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…

                                                                                                            Numbers 13:27-28a 

Read: Numbers 13

The promises of God are amazing but it is our faith in them that brings spiritual prosperity to our lives. Today’s passage is an excellent example of how the promises of God were very real for the Israelites but were not of any benefit to them because of their refusal to believe.

The people of Israel were rescued from the hands of the Egyptians. They were cared for and led by God Himself who would take them directly to the land that He had promised them. Upon arriving at the threshold of this land, the people sent twelve spies to go in and survey the land and to bring back a report. And what was their report? It starts out well enough: 

“We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.”

But they digress from there:

“Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large…” 

The people that they found in the land so intimidated these spies (at least ten of them) that they were convinced not to go into the land.

I believe that it is as important for us to understand what God did not do in this situation as much as it is what He did. First, God did not drive these people out for them. He could have miraculously cleared the land of all inhabitants, paving the way for these Israelites to move in, but He did not. Secondly, God did not use some kind of Divine influence over the Israelites, giving them supernatural power to be courageous and to go. He did neither of these things. He left the obstacle in place and He allowed the people to arrive at their own decision. And what was their decision? Out of the twelve spies, ten of them refused to go leaving only two urging the people to believe God and to move into the land. The majority won the day and the people believed the bad report given by the ten spies.

There are three passages of scripture all identifying unbelief as the reason why the people did not possess the land. Consider the following:

 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

                                                                                                                 Hebrews 3:16-19 

Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

                                                                                                                   Hebrews 4:1-2 

Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

                                                                                                                           Jude 1:5 

When we fail to respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we miss out on the promise, even though that promise remains in effect for anyone who will come and receive it by faith. Salvation is a gift from God but it must be received and we receive it by placing our faith in Jesus, thus believing God and taking Him at His word. The people missed out on the land because of unbelief. It was not that God did not want to give them the land. It was because they simply would not go and take possession of it. They allowed fear to override their belief in the promises of God.

We have a choice as well. God promises to save “everyone who will call on His name” (Romans 10:13). We either believe the promise and respond to it by faith or we do not. Below are two passages of scripture that explain that justification, forgiveness, and spiritual freedom are all received by placing our faith in Jesus’ finished work on the cross:

…nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

                                                                                                                 Galatians 2:16 

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him (Jesus) forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him (Jesus) everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

                                                                                                                     Acts 13:38-39 

To believe and receive or to miss the promises of God…the choice is ours!