It didn't take long for problems to show up; the Egyptians chased them, they ran out of food and water, the grumbled and groaned and at every step, God took care of them and met their needs miraculously. Being fairly normal human beings, they almost immediately forgot each miracle of provision and protection and became overwhelmed in whatever particular set of circumstances they found themselves immersed in. Blinded, almost daily, by their situations, they would lose their embrace on God's promise to take them to a sweet place and become distressed over whatever they had to endure in the meantime.
It's easy to do. We all fall victim to it from time to time.
After much ado, and a lot of chastising from God, they got to the Jordan River the other side of which is the Promised Land. What a moment that must have been! The Jordan was wide at that time of the season, maybe more than a mile. It was swift as well. But they could see over into their homeland (Deut 34). I imagine many of them were thinking, "Well, this isn't so bad. All we have to do is find a way across this river and we're home free!"
But there was a problem….God had ordered Moses to send spies into the land to check out the
land and the people (Num 13). They came back with reports of strong people and exaggerated report of 'giants' (Num 13:32-33).
Why do you suppose God did that? To scare them from going over? To discourage them? Not in the least bit! God's promises are not based on our perceptions of the difficulty in achieving them. They are not flexible depending on the situation. They don't change as we acquire more of less knowledge of the circumstances. As a matter of fact, I'm fairly well convinced that God sent those spies over there to show the Hebrews what a great victory they were about to be given by the hand of God. He was literally showing them how powerful He was and about to demonstrate that power by delivering an amazingly beautiful land into their hands by miraculous means.
God's promises are immutable and unchangeable. They are sure and fully guaranteed by his absolute sovereignty. For each of us, as believers, He has promised us a home and a place that has been prepared for us. He has promised a Comforter. He has promised His peace and His joy. Don't let anything convince you otherwise. (Rom 8:35-39, 1 John 4;4). Whenever God gives a command or a promise, any obstacle to our obedience to that command or to the completion of that promise is nothing more than an opportunity for His glory to be revealed in a greater way.
No, His blessings are not always immediate….but they are always sure. They are not always easy….but they are always great!
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