What Do You See

Introduction

If you’re all open in your Bibles with me to Numbers chapter 13. Numbers chapter 13. As you’re turning there, consider that generally speaking, there’s two ways of viewing life. You can look at it as an opportunity, or you can look at it as an obligation or a problem. I think this is best summarized by when Kashka and I were on a cruise through the European area this past year. And they had a menu at dinner called Dinner from Around the World. And so there was dishes from India and other countries, perhaps in Europe. And then, of course, there was the USA steak. And so Kashka, being excited for this new opportunity, decided she’s going to try something from somewhere we’re unfamiliar with. Good for her. For those of you who know me, what do you think it was?

The USA steak and potatoes. Where some see opportunity, I see more for me of what I already know I like. The question is not really, are there two good options? What do we do when we look at life, though, and we see that good news or that bad news? We see an opportunity, or we see some sort of obligation or difficulty. In Numbers chapter 13, the people of Israel had that problem. Really, they had this issue, in which case they are trying to figure out is God going to keep his promise to us? Is he going to let us into the promised land? Is he focused on doing what we need him to do? And what they needed him to do was to clear out this possibly dangerous, albeit wonderful land.

1. God Sends the Spies to See the Land

If you look in Numbers chapter 13, notice who is behind the sending of the spies into the land of Canaan. In Numbers chapter 13 and verse 1, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them. So you notice in verse 1, God sends the spies. This is important because as we consider this morning, what do we see when we look at this land? We know already, perhaps you’re familiar with the story, that they’re going to see a wonderful land, a land that’s described as flowing with milk and honey. It was prosperous. It would be a paradise for their needs.

But the problem is there was going to be something in the way. The question was, how would they react? But let’s stop for a moment and not just say, all right, they’re going to go in and I can see where the preacher’s going, they’re going to see the negative. I want to stop for a moment and note, God could have at any time, throughout all of the Bible’s history, including our time today, snapped his finger, spoke it, and wiped out any enemy. Isn’t that right? God could have absolutely cleared any obstacle. There was no need, at least on God’s end, to send people to go and look to see what’s this land about. God had told them they were going to go to this promised wonderful land.

God had shown them that he would clear out any obstacles in front of them if they were faithful. So why send the spies? Why do you even have to scout out a land when you have God on your side, and he’s already shown you his great power, unmatched, unrivaled by any force that man could possibly cobble together.

We’re going to see that he needed them to have faith and to see his power and to see his promises rather than the difficulties of this life that so often not only distracted them, but distract us as well. You see, God had tells Moses to send out the spies, and what they are to do is to go and check out the land. Notice in verse 17 what they find. Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country. See what the land is, whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and whether the land they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not.

Be of good courage and bring some fruit of the land. Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. And so in verse 25, at the end of 40 days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back word of them into all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told them, We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey. And this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw descendants of Emech there.

The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the Jordan. So these twelve spies have gone out at the direction of God, at the direction of Moses to check out this land. And what do they find? Just as God promised, here is this great, wonderful, beautiful land. Do we note that they saw this? They went to the land, they saw how wonderful it is. But what else did they see? They saw those fortified cities. They saw the strong warriors. And so they have a question to answer, just like we do. What are they going to focus on? You see, this is interesting because this is neither a positive nor negative experience.

They went and saw both. It is true. This would be scary to go and see giant people there. Right? Can you imagine if a high school football team went up against an NFL football team, how frightening that would be? I know some of our kids probably think they would take the challenge. You would be flattened. It’s scary. But when you think about the good news, you think about how wonderful the land is. And by the way, who sent them there in the first place? God. Who promised that they would be able to capture it? God. Who had done all the work to get them to where they were on the doorstep of this paradise land? God. It shouldn’t have been an issue. But it still had to be dealt with.

2. Two Different Viewpoints

It wasn’t perfect, not yet. It wasn’t perfect because it was scary. It was frightening. And we’re going to see there are two different viewpoints on what do we do now. In verse 30, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it. But then the men who had gone up with them said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought the people out of Israel a bad rapport of the land they had spied out, saying, the land through which we have gone to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are of great height.

And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim. And we seem to ourselves like grasshoppers. So we seem to them. You see the two different viewpoints, right? These are your two types of people. Caleb said, Let’s go, we can do it. This land is great. And other people, I don’t care how great that land is, we’re going to get flattened. We’re going to get destroyed. Surely you don’t want us to go and get destroyed. We stand no chance. And by the way, without God, that’s true. They would have no shot here. Okay, now I know we’re here in a church building on a Sunday morning reading from the Bible, so God is in the picture. But imagine your perspective, you see people who would absolutely crush you.

