Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Borders of Canaan - The Book of Numbers

Transcript

The Borders of Canaan - The Book of Numbers · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And see the land, what it is, and the people
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: or many. Numbers 13, 18 Heavenly Father, I refuse to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: forget all the ways that you've come through for me.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: As I move forward, I will not replace your favor
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: with strategy, as the children of Israel did in Numbers
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: 13 and 14. When you give the command for me
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: to scope out my promised land, I will look at
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the house, the business, the new clients, the land, and
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: the territory through the eyes of Caleb and Joshua, who
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: saw the impossible as possible, because they knew who was
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: on their side, you, Lord. I declare with boldness, God,
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: that you have already given me the victory. I will
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: not look at my promises with a defeated mindset. I
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: command all fearful thoughts to leave my mind in the
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: name of Jesus. My promise is in front of me,
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: and I will not forget who is going before me
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: and who surrounds me. The land is mine. The promise
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: is mine. And I will leave a legacy for all
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: those who come after me. And, like Joshua, we will
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: eat the fruit of the land. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: The Borders of Canaan In our last story, we learned
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: how Miriam and Aaron gave in to the spirit of Cain,
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: raging with jealousy and contempt for Moses. As they schemed
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: against him, God called them into the tent of meeting
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: and struck Miriam with leprosy. He healed her at the
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: request of Moses. In this story, we learn how Moses
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: sends spies to scope out the land of Canaan and
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: how some Israelites tremble in fear. while others rise in hope,
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of Numbers.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
• 2:32
  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we saw
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: what happened to Miriam and Aaron when they tried to
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: undermine Moses as a leader. We learned how God disciplined
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: them because of their defiance. We also saw Moses stepping
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: in and advocating for his sister, sparing her from the
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: ultimate punishment of death. As we closed out the episode,
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: Moses and the Israelites set off again toward the promised land.
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: And today we'll hear as they arrive near Canaan. Moses
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: will send out spies to report on the new land
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: that they are about to enter. However, what should be
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: a time of great rejoicing and celebration in the fulfillment
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: of God's promise turns into a time of fear and faithlessness.
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: But there will be voices that bring hope and faith.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: Which voices will win out? Let's hear today's reading to
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: find out.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: It was finally within reach. The Israelites could feel the
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: gentle spring breeze dance along the grassy plains below the valley.
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: Springs of living water flowed from every direction and the
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: birds chirped to the same joyful melody. The promised land
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: was close. Canaan, the land promised to Abraham, was only
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: miles away. God instructed Moses to send twelve of his
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: best men to scope out the land and spy on
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: its inhabitants. The faithful twelve left in the dead of night,
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: remaining unnoticed by the Canaanites. Their orders were to dwell
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: in the shadows for forty days and come back with
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: a report. So for forty days the men spied. They
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: assessed the height of their walls and the strength of
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: their men. They explored the cities and picked the fruit.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: They searched for strongholds, weaknesses, camps, and armies. Silently and carefully,
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: the men gathered all they could and brought it back
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: to Moses. The spies returned after forty days. The elders
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: and many of the people gathered together to hear their report.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: It was night, and Moses sat and listened to the
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: men while peering into the large fire. It is just
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: as God said, the land is flowing with milk and honey.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: One of the spies exclaimed, However, the people there are mighty,
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: and their cities are well built and fortified. Another spy
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: chimed in, saying, It gets worse. The Amalekites, the Hittites,
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: and all of our enemies dwell in the hill country
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: above them. Concerned mumblings could be heard around the fire.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: People turned to one another, clearly disturbed by their report.
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: Yet Moses still remained silent. poking the fire in front
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: of him. The mumbles turned into loud cries of concern
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: and arguments. The crowd began to erupt with discomfort. Caleb,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: one of the spies, quieted the crowd. Listen, he yelled.
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: The people ceased their banter and looked up at Caleb.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: Let us go and take the land. We can overcome
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: whoever dwells there. Caleb spoke with confidence. His eyes glowed
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: with the reflection of the fire, yet they also reflected hope.' Lunatic!'
