Spies in Canaan

Caleb and the 10 Spies

At Sunday School they were teaching how God created everything, including human beings. Little Johnny seemed especially intent when they told him how Eve was created out of one of Adam’s ribs. Later in the week his mother noticed him lying down as though he were ill, and said, Johnny what is the matter? Little Johnny responded, "I have pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife."

Sometimes we might not get our bible facts out just right, but we can grow in our knowledge of God’s Word. We can have more faith to become a victorious Christian in this present world. Someone says, “You can’t be a dedicated Christian as a young person today,” or “you can’t be a dedicated Christian working at my job each week.” I believe the Bible which says,

1 John 5:4 (NASB) 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

WE CAN KNOW VICTORY! WE DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN UTTER DEFEAT!

Tonight, I would like to take us back to the Old testament, specifically to the book of Numbers and look at familiar account of the Israelites sending the 12 spies into the Promise land to scope it out and bring back word of the people and what the land is like.

Now this account is in the beginning of the Old Testament, and I just want to give you a quick reminder of why we study the Old Testament, we may not be under the law anymore, but there is still a lot that pertains to us and that can help us in our walk with God. Paul says in Romans 15:4

Romans 15:4 (NASB)

4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

And;

1 Corinthians 10:11 (NASB) 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

So, the Old Testament is a very valuable tool that we have been given, these accounts were given to us so that we may not make the same mistakes they have, and to be able to learn from their mistakes before we make the same.

There is a whole chapter in Hebrews devoted to the faithfulness of individuals in the Old Testaments, just about all of them showing that faith in the face of adversity, just as the individual I would like to highlight tonight.

Now I would like to specifically look at the faithfulness and the faithlessness of the different groups of people when the spies came back from the Promised land. I have split them up into 3 groups; Caleb and Joshua in one, the people and the other 10 spies in the second and then Moses in the 3rd.

(READ Numbers 13:17-14:45)

I. 10 Spies and the People

Something that has always baffled me is the response of the people, and how quickly they forget what God just did for them. According to Deuteronomy 2:14 the Israelites have been in the wilderness for 2 years at this time;

Deuteronomy 2:14 (NASB) 14 "Now the time that it took for us to come from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of war perished from within the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.

Throughout these two years in the wilderness up until this point the people have tested God specifically 10 times, I’ll just quickly list them for you;

- Red Sea (Ex 14:11,12)

- Complaining about bitter water (Ex 15:24)

- Wilderness of Sin (Ex 16:2)

- Taking more than the daily quota of Manna (Ex 16:20)

- Collecting Manna on the Sabbath (Ex 16:26-29)

- Lack of water at Rephidim (Ex 17:2-3)

- Golden Calf (Ex 32:7-10)

- Complaining at Taberah (Num 11:1-2)

- Complaining over the lack of delicious food (Num 11:4)

- And her ewhen it came to entering the promise land

Or the promise stated in Numbers 13:2

Numbers 13:2 (NASB) 2 "Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel;

God already told the Israelites that He was going to give them the land, but as a result of their lack of faith God made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

It amazes me that just 2 years after this same group of people saw probably the most fascinating group of miracles in the land of Egypt that they would so quickly forget the God and the power of the God that performed them. But here in Numbers 13, when the spies returned, they gave a bad report of the land. Starting in verse 27;

Numbers 13:27-29 (NASB) 27 Thus they told him, and said, "We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 "Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 "Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan."

The 10 spies remembered what God said back in Exodus 3 and again in Exodus 13 about the lands abundancy with the description of flowing with milk and honey, but then they quickly got overwhelmed with the size of the people that lived there, the size of the city and the way that it was defended. These thoughts made them lose sight of God, the one who just delivered them from the land of Egypt, who single-handedly defeated the massive Egyptian army by swallowing them up in the Red Sea.

And the spies continue their complaint about the land in verse 31;

Numbers 13:31-33 (NASB) 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us." 32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone, in spying it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. 33 "There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."

