I believe in the promised land...

From Moses to Springsteen?

The dogs on Main Street howl/‘Cause they understand

If I could wrench one moment into my hands

Mister, I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man/ And I believe in a promised land

(Bruce Springsteen, “The Promised Land”)

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Moses parted the Red Sea, freed the Israelites, and aimed to lead them into the promised land.

Best laid plans and all…

The former slaves complained and grew impatient. They chose to worship golden idols. Many of them declared that they’d prefer to return and live in slavery than to wander the desert any longer.

At one point (Exodus 16:2-21), some moaned: “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt.”

Oh, how this reminds me of the people today who proclaim to crave change but seem unwilling to do anything more than virtue signal.

Anyway, when Moses — along with somewhere between 600,000 and two million freed slaves — reached Canaan, he sent a dozen spies to case the promised land.

Numbers 13: 17-20 explains:

“Moses told them, “Go through the Negev and then into the mountain region. See what the land is like and whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. Is the land they live in good or bad? Do their cities have walls around them or not? Is the soil rich or poor? Does the land have trees or not? Do your best to bring back some fruit from the land.”

Forty days later, the spies returned to Moses with their report.

They confirmed that Canaan was indeed a “land flowing with milk and honey” but they added a long, dread-filled list of the inhabitants, e.g. Amalekites, Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, and Canaanites. Ten of the spies spoke about the people being strong and the cities being well-protected by large walls.

But two of the spies — Caleb and Joshua — did not buy into The Fear Matrix™. They didn’t snipe and divide. They trusted God’s plan.

Numbers 13: 17-20: “Caleb told the people to be quiet and listen to Moses. Caleb said, ‘Let’s go now and take possession of the land. We should be more than able to conquer it.’”

The 10 defeatists drowned him out with loud assertions about the people being too strong. “The land we explored is one that devours those who live there,” they stated.

To add fuel to the fear-mongering fire, those 10 spies reported that the people were very tall and they were Nephilim among them.

“We felt as small as grasshoppers,” they lamented, “and that’s how we must have looked to them.”

To recap: Most of the people bought into the negative hype while pining for the familiar comfort of captivity.

In response, God allowed the Israelites to wander for 40 years in the desert and only two of the original slaves would eventually enter the promised land.

They were, of course, Caleb and Joshua.

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In 2024, we need courage, vision, and faith more than ever. We need folks willing to work together despite their differences.

We need people so committed to liberation, autonomy, and sovereignty that they see themselves as they truly are: more than able.

We need Calebs and Joshuas.

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There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor

I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm

Gonna be a twister to blow everything down

That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground

(Springsteen, “The Promised Land”)

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