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A Faithless Report

by Susan Ferguson  
7/02/2021 / Devotionals

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it (Numbers 14:24 NIV).

When I think of good biblical role models, Joshua and Caleb come to mind. These men of faith went against the majority opinion and trusted God to bring them into the promised land of Canaan. The story begins after Moses brought the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. He then led them through the wilderness up to the edge of Canaan, the land God had promised to give to Abraham’s descendants (Genesis 12:7; 15:18-20).

The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders” (Numbers 13:1-2).

Moses sent twelve men, including Joshua and Caleb, to spy out the land of Canaan. They returned forty days later, bringing back pomegranates, figs, and a cluster of large grapes that took two men to carry it on a pole (Numbers 13:23). They went to Moses, Aaron, and the Israelite congregation and showed them the fruit. They all reported that Canaan was a rich and fertile land. However, ten of the spies also gave a faithless report of defeat. They reported that the cities were large and well-fortified. They also claimed that the people were strong, and giants occupied the land.

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30).

The ten spies opposed Caleb, insisting they could not defeat such strong people. Their faithless report spread fear among the Israelite congregation and incited a rebellion. The congregation grumbled against Moses and Aaron; they complained that they would rather have died back in Egypt or the wilderness than die in Canaan and have their wives and children taken as plunder. When they decided to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the congregation.  

 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:6-9).

The congregation rejected the advice of Joshua and Caleb. They talked about stoning them until the Lord’s glorious presence appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting (Numbers 14:10). However, after witnessing His glory, the Israelites still refused to enter Canaan. They failed to remember that God had freed them from slavery and protected them in the wilderness. They failed to recall God’s power and provision, that He had parted the Red Sea, rained down manna from heaven, and provided water from a rock. Despite all that God had done, they did not trust and obey Him, and judgment would come. The ten spies who gave a faithless report were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. God barred the adults, twenty years old and older, from entering Canaan, and they wandered in the wilderness for forty years until that generation died. Of that generation, only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land. After the wilderness wanderings, Joshua would lead the new generation into Canaan, where he would give Caleb the portion of land that God had promised him.[i]

Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance.  So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly (Joshua 14:13-14).

As former slaves in Egypt, Joshua and Caleb remind us to look back over our lives and see how far God has brought us by His grace and mercy. This message challenges us to remember how God has blessed us and answered our prayers, lest we forget His faithfulness as the Israelites did. This somber yet vital message teaches us that God keeps His promises, but we must trust and obey Him. It points us to our need for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sin (Colossians 1:14). Jesus is our Reconciler to God and the Founder and Perfecter of our faith (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 12:2). He is our Advocate who pleads our case before the Father and intercedes on our behalf (1 John 2:1). Therefore, let us rejoice in Jesus and remember His promise to be with us, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

 

 

[i] Joshua 14:6-12 Life Application Study Bible  

 

 

 

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