In these verses the people seem to become even more frightened of the land and the people than they were before.

The description of the land from the majority of the spies swayed the people to forget about God’s faithfulness in times past and lose their own faith in the God that has saved them. The 10 looked at their own abilities in relation to the Canaanites and were filled with fear. The testimony of the 10 spies caused the people to put their faith in the words of the 10 spies instead of putting their faith in the actions of God.

Putting their faith in their own hands was demonstrated in Numbers 14. The people were so blinded by their lack of faith that they cried out to Moses, blaming him for their troubles and starting in verse 1 stating;

Numbers 14:1-4 (NASB) 1 Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, "Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 "Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt."

It seems quite strange to me that the people wanted to go back to the land where they were just slaves, where God just whipped out the entire army. If they were to arrive back in Egypt they certainly would have been killed. When Moses advised the people of the punishment that God said for their lack of faith, that they would not be able to enter the promise land, the people rose early in the morning and made an attempt to take the land. But in Numbers 14:44 it says that neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. Showing that God was not with them.

If you’d like, turn with me to Isaiah 43 (Turn as well).

Isaiah 43:1-5 (NASB) 1 But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! 2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. 3 "For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your place. 4 "Since you are precious in My sight, Since you are honored and I love you, I will give other men in your place and other peoples in exchange for your life. 5 "Do not fear, for I am with you;

Down in Sunday School, we have been discussing this topic, the faithfulness of God. A thought that keeps coming up in the curriculum is that God keeps His promises. There has never been something in the past that God has said and did not follow through on, of course there are some promises that are still to be fulfilled. But with God’s track record as it were, there is no reason for the people to have lacked faith when it came to this promise. And that goes for us too.

He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Yes, there may be difficult patches that we go through in our lives but that does not discredit the faithfulness of God. When we go through hard times or difficulties, those are times that God uses to strengthen our faith not tear it down.

II. Moses

Next, I would like to take a look at the faithfulness of Moses in response to the people’s lack of faith and refusal to enter and take the land.

Throughout Moses life he has demonstrated faith in God, and his faith is neatly summarized in Hebrews 11, if you wouldn’t mind please turn there with me.

Hebrews 11:23-29 (NASB) 23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

Yes, Moses was human too, he had points in his life where he showed a lack of faith, and what happened as a result? He suffered, and the people he was leading suffered too. But God knew his heart and that is the reason why he takes up a good portion of the Hall of Faith.

And taking this back to Number 14 we see the response of Moses to the people’s refusal to enter the land based on their lack of faith by interceding for the people with God.

Moses first response to the people’s complaints was to bow down in solemn prayer before the Lord in verse 4, which is a great example of what we should first be doing when we are faced with trouble. And in verse 10, the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle, and Moses goes and speaks with God, and starting at verse 11 is that conversation;

Numbers 14:11-12 (NASB) 11 The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? 12 "I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they."

And skip down to verse 19

Numbers 14:19 (NASB) 19 "Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."

And the Lord’s response to Moses plea is as such, he forgives the people for their unfaithfulness, but that does not mean that punishment does not occur. As is well known, no one over the age of 20 years old was able to enter the promise land, and God destroyed the 10 spies by the plague.

God recognized the faithfulness of Moses by his pleading for the lives of the people and did as Moses suggested.

III. Caleb and Joshua

The last group of people I would like the look at the faithfulness demonstrated by Caleb and Joshua, but mainly Caleb in this account. I would just like to start by reading a few verses that describe Caleb.

Numbers 14:24 (NASB) 24 "But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

Numbers 32:11-12 (NASB) 11 'None of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob; for they did not follow Me fully, 12 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have followed the LORD fully.'

Joshua 14:7-8 (NASB) 7 "I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought word back to him as it was in my heart. 8 "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully.

