Have you ever been in a situation where you knew without a shadow of doubt that the Lord was directing you to either go somewhere and/or to surrender to a ministry of service – yet, all you could see were major “obstacles” ahead? The Book of Numbers records that the children of Israel struggled in a similar manner. Numbers 13 records that Moses sent twelve men (one from each tribe) to spy out the “promised land”. After forty days the men returned to give a report. Numbers 13:27 states,
“And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.”
However, in verse 28, ten of the men reported on some “obstacles” that they had seen, “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.”
But Caleb (one of the twelve) responded with, “Let us go up at once, and posses it; for we are well able to overcome it.” [Numbers 13:30]. Caleb had faith in the Lord that they could possess the land – even to overcome the “obstacles” – the children of Anak. In Numbers 14, both he and Joshua further proclaimed that the Lord would break down the obstacles – if they would only trust in the Lord. Numbers 14:7-9 states,
“And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 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.”
Nevertheless, the people allowed the “obstacles” to overshadow their going forward to possess the promised land. Numbers 13:33 clearly states that they had failed to consider what God had already done in bringing them out of Egypt by parting the Red Sea and by drowning the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. For it states, “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” Clearly, the children of Israel only saw defeat in themselves, instead of victory in the Lord.
Neither Moses, Aaron, Joshua nor Caleb could persuade the children of Israel to go forward. In fact, Numbers 14:10 states that the congregation sought to stone these men. Consequently, God harshly judged Israel. No one above the age of twenty, save Joshua and Caleb, would be allowed to enter the promised land. They would wander in the wilderness for forty years – one year for each day that the men spied out the land – and there in the wilderness would those twenty and above die.
In John 4:35-36 we read that Jesus called His disciples to go into the “fields that were white already to harvest”. Luke 10:2 also states,
“Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.”
A land that is white already to harvest is a land that must be possessed – lest the fruit spoil. We too may be inclined to make excuses as to why we cannot possess the land – for, there will be those nay-sayers, door-slammers, and name-callers. But if God has given us the land, why are we waiting? Let us first be the laborers that God would have us to be – then, He will send more laborers to help us “possess the land”.
If we allow obstacles to stand in our way of going forward in our service unto the Lord – we may find ourselves wandering in our own wilderness. Let us go forward in faith, and let us “possess the land” that the Lord has already provided the victory for.
