The children of Israel had been wandering through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. God had already helped them fight and win battles. Now, it was time to show them the land.
Numbers 13:1-3- And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
God told Moses to send one leader from each tribe to search the land of Canaan and come back and tell the people what it was like.
Numbers 13:17-20- And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.
Moses chose out the 12 men and sent them to Canaan with a mission- check out the land, check out the inhabitants and their cities, and check out the food.
Numbers 13:21-25- So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
These men went all over Canaan for 40 days. They even gathered some of the ripe food that was there to bring back and show the rest of the Israelites.
Numbers 13:26-29- And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.
These Hebrew spies showed the wonderful foods from the Promised Land. They said how beautiful and nurturing the land was. But then they told of the giants that lived there. The tale of the savage heathen scared the Israelites.
One of the men that had searched the land, Caleb, knew that God was more powerful than any giant. He tried to get the people to understand that they could defeat anything with God's help.
Numbers 13:30- And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.
Numbers 13:31-33- But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
All God really wants from us is faith and obedience. Caleb had faith that God would help them win. He was willing to obey God. There was only one other spy that had faith, too. The rest did not, and they got everyone scared.
Numbers 14:1-3- And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
The Israelites were so scared that they even talked about going back to Egypt. They began to look around for someone who was willing to guide them there.
Numbers 14:5-9- Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
Moses and Aaron knew that God would not be happy with how they were acting. Caleb and Joshua, the two faithful spies, tried to talk some sense into them, but they decided they weren't going to listen to anyone!
Numbers 14:10-11- But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
The Israelites were going to kill Caleb and Joshua. And that's when God stepped in.
He was so upset by their lack of faith that He was going to kill them all. Again Moses begged God not to kill them. And again, God listened to Moses and only punished them.
Numbers 14:22-24, 28-30- Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
God said that all the Israelites that had said they wouldn't go would die in the wilderness. This led to the Hebrew children wandering about the desert for 40 years!
The only people who lived would be Caleb and Joshua.
Numbers 14:36-37- And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
But, the other 10 spies that talked the people out of trusting and obeying God died right on the spot by a plague. God doesn't like people to disobey Him, but He always punishes those who lead others away from obeying Him.
