“Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Numbers 14:9-10
Sometimes, in my head, I play What if. When I read a story in which a hero stands alone for something good and right, I wonder what I would do in the same scenario. If I lived in a country where the government outlawed my faith, or if the company I worked for said I couldn’t write a blog about faith and recovery, what would I do? If it meant being arrested or losing my job, would boldly follow God’s will? Or would I surrender to the pressure to conform? I’d like to think that I’d do what’s right no matter what, but I’ve never been threatened with the loss of my life, freedom, or livelihood.
Today’s passage tells one of those stories where the good guys did what was right, even though it could have cost them their lives. In the story, Moses sent out 12 spies into the land of Canaan – the Promised Land – to assess the strength of its cities and people. Ten spies returned in fear, recommending that the Israelites should not try to conquer these mighty people. God had previously promised the Israelites the land though, and so two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, insisted that they should trust God and proceed. For their faithfulness, the people turned on Joshua and Caleb, threatening to stone them to death. Only the direct interference of God saved them from the rabid crowd.
What would I do in that situation? Would I risk everything to remain faithful? Or would I conform to the crowd? I want to believe that I’d follow God, even if it meant death, but I’m not so sure. It’s probably a good indicator to ask myself if I ever stand up for God now. I’ve heard others ridiculing Christianity before. Have I stood up for my faith, even when it wasn’t the most popular opinion in the room? Or did I remain silent, so I didn’t look weird? If I say my faith is the most important thing in my life, but no one else knows that, then am I really willing to stand for it? If I compromise my faith under the threat of ridicule, then I’m probably not going to stand up under the threat of loss of life or livelihood.
If my faith is real, and if God is the most important thing in my life, then it’s OK to be different because of that. If I’m not willing to be different or to stand out, then I’ve got to ask myself what is truly important to me.