Newsletter March 2022 Part 1
Which fear?
“So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’ (Deuteronomy 1:19-21)
Moses spoke these words to the Israelites on the eastern side of Jordan (Deut. 1:1) as they were preparing to cross over into the land He had promised them. He recounts the failure of their fathers to possess the land due to fear. God had delivered that generation from Egypt by His mighty hand and had brought them through the desert where he had provided for them miraculously to Mount Horeb. There He had made a covenant with Israel, promising to be their God and to give them an inheritance. In turn they were to worship Him alone and walk in obedience to Him.
When that previous generation arrived at the boarder of Canaan, they proposed to Moses that they should select men from among them to spy out the land. The plan pleased Moses well (Deut. 1:23) and he appointed one man from each tribe to go. However, with the exception of Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim and Caleb of the tribe of Judah, these spies brought back a negative report: yes, the land was good as God has said and its fruit was good, but the people of the land seemed too strong in their eyes. Instead of believing God’s promise they were overcome by fear and decided to select a leader who would take them back to Egypt. (Num. 14:4)
It is interesting to note that this recounting in Deuteronomy of the failure to enter the land is immediately preceded by the account of the tribal leaders’ appointment to assist Moses with the task of judging the people. There Moses reminds the people how he asked them to select wise, understanding and knowledgeable men from among their tribes to hear cases on his behalf and judge righteously.
This appointment of elders first narrated in Exodus 18 (just before the Israelites’ arrival at Sinai) is often used as an example of plurality of leadership. Just as Moses in his time was not able to bear the burden of leading God’s people alone, no individual minister can manage this today. There must be some form of delegation to share the load of leadership. But why do we find this story retold in Deuteronomy at this particular point? How does it fit in with the narrative of the departure from Horeb and the subsequent failure to enter the land? What about all the events that occur in between, particularly the climax – the divine encounter at Mount Horeb and the establishment of the covenant between God and the people He has chosen for Himself?
The answer to this question may be found in chapter 5 of the book of Deuteronomy where Moses recounts the giving of the Ten Commandments followed by the tribal leaders’ refusal to come near to God’s presence due to fear. Instead of hearing God’s voice for themselves, they requested that Moses alone should go near and convey all that God would say to them. (Deut. 5:27) Their fear of being consumed made them miss out on God’s purpose of being near to them all. (Deut. 4:7)
God revealed Himself to the Israelites in an awesome display of His power and majesty so that they would fear, but not so as to drive them from His presence. His desire was for them to recognise that He was the Almighty God, the Creator and Ruler of the universe, and that He had chosen them. Their election was simply due to His mercy. It was not because of their own righteousness that God was giving them the land, but because of the wickedness of its inhabitants (Deut. 9:5), and they were to be the agents of His judgment and an example to all nations of His goodness. (Deut. 4:6) Therefore they could be sure that His presence would go before them, and they would be able to take the land.
God’s purpose was (and still is) to reveal His holiness and power to a world that had turned from Him and has followed its own ways. Due to their response, however, they were unable to understand this purpose and instead they looked to their own ability. Consequently, when they were faced with a seemingly far superior enemy, their hearts failed for fear. Instead of recognising that God was with them, these leaders said to Moses, “Because the Lord hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.” And instead of encouraging an already frightened people, they asked, “Where can we go? Our brethren have discouraged us” (Deut. 1:27-28)
There may be a variety of requirements for leadership of God’s people, including talents, skills and education, which can be of great benefit in the work of God’s kingdom. The most important requirement, however, is to know God – to know Him in both His majesty and power and His mercy and love. Such knowledge can only be attained as we draw near with godly fear, as we enter His presence with a humble heart and full assurance of His boundless mercy. “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!” (Deut. 5:29)
Pastor Konrad