Joshua and Caleb … and Harry Reid

You know the story, don't you? How Moses, as prepared and directed by God, led the children of Israel out of 400 years' captivity in Egypt? How they passed through the Red Sea miraculously, traveled through the desert wilderness up to the foot of Mount Sinai, where they encamped to get God's permanent marching orders? Yes, and after receiving the Ten Commandments and all the "fine print" instructions, this divinely created nation of almost 3 million men, women and children arrived at the border of the Promised Land, expecting – and expected – to march in and take possession?

If you do, then you also remember what happened next.

God instructed Moses to pick 12 men, "a man from each of their fathers' tribes, every one a leader among them," to go into the land and inspect what was there, and come back with an accurate "scouting report" to guide the people of Israel as they would move in to occupy the territory they had been promised.

TRENDING: CNN's Cuomo: Police reform won't come until white kids are killed

The 12 leaders went in as instructed, scouted out the land, picked some incredible fruit to bring back and gave their considered report. To Moses' astonishment, 10 of the leaders said, "We can't go in! The land is beautiful, but the people are too strong for us. Many of the men are huge, like giants! We became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight!"

Two of the 12, Joshua and Caleb, protested; they dissented vigorously with the "consensus report." Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely 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 too strong for us." Further, they added, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size!"

The upshot, of course, was that the people (almost 3 million strong) were stampeded by the negative report of the 10, lifted up their voices and wept and cried all night long. "And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, 'Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in the wilderness!'"

After all they'd been through; after all the miracles God had performed on their behalf; after the stunning defeat and destruction of the all-powerful Egyptian army at the Red Sea; after being led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; after receiving miraculous food every day as they awoke; after being led through a trackless wilderness right up to the Promised Land – the masses were completely demoralized and defeated by one negative report!

And God's reaction? "The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will this people spurn me? And how long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?"

You know what happened after that. This giant nation of immigrants was turned back, sent to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, where every one of the "leaders" and all the fighting men who were influenced by their negativity and disbelief perished. They got what they wished for – they died in the wilderness. But brave Caleb and Joshua eventually led the children of the disbelievers into the Promised Land.

Any of this sound familiar, like anything that's happened in our own current events, just this last few weeks?

Surely you heard Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announce sorrowfully in a press conference for all the world to see and hear, "… this war is lost." Just like that. Story ended. We're defeated; we can't win. Our enemies are too much for us, and we've got to tuck our tails between our legs and come home fast as we can. We're grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we are in their sight.

This pronouncement contradicting the assessments of our own Caleb, Gen. Petraeus, and our other military leaders on the ground in Iraq, who are telling us that we can win, that over 3,000 young Americans have not died in a failed mission, that though a violent segment of Iraqis are indeed "devouring their own inhabitants," America and its allies are gradually securing the land for freedom and self-government. Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, John Murtha, Cindy Sheehan and the other dissenters to the contrary, our Calebs and Joshuas are assuring us that American might and purpose will prevail!

If we have the will. If we don't turn and run.

And if we still believe there is a mighty God who has historically taken an interest in America and our conflicts, and who has given us victory over all opponents when we were united in resolve and purpose. And most importantly, perhaps, when we openly and collectively declared our dependence on Him and sought His aid, not depending solely on our own judgment and abilities.

Do you realize that, in our whole history, America has never been defeated – when we were united under God?

That's not claiming, presumptuously, that we've always been perfectly right in our various purposes and tactics – far from it – but by God's grace, when we have pulled together, supported our fighting forces with everything in us, praying publicly and believing God would grant us victory over our enemies, He has!

When we've been divided, we've lost. Not often, but history tells the truth: A house divided against itself cannot stand.

At this moment in time, we are a house divided. Our president, our commander in chief, our military, and still a large percentage of the populace and our elected representatives believe in the urgency and rightness of our military presence in the Middle East. We're not just fighting to liberate another nation and establish democratic government in that part of the world; we're also serving notice to our demonically ruthless sworn enemies that we will not tolerate their coming into our midst to kill and demoralize us. Rather, we'll come looking for them, and we'll bring a superior force and face them in their own part of the world – not in our homeland.

And though it's been unexpectedly difficult and costly, our troops – still the strongest and best equipped in the world – appear to believe overwhelmingly that we're accomplishing our goal, and want to finish the job, no matter what it costs.

To them, and many Americans, defeat and surrender is just not an option.

But how do you think our enemies received Harry Reid's pronouncement?

I think they received it with shouts of glee, triumph and renewed purpose. I think it inspired them with new resolve to kill as many innocent Iraqis as possible and as many patrolling American soldiers as possible – and both as quickly as possible. After all, by Reid's own announcement and the urgings of Kennedy, Pelosi, et al., our own congressional leaders are admitting defeat and urging surrender. We're grasshoppers in our own eyes, therefore in the eyes of our enemies too!

Meanwhile, USA Today reported April 17 that Democrat committee leaders are raising four times the campaign funds they did in 2005 – while they try to force feed the president a bill they know he'll veto, under threat of withdrawing all funds necessary to fight and win the war! Their attitude: "Either our commander in chief accepts our arbitrary deadline to withdraw the troops, or we'll just not fund them. And we'll see how long they're able to fight, defend themselves and inevitably suffer more casualties, as the funding runs out. That'll show Bush who's boss here!"

Not so very long ago in the world's history, facing an evil, heartless and extremely well-armed Nazi enemy that threatened to wipe England off the map, Winston Churchill declared, "If we are together, nothing is impossible." And England, with our help, defeated Hitler and the Nazis.

Compare that with the declaration of Harry Reid, speaking for a divided Congress, "... in my opinion, this war is lost."

And then, from J. Glenn Gray, in his great work "Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle," consider this:

"Numberless soldiers have died, more or less willingly, not for country or honor or religious faith or for any other abstract good, but because they realized that by fleeing their posts and rescuing themselves, they would expose their companions to greater danger. Such loyalty to the group is the essence of fighting morale. The commander who can preserve and strengthen it knows that all other physical and psychological factors are little in comparison. The feeling of loyalty, it is clear, is the result, not the cause of comradeship. Comrades are loyal to each other spontaneously and without any need for reasons."

If we're going to succeed in this treacherous, unprecedented struggle – which is not just for democracy in the Middle East, but longer term for our own survival – we need to pray for more Joshuas and more Calebs. For more Churchills.

We sure don't need any more Harry Reids.

Related special offer:

"Character for Life: An American Heritage"