Joshua and Caleb (Spies) Numbers 13

Numbers 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers hall ye send a man, everyone a ruler among them."

Things have been well prepared. The camp is in order and ready for war. Everyone knows their place and we come to the wilderness of Paran. From here spies are sent out to scout the land of Canaan. Unlike in today's armies, these men were to be rulers among the people. Then we have them named.

Out of this list comes Oshea whom Moses named Jehoshua. We know him as Joshua. In the Greek it translates Jesus and means deliverer or savior.

Joshua has been around for some time as minister to Moses. He learned from the best.

Exodus 24:13 "And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God."

What were the spies to look for:
-v18 see the land, what it is
- the people, strong or weak
-what the land is, good or bad
-cities, tents or strongholds
-what the land is, fat or lean
-wood or not
-bring of the fruit

v27 (spies report) "And hey told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it."

One example of the fruit was a single bunch of grapes slung on a pole between two men to carry.

v28 "Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."

V30 tells of a very different opinion from Caleb. He says we can take them and posses the land. The people had however been struck with fear for the Anak people are giants and the other spies said the children of Israel would be as grasshoppers by comparison v33.

Here they stand on the edge of victory with a great army lead by the Lord.

Psalm 114:7-8 "Tremble thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters."

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