Numbers 12-14, Mark 5:21—43 • Key Verse: Numbers 13:30—31
A childrens chorus begins with the words, “Twelve men went to spy on Canaan, ten were bad,
two were good.” Can you name the two who were good? The answer, of course, is Caleb and
Joshua. But can you name any of the others?
A speaker I knew would at times get out his wallet and offer to pay a dollar for each of those
names a person could recall. He never gave away a single bill. As he put away his wallet with all
its dollar bills intact, he would say, “We remember the people who stand for God, but not the
ones who don’t.”
Joshua and Caleb stood for God. Shammua, Shaphat, Igal and the others did not. Their collective
voices drowned out the faith of the other two. It was not just a matter of a majority vote but of
rebellion. When the people decided not to do what God wanted, it was a rebellion that resulted in
40 years of wandering plus the death of all but the younger generation.
But Joshua and Caleb were spared. They ultimately entered the Promised Land.
The lesson is clear: stand for God-—whatever the numbers.
There are probably times you do not stand boldly. Perhaps today something will happen and you
will have to make a choice either to speak up or be silent. Stand up for Jesus.
Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in