At the Threshold of the Promised Land

Today, we are finally at the foot of the Promised Land. The camps are set. The tabernacle is ready. Miriam is back in the camp, and the people are ready to move into the Promised Land. They are at the threshold of receiving what God promised them centuries ago through Abraham. This particular generation has seen plagues upon the Egyptians, the Red Sea parted, manna given in the desert, and the Lord leading the camp in a pillar of fire by night and smoke by day. With all that they have seen, as they approach the new land, the Lord will tell them to check out the new land.

As we read this passage, we will see the contrast between the Lord’s faithfulness and the people’s unfaithfulness. It is a familiar pattern for the Israelites and a familiar story for many Christians. But, do not let its familiarity cloud what God is teaching us through this story.

God’s Promise is Verified | Numbers 13:1-24

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel. And these were their names: From the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun; from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; from the tribe of Joseph (that is, from the tribe of Manasseh), Gaddi the son of Susi; from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country, and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.

So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there.

Numbers 13:1-24

In the first part of this chapter, Moses recounts the names of the spies and which tribe they belong to. Once again, we see each tribe is given a portion of the task. No tribe is to stand above the rest, but rather each one has a role to play. One name that does stand out among the group is Joshua, who was first named Hoshea. While it is unclear when the name change occurs in history (Joshua has been ‘Joshua’ since Exodus), that his name is changed is worth noting.

“Hoshea” can be translated “salvation” or “he saves.” “Joshua” is Yeshua, the same Hebrew name that is later Latinized as “Jesus” and means, “The Lord saves.” This subtle name change is a reminder for Israel and all who read this text, salvation does not come from a person or some generic place. Salvation comes from the Lord.

They will take the land God promised them, and they will do it with the Lord’s help. This fact is the same testimony Joshua and Caleb tell the people.

Salvation, the Promised Land, and an eternal inheritance is available through the Lord, nowhere else.

And so, Moses tells them to spy the land. What is it like? Is it good or evil?

Before we look at their report, I have a bit of biblical trivia to point out. In Numbers 13, the story records the Lord told Moses to send spies. In Deuteronomy 1, when Moses recounts the story for the next generation, he states the people wanted to send spies and Moses agreed. So, which is it? Did God tell them to spy the land or did the people want to spy the land?

I believe this is an example of how memory changes over time. During this first generation, Moses believed the Lord told them to spy the land, and in fact, He probably did. It makes sense. The Lord is getting them ready to move into the land, so it would be helpful for them to see where they are going and how to conquer it. The narration is focusing our attention on God’s provision and faithfulness towards Israel.

When we fast forward in time, it would appear Moses is taking some of the blame for the people’s lack of faith. The narration in Deuteronomy, especially in chapter 1, is focused on the people’s rebellion and lack of faith. Perhaps Moses remembers the time with more guilt than he should, but regardless, the two statements work together, not in conflict. The Lord is guiding them into the land and would have them spy it out. The people are actively losing faith, and the spies report further solidifies their excuses. In Deuteronomy, Moses is essentially saying, “We all thought it was a good idea to scout the land, but that backfired horribly.”

It is an interesting tangent because when we study Numbers in light of the whole Torah, we see this overarching theme of “God has done His part. What will you do?” Even today, we are compelled to ask ourselves the same question when we reflect on this story.

God has proven Himself faithful through the centuries, so how will we respond?

To further prove the point, the spies are told to bring back some of the produce. They have to carry a single cluster of grapes on a pole between two guys. Now, whether these are giant grapes, or just a really large cluster, either way, the land is plentiful! They have pomegranates and figs to boot. And these particular fruits are worth taking a loser look. We have seen in the past how the literal meaning of the text is just the surface. Many, many times the narration adds certain details to draw us to deeper meanings. Here, the fruits do just that.

