Deuteronomy 1:24–25

What we have here is not a repetition; it leads us into things secret — what worked in the people and hindered their blessing. The chief point to observe is that there was not a spirit of obedience in the people, and this they lacked because there was no faith in God.

This spying out the land started with the people, not with God. We need not wonder, then, that it ends badly. Yet God sanctions it: how much may He have to sanction in this way — things that must be, because of what we are! And how much trial does our unbelief make necessary for us! He had told them all they needed to know of the goodness of the land, and assured them of His gift of it to them.

Here was their authority to take possession at once. The Lord their God had given them the land, and set it before them. It was theirs by His free gift, the gift of His sovereign grace… There was no need of spies. Faith never wants to spy what God has given. It argues that what He has given must be worth having. It argues too that He is able to put us in full possession of all that His grace has given.

The report of Canaan had reached them through Moses long before this, and the spies bring a report of it too… But they did more. They did something that Moses, their redeemer from Egypt, had never done. They presented a cluster of grapes, and said, this is the fruit of it. They offered a sample, first-fruits… It is part of the divine plan to give earnests as well as reports. This is essential and not accidental.

There was no disputing the report of the spies; these grapes told of the goodness of the land. It was a land that produced such fruit. So when the Holy Spirit brings the earnest to us of our joy and glory, who would dispute it? Who does not feel that it is worth anything along the way to get there? The earnest is so sweet!

He confines himself to that portion of their testimony which was according to truth. He says nothing about the ten unbelieving spies. This is in perfect keeping with the scope and object of the book. Everything presses, in a moral way, on the conscience of the people… The spies had placed the fruit of the land before them and testified to its goodness. Still they would not go up.

Instead of taking courage to go forward, they complained against the Lord. They did so because the spies told them the people of the land were greater and taller than the Israelites. Why then did they refuse to believe His word about His promise to put down their enemies? Their fear and apprehension defeated them before they took one step forward. Do we not also defeat ourselves by our fears of what might happen, even when we have the Lord's word for acting?

Suppose we can say, "This is the fruit of the land which the Lord has given us." Suppose our hearts' affections are dwelling on the land. Then all the strength of the Anakim is as nothing… But the moment we lose the awareness of what is ours, the moment we forget that the Lord has given us the land, difficulties and trials fill our mind. They become too great for us.