There is limited thinking which produces limited abilities that gives limited results. He is a big man with muscles like an Olympic weight lifter, a voice that booms and a laugh that is full and infectious. We spend most of our lives chasing these things and looking for the hand of God, for the provision of a father for his childrens physical needs. Published in Daily Devotionals by Joel Osteen. Part 14 - Matthew 10:18-19 - GRASSHOPPER, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED! What year was this posted? There are not many references to grasshoppers in the Tanakh. The Kotzker is upset that the spies should care how they looked to others. The twelve spies whom Moses sent in to report on the Promised Land saw the same things. We need the language of confidence in God. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! His master is blind. We cant find out what November will be like. There is one little, ruddy-faced boy who has the blessing and power of God on him and he says, "I'll lick that big giant. We want to look at this grasshopper complex later in the message. Agriculturally speaking, they say, the land indeed flows with milk and honey. They sent spies into the land to check it out. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Jesus, in His last few hours with His disciples, John 14, says this, Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. He shows bravery and courage. The naysayers of the grasshopper mentality will eventually make doubt-casters. We need a new language. Some of you might remember the old 1970s television show, Kung Fu which aired from 1972-1975 on ABC. But here is what . They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. He was in despair, even to the point of saying, All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence, for all the day long I have been stricken. Then he says this, If I had said, I will speak thus, I will say these things out loud, I would have betrayed the generation of Your people. Asaph understands something. We seemed like grasshoppersin our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.. 2023 The Times of Israel , All Rights Reserved, A Bible scholar on the streets of Jerusalem. ); and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." Now, that's natural. And I would call us to examine our hearts today to know that indeed we trust none other save Christ. We stand at the edge of a new year, one that will be full of joys and blessings and sorrows and obstacles. Are we kind? There we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." Christian Standard Bible We even saw the Nephilim therethe descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that We can be cynical, we can be untrusting. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God Numbers 13:17-13:33 We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. I talk to many people that have this mentality. Lesson number two comes from the Midrash. I cant serve you God more because I dont have time. Really? And King Balak is afraid that the Israelites will cover the face (literally eye) of the land: Numbers 22: A people has come out of Egypt;they cover the eye of the land and have settled next to me. If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me. One or two people start some type of negativity, and before long, the whole group is negative. These spies were defeated before they started. The Bible says in. Well, lets wrap up. And then, perhaps the most devastating part of all, the ten spies say that when they scouted out the land they came across the Nephilim, the fallen ones, the sons of Anak, the giant. We allow insecurity to creep into our lives. And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. We scorn Him. I have called you by name; you are mine. Thats in their background; they can remember those things. Sitting next to her lemonade stand/office, Lucy prepares to offer her sage advice, Billy Dempsey on I serve on the Boards of Jerusalem Culture Unlimited (JCU) and Hassadna Jerusalem Music Conservatory. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. The Moabites fear that Israel will devour the land: Numbers 22:2Now Balak son of Zipporsaw all that Israel had done to the Amorites,3and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Well, lets think a bit about the ten spies and their judging the challenge before the nation with no reckoning of confidence in God. HOW TO HAVE We dont know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. In addition to being a people of the Word, lets be a people of faith, trusting God to lead us and to carry us through hardships, to carry us through undesirable circumstances to the place of rest and security that He has for us. In that sense, we are where they were. We hear it from the spies. Like Grasshoppers. When we limit the power of God in our life to accomplish the impossible, To save items to a SermonFolder, please sign in to your account. Gods love is a sovereign, everlasting love. But before that, a request: please add your name to a petition/email campaign here to protect a Palestinian family, the Sumarins, who are facing unjust eviction from their East Jerusalem home. God is good. A couple of years ago around this time of year I was sitting right up there in that portion of the balcony up there and Ralph Kelley was preaching and challenged us at the beginning of 2018 to be a people of the Word. Does it? 21There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? Theyre saying, The Lord is bringing us here to kill us! Unbelief, of this sort, carries with it the echo of Eden God is not good. