Thats not a problem. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself that when I am, you may be also. Or Paul in Romans chapter 8 says this, If God is for us, who can be against us? As people appear to God looking down from the heavens, so the Israelites looked to the existing inhabitants of the promised land. 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. We dont come to that realization on our own. Caleb, one of two spies who bring a more hopeful account of the land, tries to calm the people and tells them: We should go up at once and possess the land for surely we are able to do so! 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. Father, we thank You that Your ways are good towards us. (verses 1-17) When they got there ten of the men saw problems and had a bad report to delivery but 20Present a loaf from the first of your ground mealand present it as an offering from the threshing floor. I cant serve the Lord because of what I have done in my past. If that were true, none of us could serve. I remember recently watching the most recent movie version of The Count of Monte Cristo. But one thing is certain: it should not involve injustice and ruthless exploitation that make us feared and hated. The children of Israel had to decide whether they were going to enter the land or stay out. 23:7). even the darkness will not be dark to you; you knit me together in my mothers womb. Everest. The Three Lessons of the Grasshopper. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day drawing near. We have an obligation as the church of God to nourish faith among each other. How do we access that? 2 Chronicles 7:14, Deuteronomy 1:1-6, Deuteronomy 1:6, Genesis 1:26, Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 13:58, Matthew 6:25-34, Numbers 13:32-33, 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Help your church understand God's plan in pain, Call your people to experience a higher freedom, Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth. Please participate by adding your voice to our growing global community. Its a new beginning. If we can be untrusting we can be apathetic. Is it to instigate fear? Thank you for reading this article. And that spectacular display of Gods glory and power at Sinai. Download. The idiom to cover the eye of the land occurs twice in Exodus 10 (verses 5 and 15), where it refers to locusts: Exodus 10:4If you refuseto let them go, I will bring locustsinto your country tomorrow. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, A Bible scholar on the streets of Jerusalem. The Israelites had a commander in chief that was knowledgeable and had been with God. You are saying to the One who created time, you dont have time? 23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean. Power is an amazing tool of deception. . The verse immediately before the announcement of a new king in Egypt who did not know Joseph describes the Israelites in language that the new king himself might have used: Exodus 1:7The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbersand became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 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.. Fortified cities up to the heavens! YET GOD WANTS TO GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. The spies who go out into the land see many things but what, ultimately, do they understand? It is reassuring to know that mans strength and mans host mean nothing to God. OVERCOMING THE GRASSHOPPER COMPLEX Twelve men were sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We know that God adds His blessing to His Word as we read it and hear it together. Romans 5:1-32. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. "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). But Moses replied, Are you jealous for my sake? By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) Open your Bibles to Numbers, chapter 13, please. Part 14 - Matthew 10:18-19 - GRASSHOPPER, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! We see in the very last verse of this passage a mindset that is described. GOD WANTS US TO PRAY AND THEN SEE OUR PRAYERS ANSWERED. Have you ever felt overwhelmed and helpless to do anything about it? He brings dead sinners to life. They talk about the land as a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people we saw in it are of great height. We shape our understanding of the world around us and the relationships that give texture to it by trusting what God has said to us about Himself, about us, and about everything around us, as well as the future ahead of us. I loved the article/sermon. INTRODUCTION: Many times circumstances seem overwhelming like grasshoppers, while at the same time we feel as helpless as a muffin (barley cake). When that happens, division happens. Our 3000+ year-old tradition of wisdom and learning, Our community right here and communities like it across the Jewish world, Our Jewish belief that better days are ahead of us, not behind us, These doctors, these nurses who brought healing with their hands and their hearts their intellect, Our tikvah our hope that our world can be perfected, that it will be perfected and that WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our world today, we can make things better, more just, more loving, more peaceful. We saw the Nephilim. Certainly their attitude was picked up by the majority of the people who say in verse 2 of chapter 14, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them., Todays message is called, Overcoming Grasshopper Mentality.. You cannot see, the boy says when he meets the master for the first time. If thats not your faith, nothing else in this sermon or in this passage makes sense. 103 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 10 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Community Wesleyan Church of Baldwinsville, NY: Welcome and thank you for joining us as we wrap up our series on Easter. We nourish our faith. WE ARE AS GRASSHOPPERS IN THEIR SIGHT. We look like grasshoppers to them! The upshot was that the nation trembled at the border of the land that God had promised them. But the most compelling support for my reading comes from other encounters between the Israelites and hostile foreign powers. The question is which one are you? As we do so, I bring you season's greetings. God showed His love on the cross, His love cost Him everything He had in this life..His life! Do not fear the people of the land. 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? The first lesson Ive already shared and it comes, ultimately, not from the Torah of the ABC series Kung Fu but is actually based on the teachings of Lao-Tze, the great Chinese philosopher who taught approximately 2500 years ago. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me. They were spread all over the land and could not have easily or quickly come together. Numbers 13:23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. 