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Chapter 20—The Spies and Their Report
This chapter is based on
Numbers 13, 14
.
The Lord commanded Moses to send men to search the land of
Canaan, which He would give unto the children of Israel. A ruler of
each tribe was to be selected for this purpose. They went and, after
forty days, returned from their search, and came before Moses and
Aaron and all the congregation of Israel, and showed them the fruit
of the land. All agreed that it was a good land, and they exhibited the
rich fruit which they had brought as evidence. One cluster of grapes
was so large that two men carried it between them on a staff. They
also brought of the figs and the pomegranates, which grew there in
abundance.
After they had spoken of the fertility of the land, all but two
spoke very discouragingly of their being able to possess it. They
said that the people were very strong that dwelt in the land, and
the cities were surrounded with great and high walls; and, more
than all this, they saw the children of the giant Anak there. They
then described how the people were situated around Canaan, and the
impossibility of their ever being able to possess it.
As the people listened to this report they gave vent to their
disappointment with bitter reproaches and wailing. They did not
wait and reflect and reason that God, who had brought them out
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thus far, would certainly give them the land. But they yielded to
discouragement at once. They limited the power of the Holy One
and trusted not in God, who had hitherto led them. They reproached
Moses and murmuringly said to one another, This, then, is the end
of all our hopes. This is the land that we have been traveling from
Egypt to obtain.
Caleb and Joshua sought to obtain a hearing, but the people were
so excited that they could not command themselves to listen to these
two men. After they were calmed a little, Caleb ventured to speak.
He said to the people, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for
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