Numbers 13-14: Dramatic Monologue

Stance and Intro: Entering with back turned to congregation slowly stepping backward looking at the walls. A concealed plate of one cluster of red grapes is in hand as the other hand eats them and continues looking at the walls in front and either side (back still to congregation). Steps onto stage and eats another grape (totaling about 3-4 eaten). Slowly follows the walls looking around until facing the congregation and is startled...

Oh! Where are my manners? Would you like some? (pause) Well, maybe another time (sets grapes down where everyone can see them). You see I've traveled quite a distance from a far-away land and an era you've only read about. A long trip can make a guy hungry. My name... is Hoshea, son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim. but you know me as Joshua. Brian has asked me here to share a story with you that I'm told can be found in your Bible in the book of Numbers chapters 13 and 14.

Story: We found ourselves camped at Kay-desh, in the desert of Pay-rahn. The cool season was being put to bed and the season of warmth was opening its' eyes once again. I understand some of you wish the same would happen here. It was the month of Tammuz when the grapes were just beginning to ripen. You call it June. The day came when Moses addressed the people. he had a special mission for us, (Switch to Moses) "I need all the leaders of the 12 tribes for an assignment. Go... spy out the land of Canaan, which the Lord had promised to give us, report on the strength of the military in the cities of the land, survey the land itself: its' fruit and trees and to bring some fruit of the land back with you."

(Back to Joshua) So we packed for our journey, kissed our children goodbye, and started North. The trip took us up past Shechem and the Jordan River, beyond Damascus, all the way to the border of Rehob near Lebo-Hamath. The land was good! It flowed with milk and honey! Everything was going according to schedule and we were on our way back. We decided to check out one last city only about 74 of your miles away from Kay-desh. It was the city of Hebron.

The city was situated between Gaza and the Salt Sea along a valley that ran North to South. It seemed like any other city we'd seen. So we began the procedure... one group took a look at the outer edges, another group spied out the walls, while Caleb and I joined a third group that slipped inside the city. As our feet met with the pebbles of dirt at the city gate and they crumbled beneath the weight of our bodies it didn't take us long to notice them... 3 men. They were known as the sons of Anak, the Nephilim. The townspeople looked up to them, not out of respect mind you, but necessity. Each one was a tower of a man, a fortress all on his own. They were giants. My comrades and I looked at eachother and couldn't help but feel smaller than the dirt beneath our feet. We were grasshoppers in their eyes. We decided to regroup about a mile outside the city. As the leaders discussed the situation an incredible fear filled their eyes. Had they forgotten the promise of God? Caleb and I looked at eachother and we knew the Lord would be faithful, but they wouldn't hear it. We continued down through the valley to gather some fruit as Moses commanded us and while it felt like a valley of doubt and disunity among our group it was later called the valley of Eschol, which means "cluster," because we brought back a cluster of grapes along with some figs and pomegranantes.

When we returned to Kay-desh our welcome was bittersweet, for WITH the fruit our mission we also brought a fear of man into the camp. We stood before Moses himself and the people and our 10 brothers gave their report: (Switch to the brothers) "Moses, Aaron, people of Israel, You've waited 40 long days for our report. We have surveyed the land of Canaan and have found it to be all that we hoped. It is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey.. and here's the fruit! but we can't go up against them. The cities are heavily guarded and their walls reach up to the heavens. We even saw the sons of Anak there. They would crush us like bugs with no room to hide! (switch to Joshua) The people began murmuring and worry raced through the crowds faster than fire moves through a dry field.

At just that moment Caleb stepped out in front of the people and our 10 brothers and with great faith, he stilled the confusion with these words, (switch to Caleb) "We should by all means go and take possession of this land for the Lord will give us victory!!!" Our 10 brothers turned on Caleb, "Caleb, you were there! Didn't you see them?! We can't go they are too strong for us!"

At this the people lifted their voices and whined in anguish as they grumbled against Moses and Aaron... "We could have just died back in Egypt or in this desert. Why is God bringing us into THIS land now, to be killed by the sword?! Our wives and our children will be the property of the Canaanites. I say we appoint a leader and head back to Egypt!" (Back to Joshua) The assembly began to roar in hearty approval. I stood with Caleb this time to make one last stand for the Lord.

"Brothers, the land is good just as the Lord said it would be! Don't turn your back on him now! Don't rebel against Him! Don't be afraid of the men, for they will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them and the Lord is with us! Don't fear them! Their eyes burned red hot with anger and one bye one they began picking up stones to stone us...? These were our own people! What were they thinking?! Were they thinking at all?! God had been so kind to us. He brought us out of Egypt! He led us by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire every step of the way! He provided food for us and our families! Now they were rejecting our words, but no... it was far worse than that. They were rejecting the very promise of God Himself. They had sealed their fate. What were we to do? It was time for God to speak and when God spoke... it was time to listen.

Suddenly the glory of Lord appeared in the tent of meeting and Moses met with God to have a quiet time that would be anything but quiet... as the rest of us stood waiting to see what God had to say. But we were quiet. We were so quiet I tell you that in that moment, the wind itself had something to say.

God said to Moses, "how long will this people despise and spurn me? How long will they keep walking by sight? After all the things I've done, all the signs and wonders I've done in their midst? I will bring judgment upon this people and smite them with pestilence for their lack of faith!

Moses did what any good leader would do for his people. He went to his knees in prayer. (Go to knees) God, please have mercy on your people! If you destroy them all at once the Egyptians will hear of it and think you had to slaughter them because you couldn't get the people to the land you promised them. Please Lord you are slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, but I know also you will by no means clear the guilty. I just ask Lord that you will merciful now. Forgive your people!

(Stand up) Our leader had a purpose in his prayer, but he knew that the Lord would act within the bounds of His holy character and according to His will. Moses didn't just say God you are so loving, please forgive your people. He acknowledged the power of God to do what He wills.

Moses left the tent with a sober message for the rest of the people of Israel. We weren't ready for what we were about to hear. God would forgive them, but for each one of the 40 days we were away they would wander in the wilderness for a year. The adults would never see the promised land they had just rejected, but their children would. My 10 fellow-countrymen had their lives taken from them by a plague that very night. They didn't have to die. If only they'd have listened to God and not their eyes. (PAUSE) This motivated the people to repent. They arose with the sun and approached Moses, "Moses we have sinned..." Can you imagine Moses' response? "Ya think? Yes you've sinned." They decided to go up and take possession of the land, but it was too late. God was not with them. Caleb, Aaron, Moses, myself, and the ark of the covenant stayed Kay-desh. The people tried but they lost. They had chosen to walk by sight and that's what God let them do.

Caleb and I learned something that day and it's the very thing I've come to share with you... that when we fear our circumstances we forget our God, but when we fear our God we forget our circumstances.

When you travel the land of this life... and look at the cities of your circumstances, those questions without answer in which you seem to live as they devour your mind and heart, you can stand on the truth that all things giant in our eyes are as grains of sand in God's hand and He'll use them as He pleases to His glory and your good. He is the God who holds the heart of the king in His hand like channels of water, He turns it wherever He wishes. He is the God whose throne is heaven and who's footstool is the earth. He is the God who has promised to never leave nor forsake you. He is the God who has carried you in His arms as a father carries his child whether you've seen it or not. Trust Him to keep doing that. ...Oh, and He also made the stars.

10 of my country-men returned with a cluster of grapes, but they also returned with a fear of man. So when harvest time comes may the fruit of your life be a fear of God and not a fear of anyone or anything else.

(Holds up one last grape, eats it, and exits)