seeing things…that aren’t really there

The Word for today:
Numbers 15

The unbelieving world sets up a false choice between faith and objectivity. But the Bible teaches that the real choice is between faith and fear...

Twelve men went to scout out the Promised Land. When they came back, ten of them reported that the Promised Land would be impossible to conquer. Their lack of faith magnified the problem; their eyes saw what their fears had told them:
"We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." (Numbers 13:31-33)

But two of the men, Caleb and Joshua, give a minority report. Their eyes saw what God had told them:
"We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." (Numbers 13:30)

Faith sees things that aren’t there yet:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for. (Hebrews 11:1)

But unbelief sees things that aren’t there at all:
We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. (Numbers 13:33)

Fear told the ten that they would never be able to enter the Promised Land. Faith told Caleb and Joshua that the Promised Land was theirs for the taking.

Many years later, every one of them was proved right; the ten died in the desert, while Caleb and Joshua entered the Land. For better or for worse, we will all prove to be prophets.

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