Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. His promises are true. Would that we had died in this wilderness! Gods people need to trust Him, needs to learn how to trust Him. Having trouble logging into your account? Theres no consideration of what God might do to help them. They weren't grasshoppers. I cant serve because I dont know where to start. All you have to do is ask. This weeks Torah portion offers us several grasshopper lessons. The perception in our mind sometimes tricks us in believing things that are not true. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned and the flame will not consume you. But let's not allow the "naysayers" to rob us of our confidence in the Lord. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; When I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Do you see that? For they are stronger than we - , .. Your perspective needs to change. There is no room for stinking thinking. These men heard this report and begin to make sounds that didnt have a lot of thought with them and before long, the chirping was throughout the people. They werent enough. In case of abuse. Look at verse 11 of chapter 14. Indeed, we need words of life. I have called you by name; you are mine. I loved the article/sermon. read more, Scripture: Lets place this passage. We see obstacles; we see challenges. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranatesand figs. Part 14 - Matthew 10:18-19 - GRASSHOPPER, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! And over their shoulders they saw the destruction of Pharaohs army as that water that was a wall about them came crashing on those soldiers, after which they saw no more Egyptian army pursuing them. What does our passage teach us about unbelief? Numbers 13:33. Rather it was their preoccupation with how others saw them that was their sin., Lesson number three, young grasshoppers: Worry less about how others see you and more about, Who Are We? . Its come from reflecting on the fact that God has brought them this far not to forsake them. The question is which one are you? and let me show you a different perspective. More food. In my life, in the midst of all those things God has taught me in trial and hardship, theres a common thread that unites all of those things and it is the issue of faith. The Three Lessons of the Grasshopper. "We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes" (Bamidbar, 13:33) In this unique syntax, the Torah teaches us a psychological principle of the greatest importance: The way you feel about yourself is how you think others perceive you. They are too many and too large and still, there are giants in the land! While two of the spies, Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh say, We can take the land! a great leader. That includes your mind by the way. GOD WANTS US TO PRAY AND THEN SEE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED. It was published on Jun 16, 2015, Your email address will not be published. Heres the lesson we mustnt allow our fears to paralyze us. Please contact us in case of abuse. Would you like to write for WeSaidGoTravel? Numbers 13:23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol. A couple of years ago around this time of year I was sitting right up there in that portion of the balcony up there and Ralph Kelley was preaching and challenged us at the beginning of 2018 to be a people of the Word. What kind of people are we? To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them." By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) Open your Bibles to Numbers, chapter 13, please. You discern my going out and my lying down; If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. "You cannot see," the boy says when he meets the master for the first time. And then, after just praising the land for its bounty, they now spread lies about it, calling it a land devours its inhabitants . 1. They know more than we do. You must be born again by the Spirit of God. And as God causes us to be born again, He gives us saving faith which we place in Christ and now we have new life in Him. Caleb remembers here, that with God, all things are possible! And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.". The working title of my next book, co-authored with Micha Price, is 'A Biblical Guide to the Climate Crisis'. Fear is keeping you from your Promised Land. Before a child is born, the parents prepare a room, a bed, some blankets, warm clothes, bottles, Generation Of Grasshoppers (Num.13) ".and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num.13:33). The Hebrew word translated here as multiplied greatly is more often rendered swarmed. As surely as the Israelites eventually will be led into the land, we will be led into another year. 4The Moabitessaid to the elders of Midian,This horde is going to lick up everythingaround us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.. Fear not, I have redeemed you. Daily faith that we are called upon to exercise more and more as we grow towards maturity in Christ. The oft-repeated description of the land as flowing with milk and honey occurs twice in this episode, once in the spies initial report (above), and again in a speech by Joshua (Numbers 14:8). One interesting fact is that they have ears on their bellies. Imagine how he felt when he realized the signal he was getting was coming from his steel-toed boots. "Of all things," says the boy, "to live in . The mother of a nine-year-old boy named Mark received a phone call in the middle of the afternoon. