Follow the Lord Fully
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 1:34-46 (NASB)
34 “Then the Lord heard the sound of your words, and He was angry and took an oath, saying, 35 ‘Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land which I swore to give your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the Lord fully.’ 37 The Lord was angry with me also on your account, saying, ‘Not even you shall enter there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there; encourage him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover, your little ones who you said would become a prey, and your sons, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter there, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.’
41 “Then you said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will indeed go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And every man of you girded on his weapons of war, and regarded it as easy to go up into the hill country. 42 And the Lord said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; otherwise you will be defeated before your enemies.”’ 43 So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. Instead you rebelled against the command of the Lord, and acted presumptuously and went up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you and chased you as bees do, and crushed you from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord did not listen to your voice nor give ear to you. 46 So you remained in Kadesh many days, the days that you spent there.
SUMMARY
The Israelites continue to grumble and complain after hearing the reports from the spies regarding the land of Canaan, the promised land. Because of their disobedience, God tells them no one, not even Moses, will enter the promised land except Caleb, Joshua, and the children of the Israelites. Then, God gives specific directions for the Israelites again. Yet they fail to follow and obey His command and end up being crushed by the enemies.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who brought back a good report and believed that God would help them possess the promised land (Numbers 14:8-9). As a result of their complete trust and obedience to God, God allowed them to enter the promised land. In contrast, the rest of the spies focused their attention on strong people living in the land and brought back a negative report. Their report placed fear and complaints in the hearts of Israelites. God was angry with them, and He gave them a command to set out for the wilderness (v.40). Yet the Israelites failed again to obey even after strong warning from the Lord and chose the way of destruction.
Reflecting on this passage made me realize how much God cares and loves me. I have often focused on the obstacles in my life and filled myself with fear and anxiety just like the Israelites. Rather than trusting God who is the Creator of the universe and is in control over everything, I acted like I have it all figured out and I know what is best for my life. Despite of my selfishness and shortcomings, God still cares for me and loves me and gives me another chance to repent and come back to Him.
This passage also reminded me that I need to trust and hold on to His promises and obey His words just like Joshua and Caleb did. God knows what is best for me and my situation and will take care of me no matter what. Instead of focusing on obstacles, I need to place my trust in Him who is greater than everything and wiser than anyone in this world.
APPLICATION
I stopped working and have been staying at home since this pandemic started in March. While many businesses are reopening and people seem to be getting back to work now, I still do not know when I will be able to return to work. Because of this uncertainty, I have been feeling anxious and worrying about my future lately. Through today’s reflection, God convicted me not to focus on obstacles ahead of me but to trust Him wholeheartedly and obey His commands. I will lay down all my anxiety and worries before Jesus and pray throughout the day. I will also spend time meditating on His words and declare God’s promises over my life each day.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I repent of my faithlessness and selfishness. I have often failed to seek Your will and guidance and trusted people’s opinion and my plans more. Help me not to focus on obstacles ahead of me but help me to see the One who is greater and mightier than any obstacles in this life. I pray that You will grant me faith like Joshua’s and Caleb’s. Help me to live my life by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) and trust You with all my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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