Pam Padgett - teacher
1 Peter 2:1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
When reading this verse, "evil speakings" stood out to me, and I was
reminded of the evil report brought by most of those
sent to search out the promised land.
Numbers 13:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses,
saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I
give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of
their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And
Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of
Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. ...
21 So they went up, and searched the land from the
wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. 22 And they
ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and
Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years
before Zoan in Egypt.) 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
of the figs. 24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the
cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. 25
And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to
all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of
Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the
congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told
him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely
it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28
Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities
are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak
there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the
Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains:
and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said,
Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome
it.
31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And
they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto
the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to
search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all
the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we
saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were
in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Numbers 14:1 And all the congregation
lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And
all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and
the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in
the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And
wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword,
that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better
for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make
a captain, and let us return into Egypt. 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on
their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children
of Israel.
6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of
Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their
clothes: 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of
Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an
exceeding good land. 8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us
into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and
honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people
of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from
them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the
congregation bade stone them with stones. ...
God had promised to give the land of Canaan to the children of Israel, yet all except Caleb and Joshua brought back an evil report. The evil report ignored what God had said and that God was able to do as He said by His power. And it turned people
from God and the ways of God, causing them to fear and murmur against
God and His servants.
But Caleb and Joshua believed God and that God was able to do as He had promised. Their trust was in God, not in their own abilities.
In our lives, we have been given many promises by God. One example is:
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
As we go about our lives we see and hear various things that bring fears or concerns. The devil also brings thoughts that trouble us. By turning to God with each fear or care we have, and if we're shown to do anything doing that, we are kept by God in the matter. We don't spread
unnecessary fears and worries, for we trust God and what He has
said.
One of my neighbors often tells in a rather fearful way how much various
things cost, such as vet care (although they obviously have plenty of money for these things). She spreads her fears by her
talk. At times I found myself fearful after talking with her. But when
I turned to God, I was reminded of: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matt. 6:33)
Certainly, this is what I find in my life. God provides everything I need, and even more, as I seek to serve God and go in His way for me led by the Holy Spirit. Thinking of this causes me to be thankful to God and to marvel in His provision.
When we are established in what God has said about what we're dealing with, we believe what God has said and that He is able to do what He has said, instead of spreading evil by speaking contrary to the word of God.