March 6, 2026
Fear of men vs. Faith in God
Read: Numbers 13, 14; Psalm 65; Mark 5:1-20
Scripture: Numbers 13: 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."
Observation: At first, when we read the report of the men who were sent to spy on the promised land, it appears that their report (v.27-29) answers all the questions Moses asked them before they went to Canaan (v.18-20). However, in the second part of their report, they compared themselves with the big-sized men of Canaan and expressed and exaggerated their fear and weakness. They thought they were small, like grasshoppers in front of the Canaanites. In their report, instead of speaking about the great Lord who delivered them from mighty Egypt and that he will also give them the strength to possess the promised land, they said of their fear about the Canaanites. Their bad report caused chaos, grumbling, and fear among the Israelites. People even thought about returning to Egypt, i.e., to slavery. Eventually, the bad report resulted in the wrath and punishment of God.
On the other hand, we see the two men who gave the faith report and encouraged the Israelites not to fear the Canaanite men and not rebel against the Lord. Moreover, they said, "the Lord is with us" (Num.14:7-9). This faith report distinguishes Caleb and Joshua from the ten men who gave a bad report. We need to remember that our God, who is with us, is greater than any great persons or things in this world. Our fear of men would lead to destruction, but our faith in God always leads us to take possession of the promised things. That was what happened to Joshua and Caleb. Apart from the two persons, all the other ten men could not enter the promised land.
Application: I may be weak and small when I compare myself with other men and women. However, I should be confident in the fact that the Lord I serve is greater than anyone. Instead of looking at other people and things from below, I need to see how they look in God's view. The God who helped me thus far is able to help me till the end. My perspective determines what I think of myself.
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your amazing guidance to this day. Help me see the world as you see it, speak the words of faith accordingly, and live a life of faith. Oh, the living God! May my words and life encourage others to believe in you and your words. Amen.
✍️: Arputharaj Samuel
📕: Quiet Time Companion
🗓️ Day – 65