we were like grasshoppers sermon
We give You thanks. 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. Bearing in mind all this food, lets turn to the end of the spies report. Accomplish all that You intend with Your Word this day as we make our prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus, our Shepherd, our Elder Brother, our Savior. But take heart! The land that God promised them the land and they only had to go and process it. Grapes, Giants, Grasshoppers and God. Imagine how he felt when he realized the signal he was getting was coming from his steel-toed boots. 13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command grasshoppers to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. We stand at the edge of a new year, one that will be full of joys and blessings and sorrows and obstacles. TEXT: Joshua 14:6-15; Numbers 13:26-33 TITLE: GRASSHOPPER MENTALITY Throughout this message I will be referring back to Numbers 13. They start exaggerating and trying to scare the Israelites. Its the natural disposition, the default position of our hearts. Please try again or choose an option below. God sets the barrier very high. 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. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of Numbers 14:27How long will this wicked community grumble against me? Romans 5:6-For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 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. Gods love is a sovereign, everlasting love. The midrash asks how the spies could have known how they were seen to others. First, I see it demonstrated through naysayers. They are called upon to trust God for that very enterprise. There they reported to themand to the whole. Your email address will not be published. and let me show you a different perspective. But if we, rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people o, Moving Beyond A Grasshopper Complex How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! 13:32, 33, NKJV). Here we see the naysayer seeing the obstacles instead of the Omnipotent. 7-For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. They have completely forgotten the promise of God. His promises are true. When the spies say, and so we were in their eyes as well, the Kotzker replies: Whats with this?!?!? 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). God had made them giant-killers, but they chose to see themselves as mere grasshoppers. The naysayers of the grasshopper mentality will eventually make doubt-casters. Weve got decisions to make, weve got roles to play, things to do that cant wait on whether or not God might show up. He said, Stop looking in the rear view mirror, keep your eyes on the road ahead, and put the pedal to the metal and go!. This is a case of hyperbole. wonderfuljesus8 April 8, 2018 Faith, Victorious Living Abraham, Faith, frame of reference, Grasshopper, hard times. They said, "The land we explored devours its inhabitants. Will He help? And Ive found that the more I trust Him, the more I choose to believe Him, the more I love Him; the more I love Him, the more deeply I want to know Him. He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also graciously with Him give us all things?. In case of abuse. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. He is assured that because of Gods promise, it will be so! This report came back and they doubted Gods Word. They embraced the grasshopper mentality. (Its the term used in Leviticus 11 above.). Its a new birth we find in Christ. Twelve men were sent out to spy out the land of Canaan. Those big people in Canaan did not say to the spies, "Hey, you little fellows look like grasshoppers to us.". We despise Him. In my life, in the midst of all those things God has taught me in trial and hardship, theres a common thread that unites all of those things and it is the issue of faith. Part 14 - Matthew 10:18-19 - Grasshopper, Expect The Unexpected! How do we access that? For this they could be forgiven. Daily faith that we are called upon to exercise more and more as we grow towards maturity in Christ. 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). 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. After an eleven day journey from Sinai, they find themselves here at the wilderness of Paran, Kadesh Barnea. The grasshopper syndrome: "We saw the giantsand we were like grasshoppers in our own sight" (Num. 6Now come and put a curseon these people, because they are too powerful for me. Its interesting to see Gods response to the unbelief of His people. We mine Gods work as we see what He has done for us. YET GOD WANTS TO GIVE US SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. They know more about whats ahead of them than we will know whats ahead of us. And so we were in their sight An hyperbole, signifying that the Anakims looked down upon them with the utmost contempt. Being part of something larger and lasting, McCarthy extols ties at Knesset, vows full support for Israeli security against Iran, White House reiterates Netanyahu to get invite but visit not currently planned, Levin accuses US administration of cooperating with judicial overhaul opponents, Gantz: No progress in talks with government on judicial reform compromise, Report: Israel got intel on Irans secret nuclear weapons program from executed spy, TA police chief refuses to discuss transfer with commissioner: An invalid procedure. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. Numbers 13:33 - There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.' on StudyLight.org . 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. They said, The land we explored devoursits inhabitants. And so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:33). In verse 30, Caleb says: He shows some heart. i heard this week the true story of a man that got a brand new metal detector. 20Present a loaf from the first of your ground mealand present it as an offering from the threshing floor. Lets place this passage. "We were like grasshoppers in our eyes, and so we were in their eyes" (Bamidbar, 13:33) In this unique syntax, the Torah teaches us a psychological principle of the greatest importance: The way you feel about yourself is how you think others perceive you. The passage says something about our responsibility to one another. 