This is frightening. And unfortunately, the whole congregation has gathered. And notice which viewpoint gets the most traction. Just like our society today, the negative often wins the discussion. In chapter 14 and verse 1, then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt? Or would that we had died in this wilderness? Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to one another, let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.

By the way, one quick history note. Going back to Egypt would mean going back to what lifestyle? Slavery. Bondage, right? This is the reaction. All right, we’re on the precipice here. The land looks great, but the people are scary. God just wants us to die. You know, there’s two thoughts on this. One is it is real. This is a real threat. On the other hand, this is what we do all the time. We look at an obstacle and we’re like, well, that’s just the end of the world. I just have no shot, no hope. Why did I even bother? You see the amount of steps they skipped? Caleb goes, hey, let’s go do it. They’re like, no, there’s huge people. Israel goes, we’re going back to Egypt.

Find a new leader. We’re done. We’re out. A lot of logical steps got skipped in the middle there. Number one, of course, trusting in God. Number two, three and four, being logical and reasonable. Is there a strategy? What could we work on? How can we get over this obstacle? But they, like us, fixated. They got frustrated. And so their decision making was poor. If you notice what they had a chance to do, they could focus on the good that they saw that God wanted them to see, and that God had promised them they would have. Or they could focus on the negative, what they didn’t have and what stood in their path. But of course, we know they focused on the dangers in the land. It’s really not that uncommon.

3. What Do We See When We Spy Out Our Land?

It’s not that hard for us to understand this. We look around and we see all kinds of negativity. We look around, and my question for us is what do we see when we spy out our land? When we see our life, when we see people around us, do we gravitate to the negative? Or do we gravitate to the positive? Are you someone who sees an opportunity? Or someone who sees all the problems and the faults and the challenges. I’ll tell you the problem is twofold. One, when we see the problems, it’s bad for us. Number two, it’s bad for anybody you’re around. Right? We’ve talked before about being an Eeyore, right? The one who’s always, oh, bother, everything’s always a problem. He’s lucky he had good friends that stayed with him.

If most of us were eeors, we’d be alone. We’d be by ourselves. Caleb and Joshua are two. They are trying to get the people to trust in God. Say, it doesn’t matter what you see, it matters what God will do with what you see. But no, no, the people of Israel, like me, can get fixated on what I see, and now I know I’m stuck. And so what we do is not just focus on the fact that there’s danger or that there’s a problem. But you see, the real core issue isn’t that they saw the Nephilim. It wasn’t that they saw mighty warriors. God knew they would see that when he sent them there. Do you remember that? Back in verse 1 and 2, God knew his weak, emotionally fragile people would go and see giant warriors who would otherwise crush them.

Do you remember verse 1 and 2? God sent them anyway. Have you ever thought about that? Why would God send people who have shown a history of revolting at the least possible problem to say, hey, go look out this land where there’s a ton of really scary warriors? He wanted them to see the good land, to trust in him to overcome. They need to see, like with Gideon, like with Jericho, that it wasn’t their power or their might that would do anything, but God would deliver them what he’s promised. And so they are focusing in chapter 14 on how hopeless their cause was. And do you see the poor decision making in verse 4? They’re like, all right, there’s one bad decision. We’re focusing on the negative.

Here’s a second bad decision. We’re just talking about it and dwelling on it. You know what happens when you think about the bad? You focus on the negative. In verse 3, you act on it. In verse 3, they say, why is God bringing us in this land to fall by the sword? You see, they have completely left and lost the idea of why God sent them there in the first place. Why were they on the doorstep of Canaan? Because God promised them and he took them there. Why was it that they were a people of any repute anyway? Because God made them that way. They were nothing without God, and they were nothing without God even at this point if they turn their back on him.

But they said in verse 3, God wants us to die. And so, verse 4, we’re going to go back to bondage. We’re going to go back to slavery in Egypt. That’s better than dying here. Again, we’re not saying that this isn’t a real threat. But that with God they should have seen how to work through their problem. This is why this is an important biblical lesson for us. It’s not just 21st century psychology to say it’s important to focus on good things, don’t focus on bad things. God expects us to trust in Him so that we’re not dragged down by the threats and the adversaries that the devil wants us to see. The devil wants me to be fixated on the negative and to lose my faith and trust in God.

He wants me to be a negative to the people around me to shake their faith loose too. What do I see? What do I focus on? Do I focus on the land or the giants? This can be illustrated in any number of ways. When you look at your church family, do you see all the brothers and sisters in Christ who have dedicated their lives to serving Him? Do you see elders and deacons and teachers and husbands and wives and kids who are devoted to doing the best that God has in mind for them? Or do you see the flaws? Do you see the one or two people who let you down? And I’m not even making excuses for them. Do you focus and fixate on someone who failed you?

