Persuaded to Possess the Promises (Hebrews 3:18; Numbers 13:32-33; Joshua 2:9-11)

Hebrews 3:18 says, "...and to whom swore He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?"

HOUND DOG

The humorous anecdote is told of the farmer that had an old hound dog lying out on the wooden porch, and every now and then the dog would let out a howl. Observing this, a friend of the farmer asked him, why the old dog would let out that moanful howl so consistently; what was wrong with the dog? The farmer replied that the dog was laying on a nail sticking up from the boards on the porch. The friend exclaimed, "Well then, why doesn't the dog just move?", to which the farmer replied, "Well it doesn't hurt him enough to move; just enough to complain about it".

ZIG ZIGLAR

One of the many quotable quotes of the famous Christian motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, is that, " people will change, when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change". This is a true maxim, whether in physical health; physical fitness; job career changes; relationships; or almost any aspect of life, including spiritual development.

REFUSE TO BE PERSUADED

Contrary to the KJV translation of Hebrews 3:18, the Greek word translated "believed not", is actually (apeitheo), [544, Strongs]. This is a compound word from (peitheo), [3982, Strongs], meaning 'to convince by argument, based on evidence or authority', and (a), [1, Strongs], which 'designates the negative of the word in which it serves as a prefix'. The meaning is to "deliberately refuse to be persuaded", despite solid evidence to support the argument or reality presented.

Thayer says it means, "not to allow one's self to be persuaded"

Vine further states that it means "to refuse to be persuaded".

Wuest and the Amplified Bible both translate the verse as follows:

"and to whom did He swear that they should not enter into His rest, but to those who were non persuasible" (Wuest)

 "...those who disobeyed [ who had not listened to His word and who refused to be compliant or be persuaded]" (Amplified)

It carries the imagery of "...the man...who stops his ears to God's instructions for the present time" (DNTT Vol.1, p.593).

DELIBERATE DISOBEDIENCE

This is more than just not understanding, this is deliberate disobedience, despite evidence to the contrary, and from a military sense, 'to willfully disobey orders or a legal mandate of law'. (Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, Moulton and Milligan).

The scriptures say that God's people deliberately refused to allow themselves to hear the clear evidence, and obey God's voice, and so they did not enter into the promised land, but died in the wilderness. God's best for them was available, and right in front of them, but they deliberately rejected even entertaining the thought of entering into the promised land, and for 40 years, wandered in the wilderness, until a whole generation died off.

PROBLEM with PROVISION

Psalm 105:37,40 says, "He brought them forth also with silver and gold; and there was not one feeble person among their tribes (37). The people asked, and He brought quails, and satisfied them with the bread of heaven (40)".

The children of Israel had just been miraculously delivered; there was no poverty, they had silver and gold; and there was no sickness and disease among them. All their physical needs were provided, and they were "satisfied", with "the bread of heaven". That's pretty good, and yet that was still desert living; not God's best for them, and certainly not possessing the promised land.

Sometimes what is good, is the enemy of what is the best.

Why would the children of Israel want to enter into the promised land and have to fight and take territory that belonged to them, when all of their needs were met; and they didn't lack anything?

POWER of PERCEPTION

When Moses sent out the 12 spies, only Joshua and Caleb gave a good report. The scripture says that the other 10 spies brought up an evil report of the land. Even though people were living in the land, and prospering, the 10 spies said it was, "a land that eats up the inhabitants"(Num.13:32). Further, they said, "we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, who came from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight"(Num.13:33).

The 10 spies saw themselves as "grasshoppers" compared to the giants, and they projected that perception, to the point of believing, that "so we were in their sight". It is impossible to know what someone else is thinking, other than by supernatural revelation, which this wasn't, so these spies had no idea how the inhabitants of the land viewed them. In fact, their analysis was totally false, and the facts were the complete opposite of their perception. Forty years later, when Joshua sent just 2 spies into the land, Rahab told them, "your terror has fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you" (Josh.2:9). Even 40 years before, she told them that when the inhabitants of the land heard about the LORD drying up the Red Sea and slaughtering just two of the kings on the other side of the Jordan, "as soon as we heard, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you"(Josh.2:11). The reality was, that 40 years previously, when they could have possessed the promised land, the inhabitants were terrified of the children of Israel, and they were still terrified, even 40 years later!

POSSESSING the PROMISE

FIRST, if we are going to possess our "promised land", of whatever God has called us to do, we have to shake off the complacency of satisfaction with the way things are now. If you know that God has more for you, then refuse to be satisfied with the status quo of the way things are right now, even if everything seems great, and allow yourself to be persuaded that God has more for you; He wants His best for you. If you are content with the "good" you'll never pursue the "best". Stay hungry for God and hungry for more!

Jesus said, "Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled" The word translated "blessed", is (makarios) [3107, Strongs], which means "happy". If you want to be happy in life, Jesus gave the key: The pursuit of happiness is to hunger and thirst after God [His righteousness].

SECONDLY, you have to do more! If you want more than what you have, spiritually; materially; financially; etc., then you have to do more than what you've done. The scripture states the seeming contradiction, that we are to, "...labor..to enter into His rest" (Heb.4:11).

One minister is quoted as saying that the reason we don't see more "working of miracles" (1 Cor.12:10), is that people don't like the working part! In other words, there is a concerted effort required, to bring dreams into reality; plans into visible projects; faith into fruition; and promises into the present, but not everyone wants to work to see the reward.

The simple fact is that Israel had it good already, and they didn't want to move out of the proverbial comfort zone, to engage in battle, with an already defeated enemy, who was terrified of them, so that they could step into God's best for them. They had no poverty; they had no sickness or disease; they were "satisfied" with the bread of heaven; why would you want to engage in the "work" of believing for more, when you already have it pretty good?

Repeatedly, God says that the children of Israel refused to be persuaded, and so missed out on His best for them:

"...to whom did He swear that they should not enter into His rest, but to those that refused to be persuaded" (Heb.3:18).

"...those to whom the good news was first announced did not enter into His rest because they refused to be persuaded" (Heb.4:6, paraphrase).

"Let us do everything possible to make sure this happens for us, that we enter into His rest, living in His promises, so we don't fall after the same example of those who refused to be persuaded" (Heb.4:11, paraphrase).

PERSUADED BY THE PROMISE

We have a choice. We can stay where we are, and every now and then, complain about what we don't have, or what isn't happening in our lives, or we can allow the word of God to persuade us of all that belongs to us, in Christ Jesus, and be fully persuaded, that what God has promised, He is able to perform (Rm.4:21) and then we can take our promised land!

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours