Numbers 13:3
And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.
By the Lord's command Moses sent men from the wilderness of Paran to search Canaan, the land He had promised to give Israel. Those sent were twelve recognized heads and leaders of Israel, one ruler selected from each tribe for the mission. The people first proposed the mission, and the Lord permitted it; His permission did not make their proposal His leading, and waiting for His direction would have kept them on the safe path.
The men returned after forty days with fruit demonstrating the land's fertility, and all agreed the land was good. All but Caleb and Joshua discouraged the people from believing they could possess the land, while Joshua with one other spy gave a faithful account of its richness and attractiveness and urged the people to go up and possess it in God's strength. Israel's refusal to enter after the report was a cowardly rebellion that brought the long delay in entering the promised land, when God declared they would wander for forty years. Their visit was still remembered by the Canaanites forty years later. The spies' later unbelief brought sorrow and discouragement to Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua. When their attempt to enter afterward came too late, their enemies were prepared and they were defeated.
Joshua, one of those sent, had served closely with Moses as his prime minister during most of the wilderness sojourn, had seen the wonderful works of God wrought by Moses, and well understood the disposition of the people. That faithfulness qualified Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land after Moses' death, and the Lord promised to be with him as He had been with Moses and to give him the conquest of Canaan if he faithfully observed the divine requirements.
The history of the sending and report applies to God's people today, when the same cowardly complaining, drawing back from action when risks must be met, and unwillingness to heed faithful reports and true counsel are re-enacted. Ancient Israel was repeatedly tested and found wanting, with few receiving the faithful warnings God gave; darkness and unbelief do not decrease as the time of Christ's second advent nears, truth becomes less palatable to the carnally minded, and few professedly enlightened minds dare come boldly forward as Caleb did to stand firmly for God and the right, though God in these last days when Satan is wide awake and working warily calls for men of spiritual nerve and stamina to resist his artifices. The servants of God who bear the burden of His cause, practicing strict self-denial and suffering privation to help His people, are seldom better appreciated now than then; because those the Lord has chosen to conduct His work will not turn from integrity to gratify the selfish and unconsecrated, they become the target for hatred and malicious falsehood, while long the Lord bears with His people, forgiving wanderings and waiting for room in their hearts while false ideas, jealousy, and distrust crowd Him out, giving His servants continual evidences of His wisdom and assistance lest they become discouraged.