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 form our understanding from what God tells us. 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. I loved the article/sermon. 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. We see in the very last verse of this passage a mindset that is described. And over their shoulders they saw the destruction of Pharaohs army as that water that was a wall about them came crashing on those soldiers, after which they saw no more Egyptian army pursuing them. 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 . I have overcome the world.. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. Isaiah 43 listen to what the prophet Isaiah, speaking on Gods behalf at Gods inspiration, says to the people of God. If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. In verse 26, we see that the men came back with a report. To think of a few, Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. When that happens, division happens. As he understood Goliath, an imposing man, a terrifying man, but a man! To view recordings of our entire services, visit our Facebook page. Again, we go back to David preparing to approach Goliath alone on behalf of his people. Amen. read more, Scripture: Numbers 13:33. We scorn Him. It happened with the Israelites. The lie comes in the assumption that there is no help for us. The spies are certain that the Canaanites see them as but grasshoppers. The purpose of God will propel them into the land eventually. Theres no consideration of what God might do to help them. What does our passage teach us about unbelief? We trust none other to be right with God save the person of Jesus Christ and the work that He has done on our behalf to save sinners. The same thing happens with a grasshopper mentality. We hear more about locusts causing billions of dollars in damages to crops. 2 Chronicles 7:12 The Lord appeared to him [Solomon] at night and said: I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices. 27They gave Moses this account: We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Look at verse 11 of chapter 14. When they saw the Nepthalim they said they became like "grasshoppers." We want to look at this "grasshopper" complex later in the message. Some of you have a knee-jerk yes response, because thats what youve been taught to believe. Spot on for me today. We dont always know how to believe, but unbelief comes to us naturally. The naysayers focused on what was seen instead of the One who was allowing them to see. When they saw the Nepthalim they said they became like grasshoppers. Its OK to be afraid, young grasshoppers, but as the Midrash suggests fear is a type of darkness that must be managed. There are not many references to grasshoppers in the Tanakh. How could they know this? Have you ever noticed that before? Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Numbers 13 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I have given to the Israelites. So, he would dig some more. 28So tell them, As surely as I live,declares theLord, I will do to youthe very thing I heard you say:29In this wilderness your carcasses will fallevery one of you twenty years old or morewho was counted in the censusand who has grumbled against me. Its come from reflecting on the fact that God has brought them this far not to forsake them. Trust Christ today. God showed His love on the cross, His love cost Him everything He had in this life..His life! 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. If you have hope in anything else, get Christ today. JESUS WANTS US TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM AND BE HIS FRIEND SO WE CAN BE LIKE HIM. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranatesand figs. One more word about being a doubt-caster. So, the cause of their discouragement was (1) dependence on men not God; (2) listening to the many not the few; (3) heeding the bad news not the good. Introduction - Listening Well Leads to Success All the people we saw there are of great size. Like Grasshoppers. 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. Well, lets think a bit about the ten spies and their judging the challenge before the nation with no reckoning of confidence in God. They werent enough. This post presents a new please correct me if Im wrong reading of what the spies in this weeks parsha mean when they say that they were like grasshoppers in their own eyes and in the eyes of the existing inhabitants of the Promised Land. I cant serve you God more because I dont have time. Really? ( Someone bigger than what is considered God uses trials, as you know, and hardships in our lives for many things; things really too numerous to mention. He is Creator, Sustainer, Omnipotent and head over heels in love with you! b : an illustrious warrior c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d : one that shows great courage The land that God has described more than once as a land flowing with milk and honey, theyre about to be ushered into that land. Listen to this from Hebrews chapter 10. 8-But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died Joel Osteen (May-16-2022) Today's Word: Grasshopper Disease. In fact, if we humans could jump like they do, we could jump the length of a football field. read more, Scripture: Amen. We can. Sitting next to her lemonade stand/office, Lucy prepares to offer her sage advice, This article is adapted from a sermon given at the San Francisco (California) Central church on November 19, 2011. . They walked on dry ground through the Red Sea and were fed manna and quail from heaven, given water from a rock and god had even taken this ragtag bunch of nobodies and made them into a great army defeating armies of other kings. Presbyterian/Reformed. Required fields are marked *. And in our own eyes, we were like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes as well . read more, Scripture: These naysayers doubted the Word of God. A couple of months ago, David Strain was preaching through 1 Peter chapter 2 and he preached on the passage where Peter is urging the people of God to crave the pure spiritual milk of the Word. More food. Numbers 13:33. The perception became their reality. Try, If The Preacher Is Dead, The Sermon Will Be Dead, Chasing The Dream, Preaching Greatness, And Knowing Your Audience. He tells the cautious Israelites not to worry about the existing inhabitants because they will be our bread (Numbers 14:9). As a result, they respond to the chirps of other grasshoppers and do what they do. Kwai Chang is the orphaned son of an American man and a Chinese woman As a boy, he comes to study martial arts and wisdom at a Shaolin Temple. They are bread for us. Yet for all they have experienced about God, for the good report they could have given at testimony time, they lacked the faith to enter the promised land. 22Of these you may eat any kind of locust,katydid, cricket or grasshopper. 