The story of Moses sending twelve spies into the Promised Land is found in Numbers 13-14. After God had delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and brought them to Mount Sinai, He commanded them to go and take possession of the land He had promised them – the land of Canaan. However, instead of showing faith and immediately entering the land, the Israelites demanded that spies first be sent to bring back a report about the land and its inhabitants (Numbers 13:1-2). Moses consented to this plan and appointed twelve leaders, one from each tribe, to explore the land of Canaan.
There are a few reasons why Moses may have agreed to send the twelve spies into Canaan:
- To gather military intelligence – Knowing more about the terrain, fortifications, population sizes and military strength would help the Israelites strategize how best to conquer the land.
- To see the bounty of the land – The spies could bring back samples of the produce to prove the prosperity of the land “flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 13:27).
- To boost the people’s faith – Seeing the goodness of the land ahead of time would motivate the hesitant Israelites to trust God and move forward.
- To confirm God’s promise – The positive report of the spies would verify that Canaan was indeed the promised inheritance God had in mind for Israel.
However, despite Moses’ wise intentions, the mission ended up backfiring. The 12 spies spent 40 days exploring the land, from the Negev desert to Rehob near Lebo Hamath, bringing back a cluster of grapes so large that it had to be carried on a pole between two men (Numbers 13:21-24). All the spies agreed about the richness of the land, but 10 spies gave a negative report about the strength of the inhabitants and said that Israel could not conquer them. Only Joshua and Caleb insisted that with God’s help, the Israelites could certainly take the land (Numbers 13:30-33).
Unfortunately, the people sided with the faithless majority report, became frightened and rebellious, and wanted to return to Egypt. This grieved Moses and resulted in God’s judgment – that entire unbelieving generation would die in the wilderness and only their children would enter Canaan after 40 years of wandering (Numbers 14:1-35). The negative impact revealed the people’s lack of trust in God despite seeing His faithfulness time and again in miraculous displays of power. Their focus remained on the obstacles rather than the Almighty.
In summary, while Moses intended for the spying mission to encourage faith, it became a lesson in how quickly fear and unbelief can spread when God’s promises are doubted. The same God who parted the Red Sea and brought water from a rock, could certainly empower them to conquer the “giants” in Canaan. But the Israelites let human logic override faith in the One who sees the end from the beginning. God knows how to fight for us and give us victory according to His timing and will.
Other key passages about the 12 spies: Deuteronomy 1:19-46, Joshua 14:6-15, Nehemiah 9:16-25, Psalm 106:24-27, Jude 1:5
Background on Moses Sending the 12 Spies
To fully understand this account, it is important to have context about the Israelites’ journey up to this point. After generations of slavery in Egypt, they cried out to God and He raised up Moses to deliver them through miraculous plagues and signs (Exodus 3-12). God brought them safely across the Red Sea while drowning Pharaoh’s armies (Exodus 14). God then guided them to Mount Sinai where He established His covenant with Israel, giving them the 10 Commandments and the Law to follow (Exodus 19-24). The people pledged their obedience, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 24:3). If they kept the covenant, God promised to bring them into the land of Canaan and make them His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6).
After about a year at Sinai, the Israelites broke camp and headed towards Canaan according to God’s command. But they became discouraged by the difficulties of the journey and repeatedly complained against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 11-12). God’s judgment fell on the rebellious in various incidents. Finally, as they drew near the southern border of Canaan, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to send men to spy out the land, specifically the land of Canaan that He was giving as an inheritance to the sons of Israel (Numbers 13:1-2).
The Instructions Given to the 12 Men
Moses charged the twelve spies with a very clear mission in Numbers 13:17-20 – They were to go up into the Negev and then into the hill country and see what the land was like, whether the people were strong or weak, few or many, whether the land was good or bad, whether the cities were fortified or not, whether the land was fat or lean, and whether there were trees or not. In addition, they were to be bold enough to take some of the fruit of the land.
This mission would require approximately 40 days of exploration to survey the entirety of the land. These 12 men were leaders already familiar with wilderness travel and well suited to the task. Their scouting was extensive – starting from the Negev desert in the south all the way north to Rehob near Lebo Hamath (somewhere near Lebanon). All of them likely went together through the Negev, then split into smaller groups to cover the length of Canaan more efficiently, before regrouping to compile their reports. They fulfilled Moses’ instructions well, even cutting down a gigantic cluster of grapes in the valley of Eshcol as proof of the land’s bountiful produce.
