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Numbers chapter 13 as we continue 
to work our way through the wilderness with the people of God. Remember 
the book of Numbers is called Numbers for the two censuses 
that we find in chapter 1 and then again in chapter 26. Basically 
what you have is that first generation is judged by God and shut down 
in the wilderness and then the second generation is numbered 
in chapter 26. They are the ones that will ultimately 
enter into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, 
the son of Nun, and they will engage in the conquest, the taking 
of possession, or taking the possession of the land that God 
had promised to Abraham, Isaac, So numbers 13 is something of 
a reconnaissance mission. Basically there are spies that 
are sent out or scouts. Some dispute whether or not it 
was a military sort of an operation or rather just a fact-finding 
mission. Regardless, it is recon, and 
they are going to survey the land and to survey the people 
to bring back report to Moses to better equip them and help 
them as they enter into the promised land. So I think we see at the 
outset trust in the providence of God, but as well use means. You don't want to just run into 
a difficult or hostile situation without having any sense of what 
awaits you. So Numbers 13, I'll read the 
chapter and then we'll look at it in some detail. Beginning 
in verse 1, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Send men to 
spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of 
Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, 
everyone a leader among them. So Moses sent them from the wilderness 
of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men 
who were heads of the children of Israel. Now these were their 
names, from the tribe of Reuben Shamwa, the son of Zakur, from 
the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat, the son of Hori, from the tribe 
of Judah, Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Issachar, Egal, 
the son of Joseph, from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, the son of 
Nun, from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti, the son of Raphu, from 
the tribe of Zebulun, Gadiel, the son of Sodhi, from the tribe 
of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gadi, the 
son of Susi. From the tribe of Amiel, the 
son of Gamali. From the tribe of Asher, Sether, 
the son of Michael. From the tribe of Naphtali, Nabi, 
the son of Vashi. From the tribe of Gad, Guel, 
the son of Maki. These are the names of the men 
whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hosea, 
the son of Nun, Joshua. Then Moses sent them to spy out 
the land of Canaan and said to them, go up this way into the 
south and go up to the mountains and see what the land is like, 
whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few 
or many, whether the land they dwell in is good or bad, whether 
the land they dwell in is good or bad, whether the cities they 
inhabit are like camps or strongholds, whether the land is rich or poor, 
and whether there are forests there or not. be of good courage, 
and bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the 
season of the first ripe grapes. So they went up and spied out 
the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehab, near 
the entrance of Hamath. And they went up through the 
south and came to Hebron, Ahimon, Sheshai, and Talmai. The descendants 
of Anak were there. Now Hebron was built seven years 
before Zohan in Egypt. Then they came to the valley 
of Eshkol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of 
grapes. They carried it between two of them on a pole. They also 
brought some of the pomegranates and figs. The place was called 
the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster which the men 
of Israel cut down there. And they returned from spying 
out the land after 40 days. Now they departed and came back 
to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children 
of Israel in the wilderness of Perun at Kadesh. They brought 
back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them 
the fruit of the land. Then they told him and said, 
we went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with 
milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people 
who dwell in the land are strong. The cities are fortified and 
very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants 
of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land. 
Of the south, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell 
in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the 
banks of the Jordan. Then Caleb quieted the people 
before Moses and said, let us go up at once and take possession, 
for we are well able to overcome it. But the men who had gone 
up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people, 
for they are stronger than we. And they gave the children of 
Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, 
The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that 
devours its inhabitants. and all the people whom we saw 
in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants, the 
descendants of Anak came from the giants, and we were like 
grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." 
Amen. Well, as I said, if you're about 
to go into a land that you know nothing about, it is probably 
a good idea to scout it out, to survey it, to recon it, to 
see what lies on the other side in terms of that particular border. 
