The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them- Numbers 14:7-9
Key Passage: Numbers 13:27-14:9
After leading the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt, God had promised them a land of their own, a land flowing with milk and honey. God had instructed Moses to send out 12 men to explore the land He had prepared for them to settle into. (Numbers 13:1-2)
Out of the 12 men who explored the land, 10 fixed their eyes on the obstacles, the strength of the people in Canaan, the walls of the city (Numbers 13:28-29), but forgot the God who was with them. They forgot the God who graciously led them with the cloud by day and fire by night and who fed them manna when they were hungry in the wilderness.
They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” – Numbers 13:27-33
Their doubt, grumbling, and bad report stirred panic for the nation of Israel as the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. (Numbers 14:1). Their blame went from Moses and Aaron to God (Numbers 14:2-4).
That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”- Numbers 14:1-4
The People’s Disbelief Led to:
- Blaming God
“Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? (v.3)
- Believing they care for their families more than the Lord does.
“Our wives and children will be taken as plunder.” (v.3)
- Romanticizing their past (slavery in Egypt) versus trusting in God
“..Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”- Numbers 14:3-4
Yet Joshua and Caleb spoke up and reminded the people, “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land” (v.8). Their trust was in God, and not hindered by what they saw.
Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good.
If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” – Numbers 14:5-9
By the response of Joshua and Caleb, the Lord was pleased (Numbers 14:24, Numbers 14:30).
However, those who grumbled and treated God with contempt were left wandering in the wilderness for 40 years without ever stepping into the land the Lord had planned for them to enter into (Numbers 14:21-23) (Numbers 14:29-34).
Biblical figures often faced intense fear, yet they chose to bring those fears to God in honest lament (Psalm 56), (1 Kings 19:1-14). Like Joshua and Caleb, we have a choice: we can fix our eyes on God’s character, or allow our fears to distort our perspective—leading to blame, disobedience, and the loss of the blessings God has prepared for us.
Takeaways:
- God desires our faith in Him (Numbers 14:11)
- God desires that we follow Him wholeheartedly like Caleb (Numbers 14:24)
- We are reminded to fix our eyes on the God with us versus fearing those who may oppose us (Numbers 14:9)
- Our constant disbelief, disobedience, and grumbling can hinder us from stepping into places God had planned for us.
Bible Study Questions:
- What was the focus of the 10 spies who feared and reported to not enter the land? (Numbers 13:28, Numbers 13:31-33)
- How did their report impact the other Israelites? (Numbers 14:1-4)
- How did Caleb and Joshua’s response vary and what was their focus on? (Numbers 14:6-9, Numbers 14:24)
- How did God respond to the disbelief of the Israelites versus the faith of Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 14:26-31)?
Graceful Strides 