Comparisons are a part of life, people make them every day. This is particularly true in the business world. Car dealers compare the features on their vehicles with those of their competitors. Sellers of other items compare their products to those of other manufacturers in hopes of convincing potential buyers that their products are superior. Sellers are not the only ones making comparisons, buyers also make them. We even have a name for it, we call it “comparison shopping.” Buyers look for value. They do this by comparing the size, quality, durability, and price of the items they purchase in hopes of getting the best deal for their money. Christians and non-Christians alike engage in these comparisons; everyone is looking out for their own best interests. 

But what about the spiritual life? Do the comparisons that we make in other areas of life always lead us to make the right decisions in our spiritual lives? Do they always lead to the best course of action, the decision that God wants us to make? The answer, of course, is no. I understand that we are not to divide our lives off into secular and sacred sections. I also realize that we are to do everything for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). That being said, many of the decisions we make in life, when we are comparing things, is based on logic and reason. 

Logic and reason are good (the Lord did give us a mind to use). But there are times in our lives when something other than logic or reason should be the determining factor. I am referring to revelation, things that God has already revealed. In the remainder of this article we will look at a case in which the people of God failed to behave properly because they made a decision based on human logic, or reason, rather than God’s revelation to them. 

In the Old Testament the Lord delivered His people out of Egyptian bondage. He brought them out of Egypt in order to bring them into another land (Deut. 6:23). Under the leadership of Moses they had the opportunity to enter this land, a land that was described as “flowing with milk and honey” (Exod. 3:8, 17; Lev. 20:24 NIV). The Lord promised this land to His people. In Numbers 13 a team of twelve spies was sent out to see what was in the land, both the good things that were there as well as potential problems. The Israelites wanted to make an informed entrance into this territory. Who can blame them for that? The spies surveyed the land and then returned to camp and reported their findings. They affirmed that the land was good, in fact, they even said that the land “does flow with milk and honey!” (Num. 13:27 NIV). 

However, they saw some other things which dampened their enthusiasm about having the Israelites go into the land. The cities were fortified and the residents of the land were powerful (Num. 13:28). With this information in hand they made a comparison. They looked at the cities and the size and strength of their opponents who lived there (Num. 13:28, 31). Upon making this comparison they shrunk back in fear. The spies determined that they were like grasshoppers compared to the people of the land and that is how the people of the land viewed them (Num. 13:33). The majority of the spies, and the majority of the Israelites, concluded that they should not, indeed, could not, go and take possession of the land. 

Their assessment of the situation was logical, and from a human standpoint, wise. In the New Testament, in Luke 14:31, even Jesus spoke about the wisdom of considering the cost before going into battle against a sizeable foe. But, the Israelites in the days of Moses, neglected one very important truth: God had already promised to give the land to them (Exod. 3:8). The promise was given with certainty (see Num. 13:2). They should not have questioned this. But they did not believe it, or at least they did not believe that it was supposed to happen at that time. Their reasoning took precedence over what God had already revealed. Their decision violated a principle that the apostle Paul would later write in the New Testament. He said that the people of God are to “live by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7 NIV). The Israelites’ decision greatly delayed their entrance into the land. In fact, it was a new generation of Israelites (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb) who entered the Promised Land. The decision of the Israelites who came out of Egypt proved to be detrimental to them. Most of them forfeited a blessing of God that could have been theirs. And this was all because they allowed comparisons, which were based on logic or reason, to determine their actions.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul, tells us that we, as Christians are to learn from Israel’s history (1 Cor. 10:1-11). While he does not specifically mention their entrance into the Promised Land in that passage, the principle is still relevant. As we seek to live our lives in a way that honors the Lord we need to be careful about having misplaced priorities. We should use practical wisdom when necessary, but never as a substitute for something that the Lord has already spoken about. If the Lord has revealed His intention, we are to believe it. If the matter in question is one that the Lord has spoken about in Scripture then we can have the utmost confidence in that revelation. 

In the case of the Israelites mentioned above, though they had little written Scripture at the time, the revelation about the land had been given to them. We have a lot more words that we can take confidence in than they did (we have the whole Bible). If we have received what we believe is a personal revelation from the Lord, such as a prophetic word, then greater care needs to be taken before we act on it. Personal prophecy is biblical (Acts 21:10-11), but the prophetic word needs to be tested (1 Cor. 14:29). Let us use the minds that God has given us, but not to such a degree that we disbelieve, and disobey, something that God has clearly spoken to us about. As the experience of the Israelites demonstrates, sometimes comparisons can wind out being costly.

John P. Lathrop is a graduate of Zion Bible Institute and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is an ordained minister with the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies. He has written articles and book reviews for a number of publications including: the Pneuma Review, the Africanus Journal of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Christian Trends Magazine, in India, and  Berita Mujizat and Jurnal Jaffray, both in Indonesia. He is also the author of four books.