Character Quality: Composed
The VBS song says, “10 were bad and 2 were good.”
At the very least, 10 were panicked. 10 were distracted. 10 were weak. 10 doubted.
All twelve of them went into to the Promise Land-the PROMISE Land-the land the LORD had promised to Abraham, over 400 years before, that land. The twelve who went in were not merely volunteers, but they were selected as leaders from their tribes. Moses charged them with spying out the land-quote
Shammua
Shaphat
Caleb
Igal
Hoshea
Palti
Gaddiel
Gaddi
Ammiel
Sethur
Nahbi
Geuel
“but Moses called Hoshea, Joshua.”
The twelve spies spent 40 days in the Promise Land. 40 days! Clearly they saw an incredible place, flowing with milk and honey. Milk and honey may have been available in the wilderness but not in abundance. Oh how they would crave it in the years to come.
The land they explored was lush, a stark contrast to the wilderness they had journeyed through having escaped Egyptian captivity. This was the land that God had set aside for His people. It was inhabited by strong people who lived in fortified cities.
There are other times recorded in Scripture when God asked someone to take a look at what He was going to do. In each situation I believe that God wanted to show his people just how incredible his provision was going to be. He wanted them to be clear on how impossible it would be for them to do it without Him. He wanted them to be in awe of His power and might. By sending the spies into the land God wanted to show His people that He was good for His promise, and He wanted to see if they trusted them. They saw that God’s provision in the Promise Land was true, but ultimately they didn’t trust Him to fulfill the promise.
Their return brought evidence of the land’s bounty. A huge cluster of grapes hung between two of the spies. Heavy laden with its fruit, the harvest proved the land’s wealth. Their size of the harvest must have had the crowds salivating with strong desires to taste the fruit of the land.
Given what they could see, the people must have anticipated a great report. Adrenalin raced through their bloodstream as they awaited the official report from the twelve. The excitement must have been palatable. People smiled and laughed. They were anxious to inhabit the land God had promised. The crowd was primed for a positive report.
But when the spies started talking, their words doused whatever excitement the grapes had initiated. The initial report of the land was positive, but that changed quickly. Instead of fearing and trusting God, ten of the spies chose to fear and tremble before men. Men, women, and children grew disheartened and discouraged. They’d come so far and for what?
Immediately the people panicked. Enthusiasm turned to anger, anticipation to despondency. The crowd started murmuring, whispering, questioning. The momentum of the report started shifting. Shared exhaustion and delayed expectations collided. Unity and focus cracked under the pressure of raw emotion.
In this atmosphere, Caleb spoke up and calmly advocated for the people to go up and take the land, to trust God, to refocus. Caleb exemplified composure as he quieted the crowd. Ten of the twelve spies could only see the impossibility of the situation. Joshua and Caleb saw the same situation, but to them the impossibility was the guarantee that God would show up and show off.
Composure refuses to panic. It rejects distraction. It renounces fear of man. Composure chooses to lean into God and His faithfulness. Composure reminds, invites, and encourages others to trust God. Composure stands strong and immovable even when the crowd is picking up stones. Those who choose composure see the Promise Land.
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shalt thou better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay,
from his own fulness, all he takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored,.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blesséd we shall meet at last.

Words: Stille, meine Wille; deine Jesus heift siegen
Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel (born 1697),
trans. Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813-1897)
MIDI: Finlandia (Jean Julius Christian Sibelius, 1865-1957), 1899
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