The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

恶人虽无人追赶也逃跑；义人却胆壮像狮子。
–箴言28章1节

The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.

Numbers 14:9

有耶和华与我们同在，不要怕他们！-民数记14章9节

When I was young, my dad would “scare” us by hiding in the bush and growling like a lion. Even though we lived in rural Ghana in the 1960s, it was almost impossible that a lion lurked nearby. My brother and I would laugh and seek out the source of the noise, thrilled that playtime with Dad had arrived.

小时候，爸爸会躲在树丛里，装狮子的吼声来「吓」我们。在1960年代，我们虽然住在迦纳乡间，却不大可能有狮子潜伏在附近，所以我和弟弟总会兴奋地寻找吼声的来源，因为和爸爸玩游戏的时间到了。

One day a young friend came for a visit. As we played, we heard the familiar growl. Our friend screamed and ran. My brother and I knew the sound of my father’s voice—any “danger” was merely a phantom lion—but a funny thing happened. We ran with her. My dad felt terrible that our friend had been frightened, and my brother and I learned not to be influenced by the panicked reaction of others.

一天，邻居小女孩来找我们玩。熟悉的狮子吼声突然响起，小女孩吓得尖叫逃跑。虽然我们知道那是父亲的声音，但我们竟然也跟小女孩一起跑。过后，爸爸对小女孩受惊吓感到抱歉，而我和弟弟则学到不要受旁人的恐慌反应所影响。

Caleb and Joshua stand out as men unfazed by the panic of others. As Israel was poised to enter the Promised Land, Moses commissioned 12 scouts to spy out the region. They all saw a beautiful territory, but 10 focused on the obstacles and discouraged the entire nation (Num. 13:27-33). In the process, they started a panic (14:1-4). Only Caleb and Joshua accurately assessed the situation (vv. 6-9). They knew the history of their Father and trusted Him to bring them success.

迦勒和约书亚是不受旁人的惊慌反应所影响的典范。当以色列百姓预备进入应许之地时，摩西派遣十二个探子去窥探那地。他们全都看见了一片美地，但其中十个探子只报告所看到的困难，打击了百姓的士气（民数记13章27-33节），还造成百姓恐慌哭号（14章1-4节）。唯有迦勒和约书亚能正确地审时度势（6-9节），他们知道天父过去如何带领以色列百姓，深信祂必能带领他们得胜。

Some “lions” pose a genuine threat. Others are phantoms. Regardless, as followers of Jesus our confidence is in the One whose voice and deeds we know and trust.

有些「狮子」可能是真正的威胁，有些却只是虚张声势。但身为耶稣的跟随者，我们不需要恐慌，因我们认得耶稣的声音，并相信祂的作为。

Lord, we face many fears today. 

Help us distinguish between real danger and empty threats,

 and help us trust You with all of it. 

May we live not in fear, but in faith.

主啊，今日我们面对许多恐惧。
帮助我们分辨真危险与假威胁，
让我们时时信靠祢。
愿我们不活在恐惧中，乃是活在信心中。

Read: Numbers 14：1-9

14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. ² All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt!Or in this wilderness! ³ Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” ⁴ And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. ⁶ Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes ⁷ and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. ⁸ If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

民数记 14:1-9

14 当下全会众大声喧嚷，那夜百姓都哭号。 2 以色列众人向摩西、亚伦发怨言，全会众对他们说：“巴不得我们早死在埃及地，或是死在这旷野！ 3 耶和华为什么把我们领到那地，使我们倒在刀下呢？我们的妻子和孩子必被掳掠。我们回埃及去岂不好吗？”

4 众人彼此说：“我们不如立一个首领回埃及去吧！” 5 摩西、亚伦就俯伏在以色列全会众面前。 6 窥探地的人中，嫩的儿子约书亚和耶孚尼的儿子迦勒撕裂衣服，7 对以色列全会众说：“我们所窥探经过之地是极美之地。 8 耶和华若喜悦我们，就必将我们领进那地，把地赐给我们，那地原是流奶与蜜之地。 9 但你们不可背叛耶和华，也不要怕那地的居民，因为他们是我们的食物，并且荫庇他们的已经

离开他们。有耶和华与我们同在，不要怕他们。”