Twelve Spies
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way from Egypt to possess.” They blamed their leaders for bringing
trouble upon Israel and again charged them with deceiving the people
and leading them astray.
Moses and Aaron lay prostrate before God, their faces in the dust.
Caleb and Joshua, the two who, of all the twelve spies, trusted in
the word of God, rent their clothes in distress when they perceived
that these unfavorable reports had discouraged the whole camp. They
endeavored to reason with them; but the congregation were filled with
madness and disappointment, and refused to listen to these two men.
Finally Caleb urged his way to the front, and his clear, ringing voice
was heard above all the clamor of the multitude. He opposed the
cowardly views of his fellow spies, which had weakened the faith and
courage of all Israel. He commanded the attention of the people, and
they hushed their complaints for a moment to listen to him. He spoke
of the land he had visited. Said he: “Let us go up at once, and possess
it; for we are well able to overcome it.” But as he spoke, the unfaithful
spies interrupted him, crying: “We be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we.”
These men, starting upon a wrong course, set their hearts against
God, against Moses and Aaron, and against Caleb and Joshua. Every
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step they advanced in this wrong direction made them firmer in their
design to discourage every attempt to possess the land of Canaan.
They distorted the truth in order to carry their baneful purpose. They
represented the climate as being unhealthful and all the people of
giant stature. Said they: “And there we saw the giants, the sons of
Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as
grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
This was not only an evil report, but a lying one also. It was contra-
dictory; for if the land was unhealthy, and had eaten up the inhabitants,
how was it that they had attained to such massive proportions? When
men in responsible positions yield their hearts to unbelief, there are no
bounds to the advance they will make in evil. Few realize, when they
start upon this dangerous course, the length that Satan will lead them.
The evil report had a terrible effect upon the people. They re-
proached Moses and Aaron bitterly. Some groaned and wailed, saying:
“Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God
we had died in this wilderness!” Then their feelings rose against the
Lord; and they wept and mourned, saying: “Wherefore hath the Lord