Why did Moses send twelve spies into the Promised Land?

At the opening of chapter 13 we find the people had moved northward and were camped on the confines of the Promised Land. From that spot, by the commandment of the Lord, a leading man from each tribe, except the tribe of Levi, was sent to search out the land they were to enter. This command evidently had a twofold bearing. In the first place, it was to act as an encouragement and incentive to the people by allowing their representatives to see for themselves the excellence of the land, and report on it. But in the second place, it was to make them realize that there were mighty opponents; so that they must still rely on the power of God. Their faith was to be tested. If they truly believed that nothing but His power had broken Egypt, and brought them out, they would have no difficulty in believing that His power would break all the adversaries in the land, and bring them in.

Now Canaan does not typify heaven, where Christ is. When we enter that blissful place, all conflict and fightings will be over for ever. It does typify the realm of heavenly blessing that is ours in Christ, and which we enter upon at the present time through spiritual conflict. Hence the Epistle to the Ephesians which opens with an unfolding of those "spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," ends with the warfare indicated in Numbers 6. It is worthy of note that the recounting of the armour of God in that chapter is followed by the word, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit." We too must realize that to overcome we must be dependent on the power of God.

As Israel drew nearer to Canaan, God instructed Moses to send a man from each of the 12 tribes to spy out the land Canaan (vs.1-2). If we compare this to Deuteronomy 1:22-23 we shall see that the children of Israel had first come to Moses, desiring that they should send men to search out the land and bring back advice as to what way Israel should take to enter the land and what cities should be their first object of attack. Notice in this scripture that there is no suggestion of deciding whether they should go in the land, but only which way. This pleased Moses well, and he appointed 12 men as spies. No doubt he made these appointments when God told him to, which would indicate God's approval of Israel's request.

The men sent were all heads in their particular tribes, and therefore should have been men of faith and courage. The names of these are given in verses 4 to 15. No doubt the meanings of the their names may have something do to with their character, but it is difficult to speak with certainty of their meanings.

The spies were to take full account of all that they saw, 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 like camps or strongholds, whether the land was rich or poor, and whether there were forests (vs.18-20). Certainly Moses did not intend that any of these things should influence the question of Israel's going into the land. Rather, just as today we should be aware of what we are called upon to face, so Israel would be aware and prepared to meet whatever circumstances that faced them. Moses told the men to be of good courage and to bring back some of the fruit of the land. The time was the season of first-ripe grapes.

When God came down to deliver Israel out of Egypt, He announced His purpose to Moses in Exodus 3:8, "I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey." Here was the purpose distinctly enunciated. Not one word about "the great and terrible wilderness" which lay between. I pass over their deliverance and subsequent history till we come to the moment when Israel, about two years after, were to go up to the mount of The Amorites and take possession of the land of Canaan. Their faith was not up to the call of the Lord, and they begged that some should be sent to spy out the land. To this the Lord assented, commanding that twelve men — out of every tribe a man — (see Numbers 13; Deut. 1) should go up. Among them were "Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun." The spies returned with a good report of the land; but ten of them caused the unbelief of the heart of Israel to manifest itself by their own fears.

Then comes (ver. 21 et seqq.) the relation of the inner motives for the sending of the spies. This it is well to note, as we should not have discovered it from the Book of Numbers. What we have here is not a repetition; it leads us into things secret — what wrought 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 is clearly shown. Consequently it is not an isolated fact that they wished spies, or that Jehovah acceded to their desire to have them (this we have already seen), but here — "Ye came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come." Moses mentions how the saying pleased him: here things are stated exactly as they were. He may not at all have understood at the moment what was working in the people; but all is told out. "The saying pleased me well, and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: and they turned and went up into the mountain, and came to the valley of Eschol, and searched it out. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which Jehovah our God doth give us. Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of Jehovah your God: and ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because Jehovah hated us." Was this their trust? "Because Jehovah hated us, he has brought us forth out of Egypt." Was it not the pettishness of disobedient children, if ever there were such? "Because Jehovah hated us, he has brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we."

