Coming Home to Freedom - Representing God's Glory


Devotional Reading: Numbers 14:5-19
How does God prove He is God? Often through His relationships with His people.  We learn about God’s faithfulness through the stories of those to whom God has been faithful.  We learn about God’s provision through the stories of those for whom God has provided. We learn about God’s righteousness and forgiveness through the stories of those who have knelt in awe before God and received His mercy.

But what happens when the church rebels together against God? What type of witness is that to the world?

The twelve spies representing the twelve tribes of Israel returned from exploring the promised land only to give ill report. This land that God had promised them was full of intimidating giants and well-fortified cities.  They would rather return to slavery in Egypt then go in and fight for the land.

How would that look to the outside world? Would it appear that God only led the Israelites out of Egypt to let them wander in the dessert?  Would it give the secular world permission to dismiss the miracles of the plagues and the parting of the sea as only fables?  What would happen if God didn’t carry through on His promise to give Abraham’s children a land and an identity as an established nation?

Caleb and Joshua tear their clothes in mourning. They see that God has brought them to the edge of
the promised land and now all they need to do is believe and move forward.  God’s gift is within their grasps and yet the people want to sit and wallow in self-pity because they are afraid.  They don’t trust God.

They stand at the edge of the promise and yet they don’t have the faith to take the last step! In fact, they are so fearful that they think their leaders are deceiving them.  Their fear has even led them to talk about stoning Moses!

And God takes this personally!  “How long will these people treat me with contempt?  How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?”  Symbolically, in the people’s desire to stone their leaders, they are turning against God!  Yes, this is the God who gave them life!  The same God who can take that same life away.

And then Moses, the one the people are speaking against, stands up and speaks on their behalf before God.  Moses reminds God that God has to find a way to bring the people into the promised land, because otherwise God’s name will be tarnished.

I think sometimes we forget as the Church that we represent God’s name.  The Church is God’s glory.  Or at least it is supposed to bring God glory.  The Church is supposed to be the group of people who take giant leaps of faith knowing that God will fulfill His promises.  We are supposed to be faithful people. We are supposed to trust in our mighty God to provide.  We are encouraged to take steps of faith that are bigger than what we can achieve on our own.  This proves God is God!

God is calling us as a people to take a step of faith with our building project.  No, we can’t do it on our own. That is the point.  We can only do this through faith in God!  God has led us up to the edge of the land, but we must show we have the faith to break ground.  The ball is in our court. Will we move? We only have to stay in motion, God will direct us the rest of the way!

How does God prove He is God?  Through His relationship with His church.  People will watch and see how God took two broken churches and a massive flood and used these to build a new church that will transform the community through the Spirit! Amen.

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