Arrival to the Promised Land

Within the year of leaving Egypt, the people arrive on the outskirts of the promised land. They had seen God work in incredibly powerful ways. He parted the Red Sea so that the people could escape certain death by the Egyptians. God led the people with a “pillar of cloud” during the day and a “pillar of fire” by night. He provided food and water through miracles, as the people camped in the desert. God was permanent and visible to the people.

The band of Israelites arrive at the border of Canaan. Imagine the excitement, the anticipation of arriving to the land. Sure, the previous journey had been hard, but God had been with them, led them, supported them. Now, He was giving them the promised land.

Moses told the people, “See, the Lord is giving you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” The stage is set. The victory is theirs for the taking.

12 spies, one from each tribe, are sent ahead to check out the land. Moses gave them a checklist to keep top of mind. See what the land is like, who are the people, what kind of towns do they have, is the soil good, are there trees, and “do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” The spies left excited, trusting God. Imagine the anticipation. They couldn’t wait to see the land that God had promised them.

After 40 days, they returned. As Moses had requested, they came carrying fruit from te land. The fruit was unlike any they had ever seen. In fact, it was too big to carry, so they carried it on a pole between them. I imagine the people watching the 12 men comef rom the distance, carrying the fruit. A envision a celebration breaking out about the land they were about to enter.

The men began giving an account of land, starting with the fruit. “The land did flow with milk and honey” they exclaimed. They showed the fruit as exhibit A.

But, then the message turned. The Israelites listened, as the spies told them about the inhabitants of the land. They were powerful. “We are like grasshoppers” to these people. Their is no way we can take the land from these people. And the towns are fortified, very large, virtually impossible for us to capture. The spies called for a change of plans.

Joshua and Caleb, 2 of the 12 spies, did not agree. Sure the people were powerful, but these two men pointed to God. “We can certainly take the land, as God is with us.”

The crowd followed the 10 spies that wanted to back down from entering the promised land. The momentum of the negative new overrode God’s plan for the people. In fact, the people rebelled against Moses, weeping aloud. They were about to stone their leader.

So, how does the leader respond?