Numbers 13:20-25—21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, 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. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. They were sent to the north to the Wilderness of Zin (not to be confused with the Wilderness of Sin) in the Negev desert in the southern part of Canaan, and even went as far as Rehob, which lay in the northern area of what we now know as the country of Israel, that would later be given to the tribe of Asher, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee (what was then called the Sea of Chinnereth). Hebron is located on the west side of the Dead Sea, just south of Jerusalem. So this was no small undertaking. There were many mountains to climb, and much desert to traverse. And they did not know the area, though they had Hobab the Midianite with them (the land of Midian was across the Gulf of Aqaba from where they were camped, to the east). But the area they were sent to was probably foreign even to him.
But here’s the thing: they went. They didn’t know where they were going, they didn’t know who or what they may encounter, they didn’t know if the land would be smooth or rugged. All they knew was they were sent. Just as Abram was called to leave Ur of the Chaldees, believing God and God counted it to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Does God often call people to go to a place they do not know? He called William Cary to preach to the people of India and he went. He called Jim Elliott to take the gospel to the Waodoni people in Peru, and he went. He called Hudson Taylor to take the gospel to China. He called David Livingstone to go to the depths of Africa. He called John Allen Chau to go to the Sentinel Islands, and he was martyred before he even set foot on the land. Did these know what they would encounter? Did they know whether they would live or die or have food or lodging? But here’s the thing: they went when they were called. Just as Samuel (1st Samuel 3:4) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), who said “Here am I”. And when God the Father sent His Son to live amongst His Creation—the very Creation that Christ created (John 1:3)—the Son said “Here I am. Send Me”. And the Son of God stepped down into this world, made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant (Philippians 2:7), consented to being mocked and scourged and ultimately became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8).
So the spies brought back grapes and pomegranates and showed that the land was good, that there was food in abundance. Great news, right? Well, yes…and no. See in verse 22 where it says Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. The Anakim (from צַֽנָק, Anak, “neck”) were a Cushite tribe, and were (according to all accounts) a long-necked people. But that was not their only distinguishing characteristic. They were also reckoned to be giants. So yes, while the land itself may have been good for growing and producing food, there were giants in the land (we will see more about this later). Now, who might have been descended from these Giants? Well, it doesn’t say so explicitly in Scripture, but we can deduce from certain verses of one in particular. It says in Joshua 11:22—None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. We know of at least one giant (and his brother) that came from Gath, and his name was Goliath (1st Samuel 17:4). We also know one ruddy, read-haired shepherd from Ramah (about 5 miles northwest of Jerusalem) who did not fear going against this Anakim with just five smooth stones in a sling.
But remember, these folks in Numbers were not brave people. “Oh no! Giants! We must go back to Egypt!” Numbers 13:27-32—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. 28 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. 29 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." 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." 31 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." 32 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.
This is a theme we see over and over in the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Some trial befalls the people, they think it is too much to bear, and they cry out “Let’s go back to Egypt!” It’s why Moses has his little meltdown in Numbers 11:11. I don’t think anybody wouldn’t get frustrated by a people who time and again see the mighty works of God and shrink back at some trial of their faith. But again, they forgot Who was fighting for them. Remember the passage from Exodus 17 I quoted earlier? About their battle with the Amalekites? How did they win that battle? By their own strength? No, not by their own strength. Exodus 17:11—And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. So it wasn’t by their might or strength or numbers that they defeated the armies of Amalek. It was when the man of God lifted up his hands in praise of God. Keil & Delitzsch say well that ”from this Israel was to learn the lesson, that in all its conflicts with the ungodly powers of the world, strength for victory could only be procured through the incessant lifting up of its hands in prayer.” How could a motley bunch of slaves defeat an army that had trained in battle? How could one smooth stone from a river have pierced Goliath’s helmet? How could a man rise from the grave and enter the Holy of Holies in the Heavens if God was not in Him? Can you overcome sin by your sinful self? Can you defeat the roaring lion that seeks whom he may devour (1st Peter 5:8) in your own strength? No, it is impossible. Even the Apostle Peter could not have returned to Christ is Jesus did not intercede for him. Luke 22:31-32—31 "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Interesting note here. In verse 31, “you” is plural in the Greek, but in verse 32 is singular. Jesus gave the Apostles over to the Adversary, but said He was praying for Peter. Why? Because He knew that even though Peter was considered the chief Apostle, Peter could not (and would not) overcome him. What does Jesus say? “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” And why does He say this to Peter only? Because He knew that with all of his bravado and bluster, Peter was a man. A man like any other man. Acts 10:25-26—25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man."
We can do nothing of our own when it comes to spiritual things. You cannot convince someone to believe that Christ is Lord apart from the Holy Spirit working on them to change their heart to be ready to do so. You cannot win spiritual battles with your earthly mind or body. Satan is too strong and too smart. And the people of Israel could not defeat their enemies by themselves. Their enemies were too strong and too smart. The people of Israel were sheep. They were not to march into the Promised Land in their might and vigor. God told them He would lead them into the land. They had to be led. And He led them to the Promised Land by a mighty man of God, and later led them through the Promised Land by the hand of a mighty man of battle.