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 . Faith doesnt come naturally to us, does it? Do you see that? Exodus 1:7The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt; Please use the following structure: example@domain.com, Send me The Times of Israel Daily Edition. 1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability He is a big man with muscles like an Olympic weight lifter, a voice that booms and a laugh that is full and infectious. read more. They looked only at the size of the obstacle and the threat of the enemy instead of fixing their eyes on. As holy men? and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num. The naysayers of the grasshopper mentality will eventually make doubt-casters. The passage says something about our responsibility to one another. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God Numbers 13:17-13:33 In Israel, I've taught Bible at Hebrew University's International School and, currently, in the Department of Biblical Studies at Tel Aviv University, where I am a Teaching Fellow and chair the Academic Steering Committee of the Orit Guardians MA program for Ethiopian Jews. To think of a few, Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. Lets read from Numbers chapter 13, beginning with verse 30. Both seem to be a great source of protein. He tells the cautious Israelites not to worry about the existing inhabitants because they will be our bread (Numbers 14:9). He is amazed. 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 . JESUS WANTS US TO CAST OUT DEMONS AND REJOICE THAT OUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN THE HIS BOOK OF LIFE, Scriptures: From this place, Moses sends out the twelve spies, each a leader or a chief from his tribe to spy out the land and bring back a report from south to north, from east to west; Moses charges them what the land is, to see what the land is, to whether the people that dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many, whether the land is good or bad, whether the cities they dwell in are camps or strongholds, whether the land is rich or poor, whether there are trees in it or not. 21Throughout the generations to comeyou are to give this offering to theLordfrom the first of your ground meal. In fact, if we humans could jump like they do, we could jump the length of a football field. He can preach sermons by the yard . What year was this posted? David, 1 Samuel 17, upon seeing Goliath and hearing his taunts to the army of Israel for the first time, asks this question. Its from that birth that God begins to call us to exercise that daily faith, that daily faith in the work of God, the truth of His Word; daily faith in His presence and in His power. We dont always know how to believe, but unbelief comes to us naturally. It will be the new year that well think about in this look at Numbers chapter 13. So, the cause of their discouragement was (1) dependence on men not God; (2) listening to the many not the few; (3) heeding the bad news not the good. Is God good? 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. As he understood Goliath, an imposing man, a terrifying man, but a man! 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. We can love more. There are many kinds of darkness. "Mrs. Smith, something unusual happened today in your sons third grade class. Our confidence is in Him to glorify Himself and to accomplish all the good He intends with us and for us. Numbers 13:33. In order to do so, we have to resolve that there is nothing bigger than God Almighty. Directly after his reference to the land flowing with milk and honey, Joshua makes another allusion to food. This made God furious, which is not surprising. One last lesson thats really about right now, this place and this moment: There is in this world much of which to be afraid. We cant find out what November will be like. Let him be nine feet, nine inches tall. One interesting fact is that they have ears on their bellies. In addition to being a people of the Word, lets be a people of faith, trusting God to lead us and to carry us through hardships, to carry us through undesirable circumstances to the place of rest and security that He has for us. WHY DO WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF THE ONE WHO CAN WALK ON WATER WHEN THE STORM IS RAGING ALL AROUND US? supports HTML5 video, Sermon by Your email address will not be published. When we limit the power of God in our life to accomplish the impossible, To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. Will we have fooled ourselves? How many excuses can we come up with in our Christian walk? We hear it from the spies. Amen. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! What is the purpose of this verse? They weren't grasshoppers. The Israelites remain skeptical, and God gets extremely angry: Numbers 14:27How long will this wicked community grumble against me? Speak words of life to us. Would you like to write for WeSaidGoTravel? Listen to this from Hebrews chapter 10. They know more about whats ahead of them than we will know whats ahead of us. The people of Israel have encamped at Sinai for a year. Print This Post. 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. Its a new birth we find in Christ. With that in mind, I want to look at three things from our passage as we prepare to read it. A very large person; impressive in size or qualities, Someone who is abnormally large 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. Faithlife Sermons is now Logos Sermons. 1 John 4:7-12, Denomination: The fear of the Israelites caused them to have to wander the wilderness for 38 more years. Its interesting to see Gods response to the unbelief of His people. 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. In verse 33, We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command grasshoppers to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. This weeks Torah portion offers us several grasshopper lessons. : . Like Grasshoppers. 5They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. Num 13:32 All the men we saw in it are men of great stature. 