It is most important to understand the moral condition of Israel at this time; otherwise great difficulty must be experienced in seeking to apprehend why Jehovah permitted Moses to send out spies to search the land of Canaan. A careful study of Deuteronomy will very clearly demonstrate the fact that unbelief on the part of Israel was the origin of the mission of the spies, though allowed of God, who can work His sovereign will in spite of all; just as the demand for a king afterwards, though Jehovah acceded to it and allowed it, was a virtual denial of His regal titles and claims over the rebellious nation. There is one important fact which appears to me to place the question of the searching of the land beyond all dispute. In the third chapter of Exodus, where the earliest intimation of His purpose is recorded, there is likewise a description of the character of the land as it existed to His eye — its exceeding goodness, fertility, and beauty are all there delineated and traced. How, then, could it have been possible for God, having cast Israel on the fidelity of His word and promise, to originate that which virtually was a slur upon His veracity and the certainty of His word? No; Jehovah permitted it, but never originated it.

There is a principle of weighty import in the circumstances which attended the searching of the land. First, observe how the testimony of the spies was but confirmatory of Jehovah's word: "And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. … And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." But then, immediately, other principles began to work. The goodness of the land was not denied — how could it, in the presence of the earnest before their eyes? But between them where they were and the possession of this goodly land there were difficulties, and these are all mapped out with the accuracy of unbelief: "Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan." And these obstacles and impediments, by occupation with them, obtained such a hold over their hearts, that they were, in their own sight, as well as in the sight of their enemies, but grasshoppers.

"And the Lord spake to Moses, saying, Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran." Verses 1-3.

In order fully to understand the foregoing commandment, we must look at it in connection with a passage in the Book of Deuteronomy, where Moses, in going over the facts of Israel's marvellous history in the wilderness, reminds them of the following important and interesting circumstance: "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-Barnea. and I said to you, Ye are come to the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give to us. Behold, the Lord thy God has set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers has said to thee; fear not, neither be discouraged. And ye came near to me every one of you, and said, we will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come." Deut. 1:19-22.

It is in connection with the sending of the spies to search out the land of Canaan that the name of Caleb first appears. From the account given by Moses in Deuteronomy 1, it is very clear that this mission was the fruit of the people's unbelief. Commanded to go up and possess the land (compare Deut. 9:23), they came near and said to Moses, "We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come." (vv. 21, 22.) The Lord met the people in their unbelief, and commanded Moses to send the men (Numbers 13:1-2), not as approving the desire of the people, but as permitting them to carry out their purpose, so that, knowing all the consequences involved, He might use these for their chastisement and instruction. The folly of unbelief was never more manifest. The Lord had guided His people by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and now they will trust to the information the spies may bring as to the way they shall take. After so long an experience of the Lord's faithfulness, they think more of the wisdom of men than of His perfect knowledge. Alas! how often have we fallen into the same snare.

The spies were chosen at the commandment of the Lord, and among them were Caleb, for the tribe of Judah, and Joshua, the son of Nun, for the tribe of Ephraim. For forty days they "searched" the promised land, and brought back with them a cluster of grapes from the brook of Eshcol, together with pomegranates and figs, in token of its fruitfulness. All the congregation were assembled to hear their report. At the commencement they confirmed in every particular the word of Jehovah: "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." So far it was well; but no sooner had they stated what they could not deny, than the unbelief, which was lurking in their hearts, broke forth. "Nevertheless," they proceeded to say, "the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover (reserving the greatest difficulty to the last) we saw the children of Anak there"; and in a few additional words they sketched the location of the several nations. Remark, that they had not added anything to the information given them already by the Lord Himself; they had only looked upon the obstacles to the conquest of the land with the natural eye instead of with the eye of faith. The consequence was they left Jehovah out, and measured the foes to be encountered by their estimate of their own strength instead of the Lord's. Instead of saying, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" the thought of their heart was, "How can we overcome such powerful adversaries?"

