Fear is contagious. So is faith. Which one are you infected with?

In Numbers 13, God commanded Moses to send twelve men into the land of Canaan to explore it. More specifically, God said to send “leaders” from each of the tribes of Israel.

The men explored the land for forty days and then returned. They reported, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large.”

Caleb, one of the twelve leaders, said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.”

But. Such a small word. It carries with it such huge implications though.

Caleb saw things were going badly and spoke up, trusting that God would give them success. It’s interesting to note that God said to “explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” God never said to determine whether or not it was possible. Victory was guaranteed. They were just to explore.

So the majority responded in fear and gave a bad report. They even wanted to appoint a leader to take them back to Egypt where they’d been slaves. Caleb said to go for it.

The situation gets pretty ugly and the consequences are enormous. You can read about it in Numbers 13 and 14.

Ten men, leaders of their tribes, infected an entire nation with fear. Caleb and Joshua (the only other guy who sided with Caleb) were not able to overcome the fear of the ten and everyone paid the price.

You’re the leader of a tribe. Might be your children or your co-workers or your church. And you’re infecting them with fear or faith. Which one is it?