Reflections on "Two Voices in the Wilderness" Numbers 13: 25-33, 14: 1-10

This is the first time I have ever preached this story.  it had a lot of possibilities.  I do not think I explored much new ground, but the sermon seemed to fit the context in which we are currently living.

“Two Voices in the Wilderness”  July 19, 2020; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Numbers14: 1-10; Numbers 13: 25-33

Numbers 14: 1-10:  Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become booty; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us choose a captain, and go back to Egypt.”Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the Israelites. 6 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, “The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 But the whole congregation threatened to stone them.

Introduction:   We continue our summer preaching series  “People Like Us.”  Today you get to imagine what it might be like to be a spy!  So put on your best James Bond or Harriet the Spy as we reflect on today's story.

Move 1: The story from Numbers reveals two very different visions for the immediate future of God’s people.

a.  the Israelites are on the brink of fulfilling their dream.

1. They have been wandering in the wilderness and now approach the Promised Land.

2.  the land God has promised to them.

3. The place they will settle and build their homes and create their future after their time in the wilderness.

b. As the final step of the preparation process, Moses sends a dozen spies, one from each tribe of Israel, to reconnoiter the Promised Land.

1.  Two fo the spies are Caleb and Joshua.

2. We do not know much about Caleb, except he is from the southern tribe of Judah.  This is his one moment in the spotlight.  

3. Joshua has a more prominent role in the biblical story.  he is Moses’ assistant.  he will play an important part in Israel’s history.  he will one day take over for Moses as the leader of God’s people.

4. But at this moment, he is one of twelve spies.

c.  The spies go out into the land of Canaan for forty days and return and basically say, “We have some good news and some really bad news.”

1. the good news - the land God has promised would be full of milk and honey, is in fact full of milk and honey.  

2. The even brought fruit back for the people to taste and eat as proof of the goodness of the land.  Can’t you see this bit of show and tell - the people munching on tasty fruit as they hear the report.

3. Their dream for their future is met by the wonderful land the spies discovered.

4.  It appears that God is being true to God’s promises.

d.  but, there is a problem.

1.  the land is full and strong and powerful people who occupy fortified cities.

2.  Victory is uncertain.

3. The milk and honey overshadowed by the difficulty of securing the land.

2.  Caleb and joshua stand up and urge the people to move forward.  

3. To move forward in the certainty that God will be faithful to them and guide them to claim the Promised Land.

4.  Caleb and Joshua speaking from a  tactical standpoint - we can win the battle - and a faith perspective - God will be with us.

e. The other spies cannot see a path to victory.

1.  the two voices in the wilderness of Caleb and Joshua and the promise of God to lead them into the Promised Land are drowned out by the voices of the other spies.

2.  the people refuse to risk the move into the Promised Land.

3.  In fact, they turn on Caleb and Joshua and threaten to stone them.

f.  So the Israelites refuse to go forward.

1.  The anger of the Lord is brought down upon them.

2. the story will continue, God’s people will eventually make it to the Promised Land, but it will be the next generation, and none of the spies, except Caleb and Joshua will make it to the Promised Land.

Two competing visions offered by the spies:  one tied to their fears; one tied to the hope and promise God had given them. 

which one would you have chosen?

Move 2: In the Israelites’ choice not to move into the Promised Land,  we see people paralyzed by fear

a.  not the first time in the biblical story we see fear, nor the last time.

1.  As mentioned a few weeks ago, fear seems to be a key ingredient in many of these stories in the Old Testament. 

2. Or move forward to the NT and the birth of Jesus.  What do the angels keep telling everyone:  “Do not be afraidFear not.”

3.  After the resurrection, we are told the disciples gather behind closed doors because they are afraid.

4. I suspect that on a daily basis we see the fears our world has for it.  In fact, the fears seem to be overflowing right now.

5.   Our lives of discipleship are lived out in the midst of things that scare us.

b. notice the difference in how the spies deal with their fears. 

1.  Ten of them look at the task before them and magnify their fears.

2.  the Promised Land shifts from a land of milk and honey to a land that will devour them.

3.  the people they will have to deal with are not just people but giant people who make the Israelites look like grasshoppers.

4. I doubt the land will somehow eat the Israelites; I doubt the people are really giants who can squish the grasshopper Israelites.

5. But they are paralyzed by the fears they have magnified.

c.  Perhaps you know what it is like to let our imagination join with our fear and create even greater fear.

1. I remember when we were expecting my third daughter Rachel.  People would say things like, “the third time around is a lot easier, isn’t it?”

