See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land. -Numbers 13:18-20 (NIV)
For we walk by faith, not by sight. -2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
In military terms, reconnaissance is an exploratory outing, gathering information ahead of a push by armed forces. The point is to understand the terrain, number and strength of enemy forces, their resources, what their morale might be like, and so on.
In the Book of Numbers, Moses sends out twelve spies for forty days to scout out Canaan, the Promised Land that the Lord had ready for them, following their harrowing exodus from Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, we saw how God delivered His grumbling and complaining people from Pharaoh and his armies.
After that amazing show of power, the takeaway would be to not trust in what your eyes can see, but trust and walk in faith in the Lord…and to keep your eyes on Him, no matter what is around you.
The spies surveyed the land, which was rich with vegetation and food, bringing back the fruit of the land, as Moses had ordered. But ten of the twelve spies saw only with their eyes, spreading a discouraging report to Moses and his people that they had no chance there, because of the giant descendants of the Nephilim.
Only two of the twelve spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported that the land could be taken. But it was too late. The Israelites chose to walk by sight and ignore the report of faith. They chose to ignore God’s promise that the land was theirs to take…if only they had faith.
In our lives, in every situation, we walk by faith, but we still should take the time to survey the landscape and understand what we’re up against. We then have the specifics to deliver to the Lord, thanking Him for helping us endure and overcome them, no matter what our eyes and mind tell us.
Do you have giants in front of you? If God put them there in your way, trust that He will make a way for you to get to the other side of them.
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