At the Women’s Intercessory Network breakfast in Perth on the 23rd of August one of the participants delivered a prophetic word in the form of a dream/vision. At the centre of this word was a picture of cartons of cream and milk and an enormous bunch of ripe grapes. The deliverer believed this symbolized a coming harvest. In praying about this during the breakfast I believe God took me to the story of the spying out of the land in Numbers 13; this is the “land of milk and honey” (13:27). At the head of the chapter we find that those sent in to research Canaan for the possession of the Israelites were twelve tribal leaders (13:1). They were men used to taking on positions of responsibility and decision making for others. Caleb and Hoshea were amongst them (13:4-5). The changing of the name of Hoshea (helper) to Joshua (whose help is Yahweh) is recorded. This signifies a change that is yet to manifest itself, Hoshea helps Moses, who will fail to complete his vocation, but Joshua will be helped by God to enter the promised land. The spies enter Canaan at the season of the first ripe grapes (13:20). When they come to Wadi Eshcol (Eshcol means “cluster”) they cut down a single cluster of grapes so large that they need to carry it on a pole between two of them (13:24). This must have imposed on the leaders a sense of the enormity of the harvest that God was preparing them to reap. Clearly, the magnitude of what they were being called to far exceeded their experience of gathering from the land in Egypt. This comes out in the evil report of the majority of the spies to the people. All except Joshua and Caleb are intimidated by the giants of the land who are stronger than the Israelites (13:31- 33). They knew that this part of the report was true, not primarily by observation, but by the burden of carrying the grapes that the Canaanites would customarily harvest. In other words, the very bounty that God had prepared for them overwhelmed them, it was so huge that it far exceeded anything that their leadership skills had previously mastered.
Caleb however was of “a different spirit”, for he followed the LORD “wholeheartedly” (14:22). Where all the twelve leaders, and the whole of Israel, had witnessed the supernatural signs and wonders of God in the wilderness (14:22) and learned to follow Moses’ lead before God, they had not yet learned what it meant to follow God themselves. The punishment for their faithlessness was that they would all perish in the desert (14:29- 35). A greater faith was required to enter the promise land than to be delivered from Egypt and preserved in the wilderness. Applying this to our current state, there are many leaders in the church who have been brought into a state of salvation and endured the spiritually harsh conditions of contemporary Australian Christianity who are in danger of failing to enter into the promised revival. This is because they themselves have become used to leading the people of God in patterns and forms that suit one spiritual climate (like Sinai) but will be inadequate in a different situation, one of spiritual abundance combined with enormous enemy opposition (like Canaan). The old ways of doing church are permeated with traditions and habits that will fail when a deep move of the Spirit comes. The majority of Christian leaders are not prepared to follow behind God in the absolute sense that Caleb was prepared to do. He knew that as long as he allowed the LORD to lead by his promises the strength of the opposition was irrelevant: “their protection is gone.” (14:9). This conviction relates to a deep and often forgotten biblical principle, that God is completely sovereign over the time of his own appointed moves that advance his kingdom. Caleb and Joshua supernaturally sensed that what God had promised to Abraham four hundred years before was now upon them; “the time of the iniquity of the Amorites” was now complete (Gen 15:16). The Canaanites were now defenceless before the armies of God.
Without this spiritual sensitivity Israel and her leaders first held back and fell under the judgement of God (Numbers 14:37-38), then they committed an even worse sin; they attempted to take the land despite God’s word that he was not with them. The result was a massacre at the hands of the sinful inhabitants of Canaan (14:41-45). This brought no honour to God. There is a mystery about the timing of the action of the King yet it must be completely respected. Only a total focus on Jesus can prevent the mass of Christian leadership today failing to enter into the full realisation of God’s purposes. He is our “forerunner” who has passed through the wilderness of this world and entered into the fullness of God’s inheritance in heaven (Heb 12:1- 2). Jesus too needed to have the supernatural sense of God’s timing come upon him immediately prior to the commencement of his public ministry: “The time is fulfilled the kingdom of God is at hand, repent and believe in the good news.” (Mark 1:15; see also Rom 5:6;Gal 4:4). He waited in patience for many years to hear the “voice crying in the desert” (Mark 1:3) and would not hasten or delay until he heard it.
Despite many words from many leaders and countless songs telling us we are “hearing the sound of revival” we have not yet heard the Lord say “now is the time”. He will not move until he is ready, and he will not be ready until the time of preparing leaders with the spirit of Joshua and Caleb is complete. Men and women of this spirit will enter the promise; but, as in Numbers 13- 14 and much of the history of revivals, this may not be the majority of current leadership.
Therefore I want to urge all praying people to intercede for those in leadership around them, as the Lord will not delay indefinitely, only until “the time of the iniquity of the Australians” is complete.
“Let us keep our eyes on Jesus…”