Creator, Father, King #92

The LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!

GIANT WARRIORS!

Giant fortresses!

Giant fruit and other agricultural produce!

The Land of Canaan Welcomes You!

Okay, maybe that’s not the greatest Board of Tourism campaign. But that’s how Israel initially viewed their future home.

After spending almost a year at Mount Sinai, the Israelites finally arrived at the southern tip of Canaan. They were so close to entering the Promised Land—the land that God had promised to give to Abraham’s descendants.

God told Moses to send twelve spies to scout Canaan before the entire nation entered. Forty days later, they returned, and ten of them gave a frightful report: “The people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. . . . The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there!” (Numbers 13:28, 32-33).

Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, remained faithful to God, imploring the people to trust in him. “They have no protection,” they said, “but the LORD is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” (14:9).

In the end, the people listened to the ten faithless spies and rebelled against God. They even considered stoning Caleb and Joshua and returning to Egypt. How quickly they forgot all the mighty works God had performed for them in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and on the way to Canaan!

As a result, God sentenced Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years before entering Canaan until the faithless generation perished. He also sent a deadly plague on the ten cowardly spies.

What’s It Mean?

This is a somber story, to say the least! But there’s much we can learn both from Israel’s faithless response to the spies’ report and Caleb and Joshua’s praiseworthy reaction.

In the face of overwhelming pressure to go with the crowd, Caleb and Joshua remained faithful to the Lord. They stood their ground even when threatened with death. They looked beyond what their eyes told them and remembered God’s promises, which always come true.

What about you? Are you in a situation where people are testing your faith or trying to drag you into unbelief? Are you tempted to believe that the challenges facing you are greater than God’s limitless power?

Remember the Lord’s promises! He is faithful, and he will be with you.

Now What?

Prayerfully meditate on five biblical promises of God, thanking him for his faithfulness. One to start with is Psalm 103:8.

Did You Know?

Caleb’s nephew, Othniel, became Israel’s first judge during that period (Judges 1:13 and 3:7-11).