Stronger and Wiser

Day 36

“God Will Set Things Right”

"If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us, do not fear them." Numbers 14:8-9 (NASB)

Background Reading: Numbers 13-14

I received a call from a stranger the other day. (Let’s call him Tom). He had been wronged at work. A project he was working on had gone south. Although he had no responsibility for the outcome or the people who worked on the project, he was an easy target. He was an easy target because he was assigned the duty of tracking the progress of the tasks being performed by various groups of people responsible for getting the project completed on time, with good quality, and according to the plan of record.

Tom was hurt because the very people he trusted to protect him had betrayed him. The very people he thought he could depend on to stand up for him were now pointing the finger downward toward him. The very people he had worked so hard for and had always delivered above what they expected suddenly had amnesia.

Not only was Tom hurt, but he was disappointed because he learned his manager had made comments about his lack of confidence in Tom’s ability to perform his job. His manager had torn him down behind his back. Whatever his manager needed to say to deflect the blame away from himself and onto Tom, he said.

Tom’s confidence had been shaken to the core. His spirit had been broken to the lowest level. He listened as his boss talked “indirectly” about the possibility that Tom would be removed from his position and placed on the “lay-off” list. It appeared Tom was no longer needed. It seemed Tom would be let go with the next group of people the company determined they no longer needed. Fear was trying to set into Tom’s spirit.

As Tom and I searched the scriptures together, we came across Numbers 14:8-9, "If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us, do not fear them." (NASB)

In our scripture today, God had directed Moses to send scouts to check out the land of Canaan. The spies were to determine how many people were there, if they were strong or weak, if the land was harsh or pleasant, if the camps were open or fortified, if the soil was fertile or barren, and what the landscape was like.

You know the Bible’s account of this story. All the spies except Joshua and Caleb reported that the people were fierce, the cities were huge and well secured, and there were giants in the land. In other words, the opposition was too big and too powerful for the children of Israel to take on. Their recommendation was that Israel should not enter the Promised Land because the people of Canaan were stronger than the children of God. The ten spies went about spreading scary rumors and instilling fear among the populace.

Caleb interrupted and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13:30 (NIV) Needless to say, the people did not listen to the report of Caleb. Because of their lack of faith, they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for 40 years—until all of that faithless generation had died. Everyone from that generation except Caleb and Joshua died. After the death of that faithless generation, God delivered His people into the Promised Land.

The whole community was in an uproar because the ten spies had incited the people. So much so that the Bible says they wailed all night long—grumbling against Moses and Aaron. They were so worked up until they exclaimed, “Let’s pick a new leader, let’s head back to Egypt.” They blamed Moses. What little faith! What a turn of events! What an indictment against Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua!

People will give a false report against you. People will throw you under the bus. People will point the finger of blame at you. People will falsely accuse you. People will call into question your competence, your ability to perform your job, and people will say things that shake your confidence and cause you to question your own ability.

People can be hurtful. People will disappoint you. Life events will break your spirit. Ill-intended words will shake your confidence. Unresolved circumstances will bring on fear. Thank God there is a “however.”

However, when you are living right, when you wake up every morning and say your prayers, when you set out to do the right thing every day, when you treat people the way you want to be treated, and when you strive to live a life that reverences God, you do not have to fear man and his schemes to destroy you. You do not have to react to false accusations, hurtful words, attempts to put you down, and efforts to make you the “fall” guy. Why? "If the LORD is pleased with you, then He will bring you into this land and give it to you—a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be your prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with you, do not fear them." Numbers 14:8-9 (NASB)

When the enemy rises up against you, do not react. Do not try and set things right. Do not respond to the false accusations. Do not try and fight evil with evil. Do not jump into the controversy. Instead, strengthen yourself for the journey with God’s Word. Psalm 27 is an excellent scripture to sustain you until the storm passes and until God sorts everything out to your advantage. When the enemy comes, make your mantra “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear, though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” Psalm 27:1-3 (NIV) Repeat as needed until the peace of God comes over you. Keep repeating that scripture. Remain in faith. And, God will set things right after while.

Question to Ponder

Recall a time a person or situation set out to destroy you. How did God work it out?