In the Biblical account of Moses sending out the twelve spies to scout out the promised land in Numbers 13, there were tragic results because a majority of the people followed the majority of the spies while simultaneously ignoring the commands of God. When the spies went into the promised land, they found blessings and challenges. The land flowed with milk and honey and had the biggest grapes you had ever seen, but it also had giants and greatly fortified cities. This led to ten spies leading a retreat from God’s commands and lashing out at those who were faithful to God. The result was God’s judgment: they had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until there was a new generation who would walk in faith and possess the land that God had promised them. It was only the two good spies, Caleb and Joshua, who would be allowed to enter the promised land.
This account of the ten bad spies and two good spies has a plethora of lessons for us to learn concerning the fight for life and abolishing abortion—lessons that we should listen to and heed in our lives. There were grave consequences and a loss of a complete generation because the people would not obey God. If we want to enter the promised land on the issue of physical life and avoid even more delays than we already have had, then we need to consider these lessons.
The ten bad spies were pragmatically driven and motivated by fear of the physical circumstances.
Numbers 13:30-33: Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
It is impossible not to see how terrified the ten spies were and how they were looking for pragmatic answers as they focused their eyes on the earthly circumstances. This perfectly embodies the pro-life movement. The pro-life movement is always concerned with questions like, “How many votes do we have?” and “Is the culture willing to accept this law?” It is the fear of being defeated that leads them to incremental compromise.
The fear of man is a driving force in the pro-life movement. I can recall numerous conversations with pro-life leaders and legislators where I was pushing them to put forth a bill that would abolish abortion, and their response always had to do with how little political capital we had at the time or how the votes simply were not there. Essentially, what they were pointing to is that the issue of life had giants and greatly fortified cities, and there is no way we could enter the promised land. This reeks of the fear of man over the fear of God. When we fear man over God, it always leads to grave consequences.
The consequences for Israel were very severe; anyone who was over the age of 20 would not be allowed to enter the promised land. The people would wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and the next generation would be tasked with obeying God on this issue.
Numbers 14:20-24: Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD—because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.”
I can’t help but notice the correlation between wandering for 40 years in the wilderness and having over 50 years pass since the inception of Roe v. Wade. America has been wandering in a moral wilderness for 50 years as we are led by the ten bad spies who refuse to follow God in obedience and enter the promised land. While those who sought to obey God by abolishing abortion would call for Roe to be ignored and for states to establish just laws that would equally protect our preborn neighbor, the pro-life compromisers would simply come up with inventive ways to compromise as they hid from the giant of Roe. Since Roe is no more, you would think that the pro-lifers would be on their horse and ready for battle, but that isn’t the case.
In Iowa, the pro-life strategy has been, “we have to wait on the courts” — even after Roe was overturned. This strategy is no doubt employed in states across the land, as Iowa is not unique. The pro-life industry has decided that they like wandering in the wilderness so much that they want to do it for at least one more session. Even after the giant they feared was defeated, they still have the battle cry of retreat.
Now, many may be thinking as they are reading this that the one missing component of the correlation between the ten bad spies and the pro-life movement is that the spies had an actual promised land, whereas the pro-life movement has nothing of comparative substance. Before you take a deep sigh of relief and continue supporting the incremental compromisers, let me point out that God is a good God, a God of order, and is just. You see, in these three qualities of God, we can easily conclude that when He commands something, it is possible to be done. It certainly requires His grace, but God is good, orderly, and just. He cannot command something that is impossible, or He would disqualify Himself from His deity. Implicit in the command of “Thou shalt not murder” is the enabling grace to not murder. Implicit in the command to “deliver those who are drawn towards death and hold back those who are stumbling towards the slaughter” is the enabling grace to accomplish it. We can abolish abortion; inside of each of God’s commands is the enabling grace—or promise—to accomplish it. This is the Promised Land that we ought to seek!
We need to reject the mindset of the ten bad spies and embrace the obedience and faith of the two good spies.
Numbers 13:30: Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
If you notice, Caleb’s words were immediate: “go up at once.” He wasn’t messing around with incremental ideas or strategic retreats; it was a call for immediacy. Caleb also called for Israel to possess the Promised Land. This means taking ownership of God’s promises through obedience to His commands. There was a clear understanding of what their part would be. Finally, Caleb gave a vision of victory as he said, “we are well able to overcome it.” There was no room for the “we don’t have the votes” mindset.
In the fight for life, we need to embrace what God has laid forth for us in His servant Caleb. We must be immediate. This doesn’t mean it will happen overnight, but it does mean we are calling for just laws that have no compromise or exceptions. We must possess the promises of God by obeying His commands. Understand it is not your neighbor who needs to follow God in the area of life; it is YOU who needs to obey God and fight for the life of your preborn neighbor. Lastly, we must walk in a vision of victory. Do not let the naysayers turn you to the right or to the left; simply obey God and trust that He will enable the victory!
If you are ready to ditch the ten bad spies and embrace the mindset of the two good spies, then I encourage you to join me in repenting from pro-lifeism and embracing abolitionism. Connect with me and other abolitionists by following the Iowa Abolitionists Facebook page.
Author: Sam Jones
Pastor Sam Jones currently serves as Senior Pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Humboldt, IA. He married the love of his life Sarah in 2013; they have two sons Thomas and Henry. He is most known for his teachings on the 4 spheres of delegated government and being a voice for the pre-born. In addition to his Pastoring schedule, Pastor Sam is an avid podcaster and has been known to dabble in radio as well. His political commentary has appeared in dozens of news outlets across the country including: The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and The Iowa Standard. Pastor Sam is the author of 5 Steps to Kill a Nation. He is also a co-author of Social Injustice, Church and State, and Enemies Within the Church Bible Study.
