Seize the test.

Numbers 13:25-33

January 31, 2010

Road closed

Today’s Scripture finds the children of Israel in a classic dilemma for believers.  What do you do when your faith, running full steam ahead, turns the corner and slams into an impenetrable, immovable wall?  What do you do when you believe God has led you down a path and you find yourself facing the impossible, the insurmountable?

A lot of examples come to mind – not all of them usually considered faith-related, but they may well be in the eyes of those involved.  What if you believe God has called you to help rebuild Haiti?  What if you’re a politician and you believe your calling is get our country back on track by balancing the budget deficit?  What if God has called you to stem the moral tide in this country or defend the oppressed…and nobody seems to be listening? 

Those are huge, national if not global, problems.  When you step out to tackle them, you will undoubtedly run into giants and fortified cities.

Let’s move a little closer to home.  What if it’s a decision you made – starting a business, buying a home, getting married, having a baby, initiating a ministry, or going back to school?  You prayed about it, sought the counsel of others, tried to move cautiously and wisely, and moved forward because you were sure God was directing you.  Now you face overwhelming odds against success. The dream is crumbling.

In 1983, Linda and I made the decision to leave a local church position in Christian education and youth ministry and go to seminary.  We prayed over how to support this venture, and the Lord seemed to direct us to start a new church in Columbia, where we were headed to seminary.  Some churches, individuals, and organizations promised financial support – that seemed to be confirmation.

Four months after we got there, we had maybe one or two people in Columbia interested in being part of our startup church.  (I found out quickly how little I knew about church planting.)  Our funding had greatly dissipated.  I dropped all but one class in school.  Linda was pregnant with our second child.  Our pantry was literally empty. 

We had left a secure if modest income.  We had left a wonderful church family.  We thought God had led us down a clear path toward seminary and a new career – our “promised land” of a bright future.  Now all we faced were obstacles, disappointments, and discouragements.  “Lord, I thought you were in this….”

Have you been there?

Reasons to disbelieve

We often criticize the children of Israel – internally if not out loud – for their grumbling and complaining.  But let’s be honest.  They are not at all unlike us.

Multiply whatever impossible situations you’ve been in times about 2 million and at least feel their pain.  Two million is about how many of them there were.[1]  (The book of “Numbers” so-called because it is in part about counting them – not once but twice.)

As you read their story in Exodus (which is where we are in the chronological Bible reading) before you condescend toward the Israelites for their seemingly incessant pining to return to Egypt, just picture yourself among them.

·         God sends Moses as their deliverer, and Pharaoh only makes the slaves work harder (Exodus 5:19-21).

·         A mass of ex-slaves with no military experience stands at the edge of the Red Sea with nowhere to run as 600 of Pharaoh’s well-equipped charioteers kick up some desert dust heading toward them (Exodus 14:10-12).

·         You stand in this mob of parched, thirsty, desperate people in the middle of the hot desert and the only water available makes those who drink it sick (Exodus 15:22-24).  Or there’s no water at all (Exodus 17:3).

·         You run out of whatever food you brought from Egypt in a few short weeks and there’s no way to grow or find or hunt for food – for two million people (Exodus 16:1-3).  Did no one think of this before we left?

·         Your deliverer/leader disappears into a fiery, smoky mountain (Exodus 24:15-18) for a whole day, which turns into a week, then two weeks, then almost six weeks.  You never hear from him.  Wouldn’t you think you need to take matters into your own hands and make a Plan B (Exodus 32:1)?

·         Life just drags on (Numbers 11:1).  The manna was good at first, but it gets old.  Sleeping on the desert sand is OK for a night or two.  Now the kids are restless and the teenagers are bored.  Life is weary, and it doesn’t seem like this whole “promised land” thing is working out.

·         Moses acts like he’s the only one with a straight line to God (Numbers 12:1).

Be honest enough to say that had we been there, we would have been among the skeptics and complainers in the desert.  I certainly would have been.  One or more of those “impossible” situations would have put me over the edge.

Now in Numbers 13 we come to yet another crisis.  We’ve made it through all the others, and we seem ready to realize the dream.  It’s within our grasp.  We are just across the Jordan River from the homeland we have longed for.  Soon we will build our homes, plant our crops, settle down and live the good life.

God tells Moses, “Send some men to explore the land.”  Moses does.  In fact, he sends the best men – leaders from every tribe.  We have come to know these men, to trust their wisdom and discernment. 

Off they go.  They’re not spies as much as they are explorers.  God has given us this land (Numbers 13:2), so let’s get a first-hand look at it.  Is it worth our while – the vegetation, the fields, the vineyards?  Are we going to face some opposition?  How much? 

Another 40 days of anxious waiting.  Like Moses, the explorers weren’t heard from.  They didn’t call.  They didn’t e-mail.  They didn’t text or send pictures.  They didn’t tweet or post updates on Facebook.  Nothing.

