Joshua and Caleb and the other Spies | Numbers 13:
God sent them to explore Canaan,
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.”
Let’s exegete first: The Lord said to Moses, - Who is this Lord?
We’ll He is the Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
The Creator- who created the heavens and the earth without even lifting a finger.
The God of justice - He is the One who freed Israelites from the slavery in Egypt.
He is Love- He is loving, compassionate, slow to anger, and forgives sinners, yet does not leave
the guilty unpunished.
He is the Great Provider- He brought Manna from Heaven, Quail for the meat.
He is their Guide- the pillar of cloud in the morning, and the fire in the evening.
He is the Way Maker- who cuts in the Red Sea and allow the Israelites to pass through.
He is Almighty and Victor who brought victories of the Israelites from their enemies.
He is faithful to His promises.
HE IS THE LORD!
“Send some men,
Who are these men? – They’re not ordinary men, they were leaders of each ancestral tribe.
Meaning, they’re one of the best of the best. – these are the captain, or the chief in their clan.
They were chosen or elected.
explore – to travel over for adventure or discover, to investigate, study – According to Meriam
Moses came specific with regards to their exploration:
“18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or
many. 19 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? 20 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.” (It was the season for the first
ripe grapes.)”
the land of Canaan – is the land flowing with Milk and Honey. It is the land that is rich in
resources and fertile. It is the promise land, that God is going to give as possessions to the
Israelites, since they don’t have land of their home yet. “which I am giving to the Israelites”
So this means, that this Canaan, this land, that God wanted them to explore, is already prepared
to be given to them. Who said this? It’s the Lord of Lords!
The journey
12 of them, 2 of them is Joshua and Caleb.
They traveled journeyed 40 days.
They even have come home with grapes in their hands carried by two men.
The Reports
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.
28
But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We
even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 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.”
The land is indeed flowing with milk and honey!
What do you observe in their report?
Their report is bias in their own judgment with their fears. Mas daghan ang report sa enemies,
more than the promise land, more than the features of the land itself. Dako kaayong but, pero,
more than sa kanindot sa lugar and imagination for them to live there soon, (walay ingon ana nga
istorya)
Majority’s judgment and decision, implications:
‘We cannot do it. It’s too impossible. Yes its too good, but it’s impossible. (They never said, it’s
hard, or not easy, they never said lets try, there’s not a bit of a deciding factor to consider from
them.)
They have judged: They will not do it, they will stop. Let’s go the other way. There’s no attempt.
They’re hopeless.
They don’t really explore in strategizing, planning, and thinking of many ways, how to defeat
these giant descendants of Anak. They didn’t. Why? Because they already think it’s over. The
loser mindset: ‘wala pa gani ka ningsangka, or even going to battlefield, you already lose
because that’s what you think and believe, judging the very situation.
Though Caleb, commented and try to persuade the people, “We should go and take possession of
the land, for we can certainly do it!” He never mentioned anything from the enemies, what his
eyes were gazing in is the promise of God, more than the enemies, more than the adversaries, the
obstacles!
Yet these bad reporters were so strong with their fearful
statements, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger
than we are.” .. 32 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. 33 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.”
Where are they? They’re so near to the promise land in
Canaan.
Because of this bad report, the Israelites, were anxious and furious! There is chaos, They went
back to their Egypt mindset,
“That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 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! 3 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?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back
to Egypt.”” – Numbers 14:1-4
Because of bad reporters, these leaders without faith, without vision, fearful and intimidated,
they stir up the crowds, to the point that they even disrespected their leader Moses,
““We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”” – Majority of them think that the problem
was with the leader. My goodness.
What Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua did? They pleaded and tried to explain to them,
Then Moses and Aaron fell face-down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered
there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had
explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we
passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 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. 9 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.”
But the whole assembly talked about
stoning them.
You see the difference? In the side of Joshua,
Caleb, Moses and Aaron, what’s more difficult for them to face is not their enemies, but their
own people’s unbelief!
These unbelieving people, because of their fears against their enemies, because of them, they
already have the guts to stone Moses and the rest of the team. Wow. That’s something we should
realize, how far fear can take us, how far these bad reports can take us. It just not ruins us, it also
ruins our relationships, our visions!
Be careful!
I love Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb – because instead of threating them with fear, and
leaving them behind, they face the crowd with humility and without fear. They never even run to
escape the stoning.