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Caleb, in verse 30 of the passage we just read, urging his people, Let us go up at once and occupy it, that is the land, for we are well able to overcome it. Joshua, joining Caleb in chapter 14 as this discussion continues, trying to calm the people and inspire them to trust the Lord whos brought them this far, If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into the land and He will give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Lets be a people who are intentional about trusting God, not just when the whim lands upon us, but intentional as we face things that we dont want to be involved in or things that seem too big for us, to trust God to see what He might do to help us accomplish all that He intends for us to accomplish as individuals, as families, as a congregation of His people. Matthew 10:18-19. We see they recognized that the land does flow with milk and honey and they had a sample of the huge fruit. (Its the term used in Leviticus 11 above.). read more, Scripture: Are we good? The important question is not how do others see us but WHO ARE WE? How do we live that life of faith? We know that God adds His blessing to His Word as we read it and hear it together. Numbers 13:23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Young man, says the master, how is it that you do not?. John the Baptist ate locusts and honey. Or, perhaps, as fierce and clever warriors. He is Creator, Sustainer, Omnipotent and head over heels in love with you! Before I moved to Israel in 2011, I was a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge (1997-2006), and a Reader in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at King's College London (2007-2011). If you have hope in anything else, get Christ today. Well, were not standing before the land but were standing before an unknown year. Introduction - Listening Well Leads to Success Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim activists visit the Sumarin family at their home in East Jerusalem, January 2020. But its also a community effort. We despise Him. A couple of factors point in this direction. It happened with the Israelites. The land that God promised them the land and they only had to go and process it. After an eleven day journey from Sinai, they find themselves here at the wilderness of Paran, Kadesh Barnea. There is no other save Christ. Do you have powerful people in your life? Well, lets wrap up. According to 2 Corinthians 5:7 we walk by faith and not by sight . Numbers 13:30-33. Rashi's comment expands upon this concept. The Israelites had a commander in chief that was knowledgeable and had been with God. I remember it from re-runs. It is disgusting, disappointing and above . Erik Weihenmayer is blind, yet on May 25, 2001, he reached the peak of Mt. It comes from seeing how God has worked among them. In this weeks parsha, Shelach Lecha (Numbers 13:1-15:41), Moses sends twelve spies, one from each tribe, to scout out the Promised Land. Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?. God is your refuge .read more. even the darkness will not be dark to you; you knit me together in my mothers womb. The twelve spies whom Moses sent in to report on the Promised Land saw the same things. The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Your favorite preaching resources have a brand-new look. Lets go to the Lord in prayer. To view recordings of our entire services, visit our Facebook page. We dont always know how to believe, but unbelief comes to us naturally. Well, lets think a bit about the ten spies and their judging the challenge before the nation with no reckoning of confidence in God. Now I see it differently. All the people we saw there are of great size. . Our Scripture today gives us the report from these spies: They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. Presbyterian/Reformed. And so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:33). How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! Here is its fruit. TEXT: Joshua 14:6-15; Numbers 13:26-33 TITLE: GRASSHOPPER MENTALITY Throughout this message I will be referring back to Numbers 13. "Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your sons third grade class. He turns the Midrash on its head. Well theres another thing for us to think about and its, What does this passage teach us about unbelief? Unbelief is kind of where we are naturally. Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. Thats verse 2 of chapter 13. He took it out to a field to try it out for the first time. Numbers 13:26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadeshin the Desert of Paran. Its a good land. Some of you might remember the old 1970s television show, Kung Fu which aired from 1972-1975 on ABC. The grasshopper syndrome: "We saw the giantsand we were like grasshoppers in our own sight" (Num. Let's begin reading with verse 23: "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and . We think Gods thoughts. Responding with fear, not courage. And Edmond Dantes of course crying out to God for justice and mercy, the jailor says, You cry out to God. Numbers 13:30Then Calebsilenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.. As we do so, I bring you seasons greetings. First, I see it demonstrated through naysayers. Now only can we see grasshopper mentality in this passage defined and demonstrated, because of the grace of God, we can see it dissolved! We form our understanding from what God tells us. The spies who go out into the land see many things but what, ultimately, do they understand? Hes brought us here to do us harm. The doubt-caster will be one that says their way is the right way, there is no other way and whoever doesnt see their way will never be right. But they say, We cant take this land. , . They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. There we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Christian Standard Bible We even saw the Nephilim therethe descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! . We end one year and prepare to begin another. This post presents a new please correct me if Im wrong reading of what the spies in this weeks parsha mean when they say that they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes and in the eyes of the existing inhabitants of the Promised Land. Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didnt stop him. Fortified cities up to the heavens! Everest. Numbers 13:33-14:9, Denomination: We allow these folks to determine our self-worth. If you would open your Bibles to Numbers chapter 13. Ill stop the moment He shows up. Unbelief tells us, God wont be showing up. Thats the attitude of the spies who bring the bad report. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. We were in our own sight as grasshoppers Thus their fear magnified these sons of Anak above measure, so that in comparison of them they thought themselves as weak and contemptible as insignificant insects. God is not good. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). Sometimes we, like those spies, motivated by fear, see ourselves as little better than insects. We dont know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. You can get started a little late but you can catch up also. Sunday, 15 May 2022 23:27. They are called upon to trust God for that very enterprise. We can do it. Of all things, says the boy, to live in darkness must be the worst., Fear, says the master, is the only darkness.. In a speech to King Solomon in 2 Chronicles about the power of prayer, God mentions grasshoppers in a context where we would expect locusts to appear: 2 Chronicles 7:12 The Lord appeared to him [Solomon] at night and said: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. But we mustnt let our fears get the better of us. John 3:16 John Hagee (January-10-2023) Daily Devotional: Numbers 13:33 - There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Jesus, in His last few hours with His disciples, John 14, says this, Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. Until yesterday, I assumed, along with most other readers, that the one thats relevant to our verse is in Isaiah: Isaiah 40: 21Do you not know? their childs preschool education, Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. A leader should be a hero. The other groups would have never been as united and their efforts would have failed. We mine Gods Word for what He has promised. Required fields are marked *. Almost all other occurrences of the word refer to insects, and indeed, the noun associated with this verb, sheretz, means insect. 4. WHY DO WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF THE ONE WHO CAN WALK ON WATER WHEN THE STORM IS RAGING ALL AROUND US? As holy men? His master is blind. He shows bravery and courage. Have you ever felt overwhelmed and helpless to do anything about it? If we can be apathetic, then really it doesnt matter very much about God at all. You are saying to the One who created time, you dont have time? Lets be self-conscious, intentional, bold, adventurous about trusting God, choosing to trust God for what He has promised to do, for what He has promised to give, for how He has promised to help. If you think you're an insect, don't be surprised when everybody around you treats you like an insect - looks upon you like a worm, or a beetle, or a bug! If we have any other hope of personal goodness or personal ability, dash it, because Jesus is all. read more, Scripture: Numbers 13:32-33 tells us the whole story of the mistakes made just this side of glory but to sum it all up quickly, THEY REFUSED TO HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WAS IN CONTROL. Spies Like Us from Stephen Wise Temple on Vimeo. They sent spies into the land to check it out. Num 13:32 All the men we saw in it are men of great stature. Free Sermons and Sermon Outlines for Preaching : Series: Do Not Limit The Holy One Of Israel (Part 6): Do Not Limit God In The Power Of Your Imagination I Am Not A Grasshopper. God had made them giant-killers, but they chose to see themselves as mere grasshoppers. Notice how the grasshopper mentality is demonstrated. