They Are Our Bread (Numbers 13:1-14:11)

They Are Our Bread

 

Numbers 13:1-14:11

 

The book containing today’s text is called “Numbers.” It is because the beginning of this book presents many figures counting the numbers of people in Israel. The Lord God had his servant Moses count the number of Israeli descendants by tribe and by family. In his command, however, God told Moses and Aaron to number only “men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army” (Numbers 1:3). This suggests that God called his people as “an army for waging wars.” This is the case not only in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament. In his letter to Timothy, Apostle Paul wrote, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2Timothy 2:3). In Philemon 1:2 as well, Paul calls his coworker Archippus “our fellow soldier.” Christian believers are basically “soldiers summoned for wars.” A soldier’s life is quite different from that of common people. First of all, a soldier’s life assumes the existence of “enemy.” If one does not have an enemy to fight, if he does not have anger at the enemy, or if he is not able to fight against the enemy, he cannot be a good soldier. As Christian soldiers, we should bear in mind that we were called for waging spiritual wars, and should keep drilling ourselves in order to be one who is skillful in fighting, who is experienced in victories, and who knows the joy of dividing plunders.

 

Today’s text Numbers 13-14 records a very painful incident in the history of Israel. At God’s command, Moses sent twelve men, selected from their respective tribes, to the land of Canaan in order to explore the land. When they came back after having surveyed the land, however, 10 of them made a very negative report. It was because they saw there powerful giants and strongly fortified large cities. only Caleb and Joshua did not fear the people in the land, and rather, the two encouraged the Israelites by saying, “They are our bread” (14:9 – NKJV). Seized with fear, however, all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron and tried to go back to Egypt. God was so grieved by the people, and said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me……” (14:11). Then, the Lord declared that all the Israelites twenty years old or more who had grumbled against God would die in the wilderness and not enter the promised land. And for 40 years until all of them fell in the desert, the Israelites had to wander around the wilderness. This happened basically because the people of Israel were not fighting soldiers. The book Numbers is the history describing the transition of the Israelites from a slave people to God’s army, and today’s text is the beginning of the history. Although this story depicts the weakness of the Israelites, it also provides us with valuables tips about how the life of God’s soldiers should be. This wisdom will be great assets for our fights to overcome the world and to win God’s blessings.

 

What we, as God’s soldiers, must remember is that we have enemies and there is a fight that we should fight in order to win God’s blessings. God gave the land of Canaan to his people. But it was not an empty land. According to 13:29, the Amalekites were living in the Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites were living in the hill country, and the Canaanites were living near the sea and along the Jordan. In other words, there was not even a small piece of land unoccupied. What was worse, the inhabitants were powerful, and their cities were invincible fortresses. The people of Israel had to fight with them in order to gain the land. This fight was “an unavoidable fight.” However, this fight was not one of the wars for conquering a territory that we see often in human history. This war is “a spiritual war.” It is because this war is not a fight of flesh to defeat the giants in the land of Canaan, but is a fight of faith to trust in the living God. In this sense, the enemy that the people of Israel should fight against is not the powerful inhabitants of the land, but is Satan that deceives and terrifies the people of Israel. St. Paul also mentions “the devil” and “the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” as the enemies that we should fight against (Ephesians 6:11-12). Unfortunately, however, the people of Israel were already defeated in this spiritual warfare. The 10 men who had brought bad reports on the land said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are” (13:31), and added, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (13:33). What a sad report! They saw the world and themselves with “the eyes of fear” planted by Satan. Then, the enemies looked big and powerful giants, and they themselves looked weak and miserable like grasshoppers. Terrified by the bad reports on the land, the people of Israel grumbled against their leaders Moses and Aaron (14:2) and cried out against their God, “Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?” (14:3). Their true enemy was Satan, and their disbelief and fear. But the people lost their faith in God, and were gripped by fear until they became unable to tell between friends and foes. Faith can be defined in many ways, but if it is defined in the context of this story, faith is “seeing myself and the world with God’s eyes.” This faith is clearly demonstrated by Joshua and Caleb. With regard to the giants in the land of Canaan, the two say, “They are our bread” (14:9). Furthermore, they assert, “Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” They saw themselves and the world with God’s eyes. Then, they became fearless warriors. Rather, they were excited at the fact that they now had a land, cities, and giants to conquer in front of them. Their hearts throbbed like that of a predator that found a prey. They already won the battle. It was because they believed in God.

