The Lutheran Hour
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"When a Cakewalk Becomes a Crucible"
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Text: Numbers 14:30-31
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A cakewalk, that’s what Adam had told Sam his driver’s test had been, a cakewalk. Sam was still dumbfounded that they had given Adam a driver’s license. The guy had the attention span of a squirrel. But that phrase, “cakewalk,” it reminded Sam of the summer camp his family went to up at Lake Michigan. A cakewalk was like musical chairs, but with cake. It was exactly what it said. You walk in a circle and win a cake. Everybody’s a winner. The walking, the music, that’s just a formality, because everyone wins. And that’s what Adam had said his driver’s test had been, a cakewalk. But for Sam, it turned out to be a crucible.
“No pressure,” Sam’s dad had told him, “but we’re counting on you to drive yourself and your brother to school this year. You sure you’re ready?”
“Dad,” he says, “I got this. Adam passed his test, first time. And if Adam can pass it, anyone can.”Early the next morning at the licensing office, Sam gets one of the first slots. The highway patrol officer assigned to proctor Sam’s test looked very highway patrolman-ish: shined shoes, pressed slacks, military-issue mustache. The guy was all business.
They were gone 20 minutes. After the test, Sam pulls in, looking uber-confident. He parks, steps out of the driver’s seat, struts over with a winning grin, gives his dad a double thumbs up. “How’d it go?” dad asks the officer.
“Well, let’s see. He didn’t know how to operate the defroster, the parking brake, or his brights. And he couldn’t get his windshield wipers turned off after he turned them on, looking for the brights; failed to use his turn signal when pulling over; his parallel parking needs work.”Sam is deflating like a stuck balloon as this list goes on, and on. This was not the formality he’d expected. Finally, the lawman comes to the punchline. “He failed. The good news is,” he said, putting his hand on Sam’s shoulder, “you can come back tomorrow, son, and give ‘er another try.”
So, they did. Sam’s confidence was chastened, but he was sure he’d pass today. They had re-drilled on all the little things: defroster, check; turn signals, check; parking brake, check. This time, it would be a cakewalk.
A female officer is the administrator today—much friendlier and much less highway patrol-ish. Twenty minutes later, Sam rolls back into the parking lot, looking confident, but without the grin this time. “How’d it go?” dad asks. The officer walked through another list of mistakes. But this time, it wasn’t the little things that had got him, but one big thing. He’d committed an automatic fail, a safety violation before they’d even gotten out of the parking lot. (The officer had made note of it and let Sam finish the test, for practice, you know.)
“So, is there a limit on how many times you can take this test?”
The officer’s expression turned grim: “If he fails a third time, he’ll have to wait at least six months and his case goes up for review at the Department of Transportation.”At this point, Sam’s dad makes the call to take a detour. They delay the next test. And then, the full weight of it starts to settle on Sam. What if he fails again? He’d be humiliated. He’d be letting his family down. He’d be lost in the dark recesses of a bureaucratic wilderness for God-knows how long. He’d be a failure.
When I heard Sam’s story, I asked his permission to share it with you. I wanted to share it with you because, on the program for the last few weeks, we’ve been listening to the book of Numbers in the Bible, which is about God with His people and their failure that got them lost in the recesses of another wilderness. Now, I don’t know whether you believe, like I do, that the Bible is the one, fully human document, which is also, 100 percent, the written Word of God. I don’t know whether you think God is real. And I don’t know, if you agree that God is for real, whether you trust Him and love Him because He first loved you in His Son, Jesus.
I don’t know any of that, but I’m guessing you can relate to Sam’s story. You know what it’s like to go through something you thought would be a cakewalk, but it turned into a crucible: a routine medical check turned into a battle for your life; a casual phone call led to a whole new career path you weren’t looking for; what was supposed to be a quick apology unearthed years of buried resentment for the failures of your past. What started as formality became formative. It changed you. And if you know what that’s like, then you can relate to what happened to God’s people in the book of Numbers. And maybe you can learn something by listening to their story.
