And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (Numbers 14: 26-30).
Heavenly Father, it is a wonderful thing to live in Your Presence. Oh what joy and peace to know that we are always under Your care and the watchfulness of Your eyes. Help us never to go astray, and keep us as the apple of Your eyes. This we ask in the precious name of Jesus Christ! Amen.
I am not sure how long the children of Israel had left Egypt. But it could not have been very long, for it was right after their murmuring that God dictated the sentence that they would wander for forty years in the desert; a year for every day they had spied out the land; and at the end of the forty years – they would not be allowed to enter Canaan.
Out of the twelve spies who were sent to bring back a report of the land, only two spoke hope. The other ten saw nothing but failure. As a result of their negative report an entire generation became discouraged, started a revolt, and never made it to the promised land.
Quite often I hear people say, “Talk is cheap.” And even though I know what their intentions are, I am not in agreement with the statement. As far as I am concerned, at every level, and at all times, talk is very costly – for more reasons than one. I am thoroughly convinced that the minute we utter words, action is immediately set in motion. There is an immediate response, positive or negative, creative or destructive, for life or for death.
I have seen spouses empower or weaken each other. I have seen and heard parents build up or tear down their children. What is so sad, is that from generation to generation, and from one household to another families can create a vicious cycle from which some members never escape. Thanks to the mercies of our Heavenly Father, our Loving Savior, and our Encouraging Holy Spirit, victorious cycles are also created that set people free.
We are on our way to the heavenly Canaan. Friends and family members are on this journey with us. What glimpses of the promised land are they receiving from our conversations? What reports are they hearing from us? Are we letting them know, like Caleb and Joshua, that we are well able to make it into the land, “if the Lord delights in us”? Or, like the other ten spies, are we discouraging them? May God help us to watch our words!