I Spy

Have you ever played the game I spy? You know the one where one person spots something nearby and everyone else tries to guess what they see. It goes something like this – I spy something red and green. Then you guess and if you get it right you get to spy. Its fun you ought to try it. This stirs my thought about a story in the Bible.

Have you ever heard the story of the 12 spies in the bible? It’s recorded in the book of Numbers ch. 13. 12 men chosen to go into the promise land to search it out and bring back a report.  These men were leaders in each tribe. All 12 were strong men, men of good judgment, men that should have understood the promises of G-d. The Bible calls them heads of the children of Israel.  You probably could name 2 of them, Joshua and Caleb, but what about the other 10.  Here are their names; Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palti, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Sethur, Nahbi, and Geuel. (We probably remember Joshua and Caleb because we can actually pronounce their names)

They all spied the same things. I spy a land with great things in it. They even brought back evidence of the good things in the land. (Large grapes, pomegranates, etc) I spy giants there, strong giants.  I spy fortified cities. They all saw the same things.

The issue was not what they spied in the land; the issue was what they spied in themselves. 2 of the spies said lets go take the land. We can Do It! 10 spies said no we can’t we are too small. The 10 leaders influenced the whole group to believe what they believed. If we are too small so are you. I spy something feeble in ourselves can’t you see it?  

We all spy giants (difficulties, issues, struggles) in our life. They usually are standing in the very place we desire to go. They are real and huge. You can see them, others can see them, and everyone can see them. But the solution to the giants is what you spy in yourself.   

I spy someone strong, wise, resourceful, beautiful, and able. I spy someone that knows the G-d of the promise land. I spy someone with a fight to move forward. I spy a warrior!

I spy __(insert name her)______.    Now it’s your turn, what do you spy?

BTW – What you see turns into what others see. And what you see will be your legacy. (You don’t hear anything else about the other 10 spies)