It is the pivotal story in the whole Old Testament, maybe the most important turning point in the Bible, second only to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The whole story, starting from Genesis—Adam and Eve walking with God in the Garden of Eden, their failure, their rebellion against God, their exile in the wilderness, all humanity cast into the dark recesses of a broken world, separated from God—all of that, it’s all been leading to this moment. God has been starting over with His people. He picks one family, the nation of Israel, to walk with them, to put them in the driver’s seat with Him, to signal the rest of us back to Eden. God raised up Moses to deliver these people from slavery in Egypt. God married Himself to this people, made a binding partnership with them, provided for them, prepared them to drive His mission home. And now it’s all come to fruition. God led them to the border of Canaan, the land He promised, Eden 2.0, a flourishing, fruitful garden. One hundred and twenty-nine chapters of the Bible have led us to this moment.
Then the wheels come off.
You know, if someone wanted to invent a religion, to dupe people into believing it, no one would make this up to add in. No one! No, it’s just what happened. It’s exactly what would happen with people like us. They get to the edge of this new Garden, they see its fruit, but they don’t want to go in. Despite all they’ve seen God do, they still don’t trust Him. They’re afraid of what might happen if they fail.
And God is rightfully angry. He wants to start over with new people. But Moses argues with God. Moses intercedes for the people. He says, “Let’s face it, this project is past the point of no return, God. You’ve invested too much. Israel is too big to fail. Just forgive them, why don’t You?” And maybe Moses is starting to think that God’s forgiveness is a formality, a routine without meaning? Just forgive, God. That’s what You do, right? You love to forgive! We love to sin! Everybody wins! Just give us our cake and let us go home.
But God, the wise and loving Father, isn’t having it, not like that. He listens to Moses. He forgives the people. But forgiveness is not a formality with God. Forgiveness is formative. And they are going through the crucible. Listen to how it happened, in these excerpts from the book of Numbers 13-14:
Now God said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the Land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers, send a man who is a leader among them.” So, by the Word of the LORD, Moses sent them out … one man from each tribe, including Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and … Hoshea, whom Moses called Ya-shua [which means the LORD saves—Joshua.]
Moses said to them, “Go up from the south into the Hill Country … And do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” So they went up and explored the land from the south to the north, a journey of about 250 miles, one way. On the return trip … they cut a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. At the end of 40 days they returned … to Moses and Aaron [Moses’s brother], and to all the congregation of Israel. And they gave Moses this account: “The land where you sent us is flowing with milk and honey—here is some of its fruit. But, the people who live there are powerful. And their cities are fortified and very large ….”
Then Caleb from the tribe of Judah, he quieted the people before Moses. He said, “We should go up at once and take possession of the land, because we are able to overcome it!” But the other men who’d gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against those people, because they are stronger than we are.” And they gave the people a bad report about the land.
That night, the whole congregation raised their voices and wept aloud. And everyone grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They said, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why has the LORD brought us up to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives, our children, they will become prey, they will become plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
And they said to one another, “We should appoint a leader and go back to Egypt.” Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, on the ground, before the people. And Joshua and Caleb, who were among those who had explored the land, they tore their clothing and said to the people, “The land that we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. And if the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into that land … Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of these people, because they are like bread to us. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”
And all the people said to pick up stones to kill them—[to stone Caleb, Joshua, Moses, and Aaron].
Then the glory of the LORD appeared [the cloud] over the Tent of Meeting to all Israel. And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people reject Me? How long will they refuse to trust mM, despite all the miraculous signs I have done among them? I will strike them down with a plague and disinherit them. And I will make you, Moses, into a nation, a nation greater and mightier than they.”