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? Theyre saying, The Lord is bringing us here to kill us! Unbelief, of this sort, carries with it the echo of Eden God is not good. A couple of months ago, David Strain was preaching through 1 Peter chapter 2 and he preached on the passage where Peter is urging the people of God to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word. We cant find out what November will be like. He checked his signal again. In fact, if we humans could jump like they do, we could jump the length of a football field. Amen? Later in the scene, the master instructs the boy: I hear the water. Both, they and we, are bounded by Gods promise to do good to those who belong to Him. We see in the very last verse of this passage a mindset that is described. But do your actions & attitudes reflect that? We nourish our choices to trust God. : . , . ? He reveals it through the intensity, integrity, and ingenuity of his love. I cant serve the Lord because its too hard. Sometimes in life and in our spirituality we have to understand that nothing worth having comes easy. Where does that kind of confidence come from? Incorrect password. Introduction: In Modern America who would want to have a grasshopper complex? Satirized Their only reported action was to pick a bunch of grapes so large that it required two men to carry. Both seem to be a great source of protein. You can read about their long and complex history here and here. As noted above, other than the lands existing inhabitants, the only subject of interest to the spies is food, and the only physical evidence they bring home is edible. Numbers 15:14For the generations to come,whenever a stranger or anyone else living among you presents a foodofferingas an aroma pleasing to theLord, they must do exactly as you do. No attempt has been made, however, to alter the basic extemporaneous delivery style, or to produce a grammatically accurate, publication-ready manuscript conforming to an established style template. Being part of something larger and lasting, McCarthy extols ties at Knesset, vows full support for Israeli security against Iran, White House reiterates Netanyahu to get invite but visit not currently planned, Levin accuses US administration of cooperating with judicial overhaul opponents, Gantz: No progress in talks with government on judicial reform compromise, Report: Israel got intel on Irans secret nuclear weapons program from executed spy, TA police chief refuses to discuss transfer with commissioner: An invalid procedure. read more, Scripture: ); and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Now, that's natural. GOD, GRASSHOPPERS AND A BARLEY CAKE Judges 7:8-14 INTRODUCTION: Many times circumstances seem overwhelming like grasshoppers, while at the same time we feel as helpless as a muffin (barley cake). God is with us and not with them. The people are at the edge of an unknown place, a place into which God will lead them. Numbers 14:27How long will this wicked community grumble against me? 13:32, 33, NKJV). (verses 1-17) When they got there ten of the men saw problems and had a bad report to delivery but He can preach sermons by the yard . Hear us, as we make our prayer in Jesus name, amen. Lets pray. Rather it was their preoccupation with how others saw them that was their sin.. As he turned it on, he got a really strong signal right where he was standing. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? Is it to instigate fear? Numbers 13 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I have given to the Israelites. You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.. But if we, rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people o, Moving Beyond A Grasshopper Complex My last book was 'From Forbidden Fruit to Milk and Honey: A Commentary on Food in the Torah'; proceeds go to Leket, Israel's national food bank. . One more word about being a doubt-caster. read more, Scripture: The lie comes in the assumption that there is no help for us. Be of good courage, he tells them, and bring some of the fruit of the land. The spies, as we know, after they spend forty days in the land bring back a mixed report. Please add your name to the petition/email campaign to protect the Sumarins here. God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a land that he had promised them. Thats what Jesus described as being born again. That was the terminology He used in talking with Nicodemus. Please add your name to the petition/email campaign to protect the Sumarin family here. Indeed, Moab was filled with dreadbecause of the Israelites. We want to look at this grasshopper complex later in the message. Joel Osteen (May-16-2022) Today's Word: Grasshopper Disease. 23:7). He ended up digging a 12 foot hole and could not find anything. Scripture: So get Christ today. THEME: How to live on the mountain while living in the valley. And what does the passage teach us about our responsibility to one another? With that in mind, lets pray and lets look at a few verses, and well pull in from the wider narrative as well. In His name we pray and thank You, amen. Still nothing. We seem to ourselves like grasshoppers and so we seem to them. Theyre saying, We are not enough to face what is before us, and theres no lie there. Unbelief operates with an unwillingness to factor God, and most particularly the goodness of God, into our evaluation of circumstances and need. December 29, 2019. Lesson number three comes from the great Hassidic master, Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. Finally, back in our parsha, the challah offering thats specified in Numbers 15 