The Sin of Unbelief
By Virginia Brandt Berg
Our meditation today is from Deuteronomy 1:28, where it says, “Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.”
Now someone will say, “Surely you aren’t going to talk about that much-used story about Joshua and Caleb and the spies that went to spy out the land of Canaan! We’ve heard it so much.” Yes, I am! We need it now more than ever.
I want to warn especially about letting others discourage you regarding any stand of faith you’ve taken. Don’t let anyone discourage you! Note again the words in this passage: “Our brethren have discouraged our heart.”
Yet, the spies did not initially bring back such an evil report, for on their return they said, “We came into the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it flows with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it” (Numbers 13:27). For you see, they had brought back the fruit of the land—grapes, pomegranates, and figs—proving they had faithfully searched the land.
But God’s Word says they brought back an evil report because they enlarged upon the fact that the people of the land were like giants, in whose sight the Israelites were like grasshoppers, and the cities were great with strong walls (Numbers 13:31–33).
How great the sin of unbelief is here, for they did not put their emphasis on what God had promised to do. They put it on the wrong things: the circumstances, the condition, and what they saw. They did not talk about what God had promised at all, but about that which was contrary to what God had said.
God said, “I have set before thee this land; go up and possess it; fear not, neither be discouraged.” But the spies made God out to be a liar and said, “We be not able to go up against these people, for they are stronger than we” (Deuteronomy 1:21; Numbers 13:31).
God was not factored into the equation, and this evil report caused the hearts of the people to be discouraged, and they wept and murmured against God and against Moses, and they went on into further rebellion and unbelief until God had to punish them terribly.
You remember also that Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies who gave the good report and believed God, tried so hard to encourage the people, telling them that God was able to bring them into the land. Caleb said, “Let us go up at once and possess [the land]; we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30).
You know the rest of the story. Because they believed the evil report and did not trust God’s promise, He let them wander in the wilderness for 40 years (Numbers 14:26–35). And the ten spies that brought the evil report that discouraged the hearts of the people died by the plague before the Lord (Numbers 14:36–37).
I haven’t told you many personal experiences, except about the marvelous healing miracle that happened in my life when I was such an invalid. But I do want to tell you something this morning regarding this passage of scripture. I was en route to revivals in Cuba and the Bahamas, and had stopped over in a town not far from Miami.
Unexpected emergencies had left me without funds, and I needed money to reach my appointment. I was looking to the Lord, and I knew that it had to be a miracle. I haven’t time to tell you all the details, but because of the conditions and circumstances all around me, it would have to be a miracle of God if any funds came to me.
I got alone with the Lord and was claiming definite promises from His Word. I waited for His answer. Not only did I need the Lord to supply this need, but I also caught the flu on the trip down and I desperately needed healing for my body.
While alone, I read many promises and also had a heart-searching to see if all was well in my own heart, and if I had met God’s conditions. There were circumstances that did not make it easy to exercise faith, but I had to do all I could.
This particular evening, I attended a Bible conference, and there I received a small book by a learned Bible teacher who was well known for his great knowledge of the Scriptures. The little book explained why God no longer worked miracles. That book stated emphatically that nowhere did the Bible teach that miracles would continue after the days of the apostles.
His point of view was so clearly explained. He was so emphatic about it, and was such a great and learned man that for just a moment I was shaken, for the Devil took advantage of this writing and came against my faith with fiery darts unspeakable (Ephesians 6:16).
He was such a scholar. He taught the Word of God with such clarity and brilliance, and he knew the Bible from cover to cover. He had traveled far in the land of promise, but for me he had, like those spies, brought back an evil report and discouraged the stand of faith I had taken.
I left that auditorium, and in the quiet of my room I again read over many passages in God’s precious Word. It was there! I saw it in God’s Word, God said it! There were the verses saying He would supply my every need “according to his riches in glory,” and “whatsoever things ye desire, when you pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Philippians 4:19; Mark 11:24). It’s so because God said so.
“Let every man be called a liar, but God be found true” (Romans 3:4). Suddenly light broke through the darkness; faith flooded my soul. I asked the Lord to forgive me for wavering. I had gotten my eyes on this intellectual “giant in the land,” and for just a moment my simple faith was almost shaken. It is not uncommon for those who are seeking God for help to come under the power of unbelief in others who want to discourage them.
God’s Word was then quickened in my heart. “Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; … ye shall not be afraid of the face of this man; for the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it” (Deuteronomy 1:17). How wonderful that was!
My verse for that hour was “Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. Have I not commanded you? Neither fear ye the people of the land” (Joshua 1:9; Numbers 14:9).
It inspired my heart, and all the fear departed from me. You know, it’s far better to stand alone and seem simple-minded than to seek help from leaders who weaken our faith by their discouraging words when we’re stepping out on God’s promises.
If you live in an atmosphere of doubt and unbelief, either in your home or your church, ask God to protect you, to hide you away in Himself. Refuse to accept any doubt, any discouragement, and He’ll fill you with His Spirit so that you can “take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).
Now you wonder, was my prayer answered? Yes! I woke the next morning refreshed in body, almost entirely well, and that very day a large financial gift came from the most unexpected source I could have imagined. In fact, I would never have conceived of a gift from that source, for they knew nothing of my circumstances or my plans. It was God alone who had done this and answered my prayer. It was a miracle!
Don’t let anyone discourage you! God’s Word stands sure and steadfast. He will not fail you! Go in and possess the land and He will go with you. Stand your ground.
Father, we come to You, in Jesus’ precious name. We ask You, Lord, to keep faith and hope alive in these hearts. We pray that their trust would be strengthened in their day-to-day lives. We ask You, Lord, that morning shall break in the darkness for some of these who have been so hurt by the discouragers. Bless them, Lord, and encourage faith, for Your name’s sake, we ask. Amen.
From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted.