But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” [Numbers 13:30]
Here were the Israelites on their way to the promised land. Before entering the promised land, Moses sends twelve leaders as spies into the land of Canaan as God had instructed him. Few lessons that stood out in this event:
God’s promise: Before sending the spies, God spoke to Moses saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel…” God’s promise still holds true. God’s reason for sending out the spies was not for Him to evaluate enemy’s strength, but for the Israelites to get a glimpse of the goodness of the land that God was preparing for them.
Moses’ instruction: Moses gave clear instructions as he sent out the spies to go and see the goodness of the land and bring some of the fruit from the land. He gave them eight instructions, but nowhere did Moses ask the spies to find out if they were strong enough to defeat the land. Moses tells them prophetically, “Be of good courage…” It is as if Moses knew that their courage might fail them as they spied the land, hence he sent them encouraged. Sad to see however that the spies forgot Moses’ instruction!
Spies’ testimony: After forty days, the spies brought a good report about the land. However, they also brought a report that was not asked of them! They brought the report that people living in Canaan were much stronger and Israelites were not a match for them. This shattered the confidence of Israelites.
“Obedience to God isn’t attempting things for Him in our strength and wisdom. We must not venture out of God given boundaries.”
Minority opinion: Even while the majority’s opinion shattered people’s faith, God had reserved a remnant of two spies to remind them of God’s promise. Joshua and Caleb, the two spies didn’t care about the enemy’s strength but wanted to go at once and capture the promised land. God’s promise was of supreme importance for Joshua and Caleb than the popular opinion. Because of this, God spared their lives while the other ten died (Numbers 14:37).
Our life on earth too is a journey to the promised land. We notice that people who profess their faith and trust in the true living God are a minority. The majority living in the world live in fear and uncertain of what the future holds. Amid fear and chaos, let us be reminded of God’s promise, “…He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phi. 1:6) The God who chose us for this journey is faithful to take us to the promised land. The journey is tough, but how do we perceive things around us? Do we see a God who is trustworthy and able or are we overwhelmed by the sight of the enemy and what he is doing?
May God’s promises encourage us to place our trust in Him and complete this journey with endurance and in faith!