Good Wednesday Morning,

Yes, I remembered.  You want the answers to the test yesterday.  We always want to know how well we did…or how poorly we did.  I know, it was not an easy test and you did mostly guessing.  Here are the four top answers in order of their saltiness:  #1 – “e” – Breads & rolls, #2 – “g” – Cold cuts & cured meats, #3 – “b” – Pizza (most of you guessed that one), #4 – “h” – Fresh & processed poultry (surprised at this one).  You may be surprised at a number of them, I am sure.  Breads & rolls are not really saltier than many of the other foods, but people tend to eat a lot of them.  Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease & stroke. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel – 2-8-2012).  Salt really plays a large part in our foods that we eat.  May God give us wisdom as we eat each day so that we might glorify God with our bodies.

THE CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE – NUMBERS 14

The 12 spies come back from the land of Canaan after 40 days and sharing the results with the congregation of Israel.  Only two spies give back a good report and a challenge to go forward and conquer the people living in Canaan.

That night the entire nation wept before the Lord.  The next day the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron telling them that it would have better if their families would return back to Egypt.”  It was because they fed on the negative rather than upon God.  They blamed Moses and Aaron and even God in the process. 

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the Lord.  Joshua now speaks up and addresses the entire congregation of the sons of Israel saying that they need to trust God and pleading with them that they would not rebel against God.  He stated the key that “the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” (v.9)  The congregation responded by preparing to stone them with stones.

Moses now has to plead for the people because God is ready to deal with His people with pestilence and even dispossess them from the land.  Moses pleads for God’s compassion.  He reminds God about some logical human responses should God destroy His people at that time.  He also reminded God of who He is and what He is like (v.18)

God is forgiving and gracious and changed His mind.  He was willing to pardon (v.20) the people of Israel for their unbelief.  This was the tenth time in less than two years that His people tested God (v.22).  But, there were consequences to their unbelief.  The people that were 20 years old and older would not enter the land.  They would have to wander about for 40 years (1 year for each day they spied out the land) in the wilderness.  While they wandered every person that was 20 years old and older would die.

Another sad event that happened that people do not notice in reading this story is that the ten spies who came back with a bad report and made the congregation grumble against God died immediately by a plague before the Lord.  Only Joshua and Caleb remained alive out of the 12 for their faithfulness and their willingness to trust God.

Does it pay to be wholeheartedly sold out to the Lord?  Does it matter to truly believe and be willing to act upon your faith in God for the challenges that come into our lives?  The answer is “YES!”  God rewards those who believe and follow HIM.  Are you willing to trust God in your circumstances in life?  I hope so.  There is a price to pay for unbelief…always!

In His love,

Pastor Les