The opening words of Numb. xiii. seem to teach that the sending of the spies by Moses was in harmony with the will of the Lord.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel.”
So also, the words of Christ to Thomas could be interpreted when He said “Thomas, reach hither thy finger”; nevertheless we know that it would have been more blessed had Thomas believed without such evidence.
In chapter x. of the book of Numbers we read these words:
“And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days journey, TO SEARCH OUT a resting place for them” (Numb. x. 33).
Here we find the identical word used that is afterwards used of the spies. “That they may search the land”, “To spy out the land”. Altogether the Hebrew word tur occurs thirteen times in Numb. x. to xiv., an ominous number, associated in the Scriptures with rebellion.
Notice what the spies were to include in their report, whether the land was ‘good or bad’, ‘fat or lean’. Surely if God Himself had chosen this land for their possession, and had described it as a land flowing with milk and honey, it hardly seems to be the exercise of faith or trust to send spies to see whether it be ‘fat or lean’!
The ‘three days journey’ already mentioned seems to suggest that the Risen Christ has gone ahead, and is sufficient pledge concerning the nature of the inheritance that awaits His redeemed people. Moreover, when Moses rehearsed this matter before all Israel after the days of wandering had come to an end, the sending of the spies is put in a somewhat different light.
“And I said unto you, ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: GO UP AND POSSESS IT, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged” (Deut. i. 20, 21).
Notice that the land had been GIVEN to Israel. Moses said to his father-in-law, “We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord said, I will GIVE it you” (Numb. x. 29).
This was the basis of the argument of Caleb and Joshua,
“The land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and GIVE it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey” (xiv. 7, 8).
The word ‘set’ used by Moses in Deut. i. 20, 21 is actually a repetition of the word ‘give’ as the margin indicates. God’s Gift, God’s Word, God’s Covenant promise, all were put to the question by the sending of the spies.
“Ye came near unto Me every one of you” (Deut. i. 22).
The same words are used in Deut. v. 23 where once again the people were moved by fear. This kind of ‘coming near’ has something unhealthy about it. It seems on a par with the attitude of those who would catch the Lord in His speech, and approach Him with honeyed words “Master, we know that Thou art true” etc.
“We will send.” These words must be remembered when we read Numb. xiii. 2 “Send thou men”. Ezekiel makes it clear that when the Exodus took place, the Lord had Himself ESPIED the land for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands (Ezek. xx. 5, 6). The spies were to bring word again ‘by what way we must go up’ but God had already told them. Even when the report had been made, Israel ‘rebelled against the commandment of the Lord’ (Deut. i. 26) and they charged God with ‘hating’ them, and in spite of all the faithful testimony of Caleb and Joshua and the added reminder of Moses, they ‘did not believe the Lord their God’ (Deut. i. 32).
Quite a number of those who believe the teaching of the epistles of the Mystery have expressed themselves as unsatisfied by the scantiness of the revelation there contained as to (1) just what constitutes the glory of our inheritance, and (2) just exactly by what way the Church shall enter into its hope. There is a looking back to the hope of an earlier dispensation, a sort of envy at the lavish description of the millennial kingdom, or of the wonders of the Heavenly City, and one senses something petulant in the request, “Where is our hope described in the epistles of the Mystery? Why are there no details given to us as to others?” There is also a querulous complaint* that whereas I Thess. iv. or I Cor. xv. are most explicit, one cannot be sure from the prison epistles whether the Church of the One Body will be caught up by rapture, will die off and pass through death and resurrection, whether all will go together, whether there will be angelic accompaniments, etc., etc. All this, which superficially sounds like earnest inquiry, is but the old unbelief of Israel re-expressed. They wanted to know more than God had revealed about ‘the land’ which was their inheritance, and they wanted to know more than God had revealed as to ‘what way we must go up’. Both these questions were already answered to faith. God had ‘espied’ the land and had called it ‘good’. God went before them with fire and with cloud ‘to shew them by what way they should go’. Faith needs nothing more.
[* - We were once asked by an American correspondent writing along these lines to ‘come down flat-footed’ as to the accompaniments and happenings associated with our hope.]