And we notice here in verses 1 and 2, the Lord spoke to Moses 
saying, In Deuteronomy, it seems to indicate that the people of 
Israel actually made this request to go upon this reconnaissance 
mission. In Deuteronomy 119, it says, 
So we departed from Horeb and went through all that great and 
terrible wilderness, which you saw on the way to the mountains 
of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. Then 
we came to Kadesh Barnea, and that's where we are in chapter 
13 in Numbers, Kadesh Barnea. And I said to you, you have come 
to the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving 
us. Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up 
and possess it as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to 
you. Do not fear nor be discouraged. And every one of you came near 
to me and said, let us send men before us and let them search 
out the land for us and bring back word to us of the way by 
which we should go up and of the cities into which we shall 
come. The plan pleased me well, so I took 12 of your men, one 
man from each tribe." So when we go back to chapter 13 in verse 
1, and the Lord spoke to Moses, commentators suggest that it 
was a decision made by the children of Israel to send out these spies 
or scouts, and God certainly gave his approval to it, as we 
see here in Numbers chapter 13. So we see the Lord's word mediated 
by Moses to the children of Israel, and it's based on the Lord's 
promise. We want to look first at the 
instructions for the mission in verses 1 to 25, and then secondly, 
the interpretation of the mission in verses 26 to 33. There's a 
big difference between 10 of the spies and 2 of the spies, 
and it does deserve our attention. But in terms of the instructions 
for the mission, we've got the command stated or revealed by 
God, and we see it grounded in his promise. Notice in verse 
2, "...send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving 
to the children of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers 
you shall send a man, everyone a leader among them." So the 
promise made to Abraham, God said specifically, if you look 
north, you look south, you look east, you look west, I'm gonna 
give all this to you. We know it's ultimately fulfilled 
in Jesus, According to Romans 4.13, Jesus is the seed of Abraham. According to Galatians 3.16, 
there was an immediate promise, though, in terms of tenure in 
the land. So God had spoken that promise to Abraham back in Genesis 
15. He reconfirmed it to Isaac in 
Genesis 26, and then again to Jacob in Genesis 28. In other 
words, we can't really understand what's happening here in numbers 
in terms of the wilderness wanderings without some consciousness of 
what happened before. The promise to the patriarchs 
in the book of Genesis, the exodus of the children of Israel out 
of bondage in Egypt in the book of Exodus, and then legislation 
regulating their conduct both in terms of moral law and specifically 
ceremonial law with reference to Leviticus and the preparation 
of the tabernacle and the priesthood for this interim period wherein 
they would wander in the land and eventually would conquer 
the land And then that tabernacle, that temporary dwelling place 
of God would give way to the permanent structure, which was 
called the temple. And that was brought about by 
Solomon. Certainly David had a desire 
to do it, but he was a man of war. And so it was Solomon that 
would realize that particular promise. But the land promise 
is the foundation for everything that you see in this section. 
And the children of Israel knew about this promise. This was 
reiterated to Moses according to Exodus chapter three and verse 
17. Elsewhere, whenever Moses intercedes 
on behalf of the children of Israel, which he has to do a 
lot because they continue to sin against God, he oftentimes 
reminds God or brings to realization the fact that God had made this 
promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So I think right off the 
bat in verse 2, what we see in terms of the point of this particular 
chapter, it was a matter of faith or lack of faith in the promise 
of God Most High. And that fits well with this 
particular section in the book of Numbers. Remember the idealized 
version is that God would manifest himself by pillar and cloud and 
he would provide divine guidance to the children of Israel as 
they wandered in the wilderness. And it's, again, the idealized 
version. God would appear to them in that 
visible representation, and he would guide them through the 
various afflictions and hardships and woes. You see that in Exodus 
40, 36-38, and then as well in Numbers 9, verses 15-23. But once we get out of that idealized 
version, we get into the realized version. We get into the rebellion, 
the grumbling, the whining, and the complaining of the children 
of Israel. We've seen that over the last couple of weeks. Remember 
in chapter 11, the people complain. They have this intense longing, 
this craving for meat. It's not because they were hungry. 
They were not starving. They had manna, and manna had 
manifold uses with reference to its preparation and to its 
ingestion. But they were complaining because 
they wanted to go back ultimately to Egypt. Remember, theirs was 
a question of who. In 11.4, it says, who will give 
us meat to eat? And then they reminisce on what 
they had in Egypt. We remember the fish which we 
ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, 
and the garlic. But now our whole being is dried 
up. There is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes. So 
they weren't starving. They weren't that far into their 
journey. But they're already given over 
to this lust for flesh. So of course, God gives them 
this. But it's by way of judgment. It is by way of chastisement. It is a way to bring his wrath 
upon them. And then, of course, in chapter 
12, we have the challenge of Moses' leadership by Miriam and 
Aaron. And again, we see in there God's 
judgment, not quite as severe as it was in the Quail incident, 
not quite as severe as it's going to be in subsequent incidents, 
but Miriam is struck with leprosy, and then God sends her outside 
of the camp for a period of seven days. That halts progress in 
terms of their movement through the wilderness. So what we are 
seeing here is the realized version of a God-guided people that nevertheless 
have remaining corruption in their hearts. Most likely for 
many of them, they had reigning corruption in their hearts. And 
instead of submitting and obeying and complying with the leadership 
of God, they continually buck against it. And that's precisely 
the framework that we have here. God reminds them that I'm giving 
you the land of Canaan. Now, in terms of the men, as 
I mentioned earlier, you've got a division. You've got 10 faithless 
spies and 2 faithful spies. Morales makes the comment concerning 
the 10. Ironically, the 10 scouts' speech 
will actually contradict the word and will of Yahweh through 
Moses. They are anti-prophets. And that 
is precisely the posture that they assume. They try, through 
an appeal to emotion, to sway the congregation of Israel. Now, 
I didn't read into chapter 14, but if you've read it before, 
you'll know who the congregation listens to. They don't listen 
to Joshua and Caleb. Caleb with his, let us go up 
at once and take the land that God has promised to give us. 