When they did return, they said, “OK, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

It reminds me of our family’s trip to Savannah in late December.  Linda and I went out to pick up pizza.  I went into the takeout store at the appointed time and came back to the car emptyhanded.  “The good news is we get our pizza at half-price.  The bad news is we have to wait 20 more minutes.  They can’t find our order.”

We shopped a bit at a nearby grocery store, and then I went back to the pizza place.  I came back out and said to Linda, “They good news is our pizza is free.  The bad news is they lost the order again.”

The explorers came back with good news and bad news.  The good news is, “The land is amazing.  Milk and honey flow like a river.  The crops are like nothing we have ever seen.  Look!  It took two of us to carry one cluster of grapes.”

But there’s bad news.  The cities are huge and heavily walled.  The people are huge.  We felt like munchkins, and, to be honest, they looked at us like we were Hobbits.  Ten of the twelve explorers – remember, these were trusted leaders known for their wisdom and influence – said, “We can’t do this.”  Only one (Caleb, 13:30) spoke up at first (though Joshua later joined him, 14:6ff.) to say, “Have some faith!  We can do this.”

Faith is what had brought them to this point.  Shaky faith, to be sure.  Inconsistent faith, admittedly.  Faith because at several points they really didn’t have any other option, yes.  But faith nonetheless.  Somehow there were enough signs, enough miracles, enough provisions, to keep their faith up.

Now, to come to this!  At this point faith felt a lot like stupidity.  Have you ever been there?  What do you do next?

What to do

I find some wisdom in this passage for those times in life where it seems like we are facing an impossible dilemma as we seek to follow the Lord.

Take a team approach.  I still think Moses did the right thing by sending twelve men to explore, even though ten turned out to be a liability – and ultimately cost Moses himself an opportunity to go into the Promised Land.  But thank God for Caleb and Joshua. 

Would that the other ten – and then the whole group – would have sensed God’s Spirit in the two.  But for Moses’ part it was important to seek more information and, more importantly, the buy-in of the leadership.  Imagine what might have happened if they had gone across the Jordan River only to find out then about the giant obstacles.

It’s a practical word of wisdom.  Proverbs reminds us that “many advisers” help our plans succeed (Proverbs 14:22).  We Americans pride ourselves on making decisions on our own.  Moses reminds us that even if your advisers don’t tell you what you want to hear – and even if they’re wrong – there’s wisdom in consultation.

Review your signs.  If you hit a break wall, consider that God may actually want you to stop.  Not always – and that wasn’t the case with Moses.  But sometimes we may have missed the signs telling us to move forward.  Or maybe God did want us to move forward – but only this far.

It’s just a good idea to look back when you’re staring at that immovable wall.  In Israel’s case, they needed to remember all the ways in which God’s direction and provision were clear and unmistakable.  The plagues that affected Egyptians but not Israelites.  The way through the Sea.  The miraculous provision of water, bread, and meat.  The guiding cloud and fire. 

If God brought you this far, he is up to something down this path – whether you cross the finish line or not.  (Remember, Moses, and everyone over twenty did not make the Promised Land – but that doesn’t mean they were wrong in heading for it.)

Assess the alternatives.  We talked about this with Noah’s story.  So you’re at an impasse, wondering if you really are where God wants you.  It feels uncomfortable to be sitting still.  It feels threatening to stop your advance.

But what exactly are your options?  It’s fascinating how many times the Israelites said, “Let’s go back to Egypt.”  Really?  Do you think Pharaoh’s going to welcome you back with open arms?  Even if he did, have you really considered what life was like for you and your parents and their parents – under the thumb of a self-serving tyrant who when he feels threatened kills your babies or makes unreasonable demands?  You really want to go back there?

Sometimes you just have to face the fact that you are where you are.  Whether or not you made errors of spiritual discernment in getting here, this is where you are.  Stop reliving what’s undoable.  You are at another fork in the road, and there’s every reason to pray, “Lord, what’s my next step?”  But going back?  Not an option.

Finally, seize the test.  Whatever else this moment is in your life, wherever you go from here, this impossible situation can be a great turning point in your faith.  Pray this prayer, “Lord, here I am.  I don’t know what to do next.  I can’t undo the past, and neither can I see the future.  All I have is this moment.  I am yours.  I choose to trust you and to listen.  Help me to be willing to wait and willing to redirect.  In the meantime, teach me all I need to learn from this moment.” 

Faith is never stupidity.  God doesn’t judge us for making the best decision we can with the information and tools we have.  The sin of presumption is when we move forward in direct defiance of what we know God wants.  More on that next week.  The lesson of this week is what even when circumstances make us question our faith, it’s still worth it to trust, discern, and wait on God.  He’s not done with us.  Amen.