But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, because You brought this people up from among them by Your power. And they will tell the inhabitants of the land about it. They’ve already heard that You, O LORD, are with these people, that You are seen face to face [among them], that Your cloud stays over them, and that You lead them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. And now, if You cause this people to die as one man, the nations who’ve heard the report about You, they will say, ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people up into the land He promised on oath to give to them. So, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ Now, please, let the power of the Lord be great, as You’ve have said, ‘The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, forgiving guilt and rebellion, although He does not leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the guilt of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ Now please, forgive the guilt of this people, according to Your steadfast love, just as You have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
Then the LORD said, “I have forgiven them, according to your word. Yet, as truly as I live, and as the whole earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD, all the men who saw My glory and the miraculous signs I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tested me these ten times, and have not listened to My voice, not one of them will see the land I promised on oath to give to their forefathers … So, you tell them [Moses], this is what the LORD says … I will do to you the very things I heard you say: in this wilderness your bodies will fall, everyone, 20 years old or more … who has grumbled against Me, not one of you will enter the land I promised with an uplifted hand to make your home. [none of you will see it] except for Caleb, [who has a different spirit, and follows Me whole-heartedly] and Joshua, [only they will go in.] As for your children, whom you said would become plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected … For 40 years, they will be shepherds here, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your corpses lies in the wilderness. For 40 years, one year for each day you explored the land, you will suffer for your sins and you will know what it is like to have Me against you. I AM WHO I AM. I have spoken. I will do all these things to this whole wicked community that has banded together against Me, In this wilderness, they will meet their end. Here they will die.”
Then, the men whom Moses had sent to explore the land … and had made the whole community grumble against him by spreading the bad report about the land … these men were struck by a plague and died before the LORD. … only Joshua and Caleb survived. And when Moses reported this to all the people of Israel, they mourned bitterly.
Early the next morning they went up toward the hill country. They said, “We have sinned. We will go up to the place the Lord promised.” But Moses said, “Why are you doing this? Why are you ignoring the Word of the LORD? This thing will not succeed … because you have turned against the LORD …”
But they presumed to go up anyway, although neither the ark of the LORD’s covenant nor Moses moved from the camp. And the [inhabitants of the land] came down and attacked them. And beat them all the way [back to the wilderness.]
The Word of the Lord, excerpts from Numbers 13-14.
Sam was surprised when he failed his driver’s test, even more so the second time. Now he can look back and see how he went into those tests—as he told me—”at the peak of stupidity, only to fall into the valley of despair.” He thought that becoming a licensed driver, being granted legal agency over high speed, expensive, explosive machines with incredible power to damage property and kill people, he thought that would be a cakewalk.
His dad, however, having been around the block a few times, knew better. He went in primed; he knew that it might become a crucible. And through it, Sam got to see a side of his dad he needed to see, again. Sam told me, “I felt terrible. We had spent hours waiting in line, going back and forth, all for nothing … But my dad was very forgiving. And he said, ‘We should have done more preparation.'”
How would it change things for you, if you could live your whole life like that? If you could see this whole, present, mortal life as preparation? If you could trust that God, the Creator Himself, wants to be your Father, and that He cares about you, He cares about forgiving and forming you to be the wise and capable driver He created you to be?
You can trust this because of Jesus. He’s our sign. He’s our signal from God. “Jesus” is how His Name is said in Greek, in the language of the Bible’s New Testament. In Hebrew, His Name is Joshua, Ya-shua, the LORD saves. Like that first Joshua, Jesus passed the test that we all failed. And He went into the wilderness detour with us to get us back on the road to life. Like Joshua, Jesus didn’t ask for a free pass. He went into the wilderness to suffer for other people’s sins. He walked a lifetime with us in the consequences of our failures. He suffered hell for us on the cross. And He rose from the dead to bring us through the crucible with Him.
See, we’re still outside of Eden. Until Jesus returns to raise the dead and restore God’s Garden, we are going to suffer for the consequences of our sins and the sins of others. Like God’s people in Numbers, we’re going to die in this wilderness. But with Jesus, the consequences don’t need to be permanent, because it wasn’t all for nothing. This project isn’t over. It’s not a failure. You are not a failure. You are loved, and you are being formed by your Father. Failure doesn’t tell you who you are. But because of who you are in Jesus, even failing forms you into what you will be. Like Sam’s dad told him, “Look son, if you’re not failing, you’re not learning.”