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. (Its the term used in Leviticus 11 above.). Pastor Peter Spragg of Emmanuel Baptist Church (Bloomfield, ON) preaches a sermon called We Seemed Like Grasshoppers. We want to look at this grasshopper complex later in the message. The naysayers focused on what was seen instead of the One who was allowing them to see. I remember it from re-runs. First, we should recall that in the food laws outlined in Leviticus 11, grasshoppers are grouped with locusts. If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. The boy looks down and sees the grasshopper. This transcribed message has been lightly edited and formatted for the Web site. We despise Him. Numbers 13:1-33. The report has three parts. World Travel Bug, Best Things to do in the Finger Lakes: A Four-Seasons Destination, Keeping the Faith in the Land of The Free, The Bittersweets of Traveling: Life as an Emirates Cabin Crew Member, Second Chances: Two Very Different Visits to the Dead Sea, Travel Photo Contests, Classes and Resources, Travel Writing Contests, Classes and Resources, And then, after just praising the land for its bounty, they now spread lies about it, calling it a land devours its inhabitants , how they looked to others. Perspective matters. God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a land that he had promised them. The giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, Before a child is born, the parents prepare a room, a bed, some blankets, warm clothes, bottles, KJ21. They gave Moses this account: We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Lets place this passage. Numbers 13:23When they reached the Valley of Eshkol. On a mountain where 90 Scripture: There they reported to themand to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. We mine Gods Word for what He has promised. They saw deliverance at the Red Sea through which they crossed on dry ground. 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. The blind Master Po (Keye Luke) calls his young student "GRASSHOPPER" to "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED". 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. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. Those are promises, and there are hundreds and hundreds of other promises that God has made. read more, Scripture: We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). read more, Scripture: And four. That includes your mind by the way. We must learn to dream big for God for As A Man Thinks In His Heart, So Is He (Pro. Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didnt stop him. The people of Israel had been held captives in Israel. His perspective is worth looking at as we close. TEXT: Joshua 14:6-15; Numbers 13:26-33 TITLE: GRASSHOPPER MENTALITY Throughout this message I will be referring back to Numbers 13. Let him have a spear like a weaver's beam. "You cannot see," the boy says when he meets the master for the first time. Spot on for me today. 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. We allow these folks to determine our self-worth. The reality of time as God has created it will propel us forward into 2020, whether we want it to or not. Grasshoppers and locusts are of the same insect order. 15The community is to have the same rules for you and for the stranger residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. Or sign uphere to join Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim, Seek Peace Jerusalem, religious activists against evictions in East Jerusalem. Pentecostal. We are like grasshoppers in their sight, and the are like giants.". More food. read more, Scripture: He would pick up the metal detector and get a signal that was very strong. Well, lets think a bit about the ten spies and their judging the challenge before the nation with no reckoning of confidence in God. A friend of mine works as a boilermaker in Bowen, Queensland Australia. A naysayer will allow what is big to become irrationally bigger. Well take a moment to orient ourselves to the passage. Its a good land. Notice how the grasshopper mentality is demonstrated. Judges 7:8-14. Sermon by Billy Dempsey on December 29, 2019. They told Moses they had seen great clusters of grapes, but that there were great giants in the land. God gives it to us as He brings our dead hearts to life in Christ. His master is blind. The main character of the series, Kwai Chang Caine, is played by David Carradine. 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. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God. Thats in their history. Bearing in mind all this food, lets turn to the end of the spies report. Responding with fear, not courage. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? I hear the birds. says the boy. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned and the flame will not consume you. Its about making us cynics. Presbyterian/Reformed. We can do it. Anxiety about being feared is an inauspicious emotion for would-be conquerors, who should want their enemies to fear them. The working title of my next book, co-authored with Micha Price, is 'A Biblical Guide to the Climate Crisis'. There is no other save Christ. TEXT: Numbers 13: 25-33; 14: 6-10; Josh. read more, Scripture: Well, I am glad to know you are not a grasshopper, but our Bible story today is about some people who thought they were like grasshoppers. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them., See the self-infliction? But do your actions & attitudes reflect that? , . Are you going to think like a grasshopper or a child of the King. But its also a community effort. God brought them there to keep faith, not to destroy them. 6Now come and put a curseon these people, because they are too powerful for me. Here we see the naysayer seeing the obstacles instead of the Omnipotent. Those big people in Canaan did not say to the spies, "Hey, you little fellows look like grasshoppers to us.". Many people today in Africa, Asia and the Americas eat grasshoppers. Numbers 13:31-33. Rashi's comment expands upon this concept. The lie comes in the assumption that there is no help for us. Over 600,000 Israelites were delivered from the captivity in Egypt and wandered for years in the wilderness anticipating going into the Promised Land, which the Bible describes as flowing with milk and honey. Grasshoppers have the ability to jump away from any kind of predator. I have good news. As we do so, I bring you seasons greetings. I hope you had a marvelous celebration of Christmas with family and friends and loved ones and that you have a festive beginning of the new year. We allow insecurity to creep into our lives. As he turned it on, he got a really strong signal right where he was standing. As he understood the soldiers of Israels army around him, the visible army of the living God impressive not in themselves but in their connection to their commander in chief, the Lord of hosts, mighty in battle. Young man, says the master, how is it that you do not?. They looked at the powerful people instead the power of God Almighty. And King Balak is afraid that the Israelites will cover the face (literally eye) of the land: Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt;they cover the eye of the land and have settled next to me. There they reported to themand to the whole. Assembly Of God. Hear us, as we make our prayer in Jesus name, amen. Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. 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. What kind of people are we?
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