SCRIPTURE: NUMBERS 13
BIBLE VERSES:
“The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”’ (Numbers 13:1-2)
“They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” (Numbers 13:26-29)
“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30)
EXPLORING CANAAN (vs. 1-25)
The Lord told Moses to send some men to explore the land of Canaan. So Moses sent these leaders:
- Tribe of Reuben – Shammua
- Tribe of Simeon – Shaphat
- Tribe of Judah – Caleb
- Tribe of Issachar – Igal
- Tribe of Ephraim – Hoshea
- Tribe of Benjamin – Palti
- Tribe of Zebulun – Gaddiel
- Tribe of Manasseh – Gaddi
- Tribe of Dan – Ammeil
- Tribe of Asher – Sethur
- Tribe of Naphtali – Nahbi
- Tribe of Gad – Geuel
QUESTION MOSES WANT THE LEADERS TO REPORT:
- See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many (v. 19)
- What kind of land do they live in? Is is good or bad? (v. 19a)
- What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? (v. 19b)
- How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? (v. 20a)
- Are there trees on it or not? (v. 20b)
Moses told them to bring back some of the fruit of the land.
So they went to explore the land from the Desert of Zin to Rehob, Lebo, Hamath, Negev and Hebron where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a shingle cluster of grapes, some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.
REPORT ON THE EXPLORATION (vs. 26-33)
Upon their return, the whole Israelites assembled at the Desert of Paran. They gave this report. The land does flow with milk and honey. However, the people living there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large. The descendants of Amalekites live in Negev, the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. Then Caleb silenced the people and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it (vs. 30). But the men who had gone up with him said, “We cannot attack those people. They are stronger and of great size. We seemed like grasshopper to their eyes” (v. 31)
THOUGHTS:
When the 12 men went to explore the land, 10 of them except Caleb and Joshua emphasized the obstacles instead of the opportunities. They admitted that they were too weak to conquer the enemy because they walked by sight and not by faith. When you see obstacles, look at God’s greatness and not your weakness. When you walk by faith, you see how big is your God and every enemy will be defeated.
The eyes of the 10 spies were on the obstacles – not on God who led them there. They gave discouraging report and refused to enter the land. Many Christians also see the problems and obstacles. They did not trust God and fail to see the opportunities. They doubt and wander around restlessly and blinded their blessings.
The 10 spies focused on fear instead of good resources to enter the land. When making a tough decision, don’t let the negatives cause you to lose sight of the positives. Weight on both sides carefully. Don’t let potential difficulties blind you to God’s power, promises and guidance.
Caleb had the courage to go against the crowd because he had the facts, the right attitude and stated clearly his belief. Sometimes, we need to take the unpopular stand to do as God had commanded.
The negative opinions of 10 men caused a great rebellion among the people. We must be extra careful when voicing out our negative opinions because it can influence the actions of the hearers.