It comes from seeing how God has worked among them. Anxiety about being feared is an inauspicious emotion for would-be conquerors, who should want their enemies to fear them. We must learn to dream big for God for As A Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He (Pro. 33We saw the Nephilimthere (the descendants of Anakcome from the Nephilim). 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. 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 . When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? 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! He turns the Midrash on its head. Our 3000+ year-old tradition of wisdom and learning, Our community right here and communities like it across the Jewish world, Our Jewish belief that better days are ahead of us, not behind us, These doctors, these nurses who brought healing with their hands and their hearts their intellect, Our tikvah our hope that our world can be perfected, that it will be perfected and that WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our world today, we can make things better, more just, more loving, more peaceful. This is in the midst of the report from the spies: But 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. Then the men who had gone up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are. So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that 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. That includes your mind by the way. read more. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. Therefore honor God with your body. He said, Stop looking in the rear view mirror, keep your eyes on the road ahead, and put the pedal to the metal and go!. TOPIC: The Mountain Top How long will this people despise Me? But the most compelling support for my reading comes from other encounters between the Israelites and hostile foreign powers. They are called upon to trust God for that very enterprise. His master is blind. Those big people in Canaan did not say to the spies, "Hey, you little fellows look like grasshoppers to us.". And over their shoulders they saw the destruction of Pharaohs army as that water that was a wall about them came crashing on those soldiers, after which they saw no more Egyptian army pursuing them. He promised to give His people the land of Canaan. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust,katydid, cricket or grasshopper. Speak words of life to us. 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?. This transcribed message has been lightly edited and formatted for the Web site. INTRODUCTION: Many times circumstances seem overwhelming like grasshoppers, while at the same time we feel as helpless as a muffin (barley cake). This made God furious, which is not surprising. You can get started a little late but you can catch up also. Its about making us cynics. It is curiously odd that people who are filled with horrified indignation whenever a cat kills a sparrow can hear the story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all. Please try again or choose an option below. He tells the cautious Israelites not to worry about the existing inhabitants because they will be our bread (Numbers 14:9). I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. I hope you had a marvelous celebration of Christmas with family and friends and loved ones and that you have a festive beginning of the new year. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. A couple of months ago, David Strain was preaching through 1 Peter chapter 2 and he preached on the passage where Peter is urging the people of God to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word. Maybe, as the Midrash suggests, the Canaanites saw them as angels? Rather it was their preoccupation with how others saw them that was their sin., Lesson number three, young grasshoppers: Worry less about how others see you and more about, Who Are We? As we do so, I bring you seasons greetings. They start exaggerating and trying to scare the Israelites. God gives it to us as He brings our dead hearts to life in Christ. By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) Open your Bibles to Numbers, chapter 13, please. The midrash asks how the spies could have known how they were seen to others. The master may be blind but he can see many things that the student cannot. The Israelites far outnumbered all of these groups combined. These spies were defeated before they started. A leader should be a hero. Are you going to think like a grasshopper or a child of the King. The blind Master Po (Keye Luke) calls his young student "GRASSHOPPER" to "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED". "We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." Our own eyes. Gods love is unconquerable. I hear the birds. says the boy. Before a child is born, the parents prepare a room, a bed, some blankets, warm clothes, bottles, 23:7). If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders. The giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, Directly after his reference to the land flowing with milk and honey, Joshua makes another allusion to food. We hate Him. They are bread for us. All the people we saw there are of great size. They can also fly. b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage They werent enough. 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. HERO Def: Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. Numbers 14:27How long will this wicked community grumble against me? What does our passage teach us about unbelief? Hello John. Caleb remembers here, that with God, all things are possible! It was a theme last week too, when the Israelites complain about manna and are given a nauseating over-supply of quails, and it will return next week, when the earth opens its mouth and swallows the rebellious Korach and his band. Will we have fooled ourselves? I have good news. John 3:16, An Easter message about Gods love from John 3:16, Whats Love Got to Do With It? Were aware of insufficiencies, real and perceived. When they were originally brought to the border of the promised land just this side of the Jordan river, they sent in twelve spies to survey the land and it was a good land because they came back each and every one with a good report of the unspeakable, uncontainable blessings of a Holy and righteous God. We end one year and prepare to begin another. 