The thirteenth of Numbers tells us how this came about. There we read, "And the Lord spake to Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give to the children of Israel" (Num. 13:1-2). Do you think God suggested that? Oh, no. He allowed, He did not suggest it. The Bible is a very wonderful Book. It does not give you everything in one passage. But if you will take the trouble to turn over your Bible till you come to Deuteronomy 1, there you will see how Caleb's "forty days" came to pass. Moses is rehearsing the story of Israel's journeyings, after the forty years of wilderness wandering are over. He says: "And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us: and we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said to you, Ye are come to the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God doth give to us. Behold, the Lord thy God has set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers has said to thee: fear not, neither be discouraged" (Deut. 1:19-21). At this point the dark cloud of unbelief appeared. Whether God was to be really relied on, was the question. "And ye came near to me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come" (Deut. 1:22). Whenever people begin to reason, it is not faith. Neither is caution faith. The suggestion looked prudent, but it was really unbelief. But Moses, beguiled by their unbelief, records: "And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe: and they turned and went up into the mountain, and came into the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down to us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the Lord our God doth give us" (Deut. 1:23-25). What are we to learn from this? That there is many a thing in our hearts that we would like, and God permits us to have our own way, and then we think we have a good reason for it. The end, however, is always sad. I do not know whether you ever noticed that when King Arad, the Canaanite, came out against Israel forty years later, he took "the way of the spies" (Num. 21:1). Their pathway told him how Israel would come. What seems like caution, is usually lack of faith in God, and leads to discomfiture. They did not believe the gospel. They had heard the lovely gospel, "I will bring them out, and I will bring them in," but they did not believe it, and desired to know if the land was as good as God said it was. Again they heard a lovely gospel, from the lips of Caleb and Joshua, that ought to have rallied them, and set them forward, but it did not. The truth was, "They despised the pleasant land; they believed not his word, but murmured in their tents, and hearkened not to the voice of the Lord" (Ps. 106:24-25). The Lord let them have their own way. "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul" (Ps. 106:15). Someone else has said, "We might write across the Book of Numbers this word, According to your faith, be it to you." "We would rather die in the wilderness," say the people. God replies, "You shall die." "We can well go in," says Caleb. "You shall go in, Caleb," says God; and he did.

At this point (Num. 13) they seem to think it right to judge for themselves, they would be independent of God. On former occasions it was the outbreak of nature discontented with the way and longing for the things of Egypt. Here on the border of the land there is no cry for bread or for water, but human prudence interfering with the path of faith. Prudence surely has its sphere; but when the word of God is given, human prudence and wisdom is sin. Had not God said He would drive out the Canaanites? What need to search? Moses said "Be of good courage." Good courage would not have gone to spy out the land, but would have acted at once upon the word of God. Vain the exhortation to be courageous when there is no faith in the promise; and the sequel proved there was no good courage. "Bring of the fruit of the land." Why? Had not God said it was good; they wanted to see for themselves: — was the land as good as God said? Yea, it was marvellous; two men were required to bring back a branch with one cluster of grapes. The searchers that brought back an evil report are compelled to say, "surely it floweth with milk and honey." But there was an insurmountable obstacle to their possessing it: they of the land were strong, the cities walled and great, and the children of Anak were there!

The evil report was not that the spies lied in saying the people were strong and the cities were great (all these would but make more manifest the power of God), but because in effect it was denying God's power and His right to give the land to whomsoever He pleased. For unbelief the land belonged to giants, and they themselves were only grasshoppers: what could they do?

We may ask, if the searching of the land was not of faith, why did God say, "Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan?" Was He about to cease from going before them, to leave them to their own resources? Nay, God remained the same, His power and faithfulness to His own word were unchanged. Why then did God tell Moses to send spies? What was the occasion for this seeming change in His manner with them? Deut. 1:21 furnishes the answer. There we find the word of Jehovah God, "Go up and possess it," not search it. The people say they will send men to spy out the land. This is disobedience. Moses is pleased with their proposal. Was it of faith to be pleased? Why listen to the people when God had said, "go up and possess it?" It is at least weak to encourage others in a faithless path. Nevertheless God heard their words and proves the people. Now He gives the command, "Send thou men."