Rather, they listen to the ten. Which again, I think is symptomatic 
of the people of God at times. We are given to that negativity, 
we're given to that interpretation of the facts that puts the worst 
possible spin on it, even in light of the fact that God has 
made promises contrary to that. Now in terms of the faithful 
spies, I think we have at least representative what will later 
be the divided kingdom. You've got the north and you've 
got the south. You've got the tribe of Judah, represented by 
Caleb, and then the tribe of Ephraim, which is Israel, represented 
by Joshua. So we've got Caleb indicated 
in verse 6, Joshua in verse 8, and I'm not going to read the 
rest of those guys. That's not a fun exercise for 
a non-Hebrew speaker to read Hebrew names in a public setting. And if you've ever noticed that 
Cam or Mark have fallen into that unhappiness, I don't do 
that on purpose. Oh, we got a tough chapter. Hey, 
Cam, can you lead worship? I typically try not to do that. 
It just sort of falls out that way occasionally. But notice 
that note there in verse 16. These are the names of the men 
who Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hosea, 
the son of Nun, Joshua. Now, he has been identified as 
Joshua previous to this. I don't think this means at this 
point now Hosea has become Joshua. This is probably just a comment 
or an indicator of the reality of this Joshua and something 
concerning the significance of his name. Matthew Poole comments, 
Hosea notes a desire for salvation signifying, save we pray thee. But Joshua includes a promise 
of salvation that he should save or that God by his hand should 
save the people. So this was a prophecy of his 
succession to Moses in the government and of the success of his arms. And of course, I think that Joshua 
functions as a type of Christ in terms of his name. Yahweh 
is salvation, but in terms of his purpose, Joshua will lead 
the conquest. Joshua will be the man who leads 
the children of Israel into the land of Canaan to dispossess 
that land through violence and through mayhem and through war. 
And so Joshua is tasked with ultimately saving his people 
from their oppressors. And of course, at the naming 
of our Lord Jesus, you shall call his name Jesus, for it is 
he who will save his people from their sin." So Joshua is typical. We see that comparison as well 
in the book of Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 4, Joshua 
was the one that brought them into rest in the land of Canaan. The argument in the context is 
Jesus, the greater than Joshua, will bring them into their eternal 
Canaan. And so I think that's the significance 
behind the naming of Joshua the son of Nun there. Now, in terms 
of the specifics in verses 17 to 20, you see the root indicated 
in verse 17. And then you see an emphasis 
on a survey of the land and people. Now, remember, God had not only 
given them the promise that they were going to inherit this land 
that he had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had reconfirmed 
to Moses and the children of Israel, but several times along 
the way in terms of promise, he indicated that it would be 
a land flowing with milk and honey. The spies confirm as much 
in verse 27. Then they told him and said, 
we went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with 
milk and honey, and this is its fruit. So, with that in mind, 
they already know God's promise to give it to them. They already 
know that it's going to be a good and bountiful land. It's going 
to flow with milk and honey. It's going to be a blessing. 
It's going to be conducive to a happy life in terms of a particular 
piece of dirt that is quite gracious in terms of yield. So Moses specifically 
wants to know things about the situation. Notice in verses 18 
and following. And see what the land is like, 
whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few 
or many, whether the land they dwell in is good or bad, whether 
the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds, whether 
the land is rich or poor, and whether there are forests there 
or not. So investigate, survey, search 
out, scout, and learn these particular things. Moses wants to know specifically 
the lay of the land. Certainly the inhabitants of 
the land fare in there as well, but it's primarily an emphasis 
on the land. So he wants to know whether they 
are strong or weak, few or many, and he wants to know whether 
they are ready to fight or not. I think that's the emphasis there, 
specifically in verse 19. Whether the land they dwell in 
is good or bad, whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or 
strongholds. Be kind of nice to know if they're 
a simple folk that aren't armed to the teeth, that's probably 
more conducive to our conquest. But if they're in strongholds 
and they're eager fighting men ready to throw down, that's probably 
something we should know as well. Morales comments, historically 
the open settlements, literally encampments, versus fortified 
cities has been understood in a counterintuitive manner. Open 
settlements mean the inhabitants are strong and courageous, while 
fortified cities implies they are weak and cowardly. Likely, 
however, fortified cities represent the strength of civilizations 
and the idea of impregnability. I think that's correct. Are they 
in strongholds? Again, something that one would 
want to know as he's wielding a sword, wandering into battle. 
