(Num) 13:1-2, 27-28, 31-32 CJB “Adonai said to Moshe, “Send men on your behalf to reconnoiter the land of Kena‘an, which I am giving to the people of Isra’el. From each ancestral tribe send someone who is a leader in his tribe.” What they told him was this: “We entered the land where you sent us, and indeed it does flow with milk and honey — here is its fruit! However the people living in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified and very large. Moreover, we saw the ‘Anakim there. But the men who had gone with him said, “We can’t attack those people, because they are stronger than we are”; and they spread a negative report about the land they had reconnoitered for the people of Isra’el by saying, “The land we passed through in order to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. All the people we saw there were giant!”
Some question God:
“If He knew they would fail, why send them?”
“Why allow the opportunity to disobey?”
This question goes all the way back to the garden.
Why place the tree?
Why send the spies?
Because God created man with responsibility.
Free will and obedience to God are not contradictions—they are the means by which love and faith are revealed.
Without the option to disobey, there is no real obedience.
The Problem Is Not God’s Knowledge—It’s Man’s Response
God knew the outcome.
But His knowledge did not cause their disobedience.
The spies:
- Saw the land
- Tasted its fruit
- Witnessed God’s promise
Yet they chose fear over faith.
They spread a negative report and poisoned the hearts of the people.
And the cost was devastating:
- Forty more years of wandering
- An entire generation lost
- Missed opportunity to enter God’s promise
Just like Adam and Eve, the consequence of disobedience was severe.
Free Will and Obedience to God Carry Consequences
Free will and obedience to God always lead somewhere.
Obedience leads to:
- Life
- Blessing
- Fulfillment of God’s promises
Disobedience leads to:
- Loss
- Discipline
- Sometimes generational consequences
This is not God being unfair.
This is God being just.
We are not robots—we are moral agents, created in the image of God.
That means:
- We can choose obedience
- We can choose disobedience
- And we will answer for those choices
God Allows the Test Because It Reveals Our Trust
Every opportunity to disobey is also an opportunity to obey.
Every moment of fear is a moment to trust.
God does not force obedience—
He calls for it.
And in that calling, He reveals:
- Who trusts Him
- Who fears man
- Who believes His promises
This Is About Eternity, Not Just Today
The stakes are not small.
They are eternal.
Because how we respond to God now reflects:
- What we believe about Him
- Whether we trust Him
- Whether we will follow Him
Obedience is not just about behavior—
It is about belief in God’s character
Run Today’s Play:
Recognize your responsibility
You are not a victim of circumstances—you are responsible for your choices.
Identify where fear is driving you
Where are you believing the “giants” instead of God’s promises?
Choose obedience today
Trust God’s Word over what you see or feel.
Lead others in faith
Your words influence others—build faith, don’t spread fear.
Because free will and obedience to God are not abstract ideas—
They are daily decisions.
And those decisions determine whether you walk in God’s promise…
or wander outside of it.
