FEAR NOT for January 14, 2016

Numbers 14:9 "Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not."

BACKGROUND: We are all familiar with the story of the 12 spies who were sent out to check out the land of Canaan which God had promised to His people. We know that only 2 of them believed that the land would be theirs for the taking, despite the "giants" which they found living there. Joshua and Caleb's words in verse 9 make more sense when we read starting from verse 6: "6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were of those who searched the land, tore their clothes: 7 And they spoke to all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey."

PERSONAL APPLICATION: The faith of Joshua and Caleb can be summed up with this phrase: "the Lord is with us." Compare this with the people who looked at their difficulties rather than looking at God. They saw the size of the giants rather than the size of their God. They saw the greatness of the walls of the cities rather than the greatness of the God they served. How many times have we done the exact same thing? Chuck Smith (@blueletterbible.org) makes these contrasts between faith and unbelief: 1. Faith will give comfort in the midst of fears; unbelief with give fear in the midst of comforts. 2. Faith makes great burdens light; unbelief makes light burdens heavy. 3. Faith lifts us when we are down; unbelief puts us down when we were up. 4. Faith brings us near to God when we were far from Him; unbelief puts us far from God when we were near to Him. 5. Faith brings us to the grace of God; unbelief brings us to the wrath of God. 6. Faith purifies the heart; unbelief pollutes the heart. 7. Faith brings peace to the troubled soul; unbelief brings turmoil to the peaceful soul. 8. Faith causes us to rejoice in the midst of sorrows; unbelief causes us to mourn in the midst of blessings. 9. By faith the children passed through the Red Sea; by unbelief they perished in the wilderness. Choosing between the two -- faith or unbelief -- should be a NO BRAINER for the Christian!!