Even David understood this centuries later when he wrote the Psalms. Psalm 44:1-3—1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. 3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. But the people of Israel did not remember this. They thought they had to fight their battles on their own. They forgot that the Lord of all Creation was on their side, and would not let them perish, lest the heathens raise a report that God could not save His people, that He was too weak, that He was a (little-g) god like the ones they bowed themselves to, that could do nothing for them. When the people convinced Aaron to make the Golden Calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai and God was going to wipe them out, Moses pled for the people thus in Exodus 32:9-14—9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation." 11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. When a trial comes your way, when your faith seems small, when it feels as though you are all alone, remember that you DO have a friend, and His name is Jesus—the Word made flesh—and the Holy Spirit which dwells within you, that you may remember that it is not only in this life that we have hope, but in Christ we have eternal life.
Though Satan should buffet
Though trials may come
Let this blest assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And hath shed His own blood for my soul
These are the words of a man who lost his wife and children in a shipwreck. And as he himself passed the very spot where their ship went down, he confessed that Jesus was his only hope. He went on to say this:
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul!
Numbers 13:33-14:9—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." 14:1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 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?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." I include these verses because it flows better that way, and almost completes the thoughts of chapter 13. And actually, almost all of Numbers 14 is a continuation of Numbers 13.
Now, I want to point out a phrase in Numbers 13:33—the descendants of Anak came from the giants. What giants? Well, for one thing, they were obviously not the giants who were destroyed in Noah’s flood, for they were all wiped out. We don’t know much about Anak’s ancestors, but we do read about his progeny and descendants (like Goliath and his brother Lahmi, [1st Chronicles 20:5]). They were men of considerable size and stature. And when a skeptic tries to say they were fictional or made up, consider the Greek myth of a man called Anax. According to the Greek myth, Anax was a giant who lived in the area of Lydia, in what was formerly known as Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Asia Minor is just north of the area where the Anakim lived, and Greece is just miles from Turkey. Do the math, and it is plain to see that the Lydian (later Greek) myth of the giant Anax is derived from the biblical story of Anak. But that’s just a coincidence, right?
Okay, moving on. In verses 2-4, the people are afraid they are going to die at the hands of these men that make the people look like grasshoppers. And they cry out in a way similar to the way many today cry out when a trial comes upon them they think they cannot bear. Numbers 14:2-4—2 "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 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?…4 Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." Does this not sound like us at times? We can’t overcome some situation, so let us call on our former master and return to living in our former ways, that we may get through this situation and be subject to that former master, forgetting the stripes that former master laid on our backs. “The bills are due and the money is tight. Maybe I should do this thing that I used to love, that I now hate, so we can get through it. I’ll repent tomorrow.” Friend, if you have God on your side, you can get through. It may require you to give up something you love, you may have to move into a smaller dwelling, you may need to drive an older car, you may need to scrimp and save and not eat as well as you do now, but God will get you through it.
“But people will talk about us and laugh at us.” Was this Nehemiah’s concern when he set his mind to rebuild Jerusalem? When Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem sneered at him and told him he was crazy for thinking that he and the rest of the people could rebuild what had been torn down? No. Nehemiah 2:19-20—19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" 20 So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem." Nehemiah knew that God was with him, to reestablish God’s name in the city where He had placed His name. Why? It was not so Nehemiah could be thought of as a great man and have his name etched into the walls of the city, and have his memory remembered forever. It was for the same reason Joshua and Caleb set their hearts on leading the people into the Promised Land—simply for the glory of God. And Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had no right to partake of the city where God placed His name. But if we know Christ as Lord and Savior, we do! Robert Hawker—
Men may despise and laugh God’s people to scorn; but the day of decision must come; and an awful decision it will be. Reader! have you the smallest, even but the smallest evidence, that you love God’s cause and God’s people, though you fear you have no portion, no interest, no right or memorial among them? Let this comfort and encourage your soul. None ever truly loved the cause of Jesus, and the people of Jesus, but secretly loved Jesus himself. And John was authorized by the Holy Ghost to mark this down as a standing cause of comfort, when higher evidences were wanting; We know (says he) that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren (1st John 3:4).
FB Meyer—
Whenever God’s work revives, there is sure to be evil-speaking and reproach. It is a mistake to reply. Let us hand over our cause to God, and go on with His work. It matters very little what men say, as long as He is pleased.
Let us be like Joshua and Caleb. Let us not see our enemy as one against whom we appear as grasshoppers, but one whom, against God, appears to be a grasshopper. Let us not fear to take hold of the things God has promised, to shrink back at the first sign of trouble and sink into the Slough of Despond. There is nothing greater than God, not our fortunes or our wealth and especially not our enemy, which God cast out of Heaven and fell as lightning to the earth. For all his claims were “I will…I will…I will…” But let all our claims always be “BUT GOD”.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
