The Valley of Promise
Scripture Reading: Numbers 13: 17 - 33
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into
the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people
who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or
bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich
or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the
fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the
entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman,
Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven
years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a
branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also
brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol,
because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from
spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the
children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and
to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said:
“We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very
large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land
of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the
Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take
possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people,
for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land
which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land
that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33
There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like
grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
This is such an interesting passage of scripture but we're going to looking at thing
from a bit of a different angle than the one that you might be expecting. The
Israelites had come through the wilderness to Kadesh Barnea and were at the edge
of the Promised Land that God had commanded them to go in and possess. Moses
sends out the twelve spies to go into the land, and they find it to be truly a land of
abundance. They come to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down a branch with one
cluster of grapes. Now, I've seen many clusters of grapes but I have never seen a
cluster of grapes that it would take two grown men to carry. They hung it on a pole.
Can you even imagine how big that must have been? I mean, how big do your
grapes need to be? God had prepared this place of abundance for them and He
was with them.
Last week we talked about trusting God no matter what. This was a no matter what
moment for the children of Israel. When you think of a valley you think of a low point,
but sitting before this place of abundance doesn't seem like a low place, does it? But
it is. You see, although everything was just as they'd been promised; this land
flowing with milk and honey, there were obstacles to possessing it. It wasn't going to
be a cakewalk. Do you remember when you first got saved? When you realized that
you had just been taken from death into life; from darkness into light? You thought
about all your friends and family and how you were going to share this blessing with
them. Then after sharing the gospel you recognize that there are indeed giants out
there that are coming against you at every turn. Did you react to this like the ten
Hebrew spies and the rest of the congregation? Do the obtructions seem to big to
overcome? Listen to what they said.
Exodus 14:1-4
1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And
all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation
said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children
should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one
another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
They were ready to go back to Egypt; into the slavery from which they had come.
They had forgotten that the LORD Yahweh had made a way when there was no way;
parting the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land. Yet now, not to many months
later, they were ready to go back to being slaves rather than trusting that God would
be with them in this too. How many believers do the same thing once they recognize
the obstacles? They think it's too difficult to stop living like the rest of the world.
That there are too many obstacles to them being holy and living a righteous life.
Then the next thing you know and they're back in Egypt; back in the sin they had
been rescued from because it's easier than going in to possess the abundant life
that Yeshua sacrificed Himself to give us.
God has promised that He will always be there for us. Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong
and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One
who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” That's a pretty potent promise
when you consider that all things are possible for them that believe (Mark 9:23).
This why it's so important for us to stay connected to the source of our strength.
John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not
bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more
fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me,
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch
and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done
for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
With Jesus in our corner we can defeat the giants that come against us so we can go
in a possess what is ours. Though we have been given the land, the enemy is
squatting on it. They are living on the abundance that is rightly ours. Just like the
Canaanites were occupying the land promised to the descendants of Abraham. We
have to react to our giants the way Joshua and Caleb did.
Exodus 14:6-9
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.”
We have to have a swagger when we deal with the enemy; like David had. I Samuel
17:48 - Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and
with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of
Israel, whom you have defied. David knew the LORD Yahweh was with him. That's why
his brothers were jealous of him; because he walked with this confidence.
I Samuel 17:28-29
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was
aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you
left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for
you have come down to see the battle.”
29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
You can hear in this one statement from his brother that he believed David thinks is
all that. But what he was missing is that David wasn't cocky like this because of his
own abilities. He was able to stride with this confidence be he knows his God is all
that! He knew because he had gone through things before and God had always
brought him through.
I Samuel 17:34-37
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a
bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered
the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and
killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be
like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said,
“The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David had a testimony, but he only had that testimony because he had gone through
test. When something comes up against me now, I have previous battles that I can
reference, just like David did. Just like Joshua and Caleb could remember coming
through the Red Sea and the plagues in Egypt. I can remember when the enemy
came against my family and it looked like my marriage was not going to make it, but
that giant went down like Goliath. I can remember living in the trailer park and
knowing that we needed more room. Kristen said let's get a house but I knew there
was no way we could afford a house. The possibility looked good, like that cluster of
grapes but there were just too many hurdles that seemed too high to ever
overcome. The rental market is so inflated here in South Florida, we were not willing
to move to a questionable neighborhood, our credit was not the best, and at the time
it didn't seem like we had enough cash to even consider having first, last, and
security. But when it became clear that renting a house instead of going to another
trailer, was the way God was leading us, we went out and started to scout houses the
size we hoped for and in the neighborhoods we wanted. They were great but there
were obstacles that kept popping up. The first house we really wanted had just
gotten rented when we called the owner. There were others that wouldn't allow pets
and my mom has a chihuahua. We could only afford the three bedroom houses but
we really needed four or five. So many obstacles. Which is why us getting this
house is the amazing testimony it is. It's much more than we were even hoping for.
