Bereans Corner
Bereans Corner
Thru the Bible - #127 -Numbers 13 - Spies View the Land
Welcome to Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea and let's Thank you for joining me. Open up your Bible to Numbers, chapter 13. The title of today's lesson is Spies View the Land, Numbers 13,. And let's get into it.
Speaker 2:Numbers 13. 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. So, at the Lord's command, moses sent them out from the desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. These are their names From the tribe of Reuben Shamwa, son of Zakur. From the tribe of Simeon, shaphat, son of Horai. From the tribe of Judah, caleb, son of Jephunneh. From the tribe of Issachar Egal, son of Joseph. From the tribe of Ephraim Hoshea, son of Nun. From the tribe of Benjamin Paltai, son of Raphu. From the tribe of Zebulun, gadiel, son of Zodai. From the tribe of Manasseh, a tribe of Joseph Gadai, son of Susai. From the tribe of Dan Amiel, son of Gamali. From the tribe of Asher Sethar, son of Michael. From the tribe of Naphtali Nabai, son of Vosai. From the tribe of Gad, guel, son of Machai.
Speaker 2:These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. Moses gave Hosea, son of Nun, the name Joshua. When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said Go up through the Negev and on to the hill country, see what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.
Speaker 2:It was the season for the first ripe grapes, so they went up and explored the land from the desert of Zin as far as Rehob toward Lebo Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, sheshai and Talmiah, the descendants of Anak, lived. Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. When they reached the valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. The place was called the valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.
Speaker 2:At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh, in the desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account. We went into the land to which you sent us and it does flow with milk and honey. Here is its fruit.
Speaker 2:But the people who live there are powerful and their cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev, the Hittites, jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. 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. But the men who had gone up with him said we can't attack those people. They are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said the land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there. The descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them.
Speaker 1:All right. The last time we were together we went over the murmuring that Miriam and Aaron had towards Moses and his wife. Today we are looking at the spies searching out the land of Canaan. Now we have broke this down into seven parts. Part 1.
Speaker 1:The Lord speaks to Moses and says it's time to send out spies to see the land. We see this in verses 1 through 2. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying send out for yourselves men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give to the sons of Israel. You shall send a man from each of their father's tribes, every one a leader among them. Now there are two things I want to point out about these first two verses. One God said I am going to give. The Lord didn't say maybe. So when he's sending them to spy out this land, he's letting them know that this is a promise. This is going to happen now. Why am I stopping and pointing this out? Because these people, no matter what they have seen over these last few months and years, they still are always doubting, they still always have questions. They are still murmuring. Number two the men Moses was to choose were leaders of the tribes. Part two Moses sends the men out. We see this in verse three. So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, at the command of the Lord. All of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel. As the Lord mentioned, they had to be leaders. So these are all men of the sons of Israel. Part three. These are the men of the sons of Israel. Part three. These are the men who were sent out and we see this in verses 4 through 15. Verse 4 we see Reuben these then were their names from the tribe of Reuben. Shemua, the son of Zakar. In verse 5, we see Simeon from the tribe of Simeon. Shaphat, the son of Horai. Verse 6 we see Judah from the tribe of Judah. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. Verse 7 we see Issachar, from the tribe of Issachar. Igel, the son of Joseph. In verse 8 we see Ephraim from the tribe of Ephraim. Hosea, the son of Nun. Now this Hosea will get a name change to Joshua. Verse 9 Benjamin, from the tribe of Benjamin. Piltai, the son of Rahu. In verse 10 we see Zebulun, from the tribe of Zebulun. Gadiel, the son of Sodai. In verse 11, we see Joseph from Manasseh, from the son of Sodai. In verse 11, we see Joseph from Manasseh, from the tribe of Joseph, from the tribe of Manasseh, gadai, the son of Shushai. In verse 12, we see Dan From the tribe of Dan, emiel, the son of Germali. In verse 13, we see Asher From the tribe of Asher Sither, the son of Michael. In verse 14, we see Naphtali From the tribe of Naphtali, nabai, the son of Zafusai, and then in verse 15, we see Gad From the tribe of Gad, guel, the son of Machai. Now we move on to part four. Hosea gets a name change in verse 16. These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, but Moses called Hosea the son of Nun Joshua, and we saw that back in verse 8, which brings us to part 5.
Speaker 1:Moses gives instructions. We see this in verses 17 through 20. When Moses sent them to spot out the land of Canaan, he said to them go up there and in the gaff, then go up into the hill country and see what the land is like and whether the people who live in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, and how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live. Are they like open camps or with uh fortifications? And how is the land? Is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then. Go get some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes. Now you gotta look at all the things that moses is telling them to do. Let's go through these verses again. Moses is giving them clear instructions back to do. Let's let's go through these verses again.
Speaker 1:Moses is giving them clear instructions back to. Verse 17 told him to go into the Negev, which is where they're going into the hill country and see what the land is like and whether the people who live in are stronger. We so he's saying really, by your eyes, what do you see? What do your eyes see? Do they look strong or they look weak? Now we all know that looks can can be deceiving. But if the land is full of six foot three, six foot five men who are 270 pounds, of course they're going to come back and say that they are strong, but of course, if it's full of scrawny 125, 140 pound men, they will say weak. So in other words, moses is saying tell me what you see with your eyes. He also wants to know whether they are few or many. So when you look down, tell me is it full of people or are there a few? Are there a hundred thousand people in this city or are there one thousand?
