In meditating on the story of the 12 spies found in Numbers, I turned to Hebrews for a New Covenant explanation of what really happened
'And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient ? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.' [Hebrews 3:18,19]
Paul, in this letter to Jewish Christians, was explaining why Israel did not enter the Promised Land upon leaving their bondage in Egypt, why they wandered for 40 years in the wilderness.
We know from the story that 10 of the 12 spies said that they could not take the land, regardless of what God had promised. And all of Israel sided with the 10, ignoring the 2 holdouts who urged them to step out in faith.
Paul calls this unbelief and disobedience. And it caused Israel to miss out on the manifested, fulfilled promise of God in their lives, individually and collectively.
Read on...
'For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
'...those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,' [Hebrews 4:2,6]
God considers it disobedience when we don't unite His Word with our faith! He knows that faith is how we access His forever settled Word...it's how the system works! It's how to bring His promises to pass in the earth. And He wants it to work...that's why we have His Word.
It was His will for them to possess the Promised Land...He promised it, but they had to unite it with faith to bring it to pass in the earth.
David says it all in Psalm 68:6...'Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.'
So you see, faith in God and in His Word is not an option. It's not a movement or a cult...it's how we enter the Promised Land of His Rest [Hebrews 4]. And if we succumb to unbelief, God considers it disobedience, rebellion.
Set your mind to trust Him, to trust His Word. Live by your faith and enter His Rest!
