The last verse of Numbers 12 tells us that the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Param within sight of Canaan. We have seen how God through a series of mighty miracles had led them out of Egypt. And how all along the journey to the wilderness of Param, He had dealt with their attitudes to prepare them for the promised land. Here they were now standing at the brink of the Promised Land. God then commanded Moses to send a team to recce the land they were promised. The aim of this mission was not so much to spy out the land like what Joshua would do later. Their mission was to survey and make a report of the land, and how to take possession of it. So a team of 12 was assembled, comprising of one person from each of the Twelves tribes of Israel. Their mission was to scout the land and come back with samples of how good the land was.
The task force of 12 was assembled. Each of them was a leader from the 12 tribes of Israel. However, of the 12 in the task force, only Caleb and Hoshea, whom Moses renamed Joshua, are worthy of mention. We shall see why as the account progresses. These are the two who will be worth our emulation in our spiritual journey. Numbers 13:17-20 defined what they should do. So we see a list of assignments expected of them. They were to “Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. 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 the people in open camps or in fortification? And how is the land, is it productive or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? And show yourselves courageous and get some of the fruit of the land.” Basically, they were sent to assess the land to see if it was fertile or barren, wooded or bare. Then they were also expected to make an assessment of the people to see if they were strong or weak, plenty or little. Regarding the terrain, they were to check if the city was an open camp or fortified. They were also expected to bring back samples of the goodness of the land.
Of
the places the 12 went to, Hebron was the place that held the most memories for
them. It was here that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah were
buried. It should have been a timely recollection of the promise God had made
to Abraham and his descendants. God had promised that they would inherit a
land flowing with milk and honey. It would have been a perfect reminder of the
faithfulness of God who had kept His words so far. Here the scouts saw how
fruitful the promised land was. In verse 23 we are told that they
cut off a single cluster of grapes which must be quite a huge bunch that it had
to be carried with a pole on the shoulders of two men. Together with this bunch
of grapes were pomegranates and figs.
To possess the land would require
responsibility on the part of the people. Like all gifts of God,
responsible action must be taken to fully realize them. Without acting upon
whatever gift promised would only be a potential unrealized gift. To possess it
requires that we play our part and take action. This is true in spiritual life.
To become Christlike is everybody’s potential, but to be Christlike requires
that we take the time to nurture it. While God is working within us, we need to
be responsible and work out our own salvation with fear
and trembling. We must collaborate with God to grow spiritually.
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