But Look At Them Grapes

Far too many times in our lives, we miss the blessings that God has for us, because we spend too much time looking at the circumstances, or the giants that are in front of us, rather than what God has promised us. Whether it is healing for our bodies, financial needs, or any other need, there are always obstacles that are in our way and if we focus our energies on them, we will fail to receive our victory.

There are two stories of friendship in the Bible that have always been an encouragement to me. The first one would have to be the story of David and Jonathan. These two showed us the value of true friendship, nowhere else in history have I read of one friend abdicating his rightful place to the throne, knowing full well that David was the man that God had chosen. In later years, David continued to show how much he valued that friendship by taking care of the son of Jonathan.

However, the story of Joshua and Caleb is one that should inspire all of us to have faith in the promises that God has made, even in the face of overwhelming opposition from the majority. We are all familiar with the story in the Book of Numbers. In the thirteenth chapter, Moses sent out twelve spies, one from each tribe, to report on what they would find in Canaan.

In verses 17-20, Moses charged them to “see the land”, and to determine the strength or lack thereof of the inhabitants of the land. For the next forty days, these twelve Hebrew spies searched all of Canaan to see if God’s word was true. I absolutely love verse 23 because it shows when God blesses something it will be greater than anything previously witnessed will. "And they came unto the brook of Eschol, 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 of the figs.”

Picture if you will a cluster of grapes that was so large it took two men to carry it. These are the kind of blessings that God has in store for His people if we will only listen and obey. All we must do is look beyond the obvious, believing in faith, and we will be overcomers.

At the end of forty days, these twelve spies returned to give their report on what they had found. Now keep in mind that as they returned, they were bearing these huge clusters of fruit upon their shoulders. Nevertheless, like many of us who have witnessed God’s blessings, doubt and unbelief crept in; the majority of the spies issued a scathing report that painted a picture that was not what the Children of Israel wanted to hear.

This majority report on one hand confirmed exactly what God had promised. In verse 27 they stated, “We came unto the land whiter thou sent us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” Next comes where the majority forgot about God’s promise to them.

That is where things went wrong. Instead of believing in God’s word, the majority started talking about the overwhelming strength of the people who lived in the land. They reported about how the cities were walled and fortified. Before the first battle had ensued, they were already admitting defeat. Just like the majority of us, they looked at the “giants”, that were between the people and God’s promises.

However, there were two who believed the Word of God, and in their minority report stated in verse 8 of the next chapter that; “If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.” Lord, please help me to have the faith and ability to look beyond the obstacles in front of me like Joshua and Caleb.

Now, let us paint a picture of this day: on the one hand, the majority started grumbling and demanding that they be allowed to return to Egypt and live in certain slavery, rather than put their faith in God and His promises. Then I can see Joshua and Caleb turning around and saying to the crowd, but look at them grapes. You see when you believe every promise of God it never matters what kind of giants are in your way. Faith in God and His promises can move mountains and definitely can move the giants that stand in your way.

Have you ever wondered how a coach prepares his team to play in a contest when the opponent is much larger, more experienced, and on paper defeat is certain? Be assured that no coach worth his salt would walk in the locker room telling the team that we know we are going to get beat, but let us not get beat too badly. No, I can picture a coach pointing to the numerous times that a smaller team has surprised and defeated a much higher ranked opponent and defied the odds stacked against them. What the coach tells his team is to get their eyes off the giants in front of them, and look at the prize. In other words; but look at them grapes.

Never would I think that Joshua and Caleb were ignoring what the majority had reported. They saw the same thing the others had, and knew the battles ahead would not be easy and many would certainly die at the hands of the inhabitants of the land. However even with the specter of death, they believed the promises of God and by faith knew they could defeat the giants, and receive the blessings that God had for His people.

Because of Joshua and Caleb’s obedience to God and belief in His promises, they were the only two of their generation that did inherit the land promised to the Children of Israel. The battles were fierce and the enemy put up a good fight, but ultimately God’s Word proved true, and the giants were overcome.

In this walk of faith, there are always stop signs and curves that slow us down and sometimes even the slightest bump in the road can seem like a giant. To the natural eye, these giants seem impossible and if we fail to believe God’s word, then like the Israelites of the Exodus we too will never see all that God has in store for us. However, if we will by faith look beyond those giants, believing that God will come to our help during the battles ahead. We will see the prize that God has meant for us from the beginning. God, please help us all to look at the grapes and not the giants in front of us.