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself that when I am, you may be also. Or Paul in Romans chapter 8 says this, If God is for us, who can be against us? There is a figure of speech that is called hyperbole where an idea is exaggerated to the extreme to emphasize a point. One interesting fact is that they have ears on their bellies. Judges 7:8-14. Have you not understoodsince the earth was founded? It will be the new year that well think about in this look at Numbers chapter 13. Strong as it could be. Heres the lesson we mustnt allow our fears to paralyze us. While grasshoppers struggle to hear, they have magnified sight. We scorn Him. Romans 5:6-For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. He says, Lets go and possess not Lets go and conquer. God had already promised. Enter your email address and we will send you a link to reset your password. read more, Scripture: A friend of mine works as a boilermaker in Bowen, Queensland Australia. 4The Moabitessaid to the elders of Midian,This horde is going to lick up everythingaround us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.. Rather it was their preoccupation with how others saw them that was their sin.. They prepare for 52-week preaching calendar to help you plan your sermons, Customizable sermon manuscripts for verse-by-verse preaching, Preach with creativity and impact throughout the year, Help your church understand God's plan in pain, Call your people to experience a higher freedom, Proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth, In Modern America who would want to have a grasshopper complex? Satirized by our childhood and criticized by others, would-be giants often shrink further at the thought of overcoming. If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. Our Torah portion says: In our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes as well! Says the Midrash: I take no objection to your saying In our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, but I take offense when you say, and so we were in their eyes as well! How do you know how I made you look to them? Numbers 13:33. I cant serve the Lord because its too hard. Sometimes in life and in our spirituality we have to understand that nothing worth having comes easy. Well, were not standing before the land but were standing before an unknown year. When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. The Hebrew word translated here as multiplied greatly is more often rendered swarmed. Its about time to go. As we do so, I bring you seasons greetings. Such is the case of the Israelites. He is the only hope we have to be right with God, to be reconciled to Him, to be adopted by Him as His sons and daughters. He understands that he can nourish faith within the household of faith or he can foster unbelief with the power of His words and His actions and he recognizes that fostering unbelief will betray the people of God. 7-For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. That includes your mind by the way. I remember as a kid watching the TV series called "KUNG FU" staring David Caradine. Faith doesnt come naturally to us, does it? Here is its fruit. Lesson number one, young grasshoppers: there are many ways of knowing, many ways of seeing, many ways of apprehending and sensing. We shape our understanding of the world around us and the relationships that give texture to it by trusting what God has said to us about Himself, about us, and about everything around us, as well as the future ahead of us. We mine Gods Word for what He has promised. Bury this Word deep in our hearts and let us produce the fruit of faith, the fruit of good works, the fruit of honor to Christ here within this body and out in the world in the places that Youve planted us, for Your honor and glory. This was the children of Israel's problem in this story. Amen? GOD, GRASSHOPPERS AND A BARLEY CAKE Judges 7:8-14 INTRODUCTION: Many times circumstances seem overwhelming like grasshoppers, while at the same time we feel as helpless as a muffin (barley cake). Has it not been toldyou from the beginning? The same thing happens with a grasshopper mentality. I hope you had a marvelous celebration of Christmas with family and friends and loved ones and that you have a festive beginning of the new year. Note with me that these are the children of those who have died in the desert because of their doubt and unbelief. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God. The people of Israel have encamped at Sinai for a year. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). Numbers 13:26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadeshin the Desert of Paran. WHY DO WE TAKE OUR EYES OFF THE ONE WHO CAN WALK ON WATER WHEN THE STORM IS RAGING ALL AROUND US? This allows them to feel the vibrations of other grasshoppers. The Israelites remain skeptical, and God gets extremely angry: Numbers 14:27How long will this wicked community grumble against me? Any creature of exceptional size. I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. But its also a community effort. 1 a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability Is it to instigate fear? Thats the first matter of faith that we have to occupy yourselves with here this morning. Daily faith that we are called upon to exercise more and more as we grow towards maturity in Christ. Before I moved to Israel in 2011, I was a Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge (1997-2006), and a Reader in Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at King's College London (2007-2011). Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. Instead of a bolstered trust in Gods willingness to help them and to keep His promise to place them in the land, they were begging to go back into bitter slavery in Egypt. No attempt has been made, however, to alter the basic extemporaneous delivery style, or to produce a grammatically accurate, publication-ready manuscript conforming to an established style template. One of the most damaging things that can ever happen in a church is for one or two people to start casting doubt. They embraced the grasshopper mentality. It never is as we sit down to open Your Word. In fact, you will remember that the apostle Paul describes saving faith as the gift of God. We dont come to saving faith, that is, the confidence that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are sufficient to reconcile us to God and cause us to be adopted as His sons and daughters. Presbyterian/Reformed. 2016? I see grasshopper mentality demonstrated in this passage in three ways. How do we nourish that? Let's begin reading with verse 23: "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and . Copyright, Reproduction & Permission statement. He dug and could not find anything. To view recordings of our entire services, visit our Facebook page. They saw that this was indeed everything that God had told them it was BUT TEN OF THOSE TWELVE EXPLORERS NOTICED THE SIZE OF THE ENEMY WAITING TO BE DEFEATED. Will we have fooled God? Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranatesand figs. Numbers 13:33-14:9, Denomination: Asaph is decrying the prosperity of the wicked while the righteous, it seemed, know only suffering. The men said they "seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes.". 20Present a loaf from the first of your ground mealand present it as an offering from the threshing floor. The verse immediately before the announcement of a new king in Egypt who did not know Joseph describes the Israelites in language that the new king himself might have used: Exodus 1:7The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbersand became so numerous that the land was filled with them. Hes brought us here to do us harm. I cant serve because I dont know where to start. All you have to do is ask. Would that we had died in this wilderness! Note how the ten spies with their bad report turn the heart of the whole nation The land devours its inhabitants! As Rabbi Steven Kushner puts it: their sin wasnt simply that they lost faith or that the scouts had misrepresented what they had seen Their failure wasnt even that they had low self-esteem, that they saw themselves as grasshoppers. As he understood Goliath, an imposing man, a terrifying man, but a man! Thats not a problem. In this world you will have trouble. From then on, the master calls the boy Grasshopper as a term of affection. We end one year and prepare to begin another. They get on the southern edge of the Promised Land, and they get a glimpse of this land and its inhabitants. By Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934-1995) Open your Bibles to Numbers, chapter 13, please. A naysayer will only see part of the picture instead of the whole thing. John Milton said: The Mind in its own place can make a heaven or hell. A godly vision requires risk-taking & must be intentional in glorifying God. The Osmond Brothers in the 1970s had a song that said, One bad apple dont spoil the whole bunch. Really? As holy men? They know more about whats ahead of them than we will know whats ahead of us. Twelve spies are sent out one from each tribe. We dont come to that realization on our own. My photo. Numbers 13:1-33. Do you hear the grasshopper which is at your feet?. 13:33). And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.". The nourishing of faith is all of our individual responsibility. Step On the Grasshoppers! He takes it personally. The doubt-caster will be one that says their way is the right way, there is no other way and whoever doesnt see their way will never be right. We can be more. , . He had kept them united. The children of Israel had to decide whether they were going to enter the land or stay out. You may sit here today and say I live a pretty good life Brother Mike so I must be in the promised land youre preaching about, Matthew 6:25-34 (read) Jesus said that our needs will be met and well be provided for, can you see that? And Father, Your intention and promise is to send forth Your Word that it would accomplish all that You intend before it returns to You. We hear more about locusts causing billions of dollars in damages to crops. There we saw the giants . Grasshoppers rub their legs together to make chirping sounds. Romans 5:6-8, Denomination: PATRICK PATTERSON loves the Lord and if Some of our elders made it their goal at that time to create the Read and Receive 2020 Initiative. Weve talked about that; youve heard about it. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who come of the giants. Hello John. It was a theme last week too, when the Israelites complain about manna and are given a nauseating over-supply of quails, and it will return next week, when the earth opens its mouth and swallows the rebellious Korach and his band. We give You thanks. And so, when we are afraid, let it be Calebs voice we hear when we close our eyes, telling us: We can do it. Our wives and our little ones will become a prey! But theres another thing we do as well. The Bibles in the bookstore are all gone, those one-year chronological Bibles, but were ordering more tomorrow if you want to participate just call the church office. Click the link in that email to complete registration so you can comment. I hear the birds. says the boy. First, I see it demonstrated through naysayers. The Unconquerable Love of God OVERCOMING THE GRASSHOPPER COMPLEX Faithlife Sermons is now Logos Sermons. He promised to give His people the land of Canaan. Responding with fear, not courage. Numbers 13:33 said: "There we saw the giants (the sons of Anak . Numbers 13:30Then Calebsilenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. 