Struck Down

 Scripture:

“these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Observation:

Twelve men were sent in to look at the promised land and bring back a report on what it looked like, what the people were like, and what kind of fruit the ground produced. While they were there, they saw giants in the land and fortified cities. Ten spies came back and said, “we can’t go in, we will be destroyed.” Joshua and Caleb came back and said, “The Lord is with us. We must go in at once.” The ten spread their negative word until all Israel was ready to go back to Egypt. The ten were struck dead with a plague and the rest were forced to live in the wilderness 40 years.

Application:

Don’t give what God didn’t ask for. God didn’t ask them their opinion about whether they could defeat the people living there. He just asked for a report about what and who was there. They were scared and spread their fear throughout the crowd. These men were struck down for their actions. God took swift and powerful vengeance on these men for spreading their negativity and He blessed Joshua and Caleb for their positive report. As for me, I want to spread goodness, faith, obedience, and vision for the future. I want to speak what God is speaking and live a life of faith, never disbelief. 

Prayer:

Father, You are great and glorious! You are amazing in every way. I am still in awe of Your presence in our midst yesterday. Help me to move with You and to do what You want me to do every day. Help me to live a life of faith and obedience to what You speak. I want to live a life that honors You and spreads hope and vision instead of negativity and unbelief.

Yours Forever,

Jeff