“In that day I did lift up my hand to them, to bring them forth from the land of Egypt, unto a land that I spied out for them, flowing with milk and honey, a beauty it is to all the lands”

(Ezekiel 20:6 Young Version)

In the morning of a sunny day I was meditating in my beloved God who gifted me this delightful and beautiful day, I heard Him whispering in my ears with this verse and making evident to me with this phrase “I spied out the land for them.” In my ignorance I was like Joseph.  When Joseph wanted to correct the sitting of his father Jacob’s hands on his sons Ephraim and Manasseh’ heads he wanted to bless them. Joseph thought his father was mistaken (Gen 48: 13-20).

In a hurry, with my ignorance I quickly said, “It isn’t like this, my God.” Because of my limited knowledge I thought that Moses is the one who sent 12 men to spy on the land (Num 13:2). For a moment I thought I should know more than this.  As I read in book of Joshua I saw that Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho before the nation Israel crossed the Jordan (Jas 2:1).

Then my beloved God in His inexpressible wisdom with the same comfort and quietness and peace answered me saying, “I know my son what you say.”  I used this in my dialogue with Him, always. Then He continued, “And this true because this exactly what I told you in my book. But what you don’t know is; before Moses and Joshua sent men to spy the land and come back with news of this land that my people will dwell in it. Even before I took Abraham out of his land and tribe” (Gen 12:1) I was the one who spied the whole land and searched everywhere to choose the best land to inhabit for my beloved people whom so precious to my heart.

He opened His arms and pressed me in His bosom with tender worm fatherly love and said, “You too my beloved son whom for you I didn’t spare My own Son but delivered Him for you (Rom 8:32).”   How I don’t spy every place to inhabit you the best land and how I don’t search everything to give you the best thing?”

I open my eyes, not from a sleep, but from the meeting with the Groom of my soul whom I was comforted in His bosom. He is the one who gives me the spiritual insight to know surely that my beloved God is the One who always and in everything.

“Spy the land for me”

“He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him”

(Matthew 27:42)

I found myself invading the crowd to get close to see the crucified Jesus. I have tried very hard, but everyone else wanted to be close to the same thing I wanted to see. I reached a spot, not very close, but from where I could see well. I tried to distinguish who among the three was Jesus. They all looked very exhausted’ the marks of the scourge on their bodies, and their bodies covered with the blood. Unless the Bible tells that He was crucified in the middle I would not know Him (Luke 23:33).

People were crying and shouting around me with a loud voice. Some of them curse and revile, and some look at Him with despitefully spitting on the ground saying this is disgusting (Isaiah 53: 2-3). Then I noticed a woman with her husband and kids standing next to me. This woman was cursing nonstop, assuring He was a criminal like the other two who were crucified with Him. I looked at the woman and said “Aren’t you the woman that Jesus cured her daughter last year?” She said “Yes it is me, but how did you know me?” I answered, “I was there at that time.” Then I continue saying “But I am seeing you cursing, reviling, and assuring that the one who cured your daughter is a criminal!!” She said “Are you a stranger? Do not you know that the high priests and the Sanhedrin judged Him that He is guilty and deserves death?” Then she added, “And above all of these, the high priest challenging Him now saying ‘…come down from the cross.” Then she said “But as you see, He is so humiliated and weak. He cannot proof to the high priest and to us that He is able to come down from the cross.”

I did not answer her with a word but I looked at Jesus and said “My Lord I am sure that what hurts you more isn’t the scourge, the cross, or the nails, but it is the crying of those people who you were walking among.  To them you did all that was good; healing their sick, casting out their demons, raising their dead, and preaching to them about the kingdom of God. And now they are claiming that you are a criminal and that you deserve what you were punished with. As the high priests, scribes, and Pharisees shouting out saying

“Come down from the cross”

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

(James 4:10)

When I was meditating on the phrase “Humble yourselves” and its meaning, I found the Holy Spirit leading me to one meaning.  This meaning is a person admitting a mistake. From there I found myself running into Saul the king and Samuel the prophet, which is mentioned in 1^st Samuel chapter 13. In an intense showdown, Samuel said to the king: “What have you done?” I looked at the king waiting for him to admit his mistake, but instead he made up an excuse and justified his action. He did not say: “I made a mistake.” So Samuel responded harshly: “You have done foolishly.” I left them and went on my way, sad that Saul did not humble himself to admit his mistake.

But oh my soul, why are you looking at Saul as if you were not Saul one day? Not only once but many times in your life have you made the same mistake.  How many times you justify yourself in what you are doing calmly with reasons and logic just like Saul? You foolishly think that the other party believes what you say and you only respect your own pride. In fact, he leaves you and saying: “This one has done foolishly.”

The Bible’s promise is good to everyone who wants to humble him or herself, but the ego worries us from being inferior in the people’s eyes. This promise “Humble yourselves … And he will lift you up.” I experienced that during the trial of 2013. The Devil was jealous of me and my service.  God had blessed me with His grace in being able to serve. Satan made me fall in sin. Not only this, but Satan also enticed the congregation of my church to think that I was an evil person and that I deserved more than what I was punished for. Then after all these workings which Satan had done, he was shocked by seeing the entire congregation talking about the virtues and ministries God used me for. This happened because Satan did not know that I admitted, I made a mistake and that I deserved punishment; I believed in God’s promise:

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the lord, and he will lift you up.”