So these are good questions that Moses poses to them in terms 
of the particular mission that they are going after. Then notice 
the specific charge that he gives in verse 20b, be of good courage. It shouldn't surprise us that 
this comes up again in Joshua, Joshua chapter 1, verse 2, Joshua, 
that he is to be of good courage, he's to be strong, he's to be 
a meditator upon the word of God day and night, and then Joshua 
in turn turns to the people of Israel and gives them a similar 
charge. So again, when we see this, God 
has promised, God is faithful, God's presence is with them, 
He is guiding them, but it necessitates on the part of God's people a 
right use of means, it necessitates on the part of God's people a 
right courage in light of the fact that He is indeed in their 
midst, that He is indeed their guidance and their provider. So the idea that God is sovereign 
should not mitigate against courage on the part of the people of 
God. It's because God is sovereign that that serves as the impetus 
for us to have that courage and to step out in faith. And then 
the last statement there in verse 20, "...and bring some of the 
fruit of the land. Now the time was the season of 
the first ripe grapes." Why would they want to bring some of the 
fruit of the land? Well, it would serve as a great encouragement 
to all of the other children of Israel that the land indeed 
does produce, that the land is indeed fruitful, and therefore 
what God has promised we have confirmed by bringing, as it 
were, this down payment as to what lay in the future for the 
children of Israel. It was to encourage them. The 
confirmation of God's promise concerning the goodness of the 
land would encourage the Israelites to take courage and to go after 
that land that God had promised them. And then the summary is 
given in verses 21 to 25. We don't have two different accounts. 
I think 21 to 25 gives us a general overview of what happens. And 
then verses 26 and following explore that in more detail, 
similar to Genesis 1. There's no two creation accounts 
in Genesis 1 and 2. Genesis 1 gives us an overview, 
gives us the specifics. And then Genesis 2 focuses in 
on the sixth day and the creation of man in the image of God. So 
that brings us then to the, well, before that, notice that reference 
to Hebron. Hebron in verse 22. Hebron was 
a significant place in Old Covenant history. Basically, it was the 
place where God had first given land to Abraham. Remember, that's 
where Sarah was buried. That's where the patriarchs are 
buried. That's where the wives of the patriarchs are buried. 
So Hebron is significant, and Hebron looms large in redemptive 
history. But as we go through the 10 spies, 
they didn't focus on the fact the patriarchs were buried there. 
They didn't focus on the fact the patriarchs' wives were buried 
there. They only focused upon the threat that presented itself 
via the inhabitants of the land. So that brings us then to the 
interpretation of the mission. And there's three sections here. 
First, the initial report by the 10 men in verses 26 to 29. 
Second, the report by Caleb in verse 30. And then thirdly, the 
revised report by the 10 men in verses 31 to 33. They want 
to actually dampen and counteract the good wisdom that Caleb expresses 
there in verse 30. But first, look at the initial 
report by the 10 men, verses 26 to 29. There's a summary statement 
in verse 26. Now they departed and came back 
to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children 
of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought 
back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them 
the fruit of the land. So they went out, they've done 
their particular tasks, they've surveyed, scouted the land, and 
now they're back. So then we have this confirmation 
in verse 27. There's two things to observe 
here, though. Notice, then they told him and 
said, we went to the land where you sent us. It's subtle, but 
it's a bit of a shift. We went to the land where you 
sent us, Moses. We didn't go to the land where 
God promised to give us. That's again subtle, but it is 
a shift in terms of orientation. We went to the land where you 
sent us. Almost like Moses concocted this plan. Almost like Moses 
was the one that was the engineer behind this plan. Almost like 
Moses was in the place of God at this particular point. They 
completely neglect the fact that we learn in verse 2 that they 
themselves knew, as it had been given to them by Moses from the 
hand of God, that the Lord had promised and the Lord was giving 
them. So we went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows 
with milk and honey, and this is its fruit." So they confirm 
the goodness of the land. So in that respect, thus far, 
they're doing all right. But then they get to the challenges 
in verse 28. And that nevertheless, if verse 
27 is a bit subtle, the land where you sent us, the nevertheless 
in verse 28 hits one like a slap in the face. Nevertheless, God 
promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Nevertheless, God is present 
with you through pillar and cloud. Nevertheless, you know that it 
is indeed a good land and that it is full of good fruit. Nevertheless, 
indicates a shift in their confidence. And thus, as we move through 
the narrative, specifically at the revised report, it indicates 
a lack of faith. They're not trusting God. They're 
not looking to the most high. They're rather looking at the 
challenges. And as I was thinking about this, you've probably met 
those super optimistic people before. They come up to, I'm 
not pessimistic, I'm realistic. They come up to us realistic 
ones and they say, oh, obstacles are just challenges to be overcome. That really doesn't do a lot 
for me as a realist. I think there's still obstacles. 