Leaders, like Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb – are precious, if you are like them, don’t run
and don’t allow these people to win over you. Instead allow God to rule over you, because in the
very first place He is your number 1 strength and He is the One who put you there.
Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.
God will never leave us nor forsake us! Especially if we are in lined with the will of God!
So what happened?
Well, God is mad:
11
The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will
they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will
strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and
stronger than they.” 14:11
Moses pleaded:
19
In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned
them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
How I wish, I could be like Moses. Indeed he is God’s chosen!
20
The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I
live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my
glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested
me ten times— 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors.
No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.
27
“How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of
these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to
you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you
twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
Well not for those who are quitters, for those who trusted the Lord:
24
But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will
bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
30
Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb
son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
Surely there are rewards for the faithful and those who are obedient. Those who trust the Lord’s
promises and ways.
And also there are punishments for those who are fearful and who spreads bad reports and
manganginays.
6
So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community
grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— 37 these men who were responsible
for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before
the LORD. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of
Jephunneh survived.
Conclusion:
So, where are you among the 12 leaders? Or what kind of leader are you?
Are you like Caleb and Joshua? – the one who magnifies the promise land more than the
enemies? The one who
believes and trusts God and
knows His promises? The one
who fears God more than the
enemies? The one who will
stand up for what they know
they believe even if the
majority are against to the
point of stoning them.
Or are you the 10 leaders –
who make palabaw ug istorya
sa mga kaaways, who features
more of the enemies strength,
more than the beauty of the
promise land and the promises of God? Are you like them nga manganginays? That because of
their fears and their lack of faith, they influenced others to do so, they influence others to quit
and rebel to the point of stoning their leaders? and not reached the promise land. The place where
God is taking you He promised.
Who are your influencers? What kind of people are you surrounded with?
Are you surrounded with people like Joshua and Caleb? Or surrounded with these 10 leaders
like, but doesn’t really have enough faith to do what God wants us to do.
Are you with good reporters? Or Bad reporters?
What you believe will be your fate.
“I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall- every one of
you twenty years old or more who was counted in census and who has grumbled against me. Not
one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home. Except for Caleb
son of Jephunneh, and Joshua son of Nun.” As for your children that you said would be taken as
plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected– 14 verse 28-31
Sometimes the reason why we cannot reach what we want to reached is not because of our
lack of resources, but because of our lack of faith in God and the actions to do it.
Love the promise and love the process!
We love the place, but we hate the process. Cheaper things always come easy and quick. If this is
our mindset, I call this practical mindset. You need not to go father, the farther you can only go,
is how far you can do, not how far you can reach. Meaning, your progress, depends on what you
have, on what you’re capable of as of the moment. AND NOT WHAT YOU CAN BE, NOT
WHAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO OR REACH! NOT WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN
REACH OR WHAT GOD CAN DO.
We love to grow but we don’t like effort. We love to grow but we lack the faith and the strength
to believe and do it! Like this Church, ganahan tag nindot nga sound systems, glorious praise and
worship, but only the few are willing to sacrifice and be used. Ganahan tag nindot ug growing
nga simbahan pero pila lang ang faithful sa ilahang tithes and offerings, pila lang ang willing mo
sacrifice sa pagpangalagad. Pila lang ang nagministry. Mismong oras dili madumdom. Yet we
demand so much from our leaders, from what we want, we blame them for a failed expectation.
The question is, are we loving the process of really going towards that direction of promise and
vision?
Like towards your family, ganahan tang molambo pero tapulan, ganahan tang maluwas atong
pamilya pero kita mismo wala nagkinabuhing luwas.
The work of God is demanding, but its also rewarding. Its not for the quitters and losers, it’s for
those who are weak enough
There’s no progress when you are not on the process! Especially when you want to go back
home.
That’s why these kind of people, spread rumors of negativities and affect other people’s lives,
and brings chaos, fear, discouragement, doubts and worries, or even panic. Never allow these
people to rule over you, or influenced you, you can only go, how far they can go.
Not all majority wins. Not all minority lose.
Stand for what is right in the sight of God even if almost 90% has turns its back.
Stop looking at the size of your giants, start looking at the size of your God! The size of your
giants, or the size of your lack, or yourself will not take you up to the promise land, but when
you look unto the size of your God, anything is possible!
Do not be intimidated by those giants! Rather keep your eyes focused on the prize, on the
promise, on the power, in the Presence of God, while going through the process!
Take the process! Take the prize!