Joshua 14:13-14 (NASB) 13 So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. 14 Therefore, Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite until this day, because he followed the LORD God of Israel fully.

Something that is repeated in every one of these verses is the phrase ‘followed the Lord fully’ or ‘wholly followed the Lord’.

Now back in Numbers 13 after the 10 spies have given their evil report of the land it says in verse 30;

Numbers 13:30 (NKJV) 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Caleb’s response to the majority of the spy’s report of the land was not to hide in with the crowd or to cowardly agree with them. Caleb’s faith did not waver when he was the minority, his faith flourished.

Caleb remembered the faithfulness of God throughout their history, and knew that this was God’s plan for them, no matter how big the hill they had to climb, no matter how scarce food or water was, no matter how big an army, GOD CONQUERED. And this is something that Caleb never forgot.

This to me reminds me of the Christian life today, how often outside our church circle are we the majority? It is rarely, if ever. Whether we are at school, at work, in conversations with our neighbours, Christianity and faith in a personal God is just about always looked down upon. I don’t know how many here know about Adventures in Odyssey, it’s a Christian radio drama, but there is one episode that talks about peer pressure, and in it someone said you + Jesus is always a majority. And Caleb sure showed this, he was not afraid to stand up for what was right.

In Joshua 14 it describes the land that Caleb gets and the land that he wanted and the land that God gives him is described as well fortified and which was home to the greatest man of Anak, which was a family of giants.

It is incredible to see that throughout the 40 years in the wilderness, Caleb’s faith did not waver even a little, and after the 40 years Caleb was given probably the most difficult piece of land to obtain through human means. But Caleb had extreme faith in God and gives the credit to God as and does not take it for himself.

In the end of verse 12 of Joshua 14;

It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.”

IV. Application

Now how does this apply to our lives? Well, we have three options;

1. Are we going to be like the 10 spies? When we are faced with Giants in our lives, are we going to stop trusting in God and run away.

2. Or are we going to be like the people who when hearing the evil report of the land given by the spies just followed? In society today, there are several things that are considered right and acceptable but when the majority of people think something or are doing something that does not necessarily make it right. Do we stay silent when these topics are discussed, or do we stand up for the truth?

3. Or, which I would suggest would be the best option, are we going to be like Caleb, when we are the minority in a situation, we should put our faith and trust in God to give us the words to say to be able to stand up for the truth. There will even be times in our Christian circles where we may have to take a stand when we face opposition from our fellow believers, being the minority in a situation is a very difficult spot to be in. But take the example of Caleb whose name means dog, stay loyal and faithful to God no matter what.

One of my favourite movies is called ‘Facing the Giants’ it was done by the same people who did Courageous and Fireproof. It is about a Christian high school football team who begins the season by losing every game, but a transformation happens when the coach begins to focus his personal life back toward God. That in turn reflects toward his team when some of the players on the team begin to put their trust in Jesus Christ. Instead of focusing primarily on football they turn as a team to focusing on their relationships with Jesus Christ. Long story short they begin to start winning games and end up in the State Championship against a team called the Giants (of course). No one thought that this small Christian high school had a chance to defeat the much bigger and deeper team but against all odds that won by a last second field goal.

It is similar to our own lives, when we put our faith and trust in God primarily, God can do miraculous things even when it seems that we are up against giants of our own, if we only have faith.

In closing I would like to just read a few verses in relation to our faith and the promises that God offers with it, because I really like when Scripture does the teaching, instead of myself.

Joshua 1:9 (NASB) 9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Isaiah 46:4 (NASB) 4 Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Matthew 28:20 (NASB)

20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Luke 1:37 (NASB) 37 "For nothing will be impossible with God."

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NASB) 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—

Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1 John 5:4 (NASB) 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

These are just a few of the many verses that God promises us in regard to our faith. Let us work on becoming more like Caleb and trust in the Lord fully in every situation we face no matter how difficult it may be. Let’s just close in prayer.