CAN'T NEVER COULD

"Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, 'We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!' But the men who had gone up with him responded, 'We can't go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!' " (Numbers 13:30, 31 HCSB)

"I can't" is a little sentence with large implications. As my Mama used to say, "Can't never could!" If you think you can't do something, you won't even attempt it. That guarantees failure.

It is one of the most acceptable sins on earth that is most abhorred in eternity. It is unbelief wrapped in a shell of an excuse.

Of course, the facts are that there are things I can't do. Humans have their limitations. I can't walk on water--but I know One who can. If He summons me to walk on water, I can. Peter did. The promise is, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Luke 18:27 HCSB) That's what Jesus said.

When God says, "You can," we must, for if we say, "We can't" then we essentially call God a liar. Framed that way, this becomes a bigger issue than we tend to think.

One symptom that is consistent in diagnosing the deadly disease of unbelief is what is on our tongue. When I had my physical last week, my doctor told me to, "Open your mouth, stick out your tongue and say, 'Ah' " as he looked into my mouth. A good doctor can often detect the presence of illness by what is in our throat and on our tongue. This is not only a physical fact, but a spiritual reality, as well. Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. It reveals the health of the soul.

Repeatedly, we find the children of Israel grumbling and griping. They started in Egypt when God sent Moses to bring them out and Pharaoh increased their burdens. God had given a promise of deliverance and sent His servant to tell them, but they refused to believe. Still, God graciously intervened and brought judgment on their oppressors. They witnessed His powerful acts, but as soon as they ran into the roadblock of the Red Sea--Egyptian charioteers breathing down their necks--they forgot all about God's power and begin to whine. We know what God did. He kept His promise.

But, the pattern persisted. Challenging circumstances stirred unbelieving hearts that gave rise to negative thoughts expressed with complaining words and ultimately wore down the patience of God. God said, "You can do it with me" and they said, "We can't" and they kept on saying it, until God finally said, "Have it your way." Can't never could.

Just within the brief chapters of Numbers 11-14, we see four examples of such stinking thinking.

The people of God first complained about DIFFICULTY: "Now the people began complaining openly before the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, His anger burned, and fire from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp." (Numbers 11:1 HCSB) God promised to get us home, but never said the road would be easy. We want an interstate highway, but to follow Christ is the way of the cross--yet, the way of the cross leads home.

Israel next griped about DIET: "Contemptible people among them had a strong craving [for other food]. The Israelites cried again and said, 'Who will feed us meat? We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now our appetite is gone; there's nothing to look at but this manna!' " (Numbers 11:4-6 HCSB) God promised to feed us daily bread, but we demand a buffet!

Next, we find grumbling about DIRECTION: "Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). They said, 'Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?' And the Lord heard [it]." (Numbers 12:1, 2 HCSB) God appointed a leader, but his brother and sister thought they could do a better job. The questioned his decisions and coveted his position. Underlying this was an assault on the wisdom of God in selecting Moses. Lord willing, we will explore this subject of rejecting spiritual leadership in more depth tomorrow.

The last straw was Israel's unbelief in facing DANGER. One of the most important warnings about this is given in Numbers 13-14, and is repeatedly erected in Scripture as a caution sign of imminent danger as we speed along the highway of life. God brought them out of Egypt with a promise to bring them into Canaan. But, when they heard of the giant foes and great fortresses they forgot about the good fruit and their glorious future assured by God. Their fearful reaction to the risk involved was to say the repeated refrain, "It would be better to die in the desert!" So, that is what God would do--He would give them what they wanted. They wanted meat and He gave it to them until they choked on it. They wanted to die of old age in the wilderness rather than risk life and limb fighting for Canaan and so their bones would be picked clean by the vultures as they died under a burning sun in a barren land.

Be careful what you ask for--God might just give it to you--and when He does, you might be sorry He did. If you think you can't, you won't. If God wants you to do something, He will enable you. To reject the promise is to attack the character of God. That is serious.

Can't never could.