Kadesh Barnea

In Numbers 13 we find the children of Israel on the border of the promised land after a long journey on foot from Egypt and as they prepare to enter the land they send out a reconnaissance mission is launched, 12 men, one from each tribe, explore the land and bring back a report.

"Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs." Num 13:23

All looks good you might think but that was not all that they said

Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan." Num 13:27-29

God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey, He had rescued them from the might of the Egyptians and brought them to the very border of that land but fear stopped them, after all that God had done for them they stopped beleiving He would continue to help and protect them. All except 2 men that is, Joshua and Caleb still believed but were out numbered and the advance halted.

The consequence of this fear was 40 years of wandering and this generation would never see the promised land except Joshua and Caleb.

Do we hold back for fear, how far will we trust God to deliver on His promises. To possess the land we need to move forward on the path God has set before us without fear because He in whom we put our trust is trustworthy and faithful to keep us and bring us into the promised land.

Property Speculation or What ?

What do I mean by 'Possessing the Land', am I talking about property speculation, farming or what? To begin with we need to define 'the Land'.

By "the Land" I'm not talking about a physical place but I am talking about the Kingdom of God in all it's fullness and wonder, I'm talking about being who God always planned us to be, fulfilling the calling He always planned for us.

God had a plan for the Israelites when Moses led the out of Egypt, Exodus 3:8 says

"So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey ..."

and for them it was a physical land. For us as children of God through the work of Jesus on the cross there is a spiritual land, I don't mean 'pie in the sky when you die', yes that is always there and Jesus promised to prepare a place for us. For the follower of Jesus there is so much more, there is 'steak on the plate while you wait', there is a whole Kingdom to explore, a whole lifetime of adventure and wonder for the believer "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" - John 10v10

The land is this abundant life on God available to ALL those who have accepted the message of Jesus death and resurrection.

Amen