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. TOPIC: The Mountain Top Erik Weihenmayer is blind, yet on May 25, 2001, he reached the peak of Mt. Fear not, I have redeemed you. Lesson number three comes from the great Hassidic master, Menachem Mendel of Kotzk. I see grasshopper mentality demonstrated in this passage in three ways. read more, Scripture: God chose Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a land that he had promised them. But lets go forward confident in the God who equips the available, who enables the unable, who empowers the powerless, who gives unforeseen and unknown wisdom to the unprepared for the doing of His will, all for His glory and our good. In verse 27, they call the promised land the land which you sent us. If you study other scriptures that describe the promised land, you will see language that is described as the land which the Lord swore to give them. They were afraid and fear made them feel disqualified. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). "Of all things," says the boy, "to live in . Hes carried us this far ultimately just to do us in.. We see they recognized that the land does flow with milk and honey and they had a sample of the huge fruit. However, the inhabitants are fierce, their cities are well-fortified, and there are even giants there. The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Just as surely as there are grasshoppers in the earth there are giants. INTRODUCTION: Do you believe God is a loving God? Let him have a spear like a weaver's beam. We are not grasshoppers but we are called to BEWARE. Gods love is unconquerable. 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.. Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. A Leader Is A Hero You are saying to the One who created time, you dont have time? This transcribed message has been lightly edited and formatted for the Web site. What do you care how you appear in the eyes of others. (Itturey Torah, 5, p. 83). One interesting fact is that they have ears on their bellies. And so, when we are afraid, let it be Calebs voice we hear when we close our eyes, telling us: We can do it. We are still grappling with the challenge of how to rule justly a land in which the strangers who live among us are the people we once conquered. Well, were not standing before the land but were standing before an unknown year. One of the most damaging things that can ever happen in a church is for one or two people to start casting doubt. In this world you will have trouble. 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. Well, one last thing. Some of you might remember the old 1970s television show, Kung Fu which aired from 1972-1975 on ABC. There are many kinds of darkness. 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. The Three Lessons of the Grasshopper. But its also a community effort. The people of Israel have encamped at Sinai for a year. Hear us, as we make our prayer in Jesus name, amen. Their eyes. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them., See the self-infliction? If I say, Surely the darkness will hide me. We are like grasshoppers in their sight, and the are like giants.". Young man, says the master, how is it that you do not?. Now I see it differently. Kwai Chang is the orphaned son of an American man and a Chinese woman As a boy, he comes to study martial arts and wisdom at a Shaolin Temple. Amen? Fortified cities up to the heavens! Twelve spies are sent out one from each tribe. We need to teach one another that language. We dont need doubt; doubt is our native tongue. But one thing is certain: it should not involve injustice and ruthless exploitation that make us feared and hated. He reveals it through the intensity, integrity, and ingenuity of his love. John 3:16, An Easter message about Gods love from John 3:16, Whats Love Got to Do With It? What is the purpose of this verse? . 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. Perspective matters. Are we generous? They are too many and too large and still, there are giants in the land! While two of the spies, Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh say, We can take the land! Unbelief isnt about making us atheists. Moses had said: "Be courageous" (13:20). This allows them to feel the vibrations of other grasshoppers. Psalm 73 is one of those gritty psalms. Its about time to go. Heres the context: God tells Moses to send scouts to spy out the land of Canaan, to see what the land is like, what types of agriculture it supports, what the people who inhabit it are like, are they strong or weak, are their cities fortified or not? If we can be untrusting we can be apathetic. God is your refuge .read more. Its a new beginning. And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.". If we can be apathetic, then really it doesnt matter very much about God at all. Hello John. Numbers 13:31-33. Spies Like Us from Stephen Wise Temple on Vimeo. Escaped felons, dwindling water supplies, nuclear proliferation, rising antisemitism around the world and on college campuses, racism, this past months report that the number of homeless people in our city right here in Los Angeles went up 12% over the past two years the list goes on and on. read more, Scripture: I have called you by name; you are mine. His word is infallible. Some of the best advice I have ever received was when I made a statement like that to a pastor friend. Numbers 13:30-33. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them..