Spirit of Victory Church

Forty years or eleven days: that was the decision confronting the Israelites in Numbers13-14. Like us, the Israelites did not realize the vast and adverse impact their actions would have on their future. That is exactly the reason we must seek to obey God in every situation. Let’s examine this very important Old Testament story in which there are important life lessons. In Numbers 13:2, God gave Moses specific instructions: “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from the tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a leader among them.” God did not instruct the spies to determine their ability to take the land. In fact, His instructions actually contained the promise that He was “giving [the land] to the children of Israel.” So the first life lesson is that we should be mindful to hear and obey exactly what God says. The spies, however, took it upon themselves to determine their ability to take the land. The absolute worst thing about this decision was that it resulted in a finding directly opposed to God’s word to them. Ten of the spies reported, “…the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak (the giants) there” (Numbers 13:28). These spies allowed what they saw to interfere with what God told them. Herein lies a second life lesson: you must let the Word of God be final authority in your life. II Corinthians 4:18 puts it this way, “…do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” In other words, faith in the promises of God will change the negative things with which you are faced. But you must deliberately consider the Word of God above your situation. This will lead you to the faith-filled conclusion that God can and will do what He has promised to do on your behalf (see Romans 4:21). The Israelites’ negative and faithless attitude had a direct and adverse impact on their future. Consider Numbers 14:22-23, “because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they shall certainly not see the land…nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” Life lesson #3: our actions involve consequences. In this case, the Israelites’ unbelief and consequent murmuring and complaining launched them on a forty-year journey, which kept them out of the Promised Land. Only their descendants came into the land, after forty years. According to Bible scholars, the Israelites were originally only eleven days away from Canaan. I know people who think that everything they experience is the will of God because He allowed it to happen.
In this case, however, it is clear that God wanted Israel to take the direct route to Canaan. However, they, through expressed unbelief, opted for the long route—40 years! Therefore, a final life lesson is that our circumstances do not necessarily reflect the will of God. They are often the results of decisions we make. We must therefore use the Word of God to govern our decisions, causing them to align with the will of God as expressed with the Word of God. Just as the Israelites, you can choose to be out of the will of God, or you can choose to conform to His will. Forty years or eleven days: which will it be? The choice is truly up to you!