Man's Wisdom

Before he died, Moses strongly appealed to the children of Israel, admonishing them to faithfully follow God. Many of his words recounted the history of the previous generation, cautioning the new generation not to repeat the failures of their fathers.

As the Israelites stood on the verge of entering and conquering the Promised Land, Moses related what had happened thirty-eight years earlier when Israel had been in the same position. In doing so, he shared a telling detail that is not recorded elsewhere.

When the time had come for the first generation to enter the land, Moses had told them, "See, the LORD your God has placed the land before you; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has spoken to you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 1:21).

Moses' instruction was simple and straightforward. It was a call to action. The men were to boldly march forward and claim what God had given them. The people, however, were not quite ready to take that step. Rather than rushing in to conquer, as they were instructed, they had an idea that called for some caution and evaluation.

Moses recalls what the older generation had requested: "Then all of you approached me and said, 'Let us send men before us, that they may search out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up and the cities which we shall enter'" (Deuteronomy 1:22).

In essence, they were not ready to move forward in faith, trusting God to guide them and deliver the land. These men wanted to have a plan. They wanted to gather information and devise strategy. They wanted to make sure they would be able to accomplish the task. Their wisdom said to be cautious.

Their wisdom did not seem deficient. In fact, even Moses thought it was a good idea. "The thing pleased me and I took twelve of your men, one man for each tribe" (Deuteronomy 1:23). According to the proposed plan, the spies were chosen, they went to search out the land, and they came back with their report.

That's where the wisdom of man backfired. The report, while acknowledging the richness of the land, also gave the analysis that the job could not be done. Faith took a back seat, and the congregation made a disastrous decision based on the wisdom of man.

(Just as a note, the account in Numbers 13 says that God instructed Moses to send spies into the land, making it sound like it was God's idea. We do not have explanation of how these two motivations for the spies fit together. We don't know which came first. Did God give His command in response to what the people had demanded, allowing them to follow their own course? Did the people make their demand, not knowing that God had already given a similar instruction? What seems to be different is the intended purpose for the spies. God's command is very simple: "Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel" (Numbers 13:2). God wanted them to see what He was about to give them. The people's request had a narrower purpose; they wanted to be able to devise a plan of attack. I believe that was never God's intent. God demonstrated through the eventual conquest that the Israelites did not have to rely on their own wisdom and did not have to figure out a battle plan. That was God's job, and He used unique and interesting tactics that varied from town to town. While we don't have full insight into the interplay between the two accounts, the fact that Moses records this detail in Deuteronomy as a caution reveals that relying on man's wisdom had been disastrous.)

This is not the only time that Israel had to choose between God's wisdom and their own. The books of Joshua and Judges are good places to study this concept. Whenever people sought God's wisdom for a course of action, the result was success. When they relied on their own wisdom, however, the result was failure.

God is right when He says, "'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'" (Isaiah 55:8-9). When man takes it upon himself to make decisions based solely on his own wisdom, he makes bad choices. "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 16:25).

It is so much better to trust God's wisdom and follow His guidance. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This is critically true when God has already given His guidance. When God instructs someone to do something, the proper response is obedience. Hedging or delaying, adapting and adjusting God's instruction, is inviting disaster. There is a legitimate place for seeking additional wisdom from God, but often man's questions about "How?" and "When?" - of wanting every detail to be in place before beginning to obey - are merely attempts to superimpose man's wisdom. God might even permit man to follow his own adaptation, allowing man to reap the consequences of his choices (and hopefully learning through the experience).

When God tells a Christian to move forward, the proper response is to trust and obey. The plan may not humanly seem to make sense. It may even seem impossible. Some details may still be uncertain. Subjecting God's instruction to man's evaluation, however, is to invite disaster. When one simply obeys, God will work out the details, and God will bless His plan.