THE LAND
Numbers 13:17–31
No doubt all who call themselves believers have had many times when God has moved in miraculous ways in their lives. We know it was God because it could not happen the way it did without divine intervention.
It may have been a relationship, a job, financial help, health issues, material blessings and more. This covers every facet of our lives, and it wasn’t a one-time event either. It was a consistent outpouring of God’s goodness.
However, no matter how much God may bless us, there are times we may begin to worry when facing the next difficulty. We may even begin to doubt a little and shrink back in fear. Our focus begins to shift away from the promises of God to the problem we may be facing.
That’s exactly what happened to the Israelites in our passage today.
The Task Outlined (17–20)
The people had left Hazeroth and were now encamped in the Desert of Paran, which extended into the southern part of current-day Israel.
God spoke to Moses and instructed him to select 12 leaders from the 12 tribes of Israel — one from each tribe. Their mission was to scout out the land.
The instructions were simple: Go find out what the land is like and what we are up against with the people who live there.
The Land Assessed (21–25)
The scouts explored the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob. Their journey took 40 days to complete. What they found was exactly what God had promised.
It was a land flowing with milk and honey — a fertile, abundant and prosperous land. But they found not only a strong land but a strong people living there as well. The promise was real — but so was the opposition.
The Decision at Hand (26–31)
After returning, they reported their findings to Moses and the whole assembly. They showed them the proof that the promise of God was true, just as God had said.
But they also reported that the land was heavily guarded by strong people and even by giants and could not be taken.
It is always at the “but” that faith begins to break down. However, not all the spies came to the same conclusion. Despite the negative report of 10 of the spies, Caleb declared that God’s people should go and take possession of the land immediately. (Joshua joins Caleb’s entreaty in chapter 14.) Caleb was certain of their ability to conquer it with God’s help.
He believed that because God’s promise was true, God would provide a way for His promise to be realized. However, that would take faith.
The voice of faith boldly calls out for obedience and action. It trusts completely in God and His promises.
I think God sometimes gives us challenges to grow us in our faith. Sometimes He tests our faith to show us our vulnerabilities so we can grow in trusting completely upon Him.
There is another benefit added to faith and trust. We have all the proof that the promises of God are real in all the examples of how He has blessed and delivered us in the past. It is in this that we can face the future with confidence instead of fear.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
By Darrell Nimmo
Retired Baptist pastor living in Goodlettsville, Tennessee
