Numbers 13:23
And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.
The spies brought back visible proof that Canaan was abundant, fertile and good, a single cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it on a pole, with pomegranates and figs growing there in plenty. Joshua with Caleb was one of the two spies who gave a faithful account of the richness and goodness of the land and urged the people to go up and possess it in the strength of God. The grapes of Eshcol became food for the men of faith whom God brought into the promised land, while the fearful rebels who believed the unbelieving spies perished in the wilderness, each receiving according to faith. Those grapes are a sample and foretaste of the heavenly Canaan and its promised reward, encouraging God's people that the good land can be entered and possessed despite trials ahead. That history is re-enacted now as God's people near the second advent, when cowardly complaining, drawing back from risk, and exaggerated discouraging talk about God's work mislead hearers and harm the cause.
The Fruit and Its Setting
The spies brought back visible proof that Canaan was abundant, fertile, and good. A single cluster of grapes was so large that two men carried it between them on a staff or pole, and they also brought pomegranates and figs that grew there in abundance. That fruit demonstrated the remarkable fruitfulness of the land and supported the report that it flowed with milk and honey.
The cutting of that cluster belongs to the searching of Canaan by the twelve spies sent to explore the land. Their report led Israel into cowardly unbelief and rebellion rather than entry into the land. That rebellion brought forty years in the wilderness and the death of those who murmured, coming forty years before Israel's later journey near Mount Hor and causing a long delay before entering the promised land.
Joshua was one of the twelve spies who searched the promised land. He with Caleb was one of the two who gave a faithful account of its richness and goodness. They encouraged the people to go up and possess it in the strength of God. His faithfulness on that mission showed that he understood the people and was well qualified to lead Israel into Canaan after Moses.
Faith, Warning, and Promise
The grapes of Eshcol became food for Caleb and Joshua, the righteous men of faith whom God brought into the land He had promised them, while the cowardly rebels who refused to believe perished in the wilderness without possessing it. The spies cut a cluster so large that two men bore it on a staff, with other abundant fruit as proof of Canaan's richness, and that sharing in the fruit showed trust in God's promise. Each received according to faith: trust in God's strength enabled His people to overcome obstacles, while the fears of the unbelieving spies were fulfilled in that they did not enter.
The cluster brought back is a sample and foretaste and good report of the heavenly Canaan and its promised reward. Like Caleb and Joshua, those who bear that report encourage the saints that the good land can be entered and possessed and that they are able to go up and possess its promised goodness despite the trials ahead. Even so, those who bear that faithful report may face opposition.
The history of the twelve spies applies to God's people today as they near the second advent of Christ. The cowardly complaining and drawing back from action when risks must be encountered, and the unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel seen in the days of Caleb and Joshua, are reenacted now. The servants of God who bear the burden of His cause with strict self-denial and suffering privation to help His people are seldom better appreciated now than then, and few whose minds have been enlightened dare come boldly forward and stand firmly for God and the right as Caleb did. The loud, boisterous voice of rebellion and human prejudice shown at the return of the spies is repeated in modern Israel in council meetings and board meetings and in unjust settling of accounts with ministers. Against that current of evil, the faithful influence of Caleb and Joshua is the pattern for men in responsible positions, who should speak to reprove unprincipled actions and turn the stream of evil rather than by silence let it swell to immense proportions. The unfaithful spies brought exaggerated, discouraging reports concerning entrance into the promised land that set the people almost frantic with disappointment. To repeat such discouraging talk about God's established work does harm to the cause and misleads hearers when its confident assertions are received, for it tells matters only as they appear, colors statements with imagination, and shows lack of spiritual eyesight to discern spiritual things.