Like Grasshoppers in Our Own Eyes

We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

Numbers 13:33 NIV

This highlights such a sad note in Israel’s history. Less than two years before this, they had seen the devastation of Egypt at the hands of God. They had been delivered from one of the most powerful nations in the world. The sea had been parted so they could go through on dry land, and then watched it close up on the pursuing Egyptian army. They had spent a year at Mt. Sinai in the presence of God. And He had now brought them to the edge of the promised land. All they had to do was go in, and God would give it to them.

But after seeing the current inhabitants of the land, they forgot about God’s provision in the past and responded in fear. There were giants in the land, and they had big walled cities. In their own eyes, they felt like grasshoppers with little chance of driving out the people who lived there. Instead, they would be devoured if they attempted to go into the land. And as a result, they failed to enter the land God had promised them. Instead, they wandered in the wilderness until they had all died. Then God gave the land to their children.

Facing Our Giants

How often today do we feel insignificant when we face the giants of our own lives? Our personal giants differ from the descendants of Anak that Israel faced. But what they have in common is that they can cause us to fear and to believe we cannot do what God wants us to do. They can make us feel unequal to the task. And the truth is that we are unequal to it. But we serve a mighty God who is more than able to give us victory in whatever task he gives us. Trust in Him, and face your giants unafraid.