So, what happened with Sam? They took some time off, did more preparation, and tried again. This time, Sam was fully prepared, and also a little bit scared, as he should have been the first time, working out his salvation with some healthy “fear and trembling,” like the Bible says in Philippians 2:12.
Twenty minutes later, they pull back into the lot. “How’d he do?” dad asks the officer.
“He passed. Perfect score. No mistakes.”
“Really! Perfect? Praise Jesus, Hallelujah!” dad says, giving the lawman a high five. “So, perfect score … how often does that happen?”
“Just about never,” he said.Getting there was no cakewalk, nor is our life of faith. But because Christ went through the crucible, everybody—in Him—wins. And everybody learns. I asked Sam what he learned through his crucible. He said, “Pay attention to the little things. Always use your signals. And make sure you know where the defroster is.”
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
Reflections for October 12, 2025
Title: When a Cakewalk Becomes a CrucibleMark Eischer: You’re listening to The Lutheran Hour. Go to lutheranhour.org for FREE online resources, previous broadcasts, and more. That’s lutheranhour.org. Last summer Dr. Zeigler spoke at Camp Arcadia in northern Michigan. While he was there he had the opportunity to meet and interview Dr. Shelly Schwalm who was lecturing on the book of Numbers. Here’s part of their conversation.
Mike Zeigler: So, Shelly, the book of Numbers is the time when God’s people are in the wilderness and wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. It’s not something most of us have first-hand experience with. How did you relate that wilderness time in a way that might be comparable and maybe more relatable?
Shelly Schwalm: Pretty much anyone can name a time that you’ve been through a transitional period in life. Those times of transition and in-between, and when we’re leaving something behind and maybe not quite figured out what is up next and haven’t really stepped fully into what’s next, that in-between time can be just a little bit chaotic and unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
Mike Zeigler: Yeah. I really appreciate how you mentioned in your teaching about how Jesus led the disciples into this storm on the boat, a time when they were extremely uncomfortable, but it was His idea. What is it about those uncomfortable, unsettling times that are important for us?
Shelly Schwalm: There’s an opportunity for us to let go of the things that we like to hold onto for control and comfort. If none of those things are working, if I’m totally out of my depth, then where does my comfort come from? And who’s actually in charge? And so, the disciples in that day, they get to experience God’s power, Jesus’ power for them. So, [it’s] those times when we grasp for things, for security or comfort. And really the opportunity for us to say, oh, God is our comfort, our Comforter, versus being comfortable. We have the One with us who comforts.
Mike Zeigler: How quickly comfort can be stripped from us.
Shelly Schwalm: Totally.
Mike Zeigler: You could have everything dialed in, you could have all the conditions just right, and the smallest thing now can make you uncomfortable. And it’s a fleeting goal to pursue, if that’s your highest goal.
Shelly Schwalm: I think about [what] Paul in Philippians says, he’s gone through it, right? And he says, “Hey, I’ve had nothing and I’ve had plenty, and everything in between. And what it means to be satisfied, to be content is that I can do everything through Christ.”
Mike Zeigler: [As Jesus said] “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I’ve overcome the world. And in Me, you will have peace.”
Shelly Schwalm: Yeah, and that’s a game changer. We don’t have to make our comfortability our highest goal. God’s looking out for us and taking care of all these pieces so we can do hard things.
Mike Zeigler: Right. Yeah. The comfort can be quickly taken from us, but the One who comforts us will remain.
Shelly Schwalm: Steady.
Mike Zeigler: Amen. Thanks for joining us.
Shelly Schwalm: Thanks for having me.
Music Selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“Crucifer” by Sydney H. Nicholson, arr. Peter Prochnow. Used by permission.
“Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old” From The Concordia Organist (© 2009 Concordia Publishing House) Used by permission.