Without a Doubt

Most of us are probably familiar with the infamous story of God's miraculous intervention of freeing Israel from the tyranny of Egypt. Moses appeared before the Pharaoh of Egypt on multiple occasions, demanding each time that he let the Jewish slaves go. We know about Pharaoh's stubborn refusals followed by God's judgements.

Fast forward to the mass exodus through the Red Sea. God's promise wasn't just to free the slaves from their bondage, but to lead them into the "Land of Milk and Honey", an area that God had intended to give to them where they could dwell forever under His protection and provision. A select few (twelve, to be exact - one representative from each tribe) went in to scout out the land and bring back a report. Ten of them returned shaking in their sandals saying, "no way can we take over that land - the inhabitants are giants and we are like grasshoppers in their eyes!" But the other two, Joshua and Caleb, trusted in God's promise and said, "the land is fruitful and plentiful, it is ripe for the taking." The people didn't believe the minority report but instead believed the ten and decided not to risk going in, completely disregarding God's clear promise to give them the land.

Doubting God was a direct insult to Him. After all, He had just shown His miraculous power - not just in the judgments against Egypt but then the biggest miracle of all, leading them through the sea on dry land and then burying the pursuing Egyptian army in a watery grave. 

The payment for this disbelief was forty years of wandering in the barren Sinai territory until the entire generation had died out. We read, "That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, 'Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known My ways. So I declared in My anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.'" (Hebrews 3:10). Because God cannot lie, He still fulfilled His promise to the next generation through the leadership of Joshua.

This historic account shows us the seriousness of unbelief. Trust is extremely important in any relationship, but especially when it comes to God's children. I can personally testify that in my own life, not only am I paying the price of betraying someone's trust, but my children are too. Once the trust is broken, it's nearly impossible to restore; it leaves a wound that cuts right through the heart.

How much more serious is this offense when we don't believe God's absolute truths and loving promises to us? We must be very careful not to doubt Him, no matter how much the unbelieving world around us does. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds."

Unbelief hardens our hearts, making it more and more difficult to trust - which brings about rebellion. That is why the writer of Hebrews warns, "Take care, my brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God." Why was this exhortation so important? Because we are prone to this. 

It is critical to God that we demonstrate our faith in Him through obedience, knowing that without a doubt He will fulfill every single thing He has told us. When we take a leap of faith, we will find ourselves safely in our Father's arms.