Numbers 13:1-3, 16-20—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 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, every one a leader among them." 3 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…16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 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, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 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 the people of Israel have arrived at the Wilderness of Paran, which was in the land of Canaan. But they do not know the land or what is contained therein. These are people who had lived in Egypt all their lives, then came out and dwelt at Mt. Sinai for a couple years, and now they are in a place they have never been and know nothing about. So they must go out and see what resources are available and what dangers there may be that may come upon them. Now, before we go too deep into the text, I want to touch on what it says in verse 16. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. This is one of those verses that just seems oddly juxtaposed. Well, let’s address it. Because it is one of those places where a skeptic of Scripture could say “he was already called Joshua, why does it say this here?” Well, yes, we do see him called Joshua 7 times in Exodus. But this is no hard thing to reckon, as the entirety of the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy, was written by Moses. It is easy to reckon that he was called Hoshea (עַשֵוֹח, "salvation") by his family, but Moses reckoned his name Joshua (or “Jehoshua”, עַוּשׁוֺה י, “YHVH is salvation”). Why would he think this? Why would he say that this man should be the salvation from God? After all, it was Moses who would lead the people into the Promised Land. Perhaps Moses didn’t know that he would forfeit the honor of leading the people into the Promised Land, and that this Joshua would be the man to do that. Perhaps it was the name that God laid on his heart to give to Hoshea, knowing the things that would later transpire.
Now, on with the text of this passage. The people had known little of battle, save it was their encounter with the Amalekites in Exodus 17: 8-13, when Moses sat upon the rock and his hands were lifted up by Aaron and Hur, and God gave them victory over their foes. So the people were unsure if they would be able to defeat any foes that came against them. They were not, at this time, a people of war. But they forgot one thing: God had promised to bring them into a land that He would give them. And if He promises something, it will come to pass. So although they would do the fighting, it was God who would give them victory. We see this so many times in Scripture. Like when David went out to fight Goliath. Here was a shepherd boy, with no experience in warfare, going out to fight a man of war from his youth (1st Samuel 17:33). A man 4 whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze (1st Samuel 17:4-5). Yet David knew that even though Goliath was a huge man, whose armor was impenetrable and whose weapons were grand, that his strength and weapons were no match for the might of God. In fact, David understood that the fight was not about human strength, but about those who belonged to God versus those who opposed God. “this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1st Samuel 17:36). Thus, he knew that he was not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). And what did he say? What words did David have, a poor shepherd boy who was to go against this giant with all the armor and weapons of war? “All this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands” (1st Samuel 17:47). He would say again in Psalm 20:7—Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. And we will see a bit later that even in the Wilderness of Paran, the people had forgotten that God was on their side. And If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
So they were most likely camped at Ezion-Gaber, which was at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and to the west of the land of Edom. And it is from here that Moses sends men to spy out the land to see how bountiful it was. Numbers 3:17-20—17 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, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 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.
They were sent to learn whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many. They had to know what the people were like who lay ahead of them, and what kind of hardships they may encounter because of them. The land was promised to them by God, but they did not know what kind of travails they may come across. But one thing was certain: they had God on their side, and whatever struggles they might face from the people, God would fight for them. So many times in our lives, we do not know what God has in store for us. We do not know the trials He has planned for us. But one thing we do know: If God is for us, who can be against us? We know that when any test or temptation comes against us from our enemy, if we trust in God, He will lead us through it. It may not be easy in our eyes, our faith may be stretched to the limit, but we need not fear if God is on our side. We need to look no further than the martyrs of the early Church. Under Roman rule, they knew their lives were in danger every day. Paul said 30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1st Corinthians 15:30-31). He was ready to die any day, for he ran as one who seeks a crown. John did not fear being boiled in oil. Peter did not shy away from being crucified, and even requested to be crucified upside down. For a fuller accounting, I would refer you to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, where you will find stories of horrific persecution, the likes of which your mind could not even fathom. And all these gained an eternal crown for fighting giants of earthly power.
The spies were sent to learn whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds. It would have been of no profit for the people to sojourn to the land if they could not live there. In the people’s case, they were better off than was Abram. He was called by God to come out of Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:29, 31, Exodus 6:8) to dwell in Canaan, having no inkling of what awaited him there. Would the land be tillable and fertile? Were there bandits who would rob him of all he owned? Would there be vile men who would abuse him and his family? These things he did not know. But one thing he did know: God called him to go there, so he must go. And God promised him that He would make of Abram a great nation. And we know that if God promises something, He will make it come to pass.
