Numbers 14:9, commentary and pictures

Spoken by the two faithful spies to the whole congregation after the exploration of Canaan, the appeal urged Israel to go up at once and possess the land without rebellion against God or fear of its people. To rebel not means not to distrust God's promise, leading and wisdom or murmur against Him, and to fear not means the giants, walled cities and dangers are no cause for dread, for the inhabitants would be as easily consumed as bread because their divine protection was withdrawn while the Lord's presence and pledged strength were with Israel to assure victory. Courage rested on sure grounds, for God had covenanted to delight in Israel and give them an exceeding good land, the Canaanites' guilt had become full so their defense had departed, the moment was God's opportune time for easy entrance, and His mighty acts in bringing Israel out of Egypt and destroying Pharaoh's army proved He could bring them through. Yet the congregation refused to listen, joined the unfaithful spies and sought to stone Caleb and Joshua until the glory of the Lord appeared to save them, and by that rebellion Israel forfeited divine protection and was sentenced to die in the wilderness, afterward failing in presumptuous advance without God and the ark when the favorable time had passed. So the appeal warns those on the way to the heavenly Canaan not to repeat that murmuring, doubt and fear that spreads unbelief and loses God's prepared opportunity, but to stand with Caleb's courage grounded in God's presence and to prove by faithful words that what is spoken in faith becomes true to the speaker.

Historical Setting

The verse belongs to the account of the twelve spies after their exploration of Canaan and their return with its fruit, as part of the faithful report urging Israel to go up and possess the land in God's strength. It was spoken by the two faithful spies, Caleb and Joshua, to the whole congregation of Israel, urging them to go up at once without rebellion or fear because God would give the land. It stands against the majority report that strong inhabitants and fortified cities made conquest impossible.

Caleb and Joshua spoke after Moses and Aaron had fallen on their faces before the assembly in silent grief and intercession, imploring mercy for a rebellious people. They rent their clothes in sorrow as an expression of the greatest grief, and pleaded aloud above Israel's lamentation to reassure the people and turn them from rebellion.

The congregation refused to listen, joined the unfaithful spies in denouncing Caleb and Joshua, and answered by ordering them stoned. They cast off their leader and chose one from their rebellious number to lead them back to Egypt, and stood with stones and missiles ready to kill the faithful men. They would have done so had the glory of the Lord not appeared in the tabernacle before all Israel, like flaming light illuminating the tabernacle, to quell their mad utterances with irresistible authority, strike them with fear, and save the lives of His servants.

By that wicked rebellion, unbelief, and insolent spirit in rejecting faithful counsel, Israel forfeited God's protection and brought upon themselves the sentence that the adult generation would die in the wilderness and never enter the promised land. God in pity and mercy ordered them back by the way of the Red Sea, since while they delayed and murmured the Amalekites and Canaanites heard of the spies and prepared themselves to make war with Israel. The resulting forty years in the wilderness were not an unnecessary delay.

Israel afterward tried to go up when the favorable time had passed, and their presumptuous advance without the Lord with them ended in defeat against prepared enemies. They had refused to go when the Lord promised to go with their armies and had planned easy access into Canaan, listening instead to the lying report of the faithless spies working under Satan's control, which broke the courage of all Israel and developed a rebellion requiring God's own presence to meet. When they later said they would do just what Caleb and Joshua had told them to do, it was too late, for their own rebellion had caused God to make a breach of promise, and they went to battle without their General and without the ark. By contrast they later trusted and obeyed against Og and Sihon under even greater difficulties, going forward at God's command with Moses, the divine presence in the cloudy pillar, and the ark among them, and won complete victory.

Meaning of Exhortation

To rebel not against the Lord meant not to distrust His promise to give the land, His leading, and His wisdom, not to reject faithful counsel, and not to murmur against Him when facing trial on the way to the promised rest. Refusing the truthful witness of Caleb and Joshua and turning with the discouraging report of the unfaithful spies into unbelief was itself rebellion against God. Their confidence in God stood against the congregation's distrust stirred by discouragement.

Neither to fear the people of the land nor to fear them at the last meant that strong inhabitants, giants, fortified cities, and dangers were no cause for fear when the Lord was with His people. The majority claim that conquest was impossible because of the strength of the inhabitants and their walled cities was to be rejected in favor of courageous trust and action. Faith in God's presence was the ground for courage against formidable obstacles and for standing firmly in defense of the right even amid fear and hostility toward faithful speakers.

They are bread for us meant the Canaanites would be easily overcome and consumed like bread by Israel in the Lord's strength, not an insurmountable obstacle to those trusting His presence and power. If the Lord delighted in them, Israel could go up and possess the exceeding good land flowing with milk and honey. The declaration quieted tumult, murmuring, and questioning of God's wisdom as a defense of the truth declaring faith in God's promise and lead. To let doubts, complaints, or fear in trials undermine trust was to lose confidence that He could bring His people through to the promised land.

Their defence is departed from them meant divine protection had been withdrawn from Canaan, leaving its people vulnerable to fall easily to Israel. Their iniquity was full and guilt had reached its limit, so God left them, while their sense of security left them feeling safe yet unprepared for battle. God's covenant assured Israel the land, and with the Lord on Israel's side the loss of Canaan's protection made victory certain.

The Lord is with us meant His presence, strength, and pledged help to go with Israel's armies to battle assured victory, with easy access into Canaan planned by Him. Israel was to trust God to fulfill His promise and give Canaan rather than despair in unbelief, fear its people, or rely only on military strength. Refusing to go when He promised to go with them broke the courage of all Israel and developed a rebellion that His own presence had to meet.

