Standing in the Shadow of What Might Have Been

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.’ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel” (Num. 13:1-3).

In Scripture the word “shadow” carries different meanings. In Psalm 91:1, it carries the thought of protection: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” In Psalm 121:5, it carries the thought of guidance: “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.” In Job 14:2, it carries the thought of the transient nature of life: “He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and continues not.”

When I say the word “shadow,” what comes to mind? Probably for most of us it would be the first definition given by most dictionaries: “the darkened figure cast upon a surface by a body intercepting the rays from a source of light.” Today, I want you to think of shadow this way: a sense of degree; a hint of or faint semblance; opportunities missed; regret of a path not taken.

Israel had been under strenuous bondage for 430 years in Egypt and now, following their exodus from Egypt, are making their way to the place God has promised them. The Lord now tells Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites.” Moses chooses one leader from each of the tribes of Israel and gives them the following instructions: “See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” Remember, God has already said, “Explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites.” There are four things I want to draw your attention to in this segment of Israel’s journey. They are apropos for us as well.

1) THE MAJORITY REPORT

After exploring the land for 40 days, this prestigious group returned and presented a report to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel which included:

• It is a bountiful land.

• It flows with milk and honey.

• Here is the fruit from the land.

Initially, it sounded like a great report, but then they continued:

• The people living there are powerful.

• There are giants there, the sons of Anak.

Caleb tried to offer encouragement, “Let’s go at once to take the land. We can certainly conquer it!” Later verses would indicate Joshua concurred with Caleb’s assessment. However, the other spies disagreed saying, “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are! The land will devour anyone who goes to live there. We even saw giants there! Next to them we felt like grasshoppers!”

Pretty conclusive, huh? Ten out of twelve said, “We can’t do it.” Majority! Nyah, nyah, nyah, nyah. God doesn’t always operate with a majority. (See

Gideon and his 300 men, see Moses and Aaron against all of Egypt, see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.) God can and does work through a single person or a small minority to achieve victory or institute a principle. What did God tell Moses? “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites.” What God promises, God will do whether by few or many!

“The task of the Decade of Harvest remains before us... Let’s not stand by, stand back, or stand in the shadow of what might have been.”

2) WHEN YOU CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE SHADOW OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN, YOU NEVER STAND ALONE

Exodus chapter 14 begins this way:

“Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!’ they complained. ‘Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?’ Then they plotted among themselves, ‘Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!’”

Caleb and Joshua had the right report. It wasn’t the majority report, but it was the right report. Sometimes people only hear what the majority are saying, what the loudest voices are saying. Your voice matters. Your words matter. Your decisions matter. In our contemporary world, many declare they are not role models while talking and living as if no one was listening to them or watching them. When you choose to live in the shadow of what might have been, you never stand alone—family follows, friends follow, neighbors follow, nations follow! Speak truth, speak faith, speak what God has declared!

3) BELIEVE THE FRUIT

When Moses was giving instructions to the spies, one of the last things he mentioned was, “Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see” (Ex. 13:20), and then there is this little postscript included with it: “It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.”

It is somewhat strange that the first thing the spies did when they returned is: They “showed everyone the fruit they had taken from the land.” However, they soon forgot the fruit and could only think of the giants. God doesn’t only know where to send you, He knows when to send you! He did not send the spies when there was lack, but He sent them when there was plenty. Remember to believe the fruit!

4) TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

Israel had made up their mind. They wanted new leaders, and they wanted to go back to Egypt. Moses and Aaron fell face down before the Lord, and Joshua and Caleb tore their clothing, imploring the people again: We can do this, the Lord is with us, the land is a good land, it flows with milk and honey, the inhabitants of the land are helpless prey before us, don’t be afraid! The community of Israel would have none of it.

The consequences? The ten men who had explored the land, given a bad report, and incited rebellion among the people were struck with a plague and died; whereas to the remainder of Israel, God said, “Every one of you who is twenty years old or older will die. You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you.” Upon hearing the word of God, the people were filled with grief. The next day, they got up early and said, “Let’s go!” But it was too little, too late!

Israel had a choice. We have a choice. Rather than stand in the shadow of what might have been, believe what God says and do what God says. The promises of God are true and faithful. He has given us the ultimate, yes, to those promises in Jesus. Let’s add our, amen, our trust, and our agreement with Him.

The task of the Decade of Harvest remains before us. God is helping us. God is moving across our nation and all around the world. Let’s not stand by, stand back, or stand in the shadow of what might have been. Let our prayer be:

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever, and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20, 21).