EXPLORING CANAAN

Numbers 13:1-24 / Keywords 13:2

"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."

 1The Lord said to Moses, 2 “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.”

3 So at the Lord’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. 4 These are their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zakkur;

5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;

6 from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;

7 from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;

8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;

9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;

10 from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;

11 from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;

12 from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;

13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;

14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;

15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

16 These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 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? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol,[a] 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. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.

1. God’s promises are not meant to be passively acknowledged. We are to believe, act upon, and experience them. That is the reason the LORD commanded Moses to send one leader from each tribe to explore the land of Canaan. God reiterated his promise to give the land to the Israelites (2) in fulfillment of his promise to Abraham. Believing God’s promise practically meant that they should spy out Canaan in preparation for a military campaign. God promised that victory was certain. He did not promise that victory would be effortless.

 

2. A leader from each tribe was appointed, including Caleb and Joshua, who later play important roles. Moses instructed them where to go to survey the land, to understand the inhabitants and their towns and cities, and to bring back some fruit since it was the season for grapes. Doing so would help the Israelites prepare strategically and give a glimpse into the magnitude of future victories and blessings. The leaders explored Canaan for forty days and returned with a huge cluster of grapes.

 

3. Are you holding onto a specific promise from God for your situation? Pray over and act on God’s promise. God keeps promises, and you will grow closer to him as you believe him.

 

Prayer Lord, you always keep your promises. Help me to practically live by your promises.

One Word Practically live out God’s promises