Synopsis

The Trial of Deep Faith

Faith- sounds repetitive, doesn’t it? Most of us have heard about the concept of faith and have been taught about the value of strong faith too many a times in our lives, and somehow, when it comes down to it (actually “having” it) in a REAL situation, we’re often at a stand still!

The people in the Old Testament were made of no different material than us. They had blood, sweat, fear, doubt, anxiety and confusion too!

 “So how was it” you might ask, “that they were able to muster the great faith that is preached to us on Sundays, and at Bible Study (not to forget VBS), and that we are magically expected to possess when the world around us seems to be falling apart? That can’t be easy!”

 And you’ll be right. Faith doesn’t magically appear, but comes from knowing who God is. 

In this lesson, we see a faith, the phenomenal kind, of two men from the tribes of Israel. Their faith in God comes at a time and season when their community were grumbling against God for putting them in a tough and seemingly hopeless situation.

The Story:

Moses and the Israelites were in the region of Paran, (possibly outside the promise land), when God tells Moses to send 12 men to the land of Canaan to make a survey. The 12 men include Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim and Caleb, from the tribe of Judah. These men were leaders in their own tribes and they were asked to bring back a report of the land after carefully inspecting its people, its city walls and its soil. 

The men, having returned after 40 days in the land of Canaan, affirm to Moses that the land they saw was indeed as God has promised- flowing with milk and honey. They brought back some fruit (possibly grape) from the land to show of it. However, there was a huge challenge in the form of the people dwelling in the land- they were BIG and MANY in number.

Now, ordinarily, this would be bad, but since Israel had seen the hand of God before them (from the deliverance in Egypt to the parting of the red sea and counting), they shouldn’t have had a problem trusting that He would give them the land, despite all (scary, huge, numerous Canaanite) odds.

You’d be surprised to know- that wasn’t the case! Despite what they had seen of God, the Israelites didn’t trust Him enough to go into battle with the people of Canaan. And to add on to it, they grumbled against God for having brought them so far, only to disown them here. 

Caleb and Joshua were the only two men who didn’t join the crowd and give into the peer pressure of fear! They stood apart and actually pleaded with the nation. “Do not be afraid, for their (the Canaanites) protection is gone! But the Lord is with us”

The Lord was displeased with Israel, to say the least. He imposed a hard punishment on the generation of Israelites that saw His mighty deeds, and yet grumbled before Him untrustingly. They would not see the promise land, nor would they have the Lord before them in this battle.

It was just the opposite with Joshua and Caleb, however. God was pleased with them and He blessed them among their peers. They were the only two exempted from God’s punishment. God not only blesses them, but recognizes their whole hearted faith in him. We see God’s hand over Joshua in his leading of Israel against the Canaanites, as well as the fulfilment of the promise for Caleb in the promised land.

What can we understand of faith from this story?

Faith precedes obedience:   
Faith doesn’t end with how we feel, it is implied in how we behave. Deep seated faith will follow whole hearted obedience. Joshua and Caleb obeyed God in their actions and not just words. 

God recognizes a heart of faith:
God is not fooled by our outward display, but instead He is pleased with our inward humility and commitment. This is evident in the story when He specifically calls out Caleb for having faith with all his heart.

God rewards faith:

Those who put their hope in the Lord, scripture says, will never be put to shame. While we may not see materialistic gain, or experience worldly pleasures, we will always have eternal blessings like peace, joy and the hope of salvation with the assurance of our heavenly father. These are far more priceless!

Finally, reading this is a piece of cake, but how do we apply it?

Strengthen your faith with the word:
Faith comes from hearing the word of God, and meditating on it day and night, like the scriptures point out. Joshua and Caleb knew God well, and therefore trusted that He would come through no matter what the circumstance. Spend time studying and understand God with the word to deepen your faith. 

Review what you hear:
God’s word is more dependable than man’s word on any given day. Therefore, always review the kinds of news you hear from people around you, before you let it affect you. The word of God is the golden standard of truth, and you must measure everything you hear according to it. The Israelites saw failure because they trusted man’s word against God’s. 

Don’t be afraid to stand out for the cause:

We were never meant to conform to the world anyway, so why bother starting now? Joshua and Caleb didn’t give into the pressure of grumbling and resentment that their peers were engaging in. Instead, the stood with Moses and Aaron and pleaded for obedience to God’s instruction. They were rewarded. 

Finally, keep in mind our memory verse to remind you of this: