Two Forms of Discouragement

In Numbers 13, Moses was instructed to "send men to spy out the land of Canaan" (vs. 2). These twelve men spent 40 days spying out the land (vs. 25). When they returned and gave their report to the congregation, they "showed them the fruit of the land...and said, 'We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit" (vs. 26-27). But then they went on to give a "bad report of the land which they had spied out" (vs. 32). Why? Because the cities of Canaan were well-fortified and the nations that resided in Canaan were strong...too strong for the Israelites to overcome.

Of course, it was God's plan for them to conquer the land of Canaan. After all, that's why Israel had been delivered from Egyptian bondage. This had been the plan all along! Which is why Joshua and Caleb, two of the twelve spies, pleaded with the people to "go up at once and take possession" (13:30) because "if the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us" (14:8). But the Israelites refused to enter the land; they refused to submit to the will of God...all because 10 of the 12 spies discouraged them with their pessimism.

Approximately 38 years later, God brought the congregation of Israel back to Canaan's edge. This time, they were ready to do what they should've done the first time. But as they prepared to begin their campaign, the tribes of Reuben and Gad (and later 1/2 the tribe of Manasseh) informed Moses that they were content to inhabit the land on this side of the Jordan. Notice Moses' response in Numbers 32:6-9...

"And Moses said to the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben: 'Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here? Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them? Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. For when they went up to the Valley of Eschol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the Lord had given them."

On the two occasions that Israel approached Canaan's edge, the congregation was discouraged from entering, but these two instances of discouragement were quite different.

In the first instance, the spies discouraged their brethren by plainly telling them not to conquer the land. This was an overt form of discouragement. But in the second instance, the discouragement was more covert and subtle. The tribes of Reuben and Gad didn't tell their brethren not to conquer the land of Canaan, but by voicing their desire to remain on this side of the Jordan River, they were instilling doubt within the minds of their brethren. Thankfully, Moses solved the problem in Numbers 32 and everything worked out in the end, but there is still a powerful lesson for us today.

Most of us wouldn't openly discourage our brethren from doing the Lord's work, but if we're not careful, we can discourage our brethren simply by being inactive. Your inactivity, uninvolvment, and/or lack of enthusiasm for the Lord's work may very well discourage others from doing the Lord's work.

Think about how your words and actions may subtly discourage others in the church and from this point forward, commit to being as supportive and as helpful as you can be.