So it was finally time for The People of God to enter the promised land!
Can you imagine anything more exciting than this?
EXPLORE THE LAND OF CANAAN
God told Moses to take one of the leaders of each tribe and send them in to explore the land of Canaan.
They were instructed to leave the desert and go up into the hill country to see what the land there was like.
Moses asked them to notice if the people were strong or weak or few or many.
They were especially instructed to notice the condition of the land; was it good or bad?
How was the soil?
Is it fertile or poor?
Are there trees?
The tribal leaders of Israel were also instructed to notice what types of towns were in the area and whether they were fortified or un-walled?
THE SEASON OF THE FIRST RIPE GRAPES
This exploration must have happened in the Fall of the year, during the autumn harvests, because the scriptures say it was the season of the first ripe grapes.
Grapes in this part of the country ripen in the late summer, early autumn months.
The Israelite spys were told to bring back samples of the produce from the land.
GIANTS IN HEBRON
These tribal leaders went forward and explored all the regions of the land of Canaan.
They came to Hebron and they noticed it was the land of the descendants of Anak. This was a city older than the oldest parts of Egypt.
CLUSTERS OF GRAPES FROM ESHKOL
In Eshkol they cut off a branch bearing a lush cluster of grapes to take back with them. You may remember from a previous lesson we studied that Eshkol means “cluster.”
Two of the men carried the grapes along with some pomegranates and figs on a pole between them (very similar to how they had carried the ark through the wilderness.)
The place became widely known among the people as The Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes that the Israelites cut off there.
FORTY DAYS OF EXPLORING THE LAND
They continued to explore the land for a period of forty days.
Afterwards they went back to Moses with their report; first showing him the luscious fruit of the land. Then they gave their report.
A LAND OF MILK AND HONEY
They told Moses and the people waiting with him that the land did indeed flow with milk and honey. As they talked they pointed to the bountiful fruit and related that the land was fertile and good.
That was the good news.
POWERFUL PEOPLE WITH STRONG-WALLED CITIES
The bad news they brought was that the people were very powerful and the cities were fortified with strong walls.
They expressed that the cities were large and the descendants of Anak (a famous and well-known legendary giant) lived there.
At this point; the story almost sounds like the old tale of Jack and The Beanstalk! I wonder if that original old tale originated from thoughts of the people exploring the Land of Canaan.
SURROUNDED BY THE ENEMIES OF GOD
The Amalekites were living in the Negev.
It was known that the Hitities, Jebusites and Amorites were living in the hill country.
The Canaanites lived near the sea along the Jordan.
None of these people would be happy to see the Israelites marching into their territories.
IF GOD IS WITH US; WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?
Caleb stepped up and said that they should now go up and take possession of the land; since they could surely do so.
Calab had all the confidence in the world that God would deliver them!
The other men who went on the exploration however, disagreed with him.
They kept pointing out that the people of the land were stronger than they were. These cowardly leaders went about the people spreading rumors that it was impossible for them to take the land and made it seem that anyone who tried would be foolish.
A LAND OF GIANTS AND NEPHILIM
They said: “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.
We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak came from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
WE SEEMED LIKE GRASSHOPPERS
I think my first question would have been; “Well, how did you guys return back to us anyway?”
That must have been the way Caleb thought too.
He didn’t feel one bit like a grasshopper.
Caleb’s God was bigger than all the leaders of the tribes of Israel’s gods (themselves)!
Had they forgotten whom they served?
THE GRUMBLER’S RETURN
Then we come to one of the lowest points in the relationship between God and mankind.
The mindset of the people completely changed.
After all those years of wondering through the desert and having God’s provision and protection all the way; they began to grumble and complain and even said they should choose a leader and turn back to Egypt!
That previous lesson with the quail had apparently been wasted on them.
They feared dying from the hands of their enemies swords in the land, and they feared the deaths of their children. They automatically assumed they were right and thought if this had to happen they preferred to die in familiar circumstances; right there in the desert or even back in the slavery of Egypt.
TRUE LEADERS SEEK GOD AND TRUST HIM AT ALL TIMES
Humans!
They can be SO DUMB sometimes!
What was to be done?
Moses and Aaron were at their whits end.
They fell on their faces before God.
THE YOUNGEST LEADERS EMERGE FROM THE CROWD
Caleb and Joshua tore their clothes in grief and then stood up and spoke to the people.
They reminded them about just how good the land that they had explored was. It was exactly what God had promised it would be. This should have been a sign to them; but the people were not listening.
Probably until they were red-faced and weary, Joshua and Calab talked and talked and explained over and over again that if God wanted to give them the land; He would do so.
Had God not promised to do this?
NEVER REBEL WHEN GOD IT TRYING TO GIVE YOU A GIFT
They pleaded with the people not to rebel against God. These young leaders asked them to consider going on into the land that flowed with milk and honey.
Joshua and Calab warned the people not to be afraid of the people in the land.
They told them they would devour these people.
The two men reminded everyone that the LORD was with them; and that meant the protection of the inhabitants of the land had been removed.
GOD IS WITH US
Did these crazy Israelites finally listen?
No; they even threatened to stone Joshua and Caleb!
The next thing we hear is that the Glory of The Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting.
GOD ADDRESSES THE SITUATION
God said to Moses; “How long will these people treat me with contempt?”
“How long will they refuse to believe in me in spite of the signs I have performed among them?”
“I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them; but I will make you into a nation greater than they!”
Oh dear; what a terrible mess!
I want to pause before I give Moses response to God’s statements.
WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US NOW?
Could God not be saying the same things to Christians in America today?
Is The Kingdom of Heaven not our own Promised Land?
Or do these words not still apply to all Christians living everywhere across the globe?
How long will we refuse to believe in God and follow His ways and instructions in spite of the signs He has performed among us?
Like those wanton Israelites; we keep returning to our sins. Like a dog returns to vomit.
A QUESTION FOR ISRAEL OF TODAY
As much as I love the nation of Israel that exists today; I would have to include them in the questioning.
How long can you refuse to accept that Yeshua is Messiah; the Son of God?
How many signs do you need?
Do you just want to accept and live for whatever is most familiar to you?
Can we not ALL open our eyes and ears and see and hear the truth?
Time is short.
Smell the coffee.
EACH GENERATION IS GIVEN MORE SIGNS AND EVIDENCE
Each generation after the other since the very day of this story’s origination has been given more signs, more evidence, more assurance, than all the generations before them. The knowledge of the truth has been building up like compound interest in the bank.
Can you see this?
A storm is brewing and only Joshua and Caleb brought exactly the attitude that God was looking for among his people.
He still looks for this attitude today.
YOU OVERCOME GIANTS BY FACING THEM
There was a well-produced and popular movie in recent years called “ Facing The Giants.”
This movie makes the same point as this lesson:
God has called us to stand on His truth and His promises and He wants us to overcome our fears and face the giants.
He is going to help us slay those guys.
GOD ISN’T CALLING GRASSHOPPERS
So go on out there today and face your own giants.
God isn’t calling grasshoppers.
The grasshoppers are all very busy as usual just going along with the crowd; ignoring God’s promises and God’s truth. Whatever the world wants is what the world gets from them. These grasshoppers don’t want you to notice that they are obviously not following God. God’s ways are not clear to them because they can only see their own fears.
To face the giants; you must only see God.
If you keep looking at God; your fears will dissolve away.
He is bigger than any fear that we can ever imagine; and I’ll say this for the hundredth time; God always keeps His promises!