Stop being logical, it’s wrong!

When the Jewish nation hears the negative report from those sent to scout the Land of Israel and the remote possibility of winning a war against the existing inhabitants, one of those who steps up to try to calm the situation down is Yehoshua Bin Nun who states, “If God desires us, He will bring us into the land and give it to us”.

Clearly, the Jewish nation is worried about the logistics in winning a war against a more physically equipped people. Winning from a logistical point of view is what they are concerned about. Not the actual winning part of it (seeing things through the lens of logic, may also be why they sent a spying mission to the Land of Israel in the first place). Obviously, they understand that God always perverses in the past, present and future, and if God wants them to win a war, they will. Let’s not forget that this is the same generation of people who saw the miracles in Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Har Sinai. So, why does Yehoshua Bin Nun give the “God can do anything” speech to a logical concern?

The question itself is exactly the answer. Yes, logically there is an issue; how can a non-army type group coming from the desert, fight against literal giants on their home turf and win. That being said, God doesn’t play by logic and has, does, and will do the extraordinary that defies logic. Yet by being “stuck” in logic mode, the Jewish nation failed to factor this in. And as you see the storyline play out in the Parsha, it is only after the Jewish nation rejects the “God can do anything” speech, that God gets upset.

When people become too focused on the minutiae of logical details or get caught up in their emotions, they tend to forget the presence of a higher power. In life, we need to create our own Yehoshua Bin Nun, be it via your own self or via a designated individual, who, when necessary, will snap their fingers and “wake us up” to let us know that there is a higher power here in our lives who wants us to succeed.

Shabbat Shalom!