19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” 22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” 23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.”
In my Bible, Deuteronomy 1:19-25 is entitled: Israel's Refusal to Enter the Land.
Instead of going forth into the land that God gave to them, the people decided to see what the land was all about. They trusted people’s words more than God's word.
The people went through all the vast and dreadful wilderness with God leading them through. When the time came to possess the land, they thought they should know more about the land and sent out people.
What God is saying to me!
Hear His voice.
He knows what is good for me.
Trust in Him.
In this vast and dreadful wilderness, God is by my side day and night.
There is HOPE.
Deuteronomy 1:21 "Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up, possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged."
Every year we look forward to attending the Christmas Eve service together as a family. Afterwards we have a light dinner at our home and open gifts together. A highlight is our additional funny white elephant gift exchange. Last year I taught my youngest grand daughter Nikki how to make homemade French onion soup and homemade rolls.
I have a delicious family yeast roll recipe that was my Mom's. We only make them at Holiday time. It is an icebox roll. You make the dough, then put it in the refrigerator overnight for the first rise. The next day you take it out, let it rise again and then bake it. Each year my girls help me bake them.