And that's kind of a cheesy saying, but I think it's somewhat true 
here. But it's not optimism. It's faith 
in the living and true God. You're not supposed to interpret 
these challenges as obstacles such that you're going to throw 
in the towel, forsake the command of the Lord, and renege in terms 
of the conquest, and go back to Egypt. Now brethren, make 
no mistake, that's still the overarching theme. Look at chapter 
14, verse 4. So they said to one another, 
let us select a leader and return to Egypt. Even after having seen 
the judgment of God, with reference to the quail, even after having 
seen the judgment of God, with reference to Miriam, after knowing 
God's disapproval of that longing of their hearts to go back to 
Egypt, they nevertheless want a who that's going to supply 
them with the things that they want. They're not interested 
in the who that is the living and true God. So they look at 
the challenges as obstacles that they cannot surmount. They are 
obstacles that argue that we should turn around. Notice as 
well the emphasis on the people disregards the promise of the 
land by God. Verse 28, nevertheless the people 
who dwell in the land are strong. Brethren, that is no match for 
the living and true God. And again, if you had just witnessed 
this outpouring, I mean, it probably was much louder than this rain, 
when God sent those quail, and then they started to eat the 
quail, and they started to vomit the quail, and the quail started 
coming out of their noses, and God kills them through judgment, 
as he had promised, You'd think that would put a little fear 
of God in their hearts, but it seems to be completely absent. 
The people who dwell in the land are strong. The cities are fortified 
and very large. Moreover, we saw the descendants 
of Anak there. And if you look specifically 
at verse 33, there we saw the giants. The descendants of Anak 
came from the giants. This is the Nephilim. Now, however 
we interpret the Nephilim, and that's certainly not the subject 
for discussion tonight, they appear in Genesis 6-4. I think 
the only other place is here in the Old Testament. Whatever we think of the Nephilim, 
they were scary and somewhat legendary at this point in redemptive 
history to the children of Israel. So basically they go into the 
land, they say, the sons of Anak are there, the giants are there. It really is a land that, while 
good, nevertheless has a lot of bad people in it. So the presence 
or the reference to the cities minimizes, at least in their 
wording, the power of God. the presence of the sons of Anak 
highlights, at least as far as they're concerned, the impossibility 
of the conquest at the behest of God. And so the identification 
of the inhabitants mounts the argument against Israel. So my 
argument tonight is that they're arguing based on an appeal to 
emotion. They're not arguing based on 
fact. They're not arguing based on 
logic. They're not arguing based on 
faith in the word of the living God. They're saying, look, the 
cities are fortified. Look, the sons of Anak are there. 
Look, the Nephilim are there. Look, the problem is all there. There's nothing that we can do 
to get into that particular land. It is an expression of faithlessness. And this is the good report. So basically, in terms of summary, 
they say it is a good land, but the people are strong. It is 
a good land. They confirm that in verse 27. 
