Title: Get out of your sense of defeat
Contents
Bible/ Numbers 13:25-33
Title/ Toward God's Promise (1)-Kadesh Barnea
(Get out of your sense of defeat)
There is a saying that crosses the Rubicon. These words come from events that took place before Julius Caesar made the important decision whether he should become a Roman traitor or a revolutionary.
At that time, he was supposed to return to Rome and take office as consul after successfully completing the conquest of Gaul (now northern Italy, Belgium, and France).
However, when the Senate, who liked Pompey more than Caesar, decided to disarm Caesar and returned, Caesar requested that he and Pompey give up military command. He crossed the Rubicon River, the border between Gaul and Rome. And he leaves a famous saying.
“Comrades, when you cross this river, the world changes. But if we do not cross this river, we will perish. The die is thrown. Advance!”
In this way, Caesar overthrew Pompey and laid the foundation for the establishment of the Roman Empire. Therefore, the word “crossing the rubicon” is used as an expression of making an important decision.
Likewise, in our lives, we are faced with moments when we cross the Rubicon. When that happens, our future depends on what attitude we take.
Numbers 1:19 The Israelites who left Egypt left Mt. Sinai, passed through Tavera, and entered the Wilderness of Paran, and arrived at a place called Kadesh or Kadesh-barnea to the north of the Wilderness of Paran.
And there, a very important decision is made, which is to appoint 12 spies to spy out the land of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:22-23), and what they report back to is the content of today's text.
As we know, each report reports from a different point of view that leads to division of 10:2, and the people who hear the report resist to return to Egypt again (Numbers 14:1~3).
This event has tremendous consequences (Numbers 14:33).
And in the end, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, most people will die while wandering in the wilderness, and only a new generation will be disciplined to enter Canaan.
This event teaches two important lessons for future generations of the Israelites and for us today.
The first is a lesson in faith.
The report of 10 of them was quite natural. no it was true They made a sincere and objective report based on facts and experiences in their own way (Numbers 13:33).
This is where the word “locust complex” or “giant complex” was derived. This means that you underestimate yourself compared to others.
Everyone has these tendencies. But this is not a good thing. Confucius' study of Confucianism taught this as a virtue of human "humility", but it is not a virtue, but also a hidden word with the intention of breaking down the self-esteem of human beings and binding them.
In fact, humility can be said to recognize that a person who is superior in all aspects (?) or strong is better than oneself when dealing with a weak person or a person who lacks a little, and treats him or her.
Why? Why are the Israelites obsessed with a sense of defeat and inferiority complex?
What was the reason for not giving up the slavery in Egypt?
It was a matter of faith - not believing in God.
(God who parted the Red Sea, you brought water from the rock in the dry wilderness, changed the bitter waters of Mara, and gave you mana and quail to feed. You defeated many enemies and covered the hot midday sun with a pillar of cloud. , they do not believe in the God who guided them by blocking the cold wind of the night with a pillar of fire.
So are we. Even though we say we believe in God, when difficulties arise in our lives, we do not hesitate to act like people without faith and say things without faith. This is “the unbelief of believers.” This is the situation the Israelites faced, and the situation we are facing now is the same. Rather, it requires more firm faith (Romans 1:17).
how to live by faith
1. Learning to live by faith- Caleb (verse 30) “Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up immediately and take possession of the land, for we are well able to overcome it.”
What made Caleb react to Bo in this way? The Bible says that the situation is not favorable to the Canaanites (Numbers 14:8-9).
Caleb believed in God. Caleb believed in the God who had guided and protected them until now, the God who was with the people and led them safely to Kadesh-barnea here in the midst of numerous threats.
[Looking back on all the years that have passed, there is not a single thing that has not gone untouched by the Lord. O faithful Lord, O faithful Lord, I will not forsake you, nor will I ever leave you. The Lord who promised that I will keep that promise, and I am sure that you will keep me forever.
That's right.
Faithful God, believe in God who faithfully fulfills His promises,
Therefore, to live by faith is to add God to our circumstances.
As Caleb confessed, “The Lord is with us.” What would happen if God was with us in this situation? If God is pleased, what will happen to this problem? while adding God
Almighty God, even in extreme circumstances, add to the faithful God, and become a man of faith like Caleb.
When troubles like giants come, when they stand in our way, shout you are my food, declare victory with the belief that because of the God who is with me, I will never be frustrated or disappointed, and I will never back down.
This is the second lesson of obedience.
The problem with the ten spies and those who followed them in the riot was disobedience.
Even though they came out of Egypt according to God's promise and are on their way to Canaan, they are calling out to return to Egypt. This is the innocence.
So Joshua and Caleb warn (Numbers 14:9)
And later, the writer of Hebrews explains this incident like this (Hebrews 4:6,11)
When the environment becomes difficult, the first thing we should worry about is not the environment, but continuous obedience to God.
We give up easily because the environment is difficult. Ministry, service, service, tithes and offerings, etc.
You cannot please God by giving up like this. Without God's support, it is impossible to recover (stand up again) from the situation we are in.
Don't give up!
Albert Alexander Hyde, who became a millionaire from Mantholatum After owing $100,000 to the economic crisis, he decided to start anew and started tithing. Others criticized it, but he said: "I'm sane. What I've realized is that I have to pay off God's debt first."
And after that, he made a great comeback and became a legendary believer who gives up to 9 of 10 beyond 2, 3, 4, and 10.
Satan asks, “What are we going to do next?” put the worry
But what about Joshua and Caleb?
They had faith that God was in charge (Numbers 14:8).
Such faith and obedience eventually led him and his people to the land of Canaan, the land of God's promise.
It's the same today.
What matters is not what our future will be,
It's not like I'm trying to figure out how to get out of this situation because reality is difficult.
All we need now is faith and obedience.
So where should our obedience be?
The decision of Jesus Christ's obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus trusted Heavenly Father and made a decision to obey. And through it, He accomplished our salvation.
What we need today is this
It is because you lack faith that you fall into a sense of defeat in front of the problems you are facing. Do you want to turn that lack of faith into wealth? Add the faithful and almighty God to your situation, and believe in God's responsibility and obey unconditionally, boldly one step at a time...