Formality

There are times that I watched people “go through the motions” of an activity because it was a formality. They had made their decision, but expectations caused them to do other activities to check that decision.  I’ve also notice people who are extremely formal with procedures and rules because it’s expected.

The Israelite nation was on the move to their new home, when something that was supposed to be a formality changed everything. Check this out….

¹The Lord now said to Moses, ² “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.”

 ²⁷ This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. ²⁸ But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! ²⁹ The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.” (Numbers 13:1-2,27-29 NLT)

I believe this scouting expedition was a formality and the Lord may have expected it to be a huge celebration, but it turned into a festival of fear. They enjoyed the grapes, pomegranates and figs, but 10 of the scouts spread fear among the people. They couldn’t see that the responsibility of taking the land was upon the Lord.

F.E.A.R. – has been described as “false evidence appearing real”. I do understand the thoughts of these 10 spies if they were thinking their army could take the land. They were forgetting what the Leader of their country was capable of. They forgot what had happened at the Red Sea and the formidable army of Pharaoh. The Lord’s Presence trumps fear. There is nothing or no one that can stand against Him. I want His Presence in me no matter what I face or what decisions I have to make. If He calls me to go in new territory, then I need to go. If He calls me to stay put and serve from where I am, then I need to stay and serve.

These 10 spies missed the most important part of the instructions. They were told to explore the land that “I am giving to the Israelites”. There was no talk of battles or strategies – The Lord was giving them the land. This scouting trip was meant to inspire the people and get them excited about what God was doing.

I want to listen to His instructions to me carefully.

I want the Lord to go with me wherever I go to do whatever He calls me to do.

My obedience is not a formality – it’s a commitment I’m making every day.

My trust in the Lord is not a formality – it’s a daily decision.

My faith is not a formality – it is fluid, functional and bold. His Presence in me changes how I love, serve, give and live.

Pressing On!

Dwayne