A WHISPERING CAMPAIGN!
“And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord” (Numbers 14:36-37).
Recently I have been writing and speaking about the twelve descriptions God gives of the land of Israel and relating it to the land of motherhood which God has given to us.
God loves the land of Israel because He chose it and it is in His plan. God loves the land of motherhood because it is the anointing He has chosen for us to live in. Because both lands are very close to the heart of God, Satan hates them. He hates Israel and wants to annihilate it from the face of the earth because the land of Israel proves the promises of the Word of God and the existence of God. He wants to eliminate motherhood because it brings forth life (which Satan hates) and the image of God in the world.
When the spies came back from checking out the Promised Land, they came back “bringing up a slander upon the land.” Oh yes, they told them that it was a fruitful land, flowing with milk and honey. It took two strong men to carry one cluster of grapes! BUT, they also told them about the giants living there and the walled cities that would be impossible to overcome! They did not believe that God was big enough to do what He promised them. They slandered the land that God had searched out for them and given to them by divine covenant.
Just as the spies slandered the land of Israel, many times mothers slander the land that God has given to them. They do not believe that God will be with them in their pregnancies and births. They do not believe God can provide for the children He wants to give them. Often they do not even believe that they are meant to be in their homeland of motherhood and would prefer to live “out of the land.” They talk disparagingly against motherhood. They laugh with contempt about having another baby. They are doing exactly what the spies did--they are slandering the land!
God calls it “slander” and “an evil report” when we do not believe that He is able. Psalm 78:19-22 says, “Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?... Can he give bread also? Can he provide flesh for his people? Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they believed not in God, and trusted not in his salvation.”
Who were the spies that gave this evil report to the children of Israel? They were not the ordinary rank and file. Each one was a ruler among their tribes! They had been carefully chosen. Once again we see a parallel. It is often the leaders in the churches and the “older women” who slander the land of motherhood. Families share they are not welcome with their larger families in many churches. Pastors counsel newly married couples to delay childbearing. They encourage families to limit their families because God would not be able to provide for them or have enough finance to send them all to college. Even pastor’s wives lead by example and limit their families and leave their homes to pursue their careers!
The older women of this generation have turned this new generation of mothers away from the land. They give them an evil report. I know older women who have a mission to stop mothers having more babies. They have a “whispering campaign” going on. The Modern Language Bible translation calls it a “whispering campaign against the land.” This whisper of unbelief about motherhood has spread across the land, even in the church, until now we live in a society that rejects the highest purpose God has for women. Are these “older mothers” aware that they have turned a generation away from God’s truth and are responsible for eliminating God’s children in the earth?
Do you belong to the “whispering campaign” or do you have a different spirit like Caleb and Joshua?
God dealt fatally with the spies who slandered the land. It is not something we can take lightly. God says that “he that uttereth slander is a fool” (Proverbs 10:18). Titus 2:3-5 is very strong when it says that those who slander the land are “blaspheming the Word of God.”
Am I guilty? Yes, I am often tempted to speak unbelieving words regarding God’s provision. May God save me from this sin of unbelief (Romans 14:23b). May God help us to have a positive confession about the good land of motherhood. May we always confess that God will carry us through and that He will provide.
Love from NANCY CAMPBELL
PRAYER:
“Oh God, please help me to see the good things in the land of motherhood and not to be overcome with unbelief and doubt. Amen."
AFFIRMATION:
I am going to confess five positive things about my land of motherhood each new morning!