Who, like you and like me is a human and makes mistakes? Because the whole picture is there. Just like when the spies went to land, they saw the good. It was right there by the bad. It was together. The question was, what would you focus on? Caleb said, I don’t have to worry about the bad because I have God. When we think about a church, for example, we need to focus on the positive, not because people are perfect. People will always fail us. But God never will. Is your faith and trust in people? In good people, or in our perfect God? That’s the first question. Because if my trust is in God, I don’t have to worry about the giants. I can focus on the good things God’s given me.

Here’s another one. Do you focus in your family or in your job about what you don’t have or where you want to be instead of what you do have and where you are? Because that’s an important distinction. Because if I’m happy where I am, what do I do? I recognize God has gotten me here. Remember, Israel would be nothing and nobody without God. But here they are on the doorstep of Canaan, and now they’ve decided in verse 3 of chapter 14, you know what? God actually just wants us dead. God brought us here to die. No, God brought you here out of nothing, made you into something because of his great love. Whatever blessings you have in your life, whatever job you do have, whatever family you have, no matter how perfect or imperfect they or you are, God has blessed you with this day and opportunity.

Isn’t that amazing that God bless us this way every single day? That fact that we have life is a miracle. The fact that we have any good things in this life is a miracle. We’re talking about living in a place where God isn’t dwelling in his fulfilled entirety. It’s amazing to think about what it would be like to be in heaven. Can you think about being with the entire fullness of God? What it means to be in the 100% presence and revealed nature of the Creator. That is unfathomable to us. And yet he has already shown and promised us so much in this life that we should focus on what he has done rather than what he hasn’t, or what we do have rather than what we want.

4. Do I Let the Giants Frighten Me?

There is a difference, and it is faith defining and altering. Secondly, do I let the giants frighten me? Look at Matthew chapter 6. There’s always kinds of problems in our life. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus tells us not to worry. There’s some big things that we think are worth worrying about. I’ve got to tell you, if I was about to go to war against giants, I know I look like a seasoned soldier. I would be pretty terrified. Jim, I didn’t appreciate that. Look. That was pretty severe. You can at least let me pretend. In Matthew 6, 25, Jesus says, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. What you will eat or what you will drink. More about your body, what you will put on.

Is not life more than food? Is not the body more than clothing? These are important issues. Eating, drinking, what you will wear. There isn’t more basic life necessities than this. And Jesus says, you don’t worry about them. You see, the problem isn’t that there’s giants there. The problem isn’t that we shouldn’t focus on eating or drinking. It’s being preoccupied with it. Letting the fact that giants are there alter their judgment was Israel’s problem. Do you know God knew the giants were there? Israel knew the giants were there. What was the problem? Knowledge? No. What they did about it. Israel saw the giants and they panicked. What do I do when I see my giants? You see, Jesus says, do not worry about these important, critical life things.

And he says there’s a reason you don’t have to worry. Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor eat nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Verse 27, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to a span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Did I tell you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these? It is amazing that God has already provided not just something for us, not just an ability to be here, but a blessed existence. Do we focus on that part? Or do we see what we don’t have and let it, like the parable of the soils, choke us out like the thorny ground.

Those pleasures of life, those concerns of the world. Do we let them get around us and choke out the fruit we should be bearing for Jesus? It’s not the fact that there are giants. It’s not the fact that there are struggles and trials and temptations. There are, and there will be.

And if you’re in a valley, remember that it could be worse. You could be without God, but that God will get you through it soon, and you can come towards that peak. God doesn’t promise to eliminate all obstacles. He promises us to get us through them. And there’s a difference. When I focus on the negative, do I let it defeat me? Am I, you’ve probably heard this illustration thousands of times, a thermometer or a thermostat. Now, everybody is wearing about the thickest coats I’ve seen in a long time here, and I was told it’s 49 degrees. Florida people, we’ve got to work on that.

A thermometer tells you what the temperature is. A thermostat regulates the temperature. The question is, what kind of person am I? When I look around, am I the kind of person that goes, Whew, things are going really bad? All right, I’m going to panic. Right? You’re part of the mob in Numbers chapter 14. All right, we’ve got to go back to Egypt. We’re going to find a leader who wants to be part of the search party. Or am I someone like Caleb and Joshua who stands up and says, No, we can overcome it. We can do it because God will get us through. There’s a difference in being reactive and proactive. Caleb and Joshua are remembered biblical leaders because of their faith and their courage to stand up and act on it.

And the people of Israel in Numbers 14 are immortalized for their cowardice because they acted on fear instead of trust and faith. Which one am I? And again, it gets back to this serious issue. It’s not just about having a good outlook and smiling, although that wouldn’t kill us to do. It’s about trusting that God truly keeps his word. God has promised here in verse 33 if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things shall be added to you. Why do I not worry? Because God has promised he will take care of me. And because of that, there is no reason to worry. And if I do worry, it means I’m part of the people in verse 30 and 31 who can be described as having little faith.