They're holding up the fruit. Morales says their subtle deception 
lies rather in their either-or reporting. Moses had asked about 
both the land and the inhabitants, whereas the scouts report on 
the land versus the inhabitants. Again, great land, but it's those 
pesky inhabitants. The whole description serves 
to undergird the negation with which it starts. Nevertheless, 
the land is unattainable due to its fierce inhabitants. Yahweh's 
terrible presence, power, and promises, in other words, are 
irrelevant. Now again, brethren, they just 
saw the quail situation. They were liberated from the 
strong arm of the Most High out of Egypt through a series of 
ten plagues. They had witnessed Pharaoh and 
his armies be cast into the Red Sea. They had witnessed tremendous 
and miraculous things. Certainly some sons of Anak and 
some Nephilim and some fortified cities are no match for the Most 
High. John Gill makes this observation, 
though so plentiful and fruitful and desirable to enjoy, yet this 
objection lay against all hopes and even attempts to possess 
it as they thought. the strength of the people, its 
present inhabitants, both in body and mind, being persons 
of a large and some of a prodigious stature, and to all appearance 
men of valor and courage. And the cities are walled and 
very great, and so inaccessible, and able to hold out a long siege, 
and repel what force may be brought against them. so that to attack 
them would be to little purpose. And moreover, we saw the children 
of Anak there, whom they had heard of before, and so had the 
congregation of Israel. And many terrible and frightful 
stories were told of them. And these they now saw with their 
eyes, and very formidable they appeared to them. This seems 
to prove that others beside Caleb and Joshua were at Hebron, where 
the sons of Anak lived. And so they might and yet not 
be together with them." So basically summarizing, good land, bad people, 
let's consider this with more attention. That brings us to 
the report by Caleb. Notice first that he quiets the 
people. I think this is preventative 
maintenance. He knows that we are prone to wander and prone 
to leave the God that we love. He knows that there does seem 
to be in us an inclination, a bent, a downward trend to fixate on 
things that are negative. I think Paul picks this up. I've 
already referred to that text in Philippians chapter 2. Do 
all things without complaining and disputing. Well, why would 
Paul have to tell happy Christians that? Because happy Christians 
need to be told to stop whining and to stop complaining and to 
stop crumbling. The reality is, and that's where 
we find ourselves in the wilderness now, the idealized version, God's 
guidance, we'll just soar through the wilderness, we'll enter into 
the conquest, and we'll just mop up the land, with reference 
to the Canaanites. The reality is, is this intense 
craving for meat. The reality is, is why does Moses 
have more authority than we do? The reality is, that's a great 
land, but the people are just too much for us. So Caleb quiets 
the people. He recognized the ten spies were, 
you know, Debbie Downers. He realized the ten spies could 
possibly win the day. And so he understood that I better 
step up right away and hush the people so that we can get back 
on track and not give any attention to these whiners. Morales says 
Caleb wants to curtail the scout's negativity by proceeding with 
the divine plan speedily, burning down, as it were, the bridge 
of retreat before the faithless fear spreads to the people. I 
think that's right. He wants to make sure that they 
burn down the bridge of retreat before the faithless fear spreads 
to the people. Caleb understood. If this faithless 
fear gets into the hearts of these people, we're in for big 
trouble. Now there was a military general 
in history, I thought it was Genghis Khan, but I've done a 
little research and I couldn't find it. But this particular 
king would lead his troops into battle and as soon as they arrived 
he would tell his own troops to burn the boats. Because if 
they didn't burn the boats, that meant if they didn't win the 
enemy and take their boats, they weren't going to go home. So 
Caleb expresses, maybe not to that dramatic of an effect, but 
that's kind of the purpose here. He wants to crush the potential 
rebellion that will set in if the people get this faithless 
fear in their hearts. Notice the command of Caleb. 
So verse 30, then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, 
let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able 
to overcome it. The instruction to go up at once. 
There ought not to be any delay. We ought not to let the sons 
of Anak, or any Nephilim, or any strongholds, or any cities 
that are impregnable, we ought not to let that deter us. God 
promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God has given it to us 
through Moses. We've seen what he did in the 
Exodus. We've seen what he did in the 
Quail. We've seen what he did with Miriam. Let's go up at once, 
without any delay, Gil says, for there is nothing more to 
be done than to enter and take possession. This, he said, trusting 
to the promise of God, who is faithful, and to his power, who 
is able to perform. Again, that's the point of the 
narrative. It is faithless fear and faithful 
courage. And that's what's being expressed 
here by Caleb. And then finally, the revised 
report by the 10 men. Well, just a summary of Caleb's 
position. It is a good land. There are 
big people, but we have a bigger God. He doesn't say, well, there's 
no threat. There's no Anak. There's no issue. He doesn't say that. But he understands 
that they have an ability under the power of God Almighty to 
go in and vanquish their enemies. And then that brings the revised 
report by the 10 men. This is where they're functioning 
as anti-prophets. They are throwing a wrench in 
the machine. You get 10 guys with any degree 
of sway, and these were men of sway. Notice specifically in 
verse 3. So Moses sent them from the wilderness, 
a parent, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men 
who were heads of the children of Israel. These weren't soldiers. 
That's why the reading that it wasn't a military sort of a reconnaissance, 
I think has some weight to it. But notice they were heads of 
the children of Israel. When your tribal head or your 
clan head tells you, I just don't think we got it. I don't think 
we can do it. That's going to paralyze the 
children of Israel. And that's precisely what happens 
when we enter into chapter 14. But notice they speak first concerning 
their inability. Just the contra, complete contrast 
to what Caleb says in verse 30. Let us go up at once and take 
possession, for we are well able to overcome it. So then they 
come preaching their inability, and not the right kind of inability. 
