Not Afraid to Not Fear God

"If the Lord is pleased with us,

He will lead us into that land,

a land flowing with milk and honey,

and will give it to us.

Only do not rebel against the Lord.

And do not be afraid of the people of the land,

because we will devour them.

Their protection is gone,

but the Lord is with us.

Do not be afraid."

Numbers 14:8-9 (NIV)

As I continue to study the story of the twelve Israelite spies, I struggle to understand why the people were more afraid of their enemies than they were afraid of God if they rebelled against Him.

"But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared

 at the tent of meeting

to all the Israelites.

The Lord said to Moses, 

'How long will these people treat me with contempt?

How long will they refuse to believe in Me,

in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?

I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them.'"

Numbers 14:10-12 (NIV)

Many people today, including those who call themselves Christians haven't changed much. They live in rebellion against God. They are not afraid to not fear Him, but they are so afraid of everything else. If we live in fellowship with God, we can put our trust in Him and not fear anything because He is with us. However, if the Lord is not pleased with us because we are continually disobeying Him and living in sin, then we need to be afraid.