Who doesn’t like a good spy story? In Numbers 13 Moses chose one man from each of the 12 tribes to spy out the land of Canaan. When they came back they gave the people two different kinds of reports.
Ten of them concentrated on the fact that there were giants in the land and next to them they felt like grasshoppers. These spies forgot that God had brought ten plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and on top of all that destroyed Pharaoh’s army in it!
These 10 men focused on what they saw outwardly, and their fears of being destroyed by the giants governed their vision.
Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; one man from each of their fathers' tribes you shall send,...
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.
But the men who went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.
And they brought to the children of Israel an evil report of the land which they spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great size.
Numbers 13:1-2, 30-31
But Joshua and Caleb reminded the people what kind of God they served. I like their bold statements of faith that these giants would be food for them. But sorry to say but most of the Israelites didn’t believe that God could safely bring them into the land He had promised Abraham over four hundred years before!
What a sad moment in their history. And I’m sure it made God’s heart sad that His people didn't have faith in God. Because of that God sent a plague that killed the 10 spies that gave an evil report (Numbers 14:37). The people’s failure to believe Joshua and Caleb's report cost them dearly. All the Israelites had to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, 1 year for each of the 40 days the spies were gone until everyone from that generation had died (Numbers 14:33-34). 
Ten of them concentrated on the fact that there were giants in the land and next to them they felt like grasshoppers. These spies forgot that God had brought ten plagues on Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and on top of all that destroyed Pharaoh’s army in it! These 10 men focused on what they saw outwardly, and their fears of being destroyed by the giants governed their vision.
Then Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying,
Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; one man from each of their fathers' tribes you shall send,...
But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.
But the men who went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.
And they brought to the children of Israel an evil report of the land which they spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eats up its inhabitants; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great size.
Numbers 13:1-2, 30-31
But Joshua and Caleb reminded the people what kind of God they served. I like their bold statements of faith that these giants would be food for them. But sorry to say but most of the Israelites didn’t believe that God could safely bring them into the land He had promised Abraham over four hundred years before!
This account touches me deeply because it's not always easy to believe God when you see giants everywhere. In chapter 21 Witness Lee shows on pages 149-151 there's something deeper going on here:
Today, thirty-five hundred years later, we can realize from reading the biblical record that although God's bringing of the people into the good land was apparently for the people, it was actually to accomplish, to carry out, God's eternal plan, which is altogether centered on the all-inclusive Christ. This is on the positive side. On the negative side, God still has an enemy, Satan. Apparently, it is man who occupies and usurps the earth; actually, the usurper is not man but Satan.....If they had thought even a little about God's interests, they would have said, 'God, as You have been so good to us, we just love You. We would like to sacrifice or future, our safety, our security, our existence, and everything for Your purpose...We care only that You accomplish Your purpose. For Your purpose, let us go and possess the land' (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Numbers. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1990, Print).You can listen to excerpts of Witness Lee's speaking the Life-Study of Numbers on Life Study of the Bible with Witness Lee. You can also read the online Life-Studies of Numbers and check out other resources available to enhance your study of the Bible on Living Stream Ministry's website.
Other Posts on Numbers:
What is the Spiritual Meaning of the Book of Numbers
Lessons the Israelites Learned in Numbers 11 - Murmuring About Manna - Part 1 of 5
Lessons the Israelites Learned in Numbers 12 - Miriam Rebels Against Moses' Authority - Part 2 of 5 -
Lessons the Israelites Learned in Numbers 13 & 14 - The Evil Report of 10 Spies - Part 3 of 5
Lessons the Israelites Learned in Numbers 16 - The Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, & Abiram? Part 4 of 5
Lessons the Israelites Learned in Numbers 21 - The Judgment of the Serpents in Numbers 21 - Part 5 of 5
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