And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;
The verse is part of the Lord's direction to Moses to send men to search Canaan, the land promised to Israel, telling them to look at the land and judge its people whether strong or weak and few or many. Twelve men went for forty days and agreed that the soil was fertile and the produce abundant, bringing back rich fruit as proof, yet most reported strong inhabitants, fortified cities with high walls, and descendants of Anak, and concluded Israel could not take it. Joshua and Caleb were the two who gave a faithful account of its richness and attractiveness without sharing that discouraging conclusion. Caleb saw the danger and difficulty as plainly as the others, yet urged going up to possess the land in reliance on God's strength and promise rather than turning from assigned duty. The unfaithful spies viewed without faith and without spiritual eyesight, telling things only as they appeared with highly colored imagination and exaggerated discouraging reports that made the people almost frantic, misled all who received them, and blocked the work God wanted done. That evil report led through unbelief and rebellion to wilderness wandering and to defeat when the people later tried to enter unprepared enemies, and the same cowardly complaining, drawing back from risk, and rejecting faithful counsel is re-enacted among God's people today as the second advent nears.
The Spies' Commission and Report
The verse belongs to the Lord's direction to Moses to send men to search Canaan, the land promised to Israel. That search had been requested by the people, presented by Moses to the Lord, and carried out with His permission. In it the spies were instructed to observe the land and assess its inhabitants, whether they were strong or weak and few or many. Twelve spies were sent to examine and survey the promised land, and after forty days they agreed that its soil was fertile and its produce abundant, bringing back abundant fruit as evidence.
Most of them reported that the people were strong, the cities fortified with high walls, and descendants of Anak lived there, emphasizing the difficulty of conquest and concluding that Israel could not take the land. Joshua was one of the twelve spies, and with Caleb he was one of the two who gave a faithful account of the land's richness and attractiveness and did not share the discouraging conclusion. Caleb saw the difficulties and danger as plainly as the others, yet acknowledged them while urging the people to go up and possess the land in reliance on God's strength and in faithfulness to assigned duty, rather than ignoring God's promise to give the land.
The evil report was followed by Israel's wilderness wandering and, when the people later tried to enter, defeat by enemies prepared for them, for the search led through unbelief and rebellion to disaster and rebellion on return, whereas trusting the Lord's direction would have been the safe course. The Hebrew spies' visit to Canaan was still remembered by the Canaanite nations forty years later as they watched for signs of Israel's invasion.
Faithful Witness Versus Unbelief
The commission to see the land and observe whether its people were strong or weak, few or many, was carried out by the unfaithful spies without faith and without spiritual eyesight to discern spiritual things. They told matters only as they appeared to them, in a very highly colored light, with imagination coloring their statements. They brought exaggerated, discouraging reports concerning entrance into the promised land, which blocked the wheels of the work God wanted accomplished.
Their confident assertions misled all who received their ideas. They set the people almost frantic with disappointment, and such discouraging talk reiterated to others does harm to the cause. The history of the report of the twelve spies has an application to God's people today. The cowardly complaining and drawing back from action when risks are to be encountered, and the unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel shown in the days of Caleb and Joshua, are re-enacted now toward the servants of God who bear the burden of His cause with strict self-denial and suffering of privation to help His people and are seldom appreciated.
Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, with few receiving the faithful warnings given them of God. Darkness and unbelief do not decrease as the time of the second advent of Christ nears. 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, forgiven their wanderings, and waited for them to give Him room in their hearts, but false ideas, jealousy, and distrust crowd Him out. Few professedly of Israel whose minds have been enlightened dare come boldly forward as Caleb did and stand firmly for God and the right.
Those chosen to conduct His work who will not be turned from integrity to gratify the selfish become the target for hatred and malicious falsehood. Satan works warily in these last days, and God calls for men of spiritual nerve and stamina to resist his artifices. The sending of the twelve spies and their return brought rebellion, and that same loud, boisterous spirit of rebellion is repeated in modern Israel in council meetings and board meetings and in human prejudice shown in settling accounts with ministers. Men who audit accounts with injustice and unprincipled actions show themselves as destitute of the divine nature and the Spirit and grace of God as the hills of Gilboa were destitute of dew and rain.
In such meetings responsible leaders should exert the faithful influence of Caleb and Joshua, speaking out to reprove evil and turn the whole current of wrong. When by silence they suffer evil to go unreproved they become responsible for the injustice. By such silence they allow the stream of evil to swell to immense proportions.
