan would be a hopeless exercise.
Suicidal…! And notice how they now twist things.
Before they mentioned that they had seen some big people descended from Anak.
Now suddenly they say that all the people they saw were a great size.

They even resort to scare mongering by saying they saw Nephilim there – seen as half-gods.
Clearly a lie, because those legendary Nephilim were wiped out during the flood.
Scare tactics – like the old maps that had on the borders: There be dragons here!

 

3. So what’s the problem with these ten explorers?

Okay… they’ve given the story a negative slant, they’ve exaggerated and used scare tactics.

But there’s a more serious problem. The main problem is not with what they saw on their expedition.
The problem is with what they don’t see.
What they see is only the power of the enemy and their own limited resources.
What they don’t see is God and His power.

 

So these fellows are seeing things only from a human perspective.
And when we do that we so often see only the problems and the difficulties.
And we don’t see a way out any more.

Here were people called by God to take up their inheritance… the promised land of Canaan.
And they agreed that it was a wonderful land… but… there were also unbeatable opponents.
All they saw was a slave people fresh out of Egypt… with no power and no resources.
And they forgot God and His ability… that had rescued them from Egypt.
And it led to cowardice and death… not only for themselves but for the whole nation.

 

For us as God’s people the world is a dangerous place… and becoming more so.
God calls us to claim territory in this world for Jesus our King.
But sometimes all we see are the problems and our own powerlessness.
For our youth peer pressure to try drugs begins before you even get to high school.
And so does the temptation to experiment with sex.
For older people there is a growing intolerance of things Christian.
It’s a wonderful world we live in but… nevertheless… we can’t do it.

 

In those circumstances if all you have is your own abilities you are history.
Trusting Ourselves Always Defeats. (TOAD)
And that is certainly the case when it comes to eternal realities.
You cannot enter the Kingdom of Jesus trusting in your own abilities.
Take that road and you’ll die outside the Promised Land.

 

C] THE TWO EXPLORERS WHO RELIED ON THEIR GOD.

 

1. When we look at the other side of this story we see Caleb and Joshua.

And I want to stress that they are not essentially different.

 

Okay, I suppose you could argue that Joshua was rather special.
He had been singled out by Moses to be his apprentice.
So he had some benefits of having been mentored by Moses.
But the same cannot be said for Caleb… and he stands out here more than Joshua.

 

Please don’t be fooled. In so many ways there is no difference.
Joshua and Caleb too made exactly the same expedition right across the land.
They too saw the same strong fortified cities and the same tall people.

They too noted that the whole land was well and truly occupied.
This was no empty land sitting there for the taking.
It would take hard work to conquer the enemies.
It would be no easy task to take up their God-given inheritance.

 

So there had been nothing essentially different in their forty-day experience.
We could even say that they were no different either in their make-up.
They had been chosen on the same basis: as leaders in their tribes.
They were just as conscious of their weaknesses as a nation as the other ten explorers.
They knew just as well how lacking they were in battle experience.

 

2. And yet twice Caleb and Joshua boldly present a minority report to that congregational meeting.

They spoke in a way that differed from the other ten men.

And in a way that was designed to encourage the people.

 

So in chap. 13:30f Caleb says: forget about the ‘nevertheless’… the ifs and buts… let’s just do it.

And in chap.14:6 Joshua together with Caleb again challenge the people.

Again in very positive tones.

 

So what’s the difference between these two fellows, Caleb and Joshua, and the rest?
Is it just that Caleb and Joshua have more optimistic personalities?
While the other ten are more pessimistic?
After all we all know people who very naturally always look at the bright side of things.

Or is it that Joshua and Caleb are more courageous? Not scared so easily?
Or are they just plain naïve? Stupid? In that they don’t see the dangers?

 

3. No! The difference lies only in one thing: They saw what the other ten had not seen.

And the things they saw… which the others didn’t see… couldn’t be seen with physical eyes.

They could only be seen with the eyes of faith.
There is more to life than what we see with our physical eyes.
There was more to it than strong fortified cities and big people.
There was more to it than hostile nations trying to keep Israel out.
God was there too.
And God had already shown His power in amazing ways in Egypt.
The ten plagues… and Pharaoh and his army drowned in the Red Sea.
And if that’s the case what’s the problem? Let’s get on with it and do it.

 

I said a moment ago that for God’s people the world is a dangerous place… and becoming more so.
There’s a devil out there who doesn’t like us claiming territory for Jesus.
And he works through peer pressure on our young people.
And by making your friends and workmates intolerant of things Christian.

 

But when we’ve checked out the territory there is more to report than those negative things in life.
God is there too… and His power.
And He’s shown us that power in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
In fact He has already won the victory.

 

There are times in our lives when it is not easy being a Christian.
Problems heap up in our family and in our marriage.
And at the same time workmates at work are giving us a hard time.
Even in the church we have our disagreements and problems.
But today I remind you that there is more to see than hardship and opposition.
There is God and His great love and His amazing power.

 

That’s the difference with Joshua and Caleb – they relied on God.
No! More than that: they Fully Relied On God. (FROG)
And it led to bold courage and eventually to their entry into Canaan.
And when it comes to the kingdom of Jesus then we must fully rely on God.

 

Today I’ve given my sermon the title: Two frogs and ten toads.
I wonder if you’ve worked out why I’ve labelled these explorers as either frogs or toads?
In modern-day evangelical Christianity the frog is a symbol of someone who trusts in God.
FROG stands for: Fully Relying On God. Why? Because only God is able to save.
And only in His power can we live for Him.
And TOAD? Well, try Trusting Our Abilities Daily. Or Trusting Ourselves Always Defeats.
So as you leave church to go back into the world will it be as a toad or as a frog? Amen.