Don’t Miss God’s Best Series

Israel missed Gods best when 12 spies returned, and the majority said it was too difficult to take the promised land. Any task can feel giant when you look to the size of the task and not to God. When you look at the giant impossible task compared to your own abilities you feel like a grasshopper.

I saw giants when I began my theological studies. I went to the bookstore to purchase the huge thick theology books. I picked up each class syllabus. All the heavy books to read, 25 tests, 12 research papers, 60 weekly quizzes. All of this in the next 16 weeks. I can’t do it. Those theology books seemed like giants. I felt like a grasshopper.

But the first week of seminary I was reminded of an important truth. God called me to seminary. I heard His voice. It would be foolish to harden my heart now and miss God’s best. Never forget God is in the equation. With God and hearing the voice of God the impossible becomes possible. With man it is impossible, with God it is possible.

The Israelites forgot God’s power. They heard God’s voice, but they hardened their hearts. All of this took place after the Exodus. It happened after the Israelites crossed the parting of the Red Sea and the crossing on dry ground.

For the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea their destination was Mt Sinai. The Law was given at Mt Sinai. This is where Israel received the 10 commandments from God. Mt Sinai is where God made a covenant with Israel that they would be his own people. The tabernacle was completed at Mt Sinai. Here the priesthood was established.

When the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day moves Israel moves. Numbers picks up on the wilderness journey in chapters 13-14. It is still less than two years from the time of the Exodus.

Now Israel finds themselves at a place called Kadesh Barnea. They are just South of the promised land. The long-awaited promise God made to Abraham is just ahead.

The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” (Numbers 13:1-2)

Moses was told to go and explore the land. They were to choose 12 men from 12 tribes to spy out the land. The purpose was not about should they go or should they not go. It was about what route they should take in the conquest.

“Then all of you approached me and said, ‘Let us send men ahead of us, so that they may spy out the land for us, and bring back to us word of the way by which we should go up, and the cities which we should enter.’ (Deuteronomy 1:22)

God was going to give them the land based on the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So a representative leader from each of the 12 tribes was chosen to go and spy out the land.

Here some of the objectives set out as we find in Numbers 13:17-20:

See what the land is like.

Find out whether the people who live there are strong or weak.

Are the people few or many?

What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad?

What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?

How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor?

Are there trees in it or not?

Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.

When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. (Numbers 13:23)

They bring back the report that the land flows with milk and honey. The land is good! The soil is fertile! The spies brought back the evidence of just how fertile the land was. It was a cluster of grapes that was carried by two men on a pole between them.

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 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. (Numbers 13:26-27)

All twelve spies agreed that the land was fertile. All the spies were also in agreement that the people in the land were powerful.

But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. (Numbers 13:28)