277. TWELVE SPIES IN THE LAND
"We were in our own sight as grasshoppers''
Two years after their deliverance from Egypt, Israel arrived at Kadesh-Barnea. Again they manifested a faithless attitude by asking for the land to be spied out. Their search of the land verified two principles: (I) It vindicated the faithfulness of God by proving that the land was indeed as He described; (2) It proved their faithlessness for they chose to walk by sight rather than by faith.
Their failure came to such a climax at Kadesh that the long-suffering of God was exhausted. They were refused an entrance into the Promised Land and were condemned to 38 more years of hopeless wandering, until their carcases should fall in the wilderness (Num. 32:13).
Our aim in this lesson is to see the need to maintain a confidence and conviction in the ability of God to help us through life.
Numbers 13 & 14; Deuteronomy 1:20-46
THE SENDING OF THE TWELVE SPIES (Num. 13:1-20).
Arriving at the borders of the Promised Land, the people requested that spies be sent to investigate and report upon the land (Deut. 1:22). God had already promised them that it was a land "flowing with milk and honey" (Ex. 3:17). Not only that, but He had already "spied out the land" for them and declared it to be "the glory of all lands" (Ezek. 20:6, 15). Israel was thus walking by sight and not by faith.
Although it was not Moses' idea to send spies, he agreed with the request after having approached God and obtaining His approval (Deut 1:22-23; Num. 13:1-3).
Accordingly twelve rulers were chosen, one from each tribe. If these men failed to manifest faith and courage, then poor indeed would be the "sheep of the flock" (cp. 1 Pet. 5:1-3; Heb. 13:7). Among these were Caleb and Joshua (Num. 13:6, 8 'Joshua' here is called 'Oshea'). Their commission from Moses was to report on:
- the people dwelling there € "whether they be strong or weak, few or many" (v.18);
- the nature of their dwellings and defenses (v.19); and
- the land itself, its fertility, trees and fruits (v. 20).
THE LAND SPIED OUT (Num. 13:21-25).
For 40 days (a period associated with testing and proving of faith) they searched out the land, traversing it from north to south (v.25). At Eschol (meaning "grape cluster") they collected, as symbols of the fruitfulness of the land, pomegranates, figs and a cluster of grapes so big that it took two men to bear it on a staff (v. 23).
At Hebron they saw the sons of Anak, men of giant stature. They saw also mighty cities, "walled up to heaven", or so it appeared to them. Archaeologists have unearthed many of these and they testify to their great strength.
As the spies looked at these mighty fortifications, these well-built tall inhabitants, they reflected on their lack of weapons and weakness. They forgot that God was with them and that in Him was strength adequate for every need. The defeatist attitude asserted itself once more. How could they possibly succeed against such great odds?
The cluster of grapes, so great that it had to be carried between two upon a staff, testified to the beauty and fertility of the land € but oh, the difficulties! The desirableness of the land became obscured by the difficulty of possessing it. They forgot that God was on their side. Faithless people always see the problems and grumble because they forget the vision of the promise and the strength of God.
THE SPIES' EVIL REPORT (Num. 13:26-33).
The spies reported back to Moses all they had seen; the beauty and fertility € the fruits being shown as evidence (v. 27). They then added words that conveyed their fears and their weakness. "NEVERTHELESS the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great. MOREOVER we SAW the children of Anak" (v. 28).
The people were discouraged and agitated. Faithful Caleb sought to reassure them: "Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it." But the other spies challenged him: "we be not able to go up against this people" (vv. 30-31). They deliberately misrepresented the character of the land in order to discourage the people: "the land eateth up (R.S.V. "devours") the inhabitants". Their next words show just how much they were guided by sight and not faith: "all the people that we SAW in it are men of great stature. . . we SAW the giants. . . and we were in our own SIGHT as grasshoppers, and so were we in their sight" (vv. 28, 32, 33; cp. 2 Cor. 4:18).
Such a discouraging report was considered an "evil report" by God (v. 32). As far as He was concerned they had "despised" the land and brought a "slander" upon it (Num. 14:31, 36; Psa. 106:24-25). Their lack of confidence led them to doubt God's ability to give them the land and so they sinned in "limiting the Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 78:41).
How serious therefore is anything that discourages the servants of God from serving Him in faith. We may ourselves be active in God's service and yet discourage others by complaining of the bitterness of the way. Let us beware, lest the fearful implications of such an attitude be laid at our feet in the day of judgement.