A four bedroom, with a large living room and a family room, a large covered and
screened back patio, a huge fenced yard, a two car garage, on a cul-de-sac, 50
yards from the elementary school. How awesome is that! Now, when things come
against me, I can remember that God brought me through these obstacles that led to
my abundance.
Jesus told us to speak to the mountains that are in our way and as strange as that
seems to us in the natural, that is what we have to do. We have to trust that the
LORD Yahweh does delight in and will be with us through it all. If you haven't picked
up on it, this next series of lessons are going to be based on the Biblical valleys we
as believers need to pass through. This first valley is our valley of the promise of
abundance; filled with the things we know we want but surrounded by the obstacles
we don't think we can ever get over. There was a time in Israel's history when they
fought the Syrians in the hills and defeated them. The Syrians got this bright idea
that they had lost because the battle was in the mountains, so they decided to fight
them in the valley.
I Kings 20:28 - Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says
the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of
the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know
that I am the LORD.’”
The LORD Yahweh delivered Israel in the valley, as well. Let us always remember
that God promised to be with us always; in the high points of our lives, and in the low
points as well. Let us not back down from the obstacles that want to keep us from
the promises of God. Let us be like Joshua and Caleb who did not die in the desert
but were able to go in and possess the promise Yahweh had offered. When the
bear and the lion come against us, let us be cocky like David, but not in our own
abilities. Let us be confident in the LORD Yahweh who goes with us. Let's take the
time to remember all the things He has brought us through so we be rehearsed and
ready the next time some giant gets in our face.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: May 6, 2007
Scripture Reading: Numbers 13: 17 - 33
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, “Go up this way into
the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people
who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or
bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich
or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the
fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the
entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman,
Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven
years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a
branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also
brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol,
because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from
spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the
children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and
to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said:
“We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very
large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land
of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the
Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take
possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people,
for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land
which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land
that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33
There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like
grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
This is such an interesting passage of scripture but we're going to looking at thing
from a bit of a different angle than the one that you might be expecting. The
Israelites had come through the wilderness to Kadesh Barnea and were at the edge
of the Promised Land that God had commanded them to go in and possess. Moses
sends out the twelve spies to go into the land, and they find it to be truly a land of
abundance. They come to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down a branch with one
cluster of grapes. Now, I've seen many clusters of grapes but I have never seen a
cluster of grapes that it would take two grown men to carry. They hung it on a pole.
Can you even imagine how big that must have been? I mean, how big do your
grapes need to be? God had prepared this place of abundance for them and He
was with them.
Last week we talked about trusting God no matter what. This was a no matter what
moment for the children of Israel. When you think of a valley you think of a low point,
but sitting before this place of abundance doesn't seem like a low place, does it? But
it is. You see, although everything was just as they'd been promised; this land
flowing with milk and honey, there were obstacles to possessing it. It wasn't going to
be a cakewalk. Do you remember when you first got saved? When you realized that
you had just been taken from death into life; from darkness into light? You thought
about all your friends and family and how you were going to share this blessing with
them. Then after sharing the gospel you recognize that there are indeed giants out
there that are coming against you at every turn. Did you react to this like the ten
Hebrew spies and the rest of the congregation? Do the obtructions seem to big to
overcome? Listen to what they said.
Exodus 14:1-4
1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And
all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation
said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!
3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children
should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one
another, “Let us select a leader and return to Egypt.”
They were ready to go back to Egypt; into the slavery from which they had come.
They had forgotten that the LORD Yahweh had made a way when there was no way;
parting the Red Sea so they could cross on dry land. Yet now, not to many months
later, they were ready to go back to being slaves rather than trusting that God would
be with them in this too. How many believers do the same thing once they recognize
the obstacles? They think it's too difficult to stop living like the rest of the world.
That there are too many obstacles to them being holy and living a righteous life.