There is an inability that we should preach, but not this kind 
of inability. But the men who had gone up with 
him said, we are not able to go up against the people, for 
they are stronger than we. They are shifting their report. So they had a subtle expression 
of a lack of faith that has now blossomed into a full bloom in 
terms of a lack of faith. We are not able. This demonstrates 
a lack of faith. It demonstrates a failure to 
remember the power of God. Have you ever wondered why, when 
you're reading through the book of Psalms, there are several 
references to Exodus? You see him in the books ascribed 
to Asaph. Asaph was a pretty melancholy 
fellow. He was a very sorrowful fellow. Well, if you kind of 
read between the lines, he had every reason to be sorrowful 
and melancholic because he lived at a time when the temple was 
not being treated properly, when the sanctuary of the Lord was 
being desecrated. So bad things were happening. 
Well, how does God encourage Asaph, or how does Asaph encourage 
himself under the inspiration of the Spirit of God? Look back 
to the Exodus. You may not see that kind of 
power displayed in the immediate, but that doesn't mean it never 
has been displayed. It doesn't mean it can never 
be displayed. We don't judge God based on our 
present circumstances. We read the scripture. We see 
what God does in history. We look at our own history and 
we see how God has shown himself to be faithful. He's never left 
us. He's never forsaken us. And we have the great confident 
expectation that God, who began this good work in us, will complete 
it unto the day of Christ. And so this is what they're failing 
to rehearse or failing to recall. And again, it's an appeal to 
emotion. It's an appeal to what their 
eyes see and what the interpretation of the ten spies communicates. 
Notice, as well, it's a rejection of the presence of God. God promised, 
by pillar and cloud, to be with them. He is with them. We've 
seen it when they depart. God's with them. And yet, they 
deny that, resist it, and reject it. by revising their statement 
to the congregation of Israel. Notice then, specifically in 
terms of verses 32 and 33, And they gave the children of Israel 
a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, The 
land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours 
its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are 
men of great stature. All of them? Every single one 
of them? Only the sons of Anak? Only Nephilim? Huh, that's interesting that 
the entirety of Canaan is populated by giants. So you see what they're 
doing. We're not able. And here now, 
instead of good land, big people, or little hope, they've revised 
it to bad land, worse people, no chance. They're very clear 
now. The land through which we have 
gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and 
all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 
Timothy Ashley comments, whether this phrase meant that the land 
was infertile or unstable, warlike and unforgiving, or even comparable 
with Sheol, the real point is that the phrase is designed rhetorically 
to frighten the people and win them to the majority view. This 
is a battle. between Caleb and these antiprophets. This is a battle between faith 
in the living and true God or lack of faith in the living and 
true God. That's what's going on in this instance. He says, 
the land itself was destructive, not to mention the inhabitants 
who were equally frightening. They were men of great stature. 
They come back with all this fruit. They say it is a land 
flowing with milk and honey. And within the space of however 
many verses, they're saying, now, the land through which we 
have gone and spies is a land that devours its inhabitants. 
There's no hope for us. There's no chance whatsoever. 
And then in verse 33, there we saw the giants, the descendants 
of Anak came from the giants, and we were like grasshoppers 
in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. Morales makes 
this comment. I think it's appropriate. While 
fear of man may appear innocuous, Its heinous root is a lack of 
the fear of God. If they had feared God, they 
would not have feared the inhabitants of the land. It really is that 
easy. Numbers 13 is one of those lessons 
or passages you can take your five-year-old or your three-year-old 
and say, look, believing in God, good. Not believing in God, bad. Because that's what happens in 
chapter 14, God willing, we'll look at next week. Just in conclusion, 
just a few thoughts. Morales' commentary makes a good 
sort of parallel between the garden and this situation. The 
Garden of Eden was ultimately a challenge to the authority 
of God's Word. Has God indeed said? What's these 
antiprophets are doing? They're aping the serpent in 
the garden. And the concept of good and bad that you find in 
here, and the looking for forests, the trees, and the good and the 
evil sort of motifs, I think there's an argument to be made 
there. But the antiprophets have assumed 
the position of the tempter with reference to Adam and Eve. It's 
a horrible thing. He says, the damning sin of the 
scouts was their slandering of the land. In effect, playing 
the same role as the serpent, Needon, who had slandered God's 
character to dissuade the woman from clinging to God's word with 
faith and obedience. So they, serpent-like, are appealing 
to the congregation. If these ten guys want to go 
whine and cry and leave and go off into the wilderness on their 
own, go ahead! but they want to infect the entirety 
of the congregation of Israel. So there are huge stakes involved 
when they say, we are not able to go up against the people for 
they are stronger than we. That is not acceptable in leading 
men or heads of the children of Israel. Remember, Moses' admonition 
in verse 18, be of good courage. That's not good courage. Or I'm 
sorry, verse 20. That's cowardice. That's whimpery. That's bad. And so they are aping 
the serpent when they appeal to the children of Israel to 
disbelieve God and the promise that he had given. Now in terms 
of the demonstration of their unbelief, remember the whole 
narrative is couched in verse 2, which I am giving to the children 
of Israel. The mission confirmed the promise 
of God in terms of the fruitfulness of the land, according to verse 
27. The mission displayed their lack of confidence in God in 
verses 31 to 33. As for this God who brought us 
to this point, notice they say as much, 14.3. Why has the Lord 
brought us to this land to fall by the sword that our wives and 
children should become victims? Would it not be better for us 
to return to Egypt? What a bunch of thankless, godless, 
unbelieving wretches. And this is how they are persuading 
the children of Israel. It is a horrible thing for these 
heads of Israel to be engaged in this particular conduct. The 
mission ultimately reveals the longing of their hearts. They 
want to go back to Egypt. Remember they said, we got all 
this for free. You didn't get it for free. You 
were slaves. You were beaten. You were abused. 
