The important question is not how do others see us but WHO ARE WE? But do your actions & attitudes reflect that? They told Moses they had seen great clusters of grapes, but that there were great giants in the land. The report they bring back has two main themes, the existing inhabitants of the land and, our focus here, food. Why is the Lord bringing us to this land to fall by the sword? Lets be self-conscious, intentional, bold, adventurous about trusting God, choosing to trust God for what He has promised to do, for what He has promised to give, for how He has promised to help. Some parents go further. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? They had a "grasshopper mentality.". . PADI Save Our Ocean Pledge, Aliza Licht on being the Chief Brand Officer of YOU, Where To Go Next? Isnt it? I assume that this is something like one meaning of the English idiom, to eat them alive to decimate them. And I would call us to examine our hearts today to know that indeed we trust none other save Christ. A doubt-caster takes naysaying to a whole new level. On a mountain where 90 A friend of mine works as a boilermaker in Bowen, Queensland Australia. "You cannot see," the boy says when he meets the master for the first time. How could they know this? They are bread for us. Everest. The promise of God made to Abraham is about to become reality. Their eyes. Numbers 13:23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Do you see that? When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. I remember it from re-runs. YET GOD WANTS TO GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. John 3:16 Numbers 13:1-33. If you have hope in anything else, get Christ today. But the spies were right to be concerned. - , . "You think I cannot see," says the master. One that springs to mind is that the spies seem to have been worried in equal measure about being overpowered by the existing inhabitants of the land and being feared by them. Today's Scripture: Numbers 13:33, NKJV - There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. 5They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. Do so here this day. They were perceived as giants. We can be more. Caleb remembers here, that with God, all things are possible! I have called you by name; you are mine. Yet by the end of the parsha, he is already including non-Israelites (ger in Hebrew, often translated stranger, as below, but best understood as resident alien) as beneficiaries of, and even, participants in sacrificial offering and associated rituals. Do you have powerful people in your life? They sent spies into the land to check it out. Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching : Series: Do Not Limit The Holy One Of Israel (Part 6): Do Not Limit God In The Power Of Your Imagination I Am Not A Grasshopper. What year was this posted? There is no room for stinking thinking. For full copyright, reproduction and permission information, please visit the First Presbyterian ChurchCopyright, Reproduction & Permission statement. I'm the very proud mother of Jacob and Jonah, and I live in Jerusalem with my husband Chaim Milikowsky. We must learn to dream big for God for As A Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He (Pro. Published in Daily Devotionals by Joel Osteen. He is a big man with muscles like an Olympic weight lifter, a voice that booms and a laugh that is full and infectious. But its also a community effort. you were bought at a price. Joshua and Caleb believed that God had brought them that far to keep His promise, in light of all that He had done for them to that point, in light of His sure promise to plant them in the land that He had promised their ancestors. 21Throughout the generations to comeyou are to give this offering to theLordfrom the first of your ground meal. John 3:16, An Easter message about Gods love from John 3:16, Whats Love Got to Do With It? Ill stop the moment He shows up. Unbelief tells us, God wont be showing up. Thats the attitude of the spies who bring the bad report. Its come from reflecting on the fact that God has brought them this far not to forsake them. As noted above, other than the lands existing inhabitants, the only subject of interest to the spies is food, and the only physical evidence they bring home is edible. The children of Israel had to decide whether they were going to enter the land or stay out. For example, the carcasses of the animals that Abraham cut in half during the Covenant of the Pieces are eaten by birds of prey (Genesis 15:11), and David threatens Goliath that he will give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds and beasts (1 Samuel 17:46). They walked on dry ground through the Red Sea and were fed manna and quail from heaven, given water from a rock and god had even taken this ragtag bunch of nobodies and made them into a great army defeating armies of other kings. Lets be a people who are intentional about trusting God, not just when the whim lands upon us, but intentional as we face things that we dont want to be involved in or things that seem too big for us, to trust God to see what He might do to help us accomplish all that He intends for us to accomplish as individuals, as families, as a congregation of His people. 