5. Remember What He Has Promised

What kind of person am I? So how can I see God’s plan? Three quick applications this morning. One is I have to remember what he has promised. For Israel, they should have remembered. God said, you will inherit this promised land. I’m sending you not to spy it. This is the good land that you have. For me, I have to remember, God says, don’t worry about this life. Why? Because I want you to fixate and focus on what truly matters. Living with me forever. It’s Colossians chapter 3. Paul says, set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 1 John chapter 2. These things and parts of this world are passing away along with its desires. God says, stop looking at the here and now.

Focus on eternity. And there’s a difference. You see, my problems are not that there are giants. It’s that I fixate on them and I can’t see past them. But God says, I’ve promised to take care of you. Look up. Look over your problems. You don’t have to worry, because I am doing the heavy lifting. And so if you’re down this morning, if you’re frustrated thinking, I don’t understand God’s plan. I don’t see why it’s working the way it is. I don’t have a good answer for you. And the answer is not the hallmark card, well, God wanted it to happen. Sin is involved in this life that causes all kinds of things God did not and does not want to happen. But he will take care of us.

He has promised that if we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all these things, those basic life necessities, they will be added to you. God has promised us.

He keeps his word 100% of the time, and he will never fail.

6. See the Blessings He Has Delivered

Am I seeking first the kingdom? Because he says he will take care of me on that verse 33 condition. Consider, secondly, see the blessings he has delivered. Look at me in Colossians chapter 4. In Colossians chapter 4, one of the important parts that could have steered Israel out of this dilemma that they had to fight through in Numbers chapter 14 and some of the texts we didn’t get to this morning. Is the fact that they should have looked back and seen, here’s what God has already done. This isn’t speculative. This isn’t a one time thing. God said, okay, I’ll take care of you. And they’re like, I don’t know. Does God really, does God really keep his word? No. They knew God had shown them time and again.

And if we look in our lives, we can see God’s shown us he keeps his promises here and now as well. Colossians chapter 4 and verse 2, Paul says, to continue steadfastly in prayer. That is communication with God, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Look at what God has done. They say that faith can move mountains, but doubt can build them back up. We have to defeat doubt by strengthening our faith. By looking at verse 2, and not only having a relationship with God that communicates with them, but being thankful.

Being filled with thanksgiving for what he has already done and what he had already promised. You know when it’s really easy to trust that something will be good? When we’ve seen it done before. You know, when you have your favorite chef, your favorite restaurant. It’s your favorite because you’ve been there and they’re reliably good. God isn’t just reliably good, he is 100% faithful. And that should be life-changing. It should change the way we think, it should change the way we live, and it will change the way we sacrifice and serve. Because we need to be faithful to that faithful God. Sometimes it’s hard though, because that still doesn’t give me the answer. How will I defeat the giants? Romans chapter 8 teaches us we don’t have to worry about giants because God will overcome them.

Turn with me to one final passage this morning. Romans chapter 8. Romans chapter 8, focusing on what matters, focusing on the life that is truly important, that is eternal life, being with the fullness of God, being in 100% of his presence. We see in Romans chapter 8 and verse 38, do we have to worry about this life? Not at all. Do we have to worry about anything? The devil, his adversaries, not at all. Verse 38 of Romans chapter 8, I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. That is a powerful promise from a God who always keeps his word.

Conclusion

Nothing in all of creation can pull you from God. It is a blessing to serve a God who not only promises us great things, who has shown us great things, but has already shown us the greatest in sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. If Jesus, being in the form of man, God, be sacrificed on the cross for our sins, if he can be resurrected from the dead, God can and will keep all of his promises and all of his plans. My job is to trust and to obey. If you’re here this morning and you’ve never become a Christian, recognize that that promise is what God is focused on. He has fixated on us, seeing beyond this life, beyond the struggles here, to focus on the hereafter.

He wants us to know that Jesus died for us. That you can have your sins forgiven. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. If you’re willing to confess Him as Lord and all that that means in your life, repent of your sins of doubting in Him, of not submitting fully, and are baptized. You can share in His death, burial, and resurrection. Have your sins washed away. God has promised, and He is faithful. Maybe you become a Christian, but like the people of Israel, you’ve doubted. You’ve had your concerns and you’ve allowed it to impact you, not just to see the giants, but to be dwelling on them in a way that’s detrimental to your faith and relationship with God.

Continue steadfastly in prayer. Be full of thanksgiving. Confess your sins to a God who is just and faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is great. The question is, will I take his hand as he tries to elevate us as well? If we can help you in any way, come forward as we stand and sing.