You were stripped of any liberty. But as long as your external 
needs were met, then slavery was preferable to liberty. Still 
convinced, I think liberty scares people. And I think that's the 
case in this particular instance here. And the mission demonstrated 
the rejection of the goodness of God. 14.3 is such an indictment 
upon them. Why has the Lord brought us to 
this land to fall by the sword that our wives and children should 
become victims? Would it not be better for us 
to return to Egypt? Has God said? You mean God's 
putting the kibosh on you here in the garden? Well, that's what 
they're saying. God's putting the kibosh on us. 
He's going to destroy us in this land. Now, ironically, these 
heads get destroyed in this chapter, but it's because they invited 
that destruction. Notice as well we've got the 
faith of Caleb and Joshua. We know Joshua is one of them 
because Joshua will go on to lead the children of Israel in 
the conquest proper. But if you skip ahead just for 
a moment to 1436, Now, the men who Moses sent to spy out the 
land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against 
him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who 
brought the evil report about the land died by the plague before 
the Lord. But Joshua, the son of Nun, and 
Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of the men who 
went to spy out the land. And I think it ultimately hinges 
on the interpretation of the mission. They all had the same 
promise. They all saw the same sites. They all scouted the same 
people. They scouted the same cities. 
They scouted the same situation. Unbelief interpreted it as only 
bad. Belief interpreted it as God 
is going to give us this as he promised. So, brethren, may it 
be the case that we, by God's grace and the presence and the 
power of His Holy Spirit, have an increased faith and we are 
of good courage in the service of God. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You that 
all these things are written for our admonition. upon whom 
the ends of the ages have come. And we praise you that we have 
the Old Testament and the various narratives that display your 
glory and your majesty, as well displaying the reality of remaining 
corruption in some and reigning sin in others. We ask God that 
you would increase our faith, cause us to know the nearness 
of the Spirit of God in our own hearts and lives, and help us 
to be courageous in a godless age. and to shine as lights in 
a crooked and perverse generation, holding forth your word of truth. 
And we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, any questions or 
comments? those who were tempted to oppose 
God. Just thinking about looking forward 
to Numbers 14, why would the Israelites think that they would 
be welcome back Yeah, yeah, exactly. The folly 
of a sinner thinking that their previous God was going to be 
on a cable. It's not the brightest bulb, 
so you can't really buy into it. Yes? So like in 1426, it said, 
my servant Caleb has a different spirit than when he has followed 
me fully. Is Caleb like a type of Christ 
as well? I'm sorry? So like in 1426. I'm sorry, 24, about my servant 
Caleb. Because he has a different spirit in him and has followed 
me fully, is he a type of Christ? Because Jesus did fully the will 
of his Father? Yeah, you could say that. I mean, 
there's a lot of types and prefigurements. And I think that kind of confidence 
and that kind of courage certainly is typical of what we find in 
the Savior. And incidentally, in the Conquest, 
in Joshua chapter 14, guess what piece of land Caleb wants? He wants where the sons of Adam 
go. He wants that land. He's going 
to go in and kick them out. So Caleb is not a one-trick pony 
in Numbers 13. In fact, in Joshua 14, he said, 
you know, it's been 40 years, 45 years. Since that incident, 
I've only followed the Lord. Give me that spot where the enemy 
are. And I'll take care of business. So Caleb was, in fact, a good 
man of God. So yeah. Yeah. At the age of 
85, he's fighting. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, 
definitely. Very cool to see. Yeah, I listened 
to something from Hans Kroll. He preached on the fate of Caleb. 
Oh, nice. In August. I listened to that 
on Sunday. Awesome. Very cool. Good. Just 
recently? Yeah, August 25 or something 
like that. Nice. Very cool. All right, well, I 
think it's time to get back to work.