‘And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.” ‘ (Nu 13:2).
One key concept serious believers need to understand is how to respond to every divine mandate. A mandate is an official order to do something. It’s an authoritative command or a formal order from a superior court to an inferior one. So, by definition, a mandate is not a wish, suggestion or advice! What gave 83% of Israel’s leaders the impression that God’s Word was debatable, optional or negotiable (Nu 14:1-4)? What gives us such an impression today?
Beloved, it’s costly to treat God’s imperatives as optional (see Nu 14:37). Beloved, we have no right to downgrade or dilute the divine mandate. Neither do we have a right to debate or deny God’s commands. We just must humble ourselves and obey every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (see Mat 4:4).
Pastor Josh