Numbers 13:25-33
After the golden calf incident, the people start moving towards the promised land in Numbers chapter 10. After only three days, the people complain again. This time, it is not about the lack of food or water, but the fact that they are sick of eating manna, and they want meat. Moses turns to the LORD and He gets angry and declares that they will soon have so much meat that they will be eating it for a month – Until it starts coming out of their nostrils.
The LORD causes a strong wind which carries quails, and they fall around the camp. There is so much quail that they could walk a full day in all directions until they would end, and two cubits deep, which would be about three feet deep. Numbers 11:32 tells us that the least anyone gathered was ten homers, which would be about 1,900 birds.
The LORD also sent a plague and the people who had the craving for meat died.
Then in Numbers 12, we learn that Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses for the fact that he had married a Cushite woman and questioned why Moses was the only one that gets to speak directly with the LORD. This angered the LORD and He tells them that He would speak to other prophets in dreams and visions, but He chooses to speak to Moses directly. Miriam becomes leprous. Moses intercedes on their behalf and Miriam is healed but must stay out of the camp for seven days.
At the start of Numbers 13, they finally reach the southern edge of Canaan, the promised land. The Lord commands that twelve individuals be selected – one from each tribe – and that they should go into the land and bring back reports of how it is. They find it very fertile and brought back sample fruits – grapes, pomegranates and figs. The cluster of grapes was so large that they had to carry it on a pole between two men.
In this morning’s passage, we find out what the spies report back to the people.
The majority report is that the land is very rich as promised – “It flows with milk and honey.” However, the inhabitants are strong, they live in large, fortified towns, and some of the people are large.
The minority report was made by Caleb, who says, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
Then the other spies exaggerated their negative report. The “land of milk and honey” becomes “the land that devours people.” The inhabitants are stronger than Israel – all the people are giants – Israelites are like grasshoppers compared to them.
All twelve spies saw the same thing, but the recommendation that Caleb made was far different from the recommendation that the rest made.
In Numbers 1, the LORD ordered Moses to take a census to determine the number of men twenty years and older who could go to war — they counted 603,500. This is a large number – for reference, there were 450,000 active-duty personnel in the U.S. Army in 2023. When they moved, they moved in formation. This certainly seemed to be in anticipation of a military campaign.
God made His power and presence obvious to the people. The ten plagues in Egypt, the Passover, the parting of the sea, the destruction of the Egyptian army, water and food in the desert, the physical manifestation as He came to meet them on the mountain, the pillar of fire and smoke, and the promise of the conquest of the promised land.
All of this was enough for Caleb to believe in God and His promises.
The promise of the land was first given to Abraham. Then it was passed down to Isaac, and then to Jacob. Even the four hundred years of captivity and liberation were foretold. They were finally at the southern boundary of that promised land, and that land is a rich and fertile one.
Whether they go in and take the land or not will depend on their faith in God and His promises. Caleb has faith sufficient to recommend that they take the land. The others, not so much.
Sometimes when we feel that God is leading us to a decision, it would be much easier if God would give us a miraculous sign. But if this were true, the Israelites should have no doubt going into the promised land, since God had repeatedly shown them miracles as well as His presence.
So, whether we can move out in faith comes down to how willing we are to trust God. We see examples of this in the Bible. We also see examples of men and women and faith outside of the Bible which become encouragement for us when we need to move out in faith, even against odds.
Through our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are promised forgiveness and eternal life. This should give us the boldness to do the Lord’s will, even if it involves some chance of danger. We are being examples – good or bad – when we either step out in faith or not.
When the time comes, let us pray that we can have faith like Caleb and be able to say to others, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on September 22, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 