Which part of the bible chapter gives you heartache?

Hey friends, for those of you who are reading the bible, which part of the bible chapter gives you heartache?

For me, it’s Numbers chapter 13 and 14. If I could summarize the story in one sentence, it would be, “I want to give you a better life, but you rather stay in the wilderness as a slave.” Here’s the story, Moses led those Israelites who have been slaves for years and left Egypt, they undergo a journey of forty years, been through all kinds of challenges, and finally, they reached the edge of Canaan land. The promised land was at the end of their fingertips. All they need to do is to battle and claim it, once and for all. Moses first sends out twelve spies to visit Canaan land. They returned with a cluster of big grapes that needed two people to carry, figs and pomegranates. That was a bountiful land indeed. Joshua and Caleb were full of faith and trust that they will gain victory. After all, the Lord has already promised to give them this land flowing with milk and honey. They did face troubles and difficulties all the way. God has reached out His hand to protect them. Of course, this time wouldn’t be an exception. However, the other ten spies have different opinions: “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”  “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” The very next thing, the whole community atmosphere was being polluted with the “bad reports.” People started grumbling, and they wept aloud.

And what they commented shocked me: “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
O.S: The Israelites totally forgot the primary reason they were being brought out of Egypt – So they can claim a life of prosperity given by God. If God intended for them to die, He could have done nothing and leave them perished in Egypt. There was no need to send Moses, lead them out, and show them all kinds of miracles. For instance, He gave them quail and manna when they have nothing to eat, commanded the water to flow from the rock when they have nothing to drink.
And the next comment shocked me even more: “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
O.S: What the heck? Haven’t they forgot what it’s like to be slaves, to have not enough to eat, not enough to wear, and to be treated so brutally by those Egyptians?

God became furious, and below were the outcomes:

1. Not one of those Israelites will enter the promised land (except Caleb and Joshua, they get to enter with the new generations after another forty years).
2. They have to go back to the wilderness. They were born as slaves and died in the wilderness.
3. Those ten spies who spread the bad reports were struck down and died of a plague

The main reason that Israelites can’t enter the promised land is due to their mentality. They were always grumbling, being ungrateful, being rebellious to God. They rather give in to fear and lead to self-abandon rather than grab on to the promise of God.

Thoughts
What are the dreams that you have, or God’s calling for you? You might feel scared the moment you decide to take action. But if you give in to fear and choose to stay in your comfort zone, although you might not “died in the wilderness” as mentioned in the bible story, you can’t help thinking:
“What if I have done that? Would things be different today?”
“When will my breakthrough come?”
You watched people running ahead in front of you. While you were so scared even to put one foot forward, you don’t have to really step into the wilderness—your heart sure aches. You already know how it feels like.

The Lord prepared the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness so that they will learn to:

1. Fear not, as they rely on God, not just themselves.
2. God has already promised victory to them, but they need to get up, take action to claim it.

Perhaps God has already prepared us for years so that we can go on to the battlefield and win the battle. May we keep up with the spirits like Joshua and Caleb, full of faith: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”