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The story in numbers 13

 





After the Israelites had journeyed through the wilderness from Egypt, the Lord spoke to Moses at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. God instructed Moses to send men to explore the land of Canaan, the land He was giving to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Numbers 13:1-2).

Moses chose one leader from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. These men were heads of their people, respected and wise. Among them were Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah and Joshua son of Nun from the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:3-16).

The twelve spies were sent to spy out the land for forty days. They explored the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo Hamath (Numbers 13:17-21). The spies saw that the land was rich and fertile, flowing with milk and honey. They gathered a large cluster of grapes, along with figs and pomegranates, to bring back as proof of the land’s abundance (Numbers 13:23-24).

When the spies returned to Moses and the people, they reported what they had seen. Ten of the spies said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:32-33). They were afraid and spread a discouraging report, saying that the people in the land were too strong to overcome.

But Caleb silenced the people and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30). Joshua also urged the Israelites to trust in the Lord and not be afraid.

Despite Caleb and Joshua’s courage, the people were filled with fear and doubt. Their lack of faith in God’s promise led to consequences that would shape their journey in the wilderness.


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