Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” Numbers 14:9 ESV)
I am terrified of bees. To me, they have evil purpose in their little bee-brains. To me, they desire to drive their railroad spikes into my arm, neck, or face. To me, they are sneaky, secretive, and unsportsmanlike.
But a certain friend is NOT afraid of bees. I used to think that he was in denial of the dangerous bee conspiracy. But now I realize that he sees bees differently. To him, bees make honey.
They still drive railroad spikes into his arm. They still sneak up on him. They still do not like him.
But they make honey.
Most of the spies coming back from Canaan saw that the Canaanites were terrifying. They had railroad spokes on the end of their spears. They were sneaky. They were entrenched in their land flowing with milk and honey. The Canaanites were not going to leave without a fight. And there were Giants.
But Caleb and Joshua saw something different. Caleb and Joshua did not deny how tough the Canaanites were. Caleb and Joshua also saw the railroad spikes, the fortresses, and the Giants.
But they knew that God was going to use those tough, angry, dangerous, scary Canaanites as bread for the People of God.
God, in fact, DID use that rebellious civilization of the Canaanites to provide a kickstart for the new nation of Israel. Joshua probably thought of this when later he said, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” (Joshua 24:13 ESV)
But Caleb and Joshua understood something bigger than that. God smiles at, favors, and provides for His People. And the means He uses are often found outside of God’s Kingdom. One of the reasons that God allowed the nations around Israel to exist was that He was always using them for the benefit of His people. Even when those nations did things like carry Israelites into captivity. Those other nations are the breadbaskets for God’s People.
So those other nations were nothing to fear. They were merely God’s tools.
Somehow, God will use the things that you are fearing for your good. They are His tools. They are nothing to fear, say Caleb and Joshua.
Fear not, because of bread.