A Life Seemed like Grasshoppers
(Deut. 1:21~32)

God made Moses as a leader and guided the Israelites to the promised land of Canaan by bringing them out of Egypt. When they arrived in Kadesh Barnea and were about to advance toward the land of Canaan, Moses picked twelve people to explore the land of Canaan. After the twelve spies came back from exploring the land for forty days, they gave their reports to Moses and the people.

1. Two types of reports
1) Ten people among the spies gave negative and defeatist reports. They reported that the land they explored devours those living in it, and the people living there are the descendants of Anak. They also reported that they seemed like grasshoppers when compared with the people. (Num. 13:31~33)
2) Caleb and Joshua gave absolutely positive reports. They reported that the land flows with milk and honey and that if God is with them the people are their food. (Num. 14:6~9)
3) The negative reports of the ten people did not involve God. However, Joshua and Caleb were able to give positive reports because they looked at things with God’s eyes.

2. The choice of the Israelite people
1) The Israelites did not accept the reports of Joshua and Caleb. They wept aloud at night and grumbled against Moses and Aaron to go back to Egypt. (Num. 14:1~4)
2) God was angry at the Israelites. People who listened to the words of the ten spies and said to go back to Egypt died after wandering around in the dessert for about forty years. However, Joshua and Caleb led the descendants and finally conquered the promised land of Canaan.

3. What should we choose?
1) “Whether we will live in the desert or occupy the land of Canaan” depends on us. Our choices and results differ depending on our thoughts, dreams, faith, and spoken words.
2) Think deeply about what Jesus accomplished on the cross, and have clear dreams and goals of life. And make creative declarations with faith. Then, amazing changes and creation will come to our future by the work of the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 3:20)

Conclusion
Jesus came to this land as a human being in order to redeem us who are living in this world like the desert. In addition, He granted us the fivefold gospel and the threefold blessing by dying on the cross. How will you respond to the last words of Jesus who shouted “it is finished” on the cross? When we look to the things that Jesus accomplished through the cross with the eyes of faith and confess with our mouths of faith, we can live a victorious life of Christians every day.