Numbers 13:2
Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.
God directed Moses to send twelve men, one ruler from each tribe, to search the land of Canaan which He was giving to Israel. That direction was His permission after the people themselves proposed sending men, not the course He Himself had chosen, for they should have waited for His command to move forward under their divine Leader. The men searched forty days and brought back rich fruit proving its fertility, yet most declared its fortified cities and strong inhabitants including the sons of Anak made conquest impossible, while Joshua with Caleb gave a faithful report of its richness and urged Israel to go up and possess it in God's strength. Their unbelief brought the evil report, rejection of the good report, the sentence of forty years of wandering, and defeat when they tried to enter after the opportunity had passed, warning that a favorable opening once neglected cannot be recovered by acting afterward without God's presence. That testing by the twelve meets God's people again now near the second advent of Christ, when cowardly complaining, drawing back from risk, refusal of faithful counsel as in the days of Caleb and Joshua, and failure to value self-denying workers are re-enacted.
Sending the Twelve Spies
God told Moses to send men to search the land of Canaan, which He was giving to the children of Israel and had promised to give them, one man from every tribe of their fathers, each one a ruler among them. That command stands as God's permission granted after the people themselves first proposed sending men, not the course He Himself had directed, for they should have waited for His command to go forward and followed their divine Leader.
Those chosen searched the land for forty days and returned with abundant fruit as evidence of its fertility. Most of the spies then discouraged Israel by reporting that its inhabitants were too strong to conquer and its cities fortified and defended, including the descendants of Anak, making possession seem impossible.
Joshua was one of the twelve sent, and he with Caleb gave a faithful account of the land's richness and attractiveness. The two urged Israel to go up and enter and take possession of it in God's strength.
Consequences and Present Warning
The sending of the twelve to search Canaan came before the evil report, before the people's rejection of the good report, and before the sentence of forty years of wandering in the wilderness. When Israel afterward attempted to enter after the favorable opportunity had passed, their enemies were ready to resist them and they were defeated. The memory of that earlier visit to Canaan afterward shaped Israel's resentment through the forty years in the wilderness, when they claimed they could have taken the land then and blamed God and Moses for the delay.
The mission of the spies became a standing example of unbelief, for the sentiments and influence of the unfaithful spies brought sorrow and discouragement to Moses and Aaron and to Caleb and Joshua. God sometimes permits people to have their own way in order to teach them that His chosen path is the only safe one, and Israel's choice in this matter led to disaster and destruction. The account warns that a favorable opportunity can pass and that acting afterward without God's presence does not recover it, and the same applies to mission fields where neglect can close doors that were once open.
The sending of the twelve shows God testing Israel, and that same test meets His people now near the second advent of Christ. Cowardly complaining, drawing back from action when risks must be encountered, unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel as in the days of Caleb and Joshua, and failure to appreciate the self-denying servants who bear the burden of God's cause and suffer privation to help His people are re-enacted today. Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, and as the end nears darkness and unbelief increase, truth becomes less palatable to the carnally minded, and hearts are slow to believe and tardy to repent. The Lord has long borne with His people, forgiven their wanderings, and waited for room in their hearts, but 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 for hatred and malicious falsehood, while Satan works warily in these last days, calling for men of spiritual nerve and stamina to resist his artifices.