Grapes are routinely symbols in the Bible for joy, prosperity, but also wrath or judgement. In order to produce wine, the joy, they have to be crushed. The quality of the grape is proven when it is crushed. Likewise, the quality of the person is proven through trials. Israel is going to go through trials—even now is the trial of whether they will step into the Land faithfully. If they fail, they will be crushed, but if they are faithful, there will be joy. This oversized cluster of grapes tells the land will bring them exceeding joy, if they will be faithful.

Pomegranates are symbols for blessing and abundance. Later, in the Temple era, the priests would adorn their garments with pomegranates to symbolize God’s blessings and Israel’s abundance. Is the land all that God said it would be? YES!

Figs are symbols of peace and security. When describing the time of peace during Solomon’s reign, the Bible says, And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon (1 Kings 4:25). The Israelites will be told to conquer the land, but at the end of their wars, the land will bring peace.

These symbols reinforce what the Promised Land will be for the Israelites, but they also tell us something for today. Looking back, we stand after the Messiah has come. Our Promised Land is not a place on earth but rather an eternal inheritance that comes through Jesus. We are invited to be part of the Kingdom of God that transcends geo-politics and even time. And what is offered in this Kingdom? The Lord says there is exceeding joy no matter the trials of life, abundance of blessings from the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and secured peace beyond understanding.

Today, we are asked a very similar question as the Israelites. The Lord has proven Himself faithful. Jesus has already come, already died, and already risen to life. Will we respond in faithful surrender?

The Spies’ Report | Numbers 13:25-33

At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” 

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

Numbers 13:25-33

Here’s another bit of Bible name etymology. “Caleb” is derived from either/both the Hebrew word for “dog” and/or “heart.” The meaning is essentially “loyal companion.” Caleb’s loyalty is on display with his report. While the others lament about the inhabitants, Caleb says, “Let’s go!”

But the people will not go. They are intimidated by the number of people and their size. It’s interesting that the only issue with the land are the people living in it. Everything else is exactly what they would want. It’s a reminder to us that sometimes are greatest struggles have to do with fear…and specifically fear of other people. The inhabitants seem too large for Israel to overcome. And, they are, but God is not calling them to conquer the land on their own strength. The Lord will go before them to conquer the land. They can do all things, including conquer the land of giants, because the Lord will give them strength.

We really can do the task God calls us to do because He will give the strength to do it.

Today, we have our own lands to conquer. Again, the Kingdom of God is not a geo-political kingdom. The Lord is not calling us to physically conquer anyone, but He does call us to engage the true enemy. We battle in the spiritual realm bringing truth to lies and light to darkness. Paul famously calls us to put on the armor of God in Ephesians.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:11-12

It is no coincidence that the people are described as “sons of Anak” and “Nephilim”. The Anakim and Nephilim are two people groups (or perhaps the same one) with spiritual roots. It is said in Genesis 6 the Nephilim are descendants of fallen angels mating with earthly women. Now, some scholars get uneasy about the idea of fallen angels and humans creating giant babies…and understandably so. Exactly what happened in history regarding giants is less important than understanding what the story is trying to tell us. The people within the land were formidable and served (possibly even were descendants of) spiritual forces that scared the Israelites.

Does this sound familiar to our modern ears even a little? “We should be scared of them because they are different. They look different, and they serve strange gods. We can’t engage in battle with them!”

Perhaps a rewording will drive home the point. “We can’t witness to them because they are too different.”

Today, we are called to engage with powers of darkness by sharing the light and life of Jesus Christ. The Lord sent His Son to bring us victory over sin and death. Paul writes,

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58

The fact that the Promised Land was blocked by people described in terms of dark spiritual forces points us to the reality of spiritual warfare. The enemy is not the lost person. The enemy are the demonic spirits that perpetuate lies and death. Christ came to bring victory over these demons, and we can walk in this victory because of Jesus Christ.

The Lord told the Israelites, “This is the Land I promised you. Go and take it.” They failed to do so.

The Lord tells us, “These are the people I have given you to bear witness and bring the Good News of Life. Go and tell them.”

What will we do?