becomes obligatory once the Israelites have eaten their first meal in the land: Numbers 15:17 TheLordsaid to Moses,18Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you19and you eat the food of the land,present a portion as an offering to theLord. All the people we saw there are of great size. We trust none other to be right with God save the person of Jesus Christ and the work that He has done on our behalf to save sinners. I can say only that injustice has many tentacles, but it stings individuals. Father, we thank You that Your ways are good towards us. Many people today in Africa, Asia and the Americas eat grasshoppers. As Rabbi Steven Kushner puts it: their sin wasnt simply that they lost faith or that the scouts had misrepresented what they had seen Their failure wasnt even that they had low self-esteem, that they saw themselves as grasshoppers. If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. We hate Him. Kwai Chang is the orphaned son of an American man and a Chinese woman As a boy, he comes to study martial arts and wisdom at a Shaolin Temple. The main character of the series, Kwai Chang Caine, is played by David Carradine. This was the children of Israel's problem in this story. Its as though, in the minds of the spies, the whole country was edible. The people of Israel had been held captives in Israel. They have completely forgotten the promise of God. One last lesson thats really about right now, this place and this moment: There is in this world much of which to be afraid. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God. Try, If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. He tells the cautious Israelites not to worry about the existing inhabitants because they will be our bread (Numbers 14:9). Its about making us cynics. They were perceived as giants. I give a weekly parsha shiur at Beit Moses home for the elderly in Jerusalem. More To Follow Twelve men were sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. They all will spoil. Hes brought us here to take away from us. He said, Stop looking in the rear view mirror, keep your eyes on the road ahead, and put the pedal to the metal and go!. One interesting fact is that they have ears on their bellies. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. As a result, they respond to the chirps of other grasshoppers and do what they do. Those big people in Canaan did not say to the spies, "Hey, you little fellows look like grasshoppers to us.". How do we create that? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. These naysayers doubted the Word of God. GOD, GRASSHOPPERS AND A BARLEY CAKE Grasshoppers have the ability to jump away from any kind of predator. They are bread for us. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. When they were originally brought to the border of the promised land just this side of the Jordan river, they sent in twelve spies to survey the land and it was a good land because they came back each and every one with a good report of the unspeakable, uncontainable blessings of a Holy and righteous God. First, we should recall that in the food laws outlined in Leviticus 11, grasshoppers are grouped with locusts. The land that God has described more than once as a land flowing with milk and honey, theyre about to be ushered into that land. Bearing in mind all this food, lets turn to the end of the spies report. Surrounded by injustice, actual and threatened, in these terrible times, you may wonder why you should spend even a moment of your time on this single family. They walked on dry ground through the Red Sea and were fed manna and quail from heaven, given water from a rock and god had even taken this ragtag bunch of nobodies and made them into a great army defeating armies of other kings. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God Numbers 13:17-13:33 Let him have a spear like a weaver's beam. 23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean. God uses trials, as you know, and hardships in our lives for many things; things really too numerous to mention. He is the only hope we have to be right with God, to be reconciled to Him, to be adopted by Him as His sons and daughters. One is, What does the passage teach us about faith? Parashat Shelach-Lcha Shabbat sermon at Stephen S Wise Temple. Some of you have a knee-jerk yes response, because thats what youve been taught to believe. Too often we see ourselves as nothing DO NOT LIMIT THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL (PART 6): DO NOT LIMIT GOD IN THE POWER OF YOUR IMAGINATION I AM NOT A GRASSHOPPER them saying, "We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them" (13:33). Do not fear them.. HERO Def: 13:33). Part one continues the theme of food and eating: The land eats its inhabitants. Down deep, do you really believe that God is a loving God? Those are promises, and there are hundreds and hundreds of other promises that God has made. "There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Numbers 13:33). We need to teach one another that language. He had kept them united. These spies were defeated before they started. To say the above statement was made by elders and leaders commissioned by God to lead His people to their place of rest and destiny is absurd, would be an understatement .
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