Faith or Fear

Numbers 14:3
Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?

The book of Numbers begins with a military census. The Lord commanded Moses to count all men who were twenty years old and above except those men who were a part of the priestly tribe of Levi. Then, Numbers continues the narrative of the journey of God’s people from Mount Sinai though the wilderness. The fact that it begins with a military census seems to foreshadow the battles that are soon to come. The battles were not just military battles. They battled fear, discouragement and discontent. Too often, they just complained. It’s a great lesson for us. We may be counted as “soldiers” in the Lord’s army, but are we prepared to fight? The battles on the inside usually determine the result on the outside. In the midst of the book of Numbers is a disappointing answer. When the people came to the edge of the land that God had promised, they refused to go in because of their fear. Faith lost. Fear won. Their complaints are telling. “Why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword” (Numbers 14:3). Their view of God became distorted through the lens of fear. Turn the tide today. Let faith overcome fear.