4. You must be born again by the Spirit of God. And as God causes us to be born again, He gives us saving faith which we place in Christ and now we have new life in Him. Generation Of Grasshoppers (Num.13) ".and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num.13:33). Theres nothing new under the sun, but still I want to offer what to my knowledge is a fresh perspective on the grasshoppers. If you think you're an insect, don't be surprised when everybody around you treats you like an insect - looks upon you like a worm, or a beetle, or a bug! Its life that we find in Christ. While they may be able to do all that, they are not known for their ability to think. Are we generous? Power is an amazing tool of deception. Responding with fear, not courage. A naysayer is person that does not believe anything good can come out of the situation. The Moabites fear that Israel will devour the land: Numbers 22:2Now Balak son of Zipporsaw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,3and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. I cant serve you because I dont have the right opportunity. Unbelief always sees the obstacles but faith sees the opportunities. God uses trials, as you know, and hardships in our lives for many things; things really too numerous to mention. Hes brought us here to do us harm. When division happens, the devil is tickled because he is fulfilling his mission of killing, stealing and destroying as Jesus mentions in. There is one little, ruddy-faced boy who has the blessing and power of God on him and he says, "I'll lick that big giant. Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. Speak words of life to us. A naysayer will allow what is big to become irrationally bigger. Lesson number three, young grasshoppers: Worry less about how others see you and more about who you are and about who you are capable of becoming. He turns the Midrash on its head. Lets be intentional and bold, adventurous in being people of faith. And this is not an intellectual exercise this morning. We can know more. In verse 33, We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). Romans 5:6-8, Denomination: Numbers 13:33-14:9, Denomination: Is God good? More To Follow First, we should recall that in the food laws outlined in Leviticus 11, grasshoppers are grouped with locusts. Send us your ideas and stories to Author@WeSaidGoTravel.com. Old man, how is it that you hear these things? asks the boy. GOD, GRASSHOPPERS AND A BARLEY CAKE Judges 7:8-14 INTRODUCTION: Many times circumstances seem overwhelming like grasshoppers, while at the same time we feel as helpless as a muffin (barley cake). Numbers 13:26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadeshin the Desert of Paran. So, he would dig some more. 7-For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. Strong as it could be. I can say only that injustice has many tentacles, but it stings individuals. A couple of factors point in this direction. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Caleb, in verse 30 of the passage we just read, urging his people, Let us go up at once and occupy it, that is the land, for we are well able to overcome it. Joshua, joining Caleb in chapter 14 as this discussion continues, trying to calm the people and inspire them to trust the Lord whos brought them this far, If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land and He will give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. I cant serve you God more because I dont have time. Really? Exodus 1:7The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt; Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. The purpose of God will propel them into the land eventually. We also invite you to comment below. Judges 7:8-14 Numbers 13:32-33 tells us the whole story of the mistakes made just this side of glory but to sum it all up quickly, THEY REFUSED TO HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WAS IN CONTROL.. ( Someone bigger than what is considered Well, were not standing before the land but were standing before an unknown year. We trust none other to be right with God save the person of Jesus Christ and the work that He has done on our behalf to save sinners. One more word about being a doubt-caster. What have they, as a nation, seen? They werent enough. And in our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes as well . Notice how the grasshopper mentality is demonstrated. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Jesus, in His last few hours with His disciples, John 14, says this, Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. His word is infallible. It comes from seeing how God has worked among them. 2 Chronicles 7:14, Deuteronomy 1:1-6, Deuteronomy 1:6, Genesis 1:26, Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 13:58, Matthew 6:25-34, Numbers 13:32-33, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Help your church understand God's plan in pain, Call your people to experience a higher freedom, Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. 15The community is to have the same rules for you and for the stranger residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. He promised to give His people the land of Canaan. Numbers 13:33 - There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.' on StudyLight.org . We cant send spies into 2020. We are still grappling with the challenge of how to rule justly a land in which the strangers who live among us are the people we once conquered. In a speech to King Solomon in 2 Chronicles about the power of prayer, God mentions grasshoppers in a context where we would expect locusts to appear: 2 Chronicles 7:12 The Lord appeared to him [Solomon] at night and said: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. We stand at the edge of a new year, one that will be full of joys and blessings and sorrows and obstacles. However, the inhabitants are fierce, their cities are well-fortified, and there are even giants there. Its a new beginning. In My Fathers house are many rooms. The Kotzker is upset that the spies should care how they looked to others. their childs preschool education, 28So tell them, As surely as I live,declares theLord, I will do to youthe very thing I heard you say:29In this wilderness your carcasses will fallevery one of you twenty years old or morewho was counted in the censusand who has grumbled against me. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. I talk to many people that have this mentality. What are the implications of this new reading of looking like grasshoppers? What does the passage tell us about faith? WE ARE AS GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR SIGHT. Gods people need to trust Him, needs to learn how to trust Him. He ended up digging a 12 foot hole and could not find anything. The land that God has described more than once as a land flowing with milk and honey, theyre about to be ushered into that land. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2022 Copyright Wesaidgotravel. Grasshoppers and locusts are of the same insect order. To say the above statement was made by elders and leaders commissioned by God to lead His people to their place of rest and destiny is absurd, would be an understatement . Psalm 78:41, Numbers 13:1-33, Denomination: Judges 7:8-14. Well theres another thing for us to think about and its, What does this passage teach us about unbelief? Unbelief is kind of where we are naturally. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." - Numbers 13:31-33. Download. Think about who these people were they had seen God bring plague and hardship on the nation of Egypt and been delivered completely from slavery. They may have been giants who were strong and tall. We look like grasshoppers to them! The upshot was that the nation trembled at the border of the land that God had promised them. It is reassuring to know that man's strength and man's host mean nothing to God. Unbelief tells us that who God is and His attitude and intentions towards us dont really matter in the way events fall out. We hate Him. OVERCOMING THE GRASSHOPPER COMPLEX Faith doesnt come naturally to us, does it? Heres the lesson we mustnt allow our fears to paralyze us. Again, we go back to David preparing to approach Goliath alone on behalf of his people. How long will this people despise Me? In fact, you will remember that the apostle Paul describes saving faith as the gift of God. We dont come to saving faith, that is, the confidence that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are sufficient to reconcile us to God and cause us to be adopted as His sons and daughters. read more, Scripture: That is, next to the existing inhabitants of the land, we felt and looked small and inconsequential. Is it possible that the quality the spies see in themselves, and believe that the lands existing inhabitants see in them, is not their small size but their ravenous hunger? You can read about their long and complex history here and here. Amen? They know more about whats ahead of them than we will know whats ahead of us. How many excuses can we come up with in our Christian walk? Many people today in Africa, Asia and the Americas eat grasshoppers. Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also graciously with Him give us all things?. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, A Bible scholar on the streets of Jerusalem. Should there be questions regarding grammar or theological content, the reader should presume any website error to be with the webmaster/transcriber/editor rather than with the original speaker. There is limited thinking which produces limited abilities that gives limited results. . I remember as a kid watching the TV series called "KUNG FU" staring David Caradine. But let's not allow the "naysayers" to rob us of our confidence in the Lord. They were spread all over the land and could not have easily or quickly come together. My last book was 'From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey: A Commentary on Food in the Torah'; proceeds go to Leket, Israel's national food bank. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. If others see us as those things but we are not really those things, what have we accomplished? And King Balak is afraid that the Israelites will cover the face (literally eye) of the land: Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt;they cover the eye of the land and have settled next to me. Numbers 13:31-33. This article is adapted from a sermon given at the San Francisco (California) Central church on November 19, 2011. . that the Anakites were strong and tall. We mine Gods Word but we also mine Gods work. . Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim activists visit the Sumarin family at their home in East Jerusalem, January 2020. 13:32, 33, NKJV). Sometimes we, like those spies, motivated by fear, see ourselves as little better than insects. Gods love is unconquerable. He would pick up the metal detector and get a signal that was very strong. You and I are rarely enough to face what is before us, but its not all the truth either. Maybe, as the Midrash suggests, the Canaanites saw them as angels? Scripture: Judges 7:8-14. Such is the case of the Israelites. As we do so, I bring you seasons greetings. For they are stronger than we - , .. Numbers 13:30Then Calebsilenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.. He tells the cautious Israelites not to worry about the existing inhabitants because they will be our bread (Numbers 14:9). It never is as we sit down to open Your Word.