It's All a Matter of Focus (Numbers 13:25–33)
When the twelve spies first returned to Kadesh to give their report, it must have appeared that they were about to give the go-ahead for the Israelites to go in and claim the land of Canaan. They brought with them a bundle of grapes so big that it took two of them to carry it, and they brought samples of the figs and pomegranates that grew there. However, they also brought with them a report for Moses that would, unfortunately, frighten and discourage the people of Israel to the point where they were ready to give up and go back to Egypt:
We arrived in the land you sent us to see, and it is indeed a magnificent country — a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is some of its fruit as proof. But the people living there are powerful, and their cities and towns are fortified and very large. We also saw the descendants of Anak who are living there! The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley. (Numbers 13:27–29)
The problem with this report isn';t what the ten spies said about the land. These men freely acknowledged that there was a lot positive to be said about the land God had promised to give His people, that it was everything God said it would be and was a wonderful place to make a home for the people of Israel.
Focusing on the beauty of God';s gift and on His ability to keep all His promises, the young spy named Caleb spoke with great confidence and boldness as he attempted to rally the troops for what he was sure would be a successful conquest of the land of Canaan: “We can certainly do it!” (Numbers 13:30).
God had explicitly promised the people of Israel, through Moses, that He would drive the Canaanites out of the land so they could settle in it (Exodus 33:2), yet the ten cowardly spies said, “We can';t do it!” Later, the psalmist wrote that the people actually hated the land because they couldn';t believe God';s promises (Psalm 106:24).
The majority in this group, however, didn';t share Caleb';s confidence. Instead of focusing on God';s promises and on His power to do what seemed impossible, they focused on the giants, fighting men who they thought were unbeatable.
But the other men who had explored the land with him answered, “We can';t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” So they spread discouraging reports about the land among the Israelites: “The land we explored will swallow up any who go to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. We felt like grasshoppers next to them, and that';s what we looked like to them!” (Numbers 13:31–33)
Ten of the spies who had been sent to check out the Promised Land only saw the giants who stood in their way. But Caleb — as well as Joshua — saw the promises of God and His ability to keep those promises. For that reason, he was able to confidently encourage the people to go and take what God had promised them.
Sadly, however, it wasn';t Caleb who had the people';s ear. Instead of listening to Caleb, who was speaking the very words God wanted them to hear, they listened to the ten spies who were more than ready to give into their fears and stay right where they were — or worse, go back to the slavery and bondage in Egypt.
Study Questions
Who were the people that frightened the ten spies so badly that they discouraged the Israelites from entering the Promised Land?
What exactly were Caleb';s words of encouragement to the people of Israel?
