seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Numbers 13:26 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. 27 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. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 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.”
30 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.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 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. 33 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.”
Here's the link to the commentary I use.We went to the land where you sent us: They seemed to sense they were more on a mission from Israel than on a mission from God; we might already sense the report will be given according to a human perspective, not according to God’s perspective.
Nevertheless: The word nevertheless means “despite all of that.” At that moment, Moses, and every man of faith in Israel should have cried out and said, “Nevertheless nothing! How can one say, ‘We went to the land, found it good, and God’s promise true,’ and then say, ‘Despite all this…’?”
Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there: It is hard to imagine a report more unbelieving and unfaithful to God than this; a report that recognizes the faithfulness of God’s promise, the truth of His word, and yet says, “Despite all that…”
The land through which we have gone as spies: Unbelief often presents itself as being “factual” or “practical” or “down to earth.” Yet, the most factual, practical, and down to earth thing we can to is trust the word of the living God. Their unbelief was not according to the facts, but despite the facts.
Significantly, two men could see the exact same sights — the same grapes, the same men, the same land, the same cities — one can come away singing in faith, and the other is filled with a sense of certain doom. Ultimately, faith or unbelief does not spring from circumstances or environment, but from our hearts, which God must change.
Well, this opens the door to the story of David and Goliath.... but we're not there yet. Let's recap a little.
Before these people left Egypt, they saw people painting the doors with blood. They heard horrific screams of pure grief. There was a massive slaughter of first-born sons. Not even Pharaoh was prepared for the massive slaughter.
As these people got underway, they walked in between two towering walls of water. They were walking on the dry riverbed while the river moved out of their way. After they passed safely through the path, they saw the Egyptian army swept away, as those two towering walls of water collapsed on the army and the chariots.
These people even had a tower of fire by night and a huge black tornado to lead the way during the day.
These people complained and complained about the whole trip. No food, no water, no meat....
When Moses went to the mountain to meet with God, the people built a golden calf to worship. When Moses came back with the tablets, the people were having an orgy.
Now, they have evidence the Promised Land is everything God said it was.
But they don't want to go because the exploration party saw giants.
God said He would help them run the occupants of the Promised Land off. They don't seem to remember that part.
God has done everything He promised. The water from a rock, that wasn't Moses' stick. That was God! The quail flying hip high wasn't from Moses' stick. That was God! The Manna wasn't a natural occurrence. That was God!
But they don't want to go because the exploration party saw giants. Imagine Shaquille O'Neal standing next to Simone Biles. Giants....
These people didn't want to go to the Promised Land....
Despite all that....
