Numbers 13:19
And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;
Moses sent the twelve spies to learn whether the land was good or bad and whether its people lived in tents or in fortified strongholds. They returned with proof of its fertility, including an enormous cluster of grapes carried on a pole between two men, and agreed the land was fertile and good, yet most insisted its inhabitants were powerful, including the descendants of Anak, and its cities large with high strong walls that Israel could not overcome. Only Caleb and Joshua stood faithful against the rebellion, seeing the difficulties plainly yet urging Israel to go up in God's strength and take the rich land. Israel's rejection of that favorable report brought God's judgment of forty years of wilderness wandering, so that when they later tried to enter the favorable time had passed and their presumptuous advance ended in defeat. That history stands as a warning for God's people today against the same cowardly complaining and discouraging reports that block good work, and calls for men of spiritual nerve like Caleb to stand firmly for God and the right.
The Spies' Commission and Report
Moses charged the twelve spies to examine Canaan, to find whether the land where its people dwelt was good or bad and whether their cities were mere camps or tents or fortified strongholds. The expedition itself arose from the people's proposal to send men to inspect the land, which Moses laid before God and was permitted to undertake, yet it ended in disaster through unbelief and rebellion.
In answer to those questions the spies returned with proof of the land, bringing abundant fruit and an enormous cluster of grapes carried on a pole between two men. Their report agreed that Canaan was fertile and good, but the majority stressed its powerful inhabitants and the obstacles to possessing it. They told of strongly fortified cities, large and walled high, of powerful peoples and descendants of Anak dwelling there, and concluded that Israel could not take it.
That earlier report of the spies lived on in the memory of the surrounding nations, so that they watched Israel's movements with fear.
Rejection, Judgment, and Faithful Leaders
Of the twelve sent to search the promised land, only Caleb and Joshua stood faithful against the evil current of rebellion that ended the return in revolt. Caleb saw the difficulties plainly yet remained faithful to the duty God had given him. Together the two gave a faithful account of the richness and attractiveness of the land and urged Israel to go up in the strength of God and possess it. Israel's rejection of that favorable report brought God's judgment that the people must wander in the wilderness forty years, so that when they afterward attempted to enter, the favorable time had passed, their enemies were ready, and their presumptuous advance ended in defeat. Joshua's faithful work as a spy, joined with having served as Moses' prime minister during most of the wilderness wandering, having seen the wonderful works of God wrought by and through Moses, and understanding the disposition of the people, helped qualify him to become the acknowledged leader who conducted Israel into the promised land after the death of Moses.
Warning for God's People Today
The history of the spies sent to learn whether the land was good or bad and whether its people dwelt in tents or strongholds has direct application to God's people today. The same cowardly complaining and drawing back from action when risks must be met is re-enacted now, with the same unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel as in the days of Caleb and Joshua. There is the same failure to appreciate self-denying servants who bear the burden of the cause and suffer privation to help the people. Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, with few receiving God's faithful warnings. As the time of Christ's second advent nears, darkness and unbelief increase while truth becomes less palatable to the carnally minded, whose hearts are slow to believe and tardy to repent.
God bears long with His people, forgiving their wanderings and waiting for room in their hearts, though false ideas, jealousy, and distrust crowd Him out. He calls for men of spiritual nerve and stamina like Caleb to come boldly forward and stand firmly for God and the right amid hatred, malicious falsehood, and Satan's wary working in the last days. Unfaithful, exaggerated and discouraging reports about entering upon a good work, like the spies' report about entrance into the land that set the people almost frantic with disappointment, are a calamity that blocks the wheels and harms the cause. Such talk comes from lacking spiritual eyesight to discern spiritual things, viewing things in a highly colored light and telling matters as they appear, with imagination having a large share in coloring statements. It misleads hearers who receive those confident assertions.
The same loud, boisterous voice of rebellion and human prejudice seen at the spies' return is seen in modern Israel in council meetings and board meetings in the unjust settling of accounts with ministers. Silence toward evil and unprincipled actions lets evil swell, and faithful influence like that of Caleb and Joshua is needed to reprove wrong and turn the current.