2. Well, it wasn’t.  I suppose the first pregnancy I was too naive to be afraid, but by the third pregnancy, I’d seen enough tragedy, been in hospitals when routine things had gone bad;  suddenly, I found myself imagining all that could go wrong.

3.  I have been reminded of that in recent weeks as I speak and hear from people about restless nights of worry; in fact, just this week and an old friend sent me a note asking for advice on how to handle all the stress and worry of the pandemic and the political unrest on top of all the usual concerns about family and assorted health issues.

4. one of the great challenges of the pandemic is the isolation and loneliness that allows us to focus an inordinate amount of time on what’s wrong in our world and the uncertainty of the future.

d.  On the other hand, look at how Joshua and Caleb faced the same fears. 

1.  They find their voices of hope as they cling to the promise God has made to them.

2.  They saw the same land; they saw the same enemy before them.   But instead of magnifying their fears, they clung to the promise of God to deliver them into the Promised Land.

3.  they are willing to move forward despite their fears in the assurance of God’s presence with them and God’s faithfulness to the.

4.  AS disciples of Christ, we are called to face our world of uncertainty and challenges head-on.

4. we are not being asked to somehow not see that which we fear.

5. but we are being asked to step forward into the future instead of being paralyzed by the fear.

6.  We who know the promise of God’s future are called to speak words of hope to the world and show forth our confidence in the God of our future.

e.  Several years ago - ok, if you look up when these movies were made, it was a long time ago.

Two movies came out about the same time.  "Primal Fear" and "Faithless" (is that right? the new Cher film).  They were showing during Holy Week.  

when you went to the local theater where we were, the movies were being shown in two theaters right next to each other.  As you carried your popcorn and your drink to your theater, you had a choice - over one entrance was the word "Faith" and over one entrance “Fear” (I do not think it was a theological comment on Holy Week, just an abbreviation of the movie titles!).

1.  I used to think that was a great illustration of our choices - fear or faith.

2. But, I have changed over the years.

3.  I no longer believe fear is the opposite of faith.

4.  I now believe that faith allows us to enter the door marked fear because we know that God goes with us and that God.

Joshua and Caleb can dare to recommend facing their fears because they have faith in the God who goes with them. 

how about you?

Move 3:  Final thought - tell the stories as you face your fears. 

a. The stories of how God has been faithful to us as we faced our fears in years past, the stories allow us to step forward in faith now.

1. Robert  Wuthnow, a sociologist writes about the power fo storytelling. , Wuthnow recounts an interview with Jack Casey who spends many hours as a volunteer firefighter and rescue squad worker. Jack’s own father was an alcoholic; his parents were divorced when he was a teenager. “All my father ever taught me,” Jack says, “is that I didn’t want to grow up to be like him.” 

But in the interview with Wuthnow, Jack continued to talk, and, as he did, he related the time when he was a child and had to have five teeth pulled while under general anesthesia. A nurse standing beside Jack, fear etched in his face as the mask was lowered over his nose and mouth, took his hand and spoke soothingly, calmly, “Don’t worry, Jack. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here beside you no matter what happens.” And Jack said, “When I woke up, she was still standing right there.” 

“That all came back to me a few weeks ago when we got a call about a man whose pickup truck had overturned and he was trapped inside. When we arrived, the rescue equipment was already there, ripping through the twisted metal to free the man. The man was terrified, crying out that he didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to die. There was gasoline dripping down so that one errant spark could have caused everything to go up in smoke in an instant. I crawled through the jagged glass of the windshield over to where the man was and I just kept saying over and over, “Look, don’t worry. I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere.” When I said that, I was reminded of how that nurse said the same thing and she never left me. 

Nearly two decades had elapsed between the time that a nurse held Jack’s hand, promising that she would not leave him, and the time he rescued the man in the mangled pickup truck. But the memory was so powerful that it empowered him to risk his life for someone he didn’t even know. The memory was powerful, not as a vague recollection, but because the remembered story provided a script, the exact words even, for Jack to use. (2) (1)Robert Wuthnow, “Stories to Live By,” Theology Today, Vol. XLIX, No. 3, October 1992, 302. See also Wuthnow, Acts of Compassion: Caring for Others and Helping Ourselves (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991). 2. Ibid., 308. 

2.  When I read this story of Joshua and Caleb, I wondered if David generations later remember their story as he prepared to face Goliath.

b. Funny how this story from Numbers gets told generation after generation.

1. In some ways, it should be banished from the Israelite storybook.

2. It is a story about their failure.

3.  It leads to stories of more wandering in the wilderness and more lost battles.

4. But it gets told because it reminds each generation about Caleb and Joshua, who stood in the wilderness and spoke a word of hope of faithfulness.