31But the men who had gone up with him said, We cant attack those people; they are stronger than we are.32And they spread among the Israelites a bad reportabout the land they had explored. They see you as grasshoppers, they see you as angels what difference does it make? Pastor Peter Spragg of Emmanuel Baptist Church (Bloomfield, ON) preaches a sermon called We Seemed Like Grasshoppers. i heard this week the true story of a man that got a brand new metal detector. How long will they not believe in Me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? The Hebrew word that the English Standard Version translates despise also means to scorn or abhor. Thats what you and I do when we make a choice to refuse to trust God. But the spies retort: We cannot win . 1 John 4:7-12, Denomination: TOPIC: The Mountain Top However, the inhabitants are fierce, their cities are well-fortified, and there are even giants there. And this is not an intellectual exercise this morning. If we have any other hope of personal goodness or personal ability, dash it, because Jesus is all. Turn away from every other false hope because it brings nothing. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. Trust Christ today. Or, perhaps, as fierce and clever warriors. Finally, back in our parsha, the challah offering thats specified in Numbers 15 becomes obligatory once the Israelites have eaten their first meal in the land: Numbers 15:17 TheLordsaid to Moses,18Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land to which I am taking you19and you eat the food of the land,present a portion as an offering to theLord. We mine Gods Word for what He has promised. Sunday, 15 May 2022 23:27. Lesson number three, young grasshoppers: Worry less about how others see you and more about who you are and about who you are capable of becoming. There are many kinds of darkness. They were perceived as giants. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another all the more as you see the day drawing near. We have an obligation as the church of God to nourish faith among each other. Power is an amazing tool of deception. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to defy the armies of the living God? Thats an audacious question, but David was thinking Gods thoughts after Him. Its as though, in the minds of the spies, the whole country was edible. TEXT: Numbers 13: 25-33; 14: 6-10; Josh. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders. Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. read more, Scripture: They will devour what little you have leftafter the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. Too often we see ourselves as nothing DO NOT LIMIT THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL (PART 6): DO NOT LIMIT GOD IN THE POWER OF YOUR IMAGINATION I AM NOT A GRASSHOPPER You think I cannot see, says the master. Part two develops the other theme thats central in the parsha: the lands inhabitants are powerful: the people we saw there were very large. . Our 3000+ year-old tradition of wisdom and learning, Our community right here and communities like it across the Jewish world, Our Jewish belief that better days are ahead of us, not behind us, These doctors, these nurses who brought healing with their hands and their hearts their intellect, Our tikvah our hope that our world can be perfected, that it will be perfected and that WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE in our world today, we can make things better, more just, more loving, more peaceful. Grasshoppers and locusts are of the same insect order. It is curiously odd that people who are filled with horrified indignation whenever a cat kills a sparrow can hear the story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all. We are not grasshoppers but we are called to BEWARE. God uses trials, as you know, and hardships in our lives for many things; things really too numerous to mention. Having trouble logging into your account? and let me show you a different perspective. Both seem to be a great source of protein. Isnt it? We mine Gods work as we see what He has done for us. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of ? Its from that birth that God begins to call us to exercise that daily faith, that daily faith in the work of God, the truth of His Word; daily faith in His presence and in His power. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? Its natural for the scouts to be afraid they are a group of former slaves who must imagine what it would mean to conquer a land populated by other nations with armies and fortified cities and men of great stature. They can also fly. He checked his signal again. Your email address will not be published. Will we have fooled ourselves? We can know more. Your perspective needs to change. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them." - Numbers 13:31-33. Before a child is born, the parents prepare a room, a bed, some blankets, warm clothes, bottles, How do we create that? The main character of the series, Kwai Chang Caine, is played by David Carradine. Numbers 13:32-33 tells us the whole story of the mistakes made just this side of glory but to sum it all up quickly, THEY REFUSED TO HAVE FAITH THAT GOD WAS IN CONTROL.. Prayer Amen. If we can be apathetic, then really it doesnt matter very much about God at all. WHY DO WE DO THAT? To say the above statement was made by elders and leaders commissioned by God to lead His people to their place of rest and destiny is absurd, would be an understatement . We nourish our choices to trust God. Ten spies bring a negative report. Theres no consideration of what God might do to help them. Shaalu Shalom Yerushalayim activists visit the Sumarin family at their home in East Jerusalem, January 2020. Its life that we find in Christ.
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