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: another spy shouted from the other side.' They are far
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: stronger than we ever will be!' Again the crowd erupted
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: with concerned banter. It did not take long for the
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: spy's bad report to spread like wildfire. Rumors, tall tales,
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: and half-truths plagued the entire camp like a virus— They
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: are all giants, some people shouted. I heard they are cannibals,
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: some more would whisper. Soon all hope seemed lost for
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: the people of Israel, and a faith in God was
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: replaced by fear and rumor. The congregation raised a loud cry,
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: and weeping could be heard for miles. Moses and Aaron
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: were inundated with complaints day and night. We would have
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: much rather died in Egypt than be devoured by cannibals
• 6:45
  Speaker 2: or fall by sword, they said. Our wives and little
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: ones will become their prey. And they said to one another,
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: Let us choose another leader and return to Egypt. Moses
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: and Aaron were overwhelmed by the people. They bowed their
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: faces to the ground before them. unable to handle the
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: onslaught of complaints, threats, and requests. Joshua and Caleb stood
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: before the people with swords in their hands. The people
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: fell silent as they saw Joshua raise his fist high
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: in the air.' It is good land!' Joshua shouted. He
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: paced the room, meeting everybody's eyes. If God delights in us,
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: he will give us victory. Stop rebelling, for by doing
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: so you ensure our defeat. Do not fear the people
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: in the land. They will be our bread. Joshua spoke passionately,
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: but to no avail. The people surrounded Joshua and Caleb
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: with stones. They cursed him, and fear drove them forward
• 7:46
  Speaker 2: to kill them. Their eyes burned red-hot with rage and terror.
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: Joshua and Caleb braced themselves for the onslaught of stones
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: and fists. The people leapt forward to kill them when
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: all of the sudden the glory of God appeared as
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: a rushing wind. God's fury interrupted their acts of fear
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: and hatred.' How long?' God asked Moses.' How long will
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: these people refuse to believe in me?' After every sign, deliverance,
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: and provision?' They still despise me. God's anger could be
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: felt in the air as Moses listened. They will be
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: striked down, God said. Moses fell before God again. Let
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: your glory and your power be known through your steadfast
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: love and forgiveness, he asked. He implored of God to
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: spare the people. Please pardon them according to your greatness.
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: for you have shown mercy to them from Egypt all
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: the way until now. I will show mercy, God said,
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: but I have been despised long enough. I freed the
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: people from Egypt out of slavery. I parted seas. I
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: cleansed water for them to drink. I sent manna from
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: the sky and quail from the land. I have appeared
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: in thunder, lightning, smoke, and fire. I have protected them
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: from their enemies, and now they stand at the precipice
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: of all I promised them. Moses could sense a grief
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: in God's voice. Like a father who wanted to bless
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: his son, but his son was content to play in
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: the mud. None of the men who have seen my
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: glory and still hate me will see the promised land.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: All but Caleb and Joshua, God said. God then gave
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: a message to Moses to give to the people, a
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: sentencing to all those who grumbled in the wilderness without faith.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: Your bodies will fall and rot here in the wilderness.
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: Every single one of you over the age of twenty
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: shall die here without even a glimpse of the promised land.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: Caleb and Joshua shall see my glory for their faith,
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: but you all will decompose into the dust. You feared
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: that your little ones would become prey, but it is
• 10:12
  Speaker 2: them who will be brought into the land that you rejected.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: Your dead bodies will fall in the wilderness for animals
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: to gorge, yet your children will walk in the newness
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: of life. For forty years your children will be shepherds
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: in the land, as Moses was when I first called him.
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: They will wait forty years for you all to perish,
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: then they will have their reward. I have spoken, and
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: my word is final. All of Israel mourned that day.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: In a desperate attempt to reclaim God's favor, the people
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: of Israel rose early in the morning to seize the land.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: But Moses said, Why do you go now? You know
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: the Lord is not with you. He will not give
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: you this land. But the people did not listen. They
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: thought strategy would replace God's favor. They armed themselves and
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: descended upon the land to capture it. Righteous cries could
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: be heard as Moses sat in his tent. Neither Moses
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: nor the Ark of the Covenant went with them. Miles away,
• 11:16
  Speaker 2: the screams of slaughtered Israelites could be heard. The Amalekites
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: and the Canaanites lived in the hill they chose to take,
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: and it was painted red with the blood of God's people.