Then the next thing you know and they're back in Egypt; back in the sin they had
been rescued from because it's easier than going in to possess the abundant life
that Yeshua sacrificed Himself to give us.
God has promised that He will always be there for us. Deuteronomy 31:6 - Be strong
and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One
who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” That's a pretty potent promise
when you consider that all things are possible for them that believe (Mark 9:23).
This why it's so important for us to stay connected to the source of our strength.
John 15:1-8
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not
bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more
fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me,
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can
you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch
and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If
you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done
for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
With Jesus in our corner we can defeat the giants that come against us so we can go
in a possess what is ours. Though we have been given the land, the enemy is
squatting on it. They are living on the abundance that is rightly ours. Just like the
Canaanites were occupying the land promised to the descendants of Abraham. We
have to react to our giants the way Joshua and Caleb did.
Exodus 14:6-9
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.”
We have to have a swagger when we deal with the enemy; like David had. I Samuel
17:48 - Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and
with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of
Israel, whom you have defied. David knew the LORD Yahweh was with him. That's why
his brothers were jealous of him; because he walked with this confidence.
I Samuel 17:28-29
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was
aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you
left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for
you have come down to see the battle.”
29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
You can hear in this one statement from his brother that he believed David thinks is
all that. But what he was missing is that David wasn't cocky like this because of his
own abilities. He was able to stride with this confidence be he knows his God is all
that! He knew because he had gone through things before and God had always
brought him through.
I Samuel 17:34-37
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a
bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered
the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and
killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be
like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said,
“The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will
deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
David had a testimony, but he only had that testimony because he had gone through
test. When something comes up against me now, I have previous battles that I can
reference, just like David did. Just like Joshua and Caleb could remember coming
through the Red Sea and the plagues in Egypt. I can remember when the enemy
came against my family and it looked like my marriage was not going to make it, but
that giant went down like Goliath. I can remember living in the trailer park and
knowing that we needed more room. Kristen said let's get a house but I knew there
was no way we could afford a house. The possibility looked good, like that cluster of
grapes but there were just too many hurdles that seemed too high to ever
overcome. The rental market is so inflated here in South Florida, we were not willing
to move to a questionable neighborhood, our credit was not the best, and at the time
it didn't seem like we had enough cash to even consider having first, last, and
security. But when it became clear that renting a house instead of going to another
trailer, was the way God was leading us, we went out and started to scout houses the
size we hoped for and in the neighborhoods we wanted. They were great but there
were obstacles that kept popping up. The first house we really wanted had just
gotten rented when we called the owner. There were others that wouldn't allow pets
and my mom has a chihuahua. We could only afford the three bedroom houses but
we really needed four or five. So many obstacles. Which is why us getting this
house is the amazing testimony it is. It's much more than we were even hoping for.
A four bedroom, with a large living room and a family room, a large covered and
screened back patio, a huge fenced yard, a two car garage, on a cul-de-sac, 50
yards from the elementary school. How awesome is that! Now, when things come
against me, I can remember that God brought me through these obstacles that led to
my abundance.
Jesus told us to speak to the mountains that are in our way and as strange as that
seems to us in the natural, that is what we have to do. We have to trust that the
LORD Yahweh does delight in and will be with us through it all. If you haven't picked
up on it, this next series of lessons are going to be based on the Biblical valleys we
as believers need to pass through. This first valley is our valley of the promise of
abundance; filled with the things we know we want but surrounded by the obstacles
we don't think we can ever get over. There was a time in Israel's history when they
fought the Syrians in the hills and defeated them. The Syrians got this bright idea
that they had lost because the battle was in the mountains, so they decided to fight
them in the valley.
I Kings 20:28 - Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says
the LORD: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of
the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know
that I am the LORD.’”
The LORD Yahweh delivered Israel in the valley, as well. Let us always remember
that God promised to be with us always; in the high points of our lives, and in the low
points as well. Let us not back down from the obstacles that want to keep us from
the promises of God. Let us be like Joshua and Caleb who did not die in the desert
but were able to go in and possess the promise Yahweh had offered. When the
bear and the lion come against us, let us be cocky like David, but not in our own
abilities. Let us be confident in the LORD Yahweh who goes with us. Let's take the
time to remember all the things He has brought us through so we be rehearsed and
ready the next time some giant gets in our face.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: May 6, 2007
