We saw grapes in clusters fall ...

We saw grapes in clusters fall ...

The story starts in Chapter 13 of Numbers.  Twelve men were sent into explore Caanan. First ten report in and brought back a negative report ... (Numbers 13) 31 But the men who had gone with him said, “We cannot fight those people! They are much stronger than we are.” 32 So those men gave a report that discouraged the people. They said, “The land we saw is full of strong people. They are strong enough to easily defeat anyone who goes there.  
  
Then the two of them reported in ... (Numbers 14) 6 Joshua and Caleb became very upset. (Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were two of the men who explored the land.) 7 These two men said to all the Israelites gathered there, “The land that we saw is very good. 8 It is a land filled with many good things. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us.  

And so came judgement for the nation ... (Numbers 14) This is what will happen to you: 29 You will die in this desert. ... 30 So none of you will ever enter and live in the land that I promised to give you. Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will enter that land.  ... 34 For 40 years you will suffer for your sins.  

The 40 year wandering in the desert INCLUDED the faithful Caleb and Joshua.  I guess the implications of that had never struck my mind  in the way it has this past week. It really makes for some interesting contemplation!!  How frustrated they must have been .. full of whys (after all they were human). The entirety of this is not something I can fully grasp.  It just was not time for them yet.  We can go on to read in the book of Joshua of the many wonderful exploits they had as the settled into the land after that LONG wandering in the waste land.

Bottom line (for me) is to reckon with the fact that sometimes we can find ourselves in the desert of wandering due to no fault of our own.  In those times God has not forgotten us, He is not asleep and What He has said He will do He will do .. (remember plans to prosper and not to harm) .. lift up your head .. what is that on the horizon .. yep that is Canaan ahead!