 

Before starting the conquest, God had the people of Israel explore the land of Canaan. Verse 13:18-20 says, “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” God commanded this so that the people of Israel would make thorough preparations for the conquering battles. Napoleon, the French Emperor and war hero said, “Victory in a battle depends on preparation.” What is most important in planning a battle is knowing the enemy thoroughly and preparing for every possible situation. And most of all, the fighters should have a calm and sturdy heart. Against God’s will, however, the scouts were terrified by the Canaanites big in size, and their eyes were blinded with fear. Napoleon also said, “The first requirement for a military commander is a cool judgment. only then, he is not confused in any situation and can see the truth of things.” The most powerful weapon of our enemy is fear. When we are struck by the poisonous arrow of fear shot by Satan, our brain gets paralyzed and we become unable to think and judge properly. When God said, “See what the land is like,” it was not just for surveying the condition of the land. It is also for surveying the people’s spiritual condition. God keeps making us stand in front of our enemies. God sent Moses to Pharaoh. God sent St. Paul to Caesar in Rome. God send us into the middle of the world. God trains us in this way until we become able to penetrate Satan’s schemes with fearless eyes and calm judgment, and to see God’s glorious blessings beyond the battle front. God prepares us in this way because this is a spiritual battle.

 

In planning a battle, there should be strategies to win the fight. For Napoleon, the basic of his winning strategies was “superiority in number.” This is rather a common sense than a military strategy, too simple to be adopted by the war hero’s military campaigns. Nevertheless, it is not easy to apply “superiority in number” in the field because our force is not always larger than the enemy’s. Napoleon’s strategies were basically to maintain “superiority in number,” for example, attacking the enemy’s force before it concentrates, cutting the enemy’s force into smaller units, minimizing the battle front using a narrow valley, or launching waves of attacks to daunt the enemy. All these were applied tactics derived from the basic idea that superiority in number is the key to winning battles. Then, what is the basic winning strategy for believers’ spiritual warfare? It is “pleasing God.” When the terrified descendents of Israel gave up their march to the land and were to go back to Egypt, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and cried out to the people: “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because they are our bread. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (14:7-9) This word contains a clear direction for victory. It is “If the Lord is pleased with us……” and “Do not rebel against the Lord.” Like Napoleon deliberated on how to maintain superiority in number, God’s soldiers should deliberate on “how to please God” or “what is pleasant to God,” and then obey the will of God by faith. Then the Lord is pleased with us, goes with us, leads us into the Promised Land, and gives the land to us. In fact, this is the strategy of Jesus Christ when he overcame the world and won the victory through his cross. In John 8:29, Jesus says, “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Yes it is. The victory of our fight does not depend on superiority in number but on “pleasing God.” And all the other strategies for our spiritual battles must come from this basic. We must seek to please God by obeying what is pleasant to God. Then, God is always with us and leads us to glorious victories.

 

Then, what is the biggest obstacle in our spiritual battles? It is “my life.” Hearing the hopeless bad reports, the people of Israel raised their voices and wept aloud through the night. They grumbled at Moses and Aaron, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (14:2-3). It is impossible to wage a war if the soldiers love their lives. Spiritual soldiers are those who entrust God with their lives. Putting their lives in God’s hand, they concentrate their undivided heart only on “how to win the battle.” Napoleon was wary of overly extended meetings of the generals under his command. According to him, a long discussion often ended up with “the worst plan,” which was “the most cowardly plan.” The people of Israel also made the most cowardly decision. It was changing their leaders and going back to Egypt. If a soldier puts “the preservation of his life” before “victory in battles,” he cannot have any option other than the most cowardly, namely, the worst. For fighting soldiers, the risk of life is an indispensible part of who they are. This is also the case for Christian soldiers, and even more to them. Christian soldiers live, not just with the risk of life but with “death” itself. St. Paul says, “We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body,” and he adds, “For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body” (2Corinthians 4:10). This is the promise of life given to the soldiers of Jesus Christ. If we die for Jesus, the life of Jesus acts in us and empowers us with undying power. Jesus says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown” (Revelation 2:10). To Christian soldiers who believe in this promise, nothing can be fearful. Therefore, Satan cannot frighten them. The world cannot overcome them. With this faith, we endure the threats of death, win the crown of life, and enter the promised Kingdom of God.

 

God gave us another new year. Standing at the starting line of the new year, we may feel like the Israelites looking at the land of Canaan. Although this new land promises us God’s blessings, it surely has difficult challenges waiting for us. While the others feared the giants in Canaan, Joshua and Caleb called them “our bread.” Yes, they are. The difficult challenges waiting for us are, in fact, “our bread” that God prepared in order to give us the joy of victory and the joy of dividing plunders. To fighting soldiers, what can be a joy greater than these? I pray that we, as Christian soldiers, wage spiritual battles against the devils, and win the battles by trusting God and pleasing Him in every way even to death. I pray that we all grow into even more powerful warriors of God through this year and have the joy of dividing plunders. Praise God for summoning us for this Holy War of His Kingdom!!!