Enough milk and honey for all of us . . .

Numbers 12–13; Psalm 49; Isaiah 2; Hebrews 10

Today’s reading in Numbers tells of God’s people at the edge of the land He promised them. Moses sends in twelve “spies” to check it out. They find it truly is a land of milk and honey and brought back one cluster of grapes so heavy two of them had to carry it suspended on a pole between them. But that was not all they carried.

Despite the faithfulness of God in their journey so far, their resolve to trust Him turned to jelly. They focused only on the size of the enemies they must conquer and began to quiver in their sandals.

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. (Numbers 13:30–32)

I’m learning about God’s attitude toward my attitude when I complain. Not only does it reveal a lack of faith in what He is allowing in my life, it fosters that same attitude in others. Only ten reported those challenges with fear and trembling. Joshua and Caleb were eager to move forward. However negativity ruled and the entire congregation turned away from a great blessing and wandered forty more years in the wilderness.

When others are complaining and negative, I am discouraged, sometimes angry with them and even complain about their complaining! This puts me in the same tippy boat and I must conclude that negativity and complaining foster unbelief. No wonder God became angry with them.

How to respond to the negatives around me? The psalmist reminded himself of the realities of life. He saw cheaters trusting their wealth and spoke the truth that all die and only those who trust the Lord can live forever. He wrote, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah” (Psalm 49:15) Biblical truth changes negative attitudes.

Another solution to complaining and negativity, especially that based on comparing what I don’t have to what others do have, is looking at God’s prophetic revelation of future things. Isaiah speaks of a coming day when God will bring low the pride of humanity and He alone will be exalted. He will bring down everything from high mountains to high towers, fortified walls, ships, beautiful crafts, anything that we take pride in. All will flee as they cast away their idols and hide in caves. His bottom line is: “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isaiah 2:22) Like the psalmist, I can replace negative thoughts and behavior with the reality of my salvation.

The entire Chapter 10 of Hebrews fits this solution! It speaks of Christ’s sacrifice for all sin and of His covenant where His law is written in my heart and gives me confidence to draw near to Him . . .

 . . . with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water. Let me hold fast the confession of my hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let me consider how to stir up others to love and good works in the lives of others . . .  (Hebrews 10:22–24, personified)

Then this passage speaks of the folly of deliberate sin and “outraging the Spirit of grace” with the warning of it being a “fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26–31) Indeed it is a fearful thing, but lest that cause negativity in my heart, God also says, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:35–39)

APPLY: Confess my negativity and ask God to fill me with His positive attitude and the ability to encourage others rather than drag them into seeing giants when God has milk and honey enough for all of us.

The greatest gift . . .

Humility is often defined as not thinking little of yourself, but not thinking about yourself at all, only others. However, can that happen? When I look in the mirror and my face needs washing or my hair is disheveled, can I avoid thoughts of self as I fix those personal needs?

Instead, think about what God thinks about this. Paul wrote:

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3)

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)

The biblical injunction here is not to abandon all self thought, but to keep it in proper perspective. Just like what I wear is not as important as who I am, and bodily exercise is not as important as discipling myself to godliness. This is what God wants, and clearly my attitude and actions should be motivated without pride or a person agenda — because other people are more important.

The Christians at Philippi took care of the apostle Paul and their kindness did not go unnoticed. He rejoiced that they cared, yet he wasn’t concerned about himself. He had learned a valuable truth . . .

“I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:10–13)

While he says “I can do all things” the context is not so much about doing as it is about standing up under the events of life, good or bad. Essentially, he said that because of Christ, he remained content no matter what happened to him. He also was saying that he could do whatever God wanted him to do because he was not worried or anxious about his own needs. He knew he could do the job and didn’t use his own needs as an excuse to refuse any task. He also knew that God was in charge and could be trusted.

As Tozer says, I cannot do in myself what God can do. I am a mere human, yet with the anointing of the Holy Spirit and His presence in my life, I can do what Jesus, God-Man did while on this earth. He shows me what a fully human person can do when they trust the Holy Spirit for everything.

Jesus, You never cease to challenge me. These verses and Tozer’s comment does just that: “Anyone can do the possible; add a bit of courage and zeal and some may do the phenomenal; only Christians are obliged to do the impossible.” It is by this that humility becomes genuine and by this that You are glorified. Thank You for the great gift of contentment and the assurance that makes it a reality.

In the Potter’s hands

In our Monday Bible study, exalting a biblical person was a discouragement in a way. If I have to be well-educated, or raised by godly parents, or special in some way before God can use me, then He never will. On the other hand, I cannot say I am useless to God because God can do anything with even the most useless.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:27–29)

Paul understood this because he was a humble man who knew his own sinfulness. He was well-educated, respected as a Pharisee, and had many qualifications. If anyone could boast he could, yet he also said:

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh — though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith . . .  (Philippians 3:3–9)

Paul was not guilty of a false humility that tries to look humble before others. He knew that he was a sinner, but he also knew that in Christ he could do all things, not because of his credentials or background but because of the grace of God.

For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9–10)

Chambers says, “The way we continually talk about our own inability is an insult to the Creator. The deploring of our own incompetence is a slander against God for having overlooked us.” By this he refers to that false humility that is sometimes an excuse to not do great things for God, or a self-pitying reason why God has never asked us to do anything?

The Lord often asks me to do things that in my own self would be totally impossible, but He provides the grace to do it. Many times I’d prefer He ask me to do that which I feel capable of doing, yet that is not how He works. I’m never to boast that I am able, just as I’m never to boast that I am unable. Either of these is foolish because it is putting the attention on me when I should be giving God glory. No matter what I am, it is He who works in me.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:20–21)

Chambers says, “Never bother your head as to whether what you say sounds humble before men or not, but always be humble before God, and let Him be all in all.”

He adds, “One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purpose, and yours may be that life.” With that, the image of a potter shaping clay comes to mind. The clay never tells the potter what to do or how to do it. It never insists what kind of shape it should be or cannot be. It just lets the potter do with it what he wants.

Amen.