Conclusion:  A call for us today to stand up in the wilderness and tell our story of God’s faithfulness as we face the uncertain future before us. 

Reflections on "Midwives to a Nation" Shiphrah and Puah Exodus 1: 8-22

This sermon was preached on the weekend of July 4th, when our minds are on patriotic things.  it is also a time when our nation is struggling to figure out to tells its story.  As we listen to people, we discover that there are very different experiences of life in the United States and in what parts of history should be lifted up at this time.

I have never preached on Shiphrah and Puah.  Our Associate Pastor had told me a few years ago what a great story this was, so I have been looking forward to preaching it until the right moment.  I put it on this particular weekend because of their connection to civil disobedience, which connects with our country's long history of civil disobedience that goes back even before the Declaration of Independence.

“Midwives to a Nation” June 28, 2020; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Denton; Exodus 1: 8-22; Matthew 10: 16-23  Richard B. Culp

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews[a] you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

Introduction:  A I mentioned in this week’s Shield, one of my Fourth of July rituals is to watch the DVD or listen to the CD of the musical “1776,” which puts to song the story of the writing of the Declaration of Independence.   

In the song, “The Egg,”  Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, part of the committee assigned to write the Declaration of Independence,  - describe themselves as “midwives to the birth of a nation.”  As they defy the King of England and pen the words of the Declaration of Independence, they give birth to the nation the United States of America.

In Exodus today, we read about real midwives who literally assist in giving birth to save a nation, or create a future for a nation.   not just any nation, but the nation that will be known as Israel, the special nation God has called into relationship to be a light in the world.

I invite you to reflect with me on the story of these two midwives. 

Move 1: We see these midwives as people who act out of their faith in the moment.

a.  We know their names - Shiphrah and Puah (well, maybe you did not know their names until today, but you know them now!)

1. The biblical story shares their names with us, although ironically, we do not know the name of Pharaoh, the most powerful authority in that part of world.

2.  I suspect Pharaoh does not know Shiphrah and Puah by name.

3.  It fact, Pharaoh barely sees them.

4.  They are just two more people, well, probably in his mind, not even people;

they are just two more slaves; and slave women at that; and on top of that slave women with no family.  

4. Pharaoh is at the top fo the ladder - he has all the power and all the control

5. Shiphrah and Puah are so many rungs down the ladder, Pharaoh can hardly see them, much less know their names.

b.  they may go unnoticed by Pharaoh, but the Israelite men have not.

1. the ones whose ancestors had come to Egypt to be saved from famine because Joseph, at the time, was a key official in the former Pharaoh’s government.

2. This new Pharaoh comes to power and he does not remember Joseph; he does not remember why the Israelites are there in Egypt. but he does notice that the enslaved Israelite slave men are multiplying.

3.  Becoming a threat to Pharaoh and his control of Egypt.

4. So Pharaoh has a plan A - work the slaves so hard they be too tired to multiply.

c.  When that does not work Pharaoh goes to Plan B - stop the birth of baby boys among the Israelite slaves.

1.  Plan B, which is in direct contrast to God’s plan for a future for Israel.  

2. Will Pharaoh’s desire to limit, control, hinder Israel carry the day, or will God’s desire for Israel to be a strong nation, a light to the world prevail.

d.  As the story unfolds, it hinges on the actions of Shiphrah and Puah, two seemingly unimportant midwives doing their job.

1.  I doubt they were looking to be main players in the struggle between Pharaoh’s desire and God’s desire.

2. But their actions will shift the balance of power to God.

3.  Not that they doing anything more than they would have done otherwise.  

4. they just do their job, although they do their job knowing Pharaoh wants them to do something else.

2. But their normal routine, their willingness to just do what they do, allows God’s presence to be felt and God’s future for Israel to unfold.

3.  Each screaming baby boy born gives proof to the God who is still among them.

4. Each baby who moves from the birthing stones to life among the people reveals God’s future.

5.  The lead character in Craig Barnes’ novel notes,  “God is mostly impressed by routine acts of faithfulness.”  (Diary of pastor’s Soul, 30)

6. The routine actions of Shiphrah and Puah give birth to God’s future.

7.   If you ever wonder if just doing your thing, living out your faith in your job, in your neighborhood, in your family matters, remember Shiphrah and Puah, who play a critical role in God’s plan for Israel by simply doing their jobs.

