Numbers 13:17
And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
Moses sent twelve chosen men, one ruler from each tribe, to survey Canaan, the land God had promised and given to Israel, directing them to go up by the south and into the hill country before Israel took possession. He charged them to examine the land and its advantages, its people and their strength and numbers, its cities, soil and resources, and to bring back its fruit with courage. The mission was undertaken at the people's request with the Lord's permission, not by His original direction, for had Israel waited for Him to lead them forward they would have witnessed His glory. They searched for forty days and returned with abundant proof of its fertility, including an enormous cluster of grapes borne on a pole between two men, yet all except Caleb and Joshua discouraged the people by dwelling on its strong inhabitants, fortified cities and the sons of Anak. Caleb with Joshua gave a faithful account of its richness and urged Israel to go up and possess it in the strength of God, but refusal to trust brought rebellion and punishment when the murmuring generation was turned back to die in the wilderness and a later presumptuous entry ended in defeat without the Lord. That history still tests faithfulness under risk, when cowardly complaining and distrust repeat the unbelief of the ten, while few dare stand firmly for God and the right as Caleb did.
The Spies' Commission
Moses sent twelve selected men, one representative and ruler from each tribe, to search out Canaan, the land God had promised and given to Israel. They were to survey it before Israel took possession as they approached it. He directed them to go up by the south and into the hill country.
He charged them to assess the land, its situation and natural advantages, its inhabitants and their strength and numbers, its settlements, soil, resources and produce, and to bring back some of its fruit with courage. The mission was undertaken at the people's request after seeking the Lord's consent, and the Lord approved and permitted their chosen course. It was not His original direction, for had Israel waited for God to lead them forward they would have witnessed His glory, but He permitted it to teach that His way was the only safe one.
Search and Rebellion
The men passed through rugged country with sparse vegetation in their forty-day search of the land. They came back with abundant fruit proving its fertility and abundance, bringing samples of its produce as evidence. Two men bore an enormous cluster of grapes hanging nearly to the ground from a pole across their shoulders, while others carried baskets of fruit. Yet all except Caleb and Joshua then discouraged the people from attempting possession, pointing to the strength of the inhabitants, the fortified cities, and the descendants of Anak, also called the Anakim.
Refusal to trust the favorable report brought rebellion and punishment, so that the murmuring generation was turned back to wander in the wilderness until it died. When the people then decided to enter after the appointed time had passed, they were defeated because their enemies were ready and the Lord was not with them. Forty years later, near Mount Hor, that earlier visit was still remembered with foreboding, and the Canaanite nations watched Israel's movements fearing invasion.
Faithful Witness and Warning
Caleb was one of the chosen men sent to scout Canaan, and he with Joshua gave a faithful account of its richness and attractiveness and defended the right by urging Israel to go up and possess it in the strength of God despite the dangers their companions reported. Joshua had served through most of the wilderness wandering as Moses' prime minister, chief assistant and minister, had seen the wonderful works wrought by God through Moses, and understood the disposition of the people. That experience and faithfulness qualified him to lead Israel into the promised land after Moses' death, with the promise to be with him as with Moses and to give him the conquest of Canaan as an easy conquest upon faithful observance of all God's commandments and requirements.
The sending is a history that tests faithfulness under risk and is re-enacted today, when cowardly complaining, drawing back from action when risks must be met, and unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel repeat the days of Caleb and Joshua. Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, with few receiving the faithful warnings given, and the same darkness and unbelief increase as the second advent of Christ nears, when truth becomes less palatable to the carnally minded whose hearts are slow to believe and tardy to repent. Long has the Lord borne with His people, forgiving their wanderings and waiting for room in their hearts, while false ideas, jealousy and distrust crowd Him out. Few enlightened by divine wisdom dare come boldly forward as Caleb did to stand firmly for God and the right, and those chosen to conduct His work who will not turn from integrity to gratify the selfish and unconsecrated become targets of hatred and malicious falsehood, requiring men of spiritual nerve and stamina to resist Satan in these last days.
The unfaithful spies brought exaggerated, discouraging reports concerning entrance into the promised land that set the people almost frantic with disappointment. Their course is repeated when a man views a God-established institution in a very highly colored light, lacks spiritual eyesight to discern spiritual things, tells matters only as they appear to him with imagination coloring his statements, and reiterates discouraging talk that harms the cause. With ardor and zeal to do a wonderful work in his own way, his impressions are not right, his expectations fail to be realized, and if others receive his ideas he misleads his hearers by confident assertions. The rebellion that followed the return is seen in loud, boisterous voices raised in council and board meetings, in human prejudice in settling accounts with ministers, and in men destitute of the divine nature and the Spirit and grace of God. Against it stands the faithful influence of Caleb and Joshua, which those responsible should copy by reproving evil, unprincipled actions instead of suffering them by silence to swell to immense proportions, for modern Israel repeats the same manifestation when leaders fail to turn the current of evil in auditing accounts and dealing with workers.