«　WEEK 11　DAY 3　»

　　Num. 13:30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

　　14:9 Only do not rebel against Jehovah, nor should you fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has been removed from them, and Jehovah is with us; do not fear them.

　　Even though God had gone before them in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, seeking out places for them to camp and showing them the way they should go (Deut. 1:33), the children of Israel disregarded God's care for them in the wilderness because of the evil report brought back by ten of the twelve men who went to spy out the good land and because they forgot how He had carried them through the great and awesome wilderness (v. 31). Thus, they had an evil heart of unbelief, believing neither in God nor in His promise. They even murmured against God, saying that God brought them into the land to fall by the sword and for their wives and little ones to become a plunder (Num. 14:1-3). Hence, God swore in His wrath that not one of the unbelieving generation would see the good land which He had sworn to give to their fathers; only Caleb and Joshua were allowed to enter (Deut. 1:34-38). (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 2, p. 100)

　　The little ones, who the people said would become plunder, were brought into the land by God. The people and their children wandered in the wilderness forty years to bear their iniquities....Those who gave the evil report all died by a plague before Jehovah (Num. 14:26-38). This shows that it is a terrible thing not to believe in God. We need to be careful not to have an evil heart of unbelief. (Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 2, p. 100)

　　Our faith may be very weak and small, nearly nonexistent. Since this may be our situation, we should learn to humble ourselves before God, confessing the weakness of our faith and asking Him to forgive us. This is the spirit we should have before God. But as indicated by what they said, the children of Israel did not care for God but only for themselves.

　　Their consideration was not for God but for their own interest. They did not care for God in the least, but cared only for their safety, their peace, and their existence. They did not confess their weakness or humble themselves before God. Eventually, they offended God to such an extent that they became abhorrent to Him.

　　They became abhorrent because they were so much for themselves. In everything and in every way they were for themselves, not for God's interests. If they had thought even a little about God's interests, they would have said, "God, as You have been so good to us, we just love You. We would like to sacrifice our future, our safety, our security, our existence, and everything for Your purpose. We forget about our benefit. We care only that You accomplish Your purpose. For Your purpose, let us go and possess the land."

　　What they did was mostly for themselves. This situation brought in God's judgment and punishment. (Life-study of Numbers, pp. 149-151, 157)

　　Faith is always real and true. The environment is a lie. Listen to faith, not to the lie. If our environment is good, we do not need to believe. We need to believe when we are in a difficult environment. Worry, anxiety, and even physical sickness, all are lies. Faith always tells the environment that it is a lie, not a giant. To deny the environment is faith. In Numbers 13 and 14, Joshua and Caleb took the word of God as their faith. (CWWL, 1989, vol. 3, "The Experience and Growth in Life," pp. 37-38)

　　When the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, they were always murmuring, reasoning, and chiding. That was surely in their soul, not in their spirit. But Joshua and Caleb believed in the word of God, obeyed the Lord, and pressed toward the goal. This was surely not in their soul but in their spirit. (Life-study of Hebrews, p. 289)

　　Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 2, lsn. 29