Move 2:  Of course, Shiphrah and Puah had to do their jobs and deal with Pharaoh - no easy task.

a. Jesus tells his disciples, “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

1.  he could have posted Shiphrah and Puah’s faces on the poster for this instruction.

2.  They disobey Pharaoh to allow the Hebrew baby boys to live, but they wisely do not confront Pharaoh directly.

3.  Shiphrah and Puah do not choose to make their actions a dramatic moment of martyrdom by telling Pharaoh - “we did not kill the babies because God told us not do, so we refused your orders.”

4. Instead, they wisely give Pharaoh a plausible excuse when Pharaoh calls them in to ask why they are not killing the Israelite baby boys.

5.   they make up a story.  Not just any story, but a story that probably builds on Pharaoh’s own biases about Israelite women - they are so vigorous, they deliver their babies before we are there and able to kill them.

6.  The wisdom of Shiphrah and Puah keep the sheep safe from the wolf.

b. Charles Haley (the professor of OT theology at Princeton, not the former Cowboy defensive lineman) describes the actions of Shiphrah and Puah like this:  the Bible's first act of civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance for the sake of justice, the midwives refuse to obey Pharaoh's deathly command. They lie to the authorities, breaking the law for the sake of justice and life. They explain to Pharaoh with their fingers crossed and a wink in their eye, the Hebrew women just give birth too quickly before we can get there! (Dennis Olson

Charles T. Haley Professor of Old Testament Theology

Princeton Theological Seminary,  http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=131)

1. Yesterday, we celebrated our own nation’s history that began with civil disobedience as patriots threw tea into the Boston harbor.  A more direct action against power, but not all out war.

2. An action followed up by many words describing and demanding the call for independence.

3.  Our history as a nation is full of instances of civil disobedience.

4. part of the greatness of our nation rests on our willingness to for people to speak truth to power and for wisdom to prevail instead of conflict.

5. Admittedly, we are also a nation that has known armed conflict, but way of Shiphrah and Puah invites us to consider how we can engage in actions that reveal wisdom and innocence.  

c.  Let’s face it - it is hard to be a disciple sometimes.

1.  How do we act as we hear people plea for justice?

2.  how do we move forward in ways that create space for all of us to be at peace with one another?

3. how do we right the wrongs that we see around us?

4.  As we live in a time now when we as a nation are struggling to figure out our future and how best to move forward,  my ongoing prayer for us is that we might wise as serpents and innocent as doves as we move forward together into the future God has for us.

Move 3:  Final thought - when we look at Shiphrah and Puah, we see two women who choose compassion over fear.

a.  Much of the biblical story has been ruled by fear.

1.  Cain fears God loves his brother more than God loves him, so he kills his brother.

2.  Jacob fears his brother Esau’s wrath, so he flees his homeland and then fearfully returns.

3.   Joseph’s brothers fear his dreams and their father’s love for Joseph, so they sell him into slavery, which is how Joseph and then his family, known as Israel, gets to Egypt in the first place.

4.  Now Pharaoh fears the Israelites and fears losing control and power.

5.   Shiphrah and Puah ought to fear for their lives, and probably do fear for their lives, as they are sent out by Pharaoh to kill Hebrew baby boys.

b. But Shiphrah and Puah's fear of God overrules their fear of Pharaoh.

1. Understand the play on fear in the story - Pharaoh fears losing power and control; Pharaoh imposes the fear of losing their lives on Shiphrah and Puah;  but they fear God, which is recognizing how awesome God is, wanting to be faithful to God.

2. Fear of God that calls us to act out in faith and compassion; fear of God that calls us to act out in faith and compassion.

3.  I am reminded of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s words in his first inaugural speech.

4. Our nation was in the grips of the Great Depression.   The future seemed uncertain and at risk.

5.  President Roosevelt responded to the crisis with these words:  So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is...fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_inauguration_of_Franklin_D._Roosevelt#Inaugural_address)

c .  Shiphrah and Puah do not give in to their fear of Pharaoh and instead act with compassion to save lives.will choose compassion over fear.

1. We live in a  world where fear raises it ugly head again and again.

2.  Pick your favorite thing to fear - a pandemic

change? 

those others who are different than we are? 

the unknown future?

3. This week I read about the rise in mental health issues and drug overdoses during this time of pandemic and upheaval - fear taking its toll on human lives.

4.  As we face those fears, remember the witness of Shiphrah and Puah, who knew the fear of Pharaoh’s threats, and chose to act with compassion as they lived out their calling as God’s people.

Conclusion: The God who finds in the midst of our fear, the God who has a future in mind for us, this God calls us to be people of compassion.