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. After an eleven day journey from Sinai, they find themselves here at the wilderness of Paran, Kadesh Barnea. There are not many references to grasshoppers in the Tanakh. There is no other save Christ. Is God good? With that in mind, I want to look at three things from our passage as we prepare to read it. But one thing is certain: it should not involve injustice and ruthless exploitation that make us feared and hated. 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.". The passage says they saw the descendants of Anak there. Numbers 13:1-33. Why did you go, Why did you die? In verse 33, We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). Unbelief isnt about making us atheists. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.". We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). The doubt-caster will be one that says their way is the right way, there is no other way and whoever doesnt see their way will never be right. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 1 John 4:7-12, Denomination: In this world you will have trouble. With the resoureces of Gods Promise, His Provision and His Presence, Christians can overcome the grasshopper complex. And then, perhaps the most devastating part of all, the ten spies say that when they scouted out the land they came across the Nephilim, the fallen ones, the sons of Anak, the giant. The purpose of God will propel them into the land eventually. Unbelief tells us that who God is and His attitude and intentions towards us dont really matter in the way events fall out. In verse 26, we see that the men came back with a report. What is the purpose of this verse? asks the Kotzker Rebbe. Father, this is Your Word. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that milk, baby food, bath tub, diapers, medicine, toys, etc. That last sentence is the one that really stands out to me. We want to look at this grasshopper complex later in the message. In fact, if we humans could jump like they do, we could jump the length of a football field. It is disgusting, disappointing and above . Our Scripture today gives us the report from these spies: They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. Generation Of Grasshoppers (Num.13) ".and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num.13:33). 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, In Modern America who would want to have a grasshopper complex? Satirized by our childhood and criticized by others, would-be giants often shrink further at the thought of overcoming. And so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:33). Some of our elders made it their goal at that time to create the Read and Receive 2020 Initiative. Weve talked about that; youve heard about it. 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. His promises are true. Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didnt stop him. 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. 31But the men who had gone up with him said, We cant attack those people; they are stronger than we are.32And they spread among the Israelites a bad reportabout the land they had explored. We see in the very last verse of this passage a mindset that is described. 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. Giants are in the land! First, we should recall that in the food laws outlined in Leviticus 11, grasshoppers are grouped with locusts. As he understood Goliath, an imposing man, a terrifying man, but a man! Numbers 13:25-33 Hes a non-factor. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. There is a figure of speech that is called hyperbole where an idea is exaggerated to the extreme to emphasize a point. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers Thus their fear magnified these sons of Anak above measure, so that in comparison of them they thought themselves as weak and contemptible as insignificant insects. Presbyterian/Reformed. God uses trials, as you know, and hardships in our lives for many things; things really too numerous to mention. As people appear to God looking down from the heavens, so the Israelites looked to the existing inhabitants of the promised land. This is a case of hyperbole. read more, Scripture: We can sense more. Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. And there were giants: we were like grasshoppers in their sight . Joshua 14:6-14, Denomination: To think of a few, Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Numbers 13:33. 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. They know more than we do. Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. Thats verse 2 of chapter 13. In my life, in the midst of all those things God has taught me in trial and hardship, theres a common thread that unites all of those things and it is the issue of faith. He is the only hope we have to be right with God, to be reconciled to Him, to be adopted by Him as His sons and daughters. They looked only at the size of the obstacle and the threat of the enemy instead of fixing their eyes on. The other groups would have never been as united and their efforts would have failed. GOD WANTS US TO EXPERIENCE HIS LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP. Will He help? And Ive found that the more I trust Him, the more I choose to believe Him, the more I love Him; the more I love Him, the more deeply I want to know Him. How could they know this? Of all things, says the boy, to live in darkness must be the worst., Fear, says the master, is the only darkness..

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