The verse is part of the Lord's direction to Moses to send men to search Canaan, the land promised to Israel, telling them to look at the land and judge its people whether strong or weak and few or many. Twelve men went for forty days and agreed that the soil was fertile and the produce abundant, bringing back rich fruit as proof, yet most reported strong inhabitants, fortified cities with high walls, and descendants of Anak, and concluded Israel could not take it. Joshua and Caleb were the two who gave a faithful account of its richness and attractiveness without sharing that discouraging conclusion. Caleb saw the danger and difficulty as plainly as the others, yet urged going up to possess the land in reliance on God's strength and promise rather than turning from assigned duty. The unfaithful spies viewed without faith and without spiritual eyesight, telling things only as they appeared with highly colored imagination and exaggerated discouraging reports that made the people almost frantic, misled all who received them, and blocked the work God wanted done. That evil report led through unbelief and rebellion to wilderness wandering and to defeat when the people later tried to enter unprepared enemies, and the same cowardly complaining, drawing back from risk, and rejecting faithful counsel is re-enacted among God's people today as the second advent nears.
The Spies' Commission and Report
The verse belongs to the Lord's direction to Moses to send men to search Canaan, the land promised to Israel. That search had been requested by the people, presented by Moses to the Lord, and carried out with His permission. In it the spies were instructed to observe the land and assess its inhabitants, whether they were strong or weak and few or many. Twelve spies were sent to examine and survey the promised land, and after forty days they agreed that its soil was fertile and its produce abundant, bringing back abundant fruit as evidence.
Most of them reported that the people were strong, the cities fortified with high walls, and descendants of Anak lived there, emphasizing the difficulty of conquest and concluding that Israel could not take the land. Joshua was one of the twelve spies, and with Caleb he was one of the two who gave a faithful account of the land's richness and attractiveness and did not share the discouraging conclusion. Caleb saw the difficulties and danger as plainly as the others, yet acknowledged them while urging the people to go up and possess the land in reliance on God's strength and in faithfulness to assigned duty, rather than ignoring God's promise to give the land.
The evil report was followed by Israel's wilderness wandering and, when the people later tried to enter, defeat by enemies prepared for them, for the search led through unbelief and rebellion to disaster and rebellion on return, whereas trusting the Lord's direction would have been the safe course. The Hebrew spies' visit to Canaan was still remembered by the Canaanite nations forty years later as they watched for signs of Israel's invasion.
Faithful Witness Versus Unbelief
The commission to see the land and observe whether its people were strong or weak, few or many, was carried out by the unfaithful spies without faith and without spiritual eyesight to discern spiritual things. They told matters only as they appeared to them, in a very highly colored light, with imagination coloring their statements. They brought exaggerated, discouraging reports concerning entrance into the promised land, which blocked the wheels of the work God wanted accomplished.
Their confident assertions misled all who received their ideas. They set the people almost frantic with disappointment, and such discouraging talk reiterated to others does harm to the cause. The history of the report of the twelve spies has an application to God's people today. The cowardly complaining and drawing back from action when risks are to be encountered, and the unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel shown in the days of Caleb and Joshua, are re-enacted now toward the servants of God who bear the burden of His cause with strict self-denial and suffering of privation to help His people and are seldom appreciated.
Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, with few receiving the faithful warnings given them of God. Darkness and unbelief do not decrease as the time of the second advent of Christ nears. 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, forgiven their wanderings, and waited for them to give Him room in their hearts, but false ideas, jealousy, and distrust crowd Him out. Few professedly of Israel whose minds have been enlightened dare come boldly forward as Caleb did and stand firmly for God and the right.
Those chosen to conduct His work who will not be turned from integrity to gratify the selfish become the target for hatred and malicious falsehood. Satan works warily in these last days, and God calls for men of spiritual nerve and stamina to resist his artifices. The sending of the twelve spies and their return brought rebellion, and that same loud, boisterous spirit of rebellion is repeated in modern Israel in council meetings and board meetings and in human prejudice shown in settling accounts with ministers. Men who audit accounts with injustice and unprincipled actions show themselves as destitute of the divine nature and the Spirit and grace of God as the hills of Gilboa were destitute of dew and rain.
In such meetings responsible leaders should exert the faithful influence of Caleb and Joshua, speaking out to reprove evil and turn the whole current of wrong. When by silence they suffer evil to go unreproved they become responsible for the injustice. By such silence they allow the stream of evil to swell to immense proportions.