By Paulette Phiri
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
11 Then the Lord said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
Number 14:6-12 (NKJV)
Misinformation and fake news have been part of our society since the serpent spoke in the Garden of Eden. The Bible states it as telling lies. Perhaps, the term ‘fake news’, biblically called lies, has been more prevalent since the election of the previous US president, Donald Trump.
President Trump used the phrase ‘fake news’ to attack the likes of media outlets when they posed questions to him that he didn’t like, he wanted to ensure the audience would believe his ‘mis’ reports rather than theirs! In fact, his use of the term helped propel the phrase to become Collins Dictionary’s Word (well, 2 words actually) of the Year for 2017.
Lies or misguided truth, is one thing, but what about being totally disbelieved for telling the truth? Caleb and Joshua were in this very boat. We see in Numbers 13:1-2, The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.
Joshua meaning (Jehovah is salvation) and Caleb, were two of twelve Israelite leaders chosen to spy out the land of Canaan. After hearing the fearful ‘fake news’ of the other 10 spies, in their grief and distress, at the lack of trust the Israelites showed in the Lord, they tore their clothes and imploringly worked to reassure them. The Lord will give the land to us, they said, don’t rebel, don’t be afraid, we will win, their protection is gone, the Lord is with us.
Despite their pleas of salvation at the Lord’s hands, the whole assembly, in fear, allowed the majority report to overtake the minority report and that of the Lord God, Creator of the heavens and the earth.
By faith, may we trust in the Lord with all our heart, not lean on our own understanding, in all of our ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct our path. Let God be true and every man a liar when we are faced with challenging and seemingly, fearful, situations. Whose report will you believe?
Ask – Why do you think the ten spies returned with a negative report? Would it have been any different if they had heard from the Lord themselves?
Seek – Do I believe and follow the report of the majority or do I follow the Lord?
Knock – Help me Lord not to run after ‘fake news’, or news that ‘tickles my itching ears.
(Upper Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Alex Motoc on Unsplash)
