SCRIPTURE
Numbers 13:33 ”And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”
DEVOTION
Has God promised you a glorious future? It is there waiting for you. All you have to do is to step in and receive the promises of God. And yet days, months, even years pass, and still, you don’t see the fulfillment of His promises.
Why? There could be giants blocking you.
The LORD had promised the Israelites a beautiful country of their own. Having been slaves in Egypt, having land to own as home was indeed a wonderful prospect. But when the day came for the Israelites to spy out the Promised Land, they drew back in fear. They saw a rich, wonderful land but were much too afraid of the giants who lived there. The Israelites saw themselves as weak grasshoppers compared to these giants.
Is this you? As long as we see ourselves as grasshoppers, we will never inherit God’s good promises.
The first step to overcoming our giants is to discover who or what they are. Deut 2 names several groups of giants the Israelites faced: Emim, Anakim and Rephaim (Deuteronomy 2:10-11) and Zamzummim (Deuteronomy 2:20).
At first glance, these are confusing names. But once we know the key, the rest is easy. The key word is Rephaim. In Hebrew ‘repha’ means giant and ‘im’ just means it is plural. So all are giants, but each name highlights a different aspect we must tackle.
‘EMIM’
‘Emim’ means ‘Terrors’. As a child, I was afraid my parents would die and leave me. Whenever my father was late coming home from work, I would be scared he had died in a car accident. By God’s grace, it never happened, and my father lived to a good old age. But the terror was real and gripped me. What are your Emim?
‘ANAKIM’
The second name, ‘Anakim,’ means ‘long-necked people.’ They lived in the Promised Land when the Israelites went to spy out the land. Three such Anakim were so prominent that the spies knew their names: Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai (Numbers 13:22). According to the tradition of Jewish rabbis, Ahiman would challenge passers-by and taunt them with: “whose brother will fight with me?” Always looking for a fight, always confident of winning. Sheshai was said to be like a block of marble! And Talmai would leave deep depressions in the soil whenever he walked.
Who or what are your Anakim? People or situations that always defeat you? That which is too solid or heavy to be moved? The Anakim were indeed formidable. Og, the king of Bashan, had a bed of iron that was 9 cubits in length and 4 cubits in breadth (Deuteronomy 3:11) That is a bed of iron 13 feet long and nearly 6 feet wide, which means that giants could be more than twice the height of a 6-foot man!
‘ZAMZUMMIM’
The third name, ‘Zamzummim,’ means ‘plotters.’ They were known to the Israelites as people making a lot of noise. Are there people who plot your downfall? People, who make a lot of noise against you in your office and design wicked plots against you?
Take heart, dear friend. May God deliver you from your giants as you discover them. May you enter into His great promise.
[We would like to thank Deaconess June for today’s devotion.]
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Let’s discover the giants in our lives today, and let us overcome them! Which will you focus on today?
- Spend some time with God journaling about the giants you are facing in your life.
- The ‘Emim’ – terrors.
- The ‘Anakim’ – people or situations which always defeat you.
- The ‘Zamzummim’ – plotters.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for the great and wonderful promises You have given me. I believe, LORD, that your promises are yes and amen!
Forgive me, Father, for not seeing with eyes of faith but instead seeing only the giants blocking me. Forgive me for allowing my fears to grip me.
Teach me, Holy Spirit, to identify these giants and to take my every thought as captive to Your obedience.
In Jesus’ Name, amen.
PRAYER POINTERS
Pray for the people who are as wicked giants to you. Ask God for grace to forgive them. Pray that you will bless them, as God gives you the opportunity to do so. And pray for them to be so overwhelmed by the love of the LORD that they will change.
*Today’s devotional was written by Deaconess June.
