Are the Giants Bigger Than the Grapes?

Number 13: 1-20

The Book of Numbers is quite phenomenal. In the chapter listed above is a recount of God’s desire to give to the Children of Israel his blessings and provision. It’s just like God to want to give to us more than we are ready to and more than we are sometimes willing to receive. This story starts off by God speaking to Moses and instructing him to pick from among the leaders of Israel 12 men who could go up and spy out the land. Moses did as instructed and 12 men were chosen. It is interesting to me that, it was not God who needed to know about the land, nor was he curious about the inhabitants, or even curious about the size of the fruit that was there. But, on the contrary, God wanted the Israelites to know what they would soon be up against and what they could soon possess. I said that, to say this: “God desires to keep us informed of every battle that we are in & the battles we are about to face. He wants to give us insight into the good things that lie on the journey ahead for us”. In essence, God wanted them to know about the size of the Giants, but he also wanted them to know about the size of the GRAPES!

It’s amazing, in some ways to me, that 12 men went up into the land, but only 10 men came back with a good report. At the same time, I don’t think the results would be much different today. There are those in our faith that can be faced with any situation and seem to be unshakeable, then there are those who worry constantly at any resistance or any confrontation that life brings them. I like to think of it like this: “What they (the spies) said about what they saw determined where they went.” I feel it is no different today. There are plenty of opportunities to worry and fret and get anxious, but at the same time those same opportunities are times that we can trust in God and his undying faithfulness. It truly is about our perception of life that makes all the difference in the world. 

Let me ask this, have you ever gotten tickled (laughing) to the point that you couldn’t stop? I have and it never fails to happen that those around you begin to laugh also. In the same way, fear, doubt, anxiety, or whatever you choose to label it are also very contagious. Ultimately, what we see and how we respond to it verbally will affect our children, coworkers, spouses, etc. I am not sure about you, but I want to be a person that when I influence others I want it to be a positive impact on their lives. 

So with that said, let me close by asking you a question. Had you been one of the 12 sent up to spy out the Promised Land, would the Giants that lived in the land been bigger than the Grapes that hung from the vine? Remember, it’s all about how you see it.

David Hughes, NP

Co-Owner, Matrix Wellness Solutions