The 12 Men Appointed as Spies
Numbers 13:4-15 records the names of the 12 men, the tribes they represented, and identifies Caleb and Joshua as the two faithful spies:
- Shammua son of Zaccur, tribe of Reuben
- Shaphat son of Hori, tribe of Simeon
- Caleb son of Jephunneh, tribe of Judah
- Igal son of Joseph, tribe of Issachar
- Joshua son of Nun, tribe of Ephraim
- Palti son of Raphu, tribe of Benjamin
- Gaddiel son of Sodi, tribe of Zebulun
- Gaddi son of Susi, tribe of Manasseh
- Ammiel son of Gemalli, tribe of Dan
- Sethur son of Michael, tribe of Asher
- Nahbi son of Vophsi, tribe of Naphtali
- Geuel son of Machi, tribe of Gad
This group represented every one of the 12 tribes, though Levi is omitted since they were not allotted specific territory in the land. Caleb and Joshua stand out as the two spies who trusted God wholeheartedly despite the giants in the land. They tried to convince the people that with the Lord on their side, they could overcome any obstacle (Numbers 14:6-9). Caleb’s faith was rewarded 45 years later when, at age 85, he received the Hebron hill country as his inheritance because he fully followed the Lord (Joshua 14:6-15).
The Spies’ Eyewitness Report About Canaan
Numbers 13 gives a good idea of what the 12 spies observed during their 40 day mission:
- The land flowed with milk and honey and yielded exceptionally large produce (verse 27)
- The people living there were strong, their cities large and fortified (verse 28)
- Descendants of Anak (Anakim, Nephilim) lived there (verse 28)
- The Amalekites were in the Negev, Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites in the hill country, and Canaanites along the Jordan and coastlands (verse 29)
So there were formidable opponents – giants like the Anakim and strongly fortified cities. But also incredibly fertile land yielding massive food abundance. 10 spies only focused on the difficulty of the task, while Joshua and Caleb trusted God was well able to deliver the land to them no matter how impossible it seemed. Unfortunately, the people’s hearts failed them due to fear and lack of faith. They wept, complained against Moses and Aaron, and regretted not having died in Egypt or the wilderness (Numbers 14:1-4).
Why the Majority Report of the Spies Backfired
The peoples’ reaction revealed stubborn unbelief in God’s promises. After all His miraculous works on their behalf, they still did not trust the Lord to give them victory. Even two faithful witnesses in Joshua and Caleb could not convince them to move forward. The 10 fearful spies incited panic and rebellion, which God took very seriously. Moses interceded for the people, but God’s justice prevailed – that sinful generation would perish in the wilderness over 40 years rather than enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb from among the spies would live to go in with the next generation (Numbers 14:20-35).
Some key reasons the spying mission backfired:
- The people pressured Moses rather than showing faith in God’s initial command to take the land.
- The spies’ perspective was skewed by fear rather than facts.
- The spies based their conclusions on human strength vs. divinely empowered strength.
- The negative report spread rapidly, being accepted unquestioningly, revealing the weak faith of the majority.
- The people complained and longed for the past in Egypt rather than moving forward in obedience.
- They took God’s judgment too lightly, failing to trust His goodness despite consequences.
The Psalms and other books reflect back on this incident to remind future generations to learn from Israel’s mistake. Though giants loom large in our eyes, God is infinitely mightier. With Him the battle belongs to the Lord. Our part is simply to follow and obey, to believe in His faithfulness, then watch Him work miraculously on our behalf.
Lessons We Can Apply from this Account
Though this occurred thousands of years ago, human nature has not changed. We are just as prone to lack of faith in God’s promises. Some key lessons for us to take away are:
- Focus on God’s ability, not human inability.
- Move forward in obedience, not backward due to fear.
- Cling to courageous faith like Joshua and Caleb, not crowd consensus.
- Remember God’s past faithfulness as a guide for the future.
- Embrace God’s judgment too, knowing He is loving and good.
- Wait patiently on God’s perfect timing.
- Believe God can defeat any “giant” that looms large in our imaginations.
Though the spies’ report backfired, God still miraculously brought Israel into Canaan 40 years later, achieving victory after victory as He enabled them to conquer the land bit by bit. Our giants and walled cities may seem intimidating too. Yet with thefaith of Caleb and Joshua, nothing is impossible for the God who parted the Red Sea. His perfect will shall prevail as we trust in His unfailing love!