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: The cries of war were replaced with silent loss. It
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: was still within reach. They could still feel the gentle
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: spring breeze brush against their cheeks. The springs of living
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: water were red from the blood of Israelite soldiers. The
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: birds were still chirping. The promised land was close yet
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: further than it had ever been. Canaan, the land promised
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: to Abraham, was 40 years away.
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: After months of travel through unknown lands, hard terrain, even
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: dangerous territory, the Israelites were at last getting close to Canaan.
• 12:07
  Speaker 3: The land that God had promised their forefathers Abraham, Isaac,
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: and Jacob was right in front of them. But they
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: couldn't just march in and settle. There were other people
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: living there, so God instructs Moses to send spies to
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: get a good look. This was going to be in
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: many ways a big test of the Israelites' trust and
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: faith in God. Would they see the obstacles ahead and
• 12:30
  Speaker 3: complain again and even turn back? Or would they remember
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: that God delivered them from Pharaoh and gave their untrained
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: army a great victory over the fearsome Amalekites? Would they
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: see the bounty before them or the barriers ahead? The
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: spies were gone for 40 days. It was a mission
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: of espionage. They reported back to the people. It was
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: indeed a land, a beautiful land, flowing with milk and honey,
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: a prosperous land. The manna that they were so tired
• 12:57
  Speaker 3: of would be a thing of the past, and they
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: would live in the bounty and the blessing of this
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: land of promise. But there are giants in the land,
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: powerful men, fortified cities, and it appeared on the surface
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: that there was no way to defeat them. So they're
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: filled with fear, and the people forgot that God was
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: their commander. But two of the spies, men named Caleb
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: and Joshua, speak up. They trust God. And they urged
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: the people to have faith. They said, this is God's
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: land and now it's our land, just as he promised.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: But the people chose fear over faith. They said, we
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: feel like grasshoppers in the sight of these giants. And
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: so they rebel against Moses and turn their sights to
• 13:45
  Speaker 3: Egypt again. They're ready to turn back and to go
• 13:48
  Speaker 3: back to the land of bondage. Sometimes we do the same.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: preferring to return to the change in the past rather
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: than face the challenges of the future. Sometimes fear keeps
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: us from receiving all that God wants to give. Joshua
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: and Caleb tried to plead one more time, but the
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: people wanted to stone them. They refused to hear the truth.
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: God has had enough. His anger burns against their sinfulness
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: and their distrust, and he says, I will take out
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: the whole generation and start again with Moses. Moses once
• 14:24
  Speaker 3: again intercedes. He tells God to consider the witness to
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: the nations. Killing the people would tell the world that
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: God was not able to do as he promised. But
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: then Moses pleads for mercy. Moses asks God to forgive
• 14:38
  Speaker 3: the people, much as Christ asked God from the cross, Father,
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: Moses was an imperfect intercessor, but God honored his request.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: But we have a perfect intercessor, the Lord Jesus Christ,
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: who always intercedes on the behalf of his children and
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: seeks their forgiveness each day. God has mercy on them,
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: but there will be a cost to their lack of faith.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: They will wander in the desert until the last of
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: that generation dies out. Not a single person, except for
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: Caleb and Joshua, will ever see this land that God
• 15:19
  Speaker 3: would give them. They were on the brink of blessing,
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: so close to the promised land, and yet they would
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: never enter because they chose fear over faith. Dear God,
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: we all face challenges that seem impossible, insurmountable, giants. And
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: yet in those times, we know that we can trust you.
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: So right now, we choose faith over our fears. Help
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: us to know that you will always fulfill your promises
• 15:47
  Speaker 3: in our lives, always. Help our faith to be a
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: witness to others that they might trust you also. In Jesus' name, amen.
• 15:56
  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: app and make prayer a priority in your life. If
• 16:08
  Speaker 3: you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know,
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: make a big difference in someone's life in Jesus' name.
• 16:18
  Speaker 3: And if you want more resources on how to tap
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: into God's life, God's power, God's strength for successful Christian living,
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: be sure to visit JackGraham.org. God bless you. This episode
• 16:36
  Speaker 3: is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: to save money without sacrificing quality.