Our refusal to be turned back to I Thess. iv. as the hope of the Church is to be understood in the light of Numb. xiii. and xiv. We seek the spirit that enabled Caleb and Joshua to believe God, and leave the consequences. As we pointed out when dealing with Col. i. 23 (see Volume XXI), the great evidence of progress in the truth, or of the beginning of decline, is closely associated with holding stedfast to ‘the hope’. Caleb and Joshua were threatened with stoning for the stand they took. We shall probably get its equivalent again and again; but as in their case, so in ours, His truth shall be our shield and buckler.
One of the reasons why the Lord was not too explicit about the land of Canaan and the way up, was because it was inhabited by a monstrous seed of the wicked one, the giants, the sons of Anak, and viewing such antagonists with the eyes of the flesh, the spies said: “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numb. xiii. 33). The cities were walled and very great, and grace was not given in the wilderness to deal with these remote difficulties. When at last Israel did stand before the walls of Jericho, they fell down flat at the shout of faith.
The pathway to our inheritance is blocked by principalities and powers, spiritual wickedness and world-holders of darkness. If we should see them with the eyes of the flesh, we would crumple up as did Daniel (Dan. x. 9, 10). God mercifully spares us this vision. We believe His Word; that is enough. If we knew the formidable strongholds of Satan that must be overcome in ‘the evil day’, we would recoil in fear and unbelief. We shall not face them until we are all assembled beneath the banner of our true Captain, the greater Joshua, with Jordan behind us, and the land of promise immediately before us. Why not take a leaf out of this book of experience? Why not believe what God has revealed, and lovingly accept as best the fact that He withholds certain things?
Before closing this article, let us record the encouraging words of faith given by Caleb:
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numb. xiii. 30).
The word translated ‘stilled’ does not indicate that the people were calmed or comforted, the seven other occurrences of hasah suggest some element of authority, ‘Let all the earth keep silence before him’ (Hab. ii. 20). Men recognize the majesty of faith, even though they refuse to follow it. Caleb did not merely say ‘Let us go up’ or ‘Let us go up and possess it’, but “Let us go up AT ONCE and possess it”. While there is no adverb in the original to correspond with the words ‘at once’, there is an insistence that is very marked, for the Hebrew reads ‘going up, let us go up’, suggesting a prompt unhesitating obedience without delay and without dallying.
“We are well able to overcome it.” These words in another context may indicate unholy and unwarranted self-confidence, but God is faithful to His promise, Who has gone before and Who calls upon us to follow. His commands are then His enablings.
Again, after the dreadful desire to make a captain and return into Egypt, both Joshua and Caleb repeated their testimony and their exhortation saying “If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it us: a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not” (Numb. xiv. 8, 9).
Later the Psalmist said:
“He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because He delighted in me” (Psa. xviii. 19).
Caleb and Joshua stood firm upon the ground of grace.
There are a number of key words that are used by Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Israel and the Prophets, the Psalmist and the Apostles afterwards that provide a solemn lesson as we think of helps and hindrances that we meet when we would ‘possess our possessions’. These we must consider together in another study. There is also the great revelation concerning the Amorites, the Canaanites and their spiritual equivalents to be pondered, and the contrast between the original plan to possess the land, and that which was subsequently followed. To these themes we must return and pray that increasing light may be given as we meditate upon these things that have been written for our learning.
“We are well able to overcome it.” These words in another context may indicate unholy and unwarranted self-confidence, but God is faithful to His promise, Who has gone before and Who calls upon us to follow. His commands are then His enablings.
Again, after the dreadful desire to make a captain and return into Egypt, both Joshua and Caleb repeated their testimony and their exhortation saying “If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it us: a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not” (Numb. xiv. 8, 9).
Later the Psalmist said:
“He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because He delighted in me” (Psa. xviii. 19).
Caleb and Joshua stood firm upon the ground of grace.
There are a number of key words that are used by Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Israel and the Prophets, the Psalmist and the Apostles afterwards that provide a solemn lesson as we think of helps and hindrances that we meet when we would ‘possess our possessions’. These we must consider together in another study. There is also the great revelation concerning the Amorites, the Canaanites and their spiritual equivalents to be pondered, and the contrast between the original plan to possess the land, and that which was subsequently followed. To these themes we must return and pray that increasing light may be given as we meditate upon these things that have been written for our learning.
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(From The Berean Expositor, vol. 41, page 187).
http://charleswelch.net/BE%20Vol%2041%20Final.pdf
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