We are all familiar with the story of the twelve spies Moses sent to spy out the Promised Land. Probably only a few months after leaving Egypt’s bondage, at most one year, spies were sent out while the children of Israel camped in the wilderness of Paran, near Mount Sinai. Numbers 12:16. Their commission is set out in Numbers 13:1-20.
Notice what they were asked to do. They were to observe the land, assess the strength of the inhabitants, and return with a report. If you were planning an invasion, you would want good intelligence, based upon accurate and objective evidence. Faulty intelligence, dishonest reports, etc., cannot be tolerated. You expect spies to bring back accurate information and opinions. After all, why send in spies if you don’t intend to rely on their information? God had told them to conquer the land; why did they need spies?
What about the twelve spies in Canaan? We all know that ten brought a bad report, and only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a good report. We honor the two and we condemn the ten. What did the ten say that was so bad?
Verses 27-29 state that it was a land that flowed with milk and honey, that the inhabitants were strong, and there were great walled cities. All of this was accurate information; no lies here.
The ten did exactly what Moses asked them to do. Under the same circumstances, with the same instructions, what would you do? We know God punished the ten for their bad report, and punished an entire generation for believing the bad report. Why did God punish them for acting in the way any normal invading force would act?
Verses 30-32 say that the ten brought up an “evil report.” What was so “evil” about it?
Of course, this was no ordinary invasion. This was a conquest ordained by the Creator and Ruler of all. Victory was assured, despite the odds. But in that case, why did God, Himself, tell Moses to send the spies? See verses 1-2. Surely God was not angry at Israel for doing what He had told them to do. The problem was not in sending spies; the problem was that the spies brought back an evil report.
God did not need spies; He knew what was in the land. Somehow this was a test, a test of faith. The Lord wanted the people to know the obstacles, the difficulties that lay ahead. Would they believe that the same Lord who plagued Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, who fed them with manna? Would they trust Him to deliver their land from powerful adversaries?
Sometimes the Lord shows us the obstacles that we must overcome in our lives. We need to know just how difficult our Christian walk is going to be. We need to see how faith will triumph over difficulties. But sometimes we just get depressed when we see our road ahead. When we see mountains in our path, physical problems, family problems, financial problems, etc. Discouragement and depression get the best of us.
This is a test, this is only a test. In our lives, there will be walled cities to conquer; there will be strong adversaries. Yet our victory depends, not on our own resources, but upon the Lord. He shows us the difficulties we will face as a test. Psalms 26:2 says to try me, Lord, and prove me. Jeremiah 17:10 establishes that God searches hearts and tries the reins.
The Israelites failed their test. The people believed the evil report of the spies, and feared to go forward. Worse than that, they came close to open rebellion against God-ordained leadership. Numbers 14:1-4. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before God. Verse 5.
Joshua and Caleb’s response was that the Lord could give them the land. Verses 6-9. The people refused to let go of the evil report. Verse 10.
The ten spies and the vast majority of the people made several mistakes. How sad! It is so easy to condemn them, isn’t it?
But what about God’s people today? We are not faced with the exact same circumstance, but we can make the same mistakes. We can be so practically-minded, and so realistic in our assessments of the difficulties ahead, that we conclude we cannot do what our leaders tell us we should be doing for God. Jesus said in John 7:24 that we should not judge based on appearance.
What should we learn from this lesson? This experience is recorded in the Bible to teach us some important principles to live by in our walk with the Lord.
Avoidable Mistakes
First, it was not really a mistake that the Israelites did not realize their own strength.
Some may think the problem was that these Hebrews did not realize that they were strong enough to conquer the fenced cities, and could beat the giants in open warfare. Some say the problem was a lack of self-confidence. That is not the issue at all. In fact, they probably were not strong enough to conquer the land.
Their first mistake was in thinking their own strength was important.
Our strength is completely irrelevant to God. He is profoundly ambivalent about our resources, our talents, our skills, and our abilities. The lad, David, knew “that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s” I Samuel 17:47.
Next, they did not fully appreciate that success depended not upon their strength, but the strength of God.
In Zechariah 4:6, the Lord told Zerubbabel that victory comes, not by power or might, but by His Spirit. Neither the power of man nor beast impresses God. Psalms 147:10. Martial arms and large armies do not assure victory. Psalms 33:16-18.
Through the power of God, you can run through a troop (of adversaries), and leap over a wall (of opposition or problems). Psalms 18:29. Prince Jonathan told his armor-bearer that there is victory when the Lord fights for you, “for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.” I Samuel 14:6.
But the biggest mistake that these freed and empowered ex-slaves made was to opt to stay in the desert. Maybe they did not want to assume the responsibility.
What responsibility, you may ask? Well, in the desert they were totally free from any responsibility. Food fell from heaven. God’s manifest presence was seen in the cloud and the fire. They were told when to journey, and when to encamp. They were perpetually free of worries and obligations.
Conquering the land meant growing up, taking risks, suffering dangers, and assuming some responsibility for their destiny. Today, people often draw back from assuming responsibility. They think, “If I do nothing, I cannot be blamed for doing something wrong.”
We often embrace the known and comfortable – and fear the unknown duty.
Then they made the mistake of deciding to go, when the Lord told them not to go.
These Hebrews thought they would rectify their error – doing it their way. When they had refused to go into the land, God was displeased, so in a misguided attempt to make it right, they decided to go anyway. But God had told them not to do that. When the Hebrews tried it, they were defeated. Numbers 14:40-45.
Have you ever been in some misguided attempt to make right some mistake you have made? Did you find out that it frequently doesn’t work? The problem is that you are relying on yourself, your own reasoning, your own strength to correct your mistakes. Even in this, you need the grace of God, and His guidance.
You cannot correct most mistakes in your own will and power. And you most certainly cannot compel God to assist you. Anytime you strike out on your own, you are courting disaster. The song says, “I can’t even walk without You holding my hand.”
Lessons from the Lesson
We learn from these verses in Numbers that God cares nothing for strength. God is not frightened by adversaries. He wants His people to learn to depend upon Him, and to trust that He will never lead them wrong.
As God’s people, we are only strong when we forget about our strength. We are victorious when we stop thinking that we are powerful enough to win. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 12:10, “When I am weak; then I am strong.”
Yes, there are obstacles to overcome in your Christian walk. They are not imaginary; they are real. If you view your life realistically, you could reasonably conclude that it is impossible to serve God, that you cannot defeat the devil, that you will never overcome, that your problems are insurmountable. You could focus on the facts. You are not smart enough, you do not have the abilities, and so on. But the Lord God Almighty has called you, and given you a commission. You can succeed, through Him.