Speaker 1:Then he said and how is the land in which they live? Is it good or bad? These are things that you can't tell with the eyes. You can look at the grass, you can look at the trees, you can even look at the flowing water. You can look at the trees, you can even look at the flowing water, you can look at the structure to tell if it's good or bad. And how are the cities in which they live? Are they open or are they fortified? Very easy, you go up on the hill, you look down. Do they have a brick wall built around it to protect them, or is it just wide open, like we can just sneak down and get in with no problems? And how is the land? Is it sneak down and get in with no problems? And how is the land? Is it fat or lean? By this I believe that moses is talking about like, let's say, the kettle. Is it full of kettle? Is it full of the fattened calves and, uh, you know, the chickens and everything else that's down there. Or is it lean? Is there a hundred thousand people but not much food. Then he says are there trees in it or not? You know, trees give us oxygen, they also give us shade. And then he said make an effort to get some of the fruit of the land. Why is that? Because so that way they can taste the fruit and see what the fruit is like.
Speaker 1:We move on to part six. The spies are set out, which is in verses 21 through 24. So they went up and spotted up the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rohab at Levit Hamath. When they had gone up into the Negev, they came to Hebron, where Ahaman, shishah and Tamai, the descendants of the Anak, were. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. Then they came to the valley of eskor and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes and they carried it on a pole between two men with some of the pomegranates and the figs. That place was called the valley of eskor because of the cluster which the sons of Israel cut down from there. Now I do want to point out something. Let's go back to verse 23. It says that they cut down a branch, a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two men. Now you got to think about this. This says that this is a single vine of grapes, but it took two men on the pole to carry it. So that tells you how big and and luscious that this fruit was. Now we move on to part seven.
Speaker 1:The spies report back. They now have looked down on the land. They have the fruit that moses asked them to bring back. They have grapes and pomegranates. Now they're reporting back and let's look at their findings verses 25 through 33. When they return from spying out the land, at the end of 40 days they were up there, 40 days.
Speaker 1:This wasn't a one-day trip. They went up here, they looked down the valley and they stayed up there for over a month. They proceeded to come to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the sons of Israel in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and they brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the lamb. So it's show and tell time they're coming back and showing them. This is what we saw, this is what we found, verse 27,. Thus they told him and said we went into the land where you sent us and it certainly does flow with milk and honey and this is the fruit. Remember, the Lord said he was going to send them into a land that flow with milk and honey. So they're showing them, you know, this is fruit they probably have have never seen before. 28, verse 28. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong and the cities are fortified and very large and, moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. All right, this is the thing. They're showing them the fruit. They're excited about the fruit, but they're telling them that you asked us were they strong or weak? We're telling you that they're strong. 29, amalek is living in the land of the Negev, and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan. So now they're telling them what people live there.
Speaker 1:Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said we should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it. Now Caleb is remembering what the Lord said. Caleb is saying you know, forget all of that, that y'all talking about how strong these people are. The Lord told us that he would give us this land. So Caleb is, quieted the people, because the people are listening to this report and obviously they get a little anxious. They're like, wow, we didn't know that it was going to be like that in the land, you know. But Caleb spoke up and said we're going to be all right, we should go down there and take it Verse 31. But the men who had gone up with him said we are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.
Speaker 1:Once again, these people who went up there with Caleb, they forgot what the Lord said. Remember what I said back in the beginning. The Lord said that he would give them this land, not that he might give them this land, but these people, afraid of their own shadow, are afraid of these people and they don't believe it Verse 32. So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out of Israel. A bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying the land through which we have gone in spying it out is a land that devours its inhabitants and all the people whom we saw in it are men of giant size. So now they are given a false report because they don't want to go to war. So what they're doing is is that they're trying to scare the people who are already scared and they're trying to cement it by saying listen, we, we can't, we're not going to tell them the absolute truth. We're going to say that it's worse than we thought.
Speaker 1:But then we get to verse 33. There also, we saw the Nephilim. Now you remember the Nephilim from Genesis? The sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim, and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight. So what this verse right here is saying is that they see them as giant and they see themselves as small. It kind of reminds me of boxing.
Speaker 1:I'm a big boxing fan and if any of you remember Mike Tyson when he was in his prime, back when he was young, even though he was only five foot ten, they never seen a guy with that type of speed and that type of power, and it's said that he had fighters beat before he even went in the ring, you know so, in other words, even men who were six foot two. They saw themselves as grasshoppers in him, in his sight, and they saw themselves as giants. And when men think like his sight and they saw themselves as giants. And when men think like that, they're already going in beat. They're already going in ready to be defeated.
Speaker 1:And that's what these israelites are doing. They didn't even challenged these guys yet. They didn't even take into account what the Lord said. They see, they said we see ourselves as grasshoppers and so we are in there, so we see ourselves as small and that's how they're going to see us. So these men who are supposed to go to war are already beat before the battle begins. Once again, they did not hearken on to the voice of the Lord that he would give them the land. Give them the land. They didn't hearken on to his voice to realize that, no matter what obstacles are in front of you, he is going to see them through it. And that is the tale of the people going to spy out the land, the report that the spies brought back when they went up to spy the land for 40 days. All right, that brings us to the end of numbers, chapter 13. As always, I hope you got something out of the lesson, as I always ask for. Continue to pray for me to stay strong in the scriptures so we can finish the race, and I am always doing the same for you. That is all for now, god bless.
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