Grounds for Courage

Victory was certain because covenant promise had already insured the land to Israel, so there was no ground for rebellion or fear of its people. The Lord delighted to bring His people into a land searched and proved to be exceeding good, a land flowing with milk and honey, and to give it to them if He delighted in them. Because the Lord was with Israel the inhabitants were as bread to be consumed and easily overcome, their protection gone and their defense departed from them, and courage grounded in that presence was to overcome all human fear of giants and walled difficulties. The plea was pressed forward by Caleb with Joshua before Moses and the people, pleading aloud above the lamentation and rebellious grief after Moses and Aaron had fallen on their faces cut to the heart and lay in utter silence imploring mercy, while Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes in greatest sorrow. It was spoken aloud in the face of unbelievers and cowards holding stones and missiles to throw, and the congregation refused to listen, joined the unfaithful spies in denouncing the faithful men, and ordered them stoned and would have killed them had not the glory of the Lord like flaming light with irresistible authority appeared in the tabernacle before all Israel to interpose, quell them, strike them with fear, and save His servants.

The defense of Canaan had departed because the measure of iniquity was full and guilt had reached its limit, so divine protection was withdrawn from them. Feeling secure, they were left unprepared for battle and vulnerable, to fall easily to Israel. That assurance, instead of turning the people, increased their determined rebellion, moving them in rage to cry for Caleb and Joshua to be stoned, which would have been done had the Lord not interposed with a signal display of His terrible glory in the tabernacle before all Israel.

The moment was the opportune time with easy access planned by God, when with the Lord's strength Israel could go up at once and possess the exceeding good land flowing with milk and honey if the Lord delighted in them. The declaration that protection had departed, that the Lord was with Israel, and that defeat of the inhabitants was certain is truth for that time and for every time. It was spoken to quiet the tumult of murmuring and questioning of God's wisdom, as a defense of the truth declaring faith in God's presence and power. Israel's refusal blasphemed God by casting off their leader and choosing one from their rebellious number to lead them back to Egypt, and by rising with stones ready to kill Joshua and Caleb, so the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle before the whole congregation to quell the mad utterances and to deliver His faithful servants.

Israel had added reason for trust in what God had already done in bringing them out of Egypt, opening a way through the sea, and destroying Pharaoh's pursuing army, proving He could bring them through and fulfill His promise to give them Canaan. Their despair showed unbelief in ignoring those acts, in fearing its people, and in relying only on military strength rather than trusting God.

Call to Faithful Courage

On the way to the heavenly Canaan God's people must not repeat Israel's murmuring, doubts, complaints and fear in trial, for such words spread unbelief and distrust, break courage, develop into rebellion, and cause loss of the opportunity God has prepared to bring them through to the promised land. Firm faith in God's leading trusts that He is with His people to give victory, while discouragement that stirs distrust is the work of unfaithful spies not to be repeated.

Caleb, a chieftain among those chosen to spy out the land, saw the difficulties as plainly as the other spies, yet stood firmly at the post assigned him, would not shirk disagreeable responsibility, and by faith in God was kept from fear of man to stand boldly and unflinchingly in defense of the right even when cowardly companions opposed him with contempt, danger and threats to stone him. Contempt and danger must not deter the faithful from duty or from speaking for God, and every true soldier of the cross relying on the same power, the mighty General of the armies of heaven, may receive strength to overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable, uniting childlike humility and simplicity with tried warrior courage to speak fearlessly, press first to the front, and plant the banner of truth in the enemy's camp. What a man thinks in his heart proves true to himself, for the multitude echoing unbelief and saying they were not able became not able and wore out their lives and perished in the desert, while the word of faith proved true for Caleb and Joshua who, though sharing the forty years wandering, entered the land of promise, Caleb as vigorous as at the exodus asking for and receiving the giants' stronghold and in God's strength driving out its inhabitants to possess vineyards and olive groves and eat of the grapes of Eschol. Their faith and courage came through the Holy Spirit working through human instruments to carry out His purpose, the same power that sustained the patriarchs, instructed the wilderness church, made the apostolic church effective, upheld faithful children in every age, sustained the Waldenses in the Dark Ages to prepare the Reformation, and gave success to modern missions pioneers and Bible translation into all languages and dialects.

Joshua stood with Caleb in faithful report of the attractiveness of the land and in urging Israel to go up and possess it in God's strength without fear, and that stand, joined with long service beside Moses, sight of God's wonderful works, and knowledge of Israel's disposition, qualified him to become acknowledged leader to whom God's presence and conquest were promised on condition of faithful observance of all requirements. Ministers now must give Caleb's ringing, certain message of faith that the land ahead is good and well able to be possessed, with clear discernment between truth and falsehood and not an uncertain sound of mixed truth and error, while church members must stand as faithful Joshuas giving a right testimony and doing neglected duty. In missionary work, city missions, and warning the world, apparent giants and fortified cities must not obscure the victory God and His angels stand ready to give to truth, for faith sees beyond obstacles and trusts God's leading rather than human judgment alone, pressing forward instead of obstructing the work through unbelief or selfish concern.

God needs now the spirit of Caleb and Joshua, strong, devoted, self-sacrificing courage that presses to the front without fear, and young men and women with that spirit are to go forth after a short time in school to give the message to the world, confident He will help them as He helped Caleb and Joshua against intimidating opposition. Believers must reject discouraging reports, resist rebellion and fear, and speak and act with confidence in God's strength, as in a mighty temperance work, trusting they are able to enter and possess the heavenly Canaan even though giving that hopeful good report may bring threats and persecution as it did for Caleb and Joshua. When the Lord is with His people their enemies have lost defense, so smallness of numbers is no cause for fear or reproach against God, but when professed servants rebel, follow imagination, and justify transgression they bring confusion, provoke Him to withdraw the light of His presence and covenant power, gratify unbelievers, and give the enemy cause to reproach Him for lack of numbers.