THE PEOPLE REBEL (Num. 14:1-20).
The people were dismayed. Behind them was the terrible wilderness; in front the powerful enemies. They were caught in a trap. They gave way to bitter weeping. If only they had remembered. A few months earlier they had sung praises to the mighty God of their salvation (Ex. 15:1). Now they wept (Num. 14:1). But it was they, not God, who had changed. God, who had within very recent memory destroyed Pharaoh's host, could have defeated the Canaanites just as easily. But the people lacked faith. They rebelled against Moses and Aaron and against God. They wanted a different leader to lead them back to Egypt and its slavery (vv 2-4).
Moses pleaded with them (cp. v.5 with Deut. 1:29-31), Joshua and Caleb sought to strengthen them, but the people angrily turned on these men of faith and threatened to stone them. Then Yahweh intervened calling upon Moses to stand aside so that He might smite the people and disinherit them. Moses pleaded with Yahweh whose wrath once more was stayed and the nation was saved (vv. 13-20).
GOD'S TWO IRREVOCABLE OATHS (Num. 14:21-39).
God would preserve the nation but He would not forgive that genera tion which had seen the wonderful miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness (v. 22). God sealed His purpose with the nation and the faithless generation by two irrevocable divine oaths:
His divine purpose € despite their failure: "As truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahweh" (v. 21).
The divine sentence of condemnation: "As truly as I live. . . your carcasses shall fall in the wilderness" (w. 23, 28, 29).
When God swears an oath by His existence, His words are unchangeable (cp. Heb. 6:13-17; 7:21). God's purpose would not fail (Ps. 72:19; Hab. 2:14), but a complete generation of Israelites would lose forever their chance of the Kingdom of God (Ps. 95:11; cp. Heb. 3:16-18).
What a dreadful warning is this. The comparable words to those who will be rejected by Christ will be, "Depart from me ye cursed" (Matt. 25:41).
For forty days the spies had searched the land. Therefore, on a day for a year principle, Israel had to wander forty years in the wilderness (v. 34). Having already spent two years wandering in the desert, they were now to complete 38 years extra (Deut. 2:14). Excepting only Joshua and Caleb, all adults of that faithless generation were to die in the wilderness and then their children would inherit the land (v. 31). The ten spies who had brought back their faithless report were destroyed by plague (v. 37).
The people, hearing Yahweh's words and seeing His anger revealed, considered the decreed punishment upon them and recognized their folly. They acknowledged they had sinned (v. 40), but now they became determined to enter the land. Moses tried to dissuade them, telling them God was not with them (vv. 41-43), but they ignored him (v. 44). As a result the people suffered a crushing defeat at Hormah ("utter destruction", v. 45, cp. 21:3).
It can well be said that "it took 40 hours to take Israel out of Egypt, but 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel". The attitudes of Egypt needed to be purged out from the nation.
LESSONS FOR US:
- It is faith that conquers. If we refuse to walk by faith, we will not gain the inheritance set before us (Heb. 3:19; 4:1-2).
- Faith provides us with a sustaining vision of our future inheritance € things as yet unseen (Heb. 11:1; Prov. 29:18).
- If we carry out God's terms and conditions, the inheritance will be ours, just as God gave Caleb his portion (Num. 14:24; Josh. 14:9-14).
- Israel's failures are not recorded so that we might condemn them, but so that we might learn from them and thus be assisted in our walk to the Promised Land (1 Cor. 10:11-12).
REFERENCE LIBRARY:
"The Story of the Bible" (H. P. Mansfield) € Vol. 2, No. 5
"The Visible Hand of God" (R. Roberts) € Chap. 17
"Where It Happened" (I. Collyer) € Chap. 6
"Moses My Servant" (H. Tennant) € Pages 115-125
"The Wilderness of Life" (J. Martin) € C.S.S.S. Study Notes
PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:
- Supply a good definition of "Faith".
- What lesson should Israel have learned from the experiences of the 12 spies?
- What two oaths did God utter when the 12 spies returned from the land?
- "Walk by faith, not by sight". Discuss this principle by referring to the incident of the 12 spies.
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
- How did Caleb and Joshua differ from their generation? Refer in your answer to the incident of the 12 spies.
- Why did God condemn Israel to wander forty years in the wilderness? Illustrate your answer by describing the nation's reaction to the visit of the 12 spies.