The spies were sent to learn whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. If they could not grow their own food, how could they survive? If there were not forests, how could they have timber with which to build houses? If this were the case, they could almost be excused for their grumbling, that “God has brought us out here to die!” But that is not God. He does not bring the people into an area to kill them. No, He brings them into an area to bless them. But really, was there any doubt? Might Moses have been questioning God’s faithfulness in having sent out these spies? God already told them, in Leviticus 23:10—“When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.” He told Moses that when he came into the land that God had promised, they would gather a harvest. Did Moses not believe? Had the complaining of the people gotten to him that his faith was shaken? Or perhaps it was Moses’ aim for the people to see that the land to which God was sending the people was a good land, flowing with milk and honey (Leviticus 20:24), and that God would provide for them, as He provided manna and quails and all sorts of other good things to quell their complaining.
Which is why Moses charged them, saying “Be of good courage”. A charge that Joshua would later lay at the people’s feet in Joshua 1:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua expands on Moses’ command, telling the people that God would be with them wherever you go. It is a promise that we still have today, that God is with us. Isaiah 7:14—Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל, Immanuel, “God with us”), a promise repeated in Matthew 1:23, showing that Matthew 1:21 was the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy. And what do we read in Matthew 1:21—“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus (Ιησοΰυς, Iesous [Jesus], “YHVH is salvation”), for He will save His people from their sins.” If we are in Christ, then God is always with us, for Christ is God. It then goes without saying, that if we are in Christ, then we are in God. We need never be afraid of sin, for Jesus has already overcome sin and death. We fight many battles in this life here on Earth, and most of those are not easy battles. We may battle with our boss, or a coworker. We may argue with our spouse, or the mechanic. We may even be in a dispute with the government. Or maybe we will be called upon one day by our government to renounce the name of Christ or face jail, loss of a job or our house, or even be put to death. Think about the Christians currently in India. According to tradition, the Apostle Thomas was the first to preach the gospel there, an undertaking for which he was put to death. Things have not changed much there in 2000 years. The latest figure shows that only 2.4% of the population of India identifies as Christian. Many have had their homes burned, their families slain, their churches burned. And yet they continue on. They have taken to heart the call of Moses to Be of good courage. They press on, knowing their reward will be great with God (Hebrews 10:35).
“And bring some of the fruit of the land.” The people were always looking for something visible, something tangible, to know that God was real and He was with them. They were not going to believe unless they could see it with their own eyes. So Moses commands them to bring back something the people can see and feel and touch. Something the people can point to and say “Yes, it is a good land.” Even though God had done all these things to them and for them, they still had to be convinced by sight. Were the Jews millennia later any different? They had their Messiah right in front of them, He was doing many signs and wonders before their eyes, and what did they ask him? Matthew 12:38—Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." Wait a minute. He has raised the dead, cleansed lepers, healed the lame, and done all sorts of other miracles, and they were asking for a sign? Much like with the people in the wilderness, to whom God could not have given any greater evidence that He was God, so now with the Pharisees Jesus could not have given any clearer evidence that He was the Christ of God! And Jesus tells them as much, and lays even higher the heap of accusations against them. Matthew 12:39—“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign”, almost as if He is comparing them to those whom Moses brought out of Egypt.
Even the Apostle Thomas, after being told of the Resurrection, sought after a sign. John 20:25—The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And yet, Jesus did not call him “evil and adulterous”. Why? Because he knew that Jesus was the Christ, testified of Jesus, and believed Him to be the Messiah. You see, God deals with each person as an individual. Those who did not believe in Jesus, and sought a sign as a way to cast doubt upon Him, were indeed “evil and adulterous”. But Thomas, one of those whom Christ called to be one of His, found it hard to believe that God had raised Him from the dead. Why? Because, as he was also called “Didymus” (Greek Δίδυμος, “two-fold”) was so-called, most likely, due to being “either in the highest realms of bliss or in a state of lowest dejection” (Paul Kretzmann). And Jesus knew that and understood that. Just as He knew Peter would return to Him after denying Him, although it took some prodding on our Lord’s part for him to understand that (see John 21:15-17). But what does Jesus tell Thomas once He shows him the prints of the nails and the wound where the spear entered? John 20:29—“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” A lesson these people could greatly use. They would hardly believe even though they had seen.
