“In the fortieth year.., Moses spoke to the people of Israel.., ‘The Lord our God said to us in Horeb,.. “Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to… the Arabah, in the hill country and the lowland and the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the Euphrates. I have set the land before you. Go in and take possession…”
“Then we set out and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness… And we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said, ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord is giving us… Go up, take possession… Do not fear or be dismayed.’ Then you… said, ‘Let us send men before us [to] explore the land…’ They… brought us word, ‘It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.’
“Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord. And you murmured in your tents, ‘Because the Lord hated us he has brought us… to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us…’ I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. The Lord who goes before you will fight for you, just as he did in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where… [he] carried you… to this place.’ Yet you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go.
“The Lord heard your words and swore, ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb… [and] Joshua… And as for your little ones,.. they shall go in.’
“Then you answered, ‘We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight…’ You rebelled against the command of the Lord and presumptuously went up into the hill country. The Amorites… came out and chased you as bees and beat you down… And you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord did not listen to your voice.” Deuteronomy 1:3,6-8,19-22,25-27,29-36,38-39,41,43-45
The people of Israel had a problem with fickleness. Moses repeatedly reminded them of the unchanging facts of God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt and His promises for their future, but their fluctuating feelings and fears were stronger than their faith. What they saw and felt- whether giants or chastisement or disappointment or rejection- dictated their decisions. Their consequences were dire. Those who failed to take the land, then tried by their own effort against God’s word, would not ever taste its fruits.
Human nature is prone to swings of emotion, pulled by circumstances and what-if events, imaginations and harsh realities. God calls us to remain centered on His faithful word and character. He directs His children with steadiness, truth, and clarity.
What emotions sway our reasoning, effectuating the suffering of sorry consequences or missed opportunities to grow spiritually? Where have we disobeyed clear commands due to fear or stubbornness? Do we make choices by what is right or what feels good? Where are we letting surmised reactions or rejection dictate decisions that are better based on present and biblical realities? Sometimes obedience in faith is harder in the moment, but the Lord’s consistent undertaking and provision prove His way and ways are always best.
Lord, keep me steady, walking in Your truth and fulfilling Your purposes.
As the rain and snow 