"Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each of their fathers' tribes send one man who is a leader among them." Send out for yourself men to spy out the land of CanaanThis directive comes from God to Moses, indicating divine initiative in the exploration of Canaan. The land of Canaan is significant as it is the Promised Land, a central theme in the narrative of the Israelites. Historically, Canaan was a region with diverse city-states and cultures, often associated with idolatry and pagan practices. The act of sending spies reflects a common ancient Near Eastern military strategy to assess the strength and resources of a land before invasion. This phrase also foreshadows the challenges and faith tests the Israelites will face. which I am giving to the Israelites
This phrase underscores the divine promise and covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, affirming that the land is a gift from God to the descendants of Israel. It highlights God's sovereignty and faithfulness in fulfilling His promises. Theologically, this promise is a type of the ultimate rest and inheritance believers find in Christ, as referenced in Hebrews 4. The certainty of God's gift contrasts with the Israelites' later doubts and fears. From each of their fathers’ tribes send one man
The instruction to select one man from each tribe emphasizes the representative nature of the mission. It ensures that all tribes have a stake in the reconnaissance and subsequent report, promoting unity and shared responsibility. This tribal representation reflects the organizational structure of Israel, rooted in their patriarchal lineage. It also serves as a reminder of the twelve tribes' origin from the sons of Jacob, linking back to the patriarchal narratives in Genesis. who is a leader among them
The selection of leaders indicates the importance and seriousness of the mission. These men were not only to gather intelligence but also to influence and guide their respective tribes based on their findings. Leadership in this context required wisdom, courage, and faith, qualities that would be tested in the subsequent narrative. This phrase also highlights the biblical theme of leadership accountability, as the leaders' report would significantly impact the faith and actions of the entire nation. Persons / Places / Events 1. MosesThe leader of the Israelites, chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt and through the wilderness. 2. The IsraelitesThe descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were promised the land of Canaan by God. 3. CanaanThe land promised by God to the Israelites, described as a land flowing with milk and honey. 4. The Twelve SpiesRepresentatives from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, tasked with scouting the land of Canaan. 5. The Tribes of IsraelThe twelve tribes, each descending from one of the sons of Jacob, also known as Israel. Teaching Points Obedience to God's CommandGod instructed Moses to send spies, demonstrating the importance of following divine guidance even when the path is uncertain. Leadership and ResponsibilityEach tribe sent a leader, emphasizing the role of leadership in carrying out God's plans and the responsibility leaders have to their people. Faith in God's PromisesThe mission to spy out Canaan was rooted in God's promise to give the land to Israel, reminding believers to trust in God's promises despite challenges. Preparation and StrategyThe reconnaissance mission shows the value of preparation and strategic planning in fulfilling God's purposes. Community and UnityThe involvement of all twelve tribes underscores the importance of unity and collective effort in achieving God's objectives. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the command to send spies reflect God's sovereignty and the Israelites' need for faith? 2. In what ways can we see the importance of leadership in this passage, and how does it apply to leadership roles in the church today? 3. How does the promise of Canaan to the Israelites encourage us to trust in God's promises in our own lives? 4. What lessons can we learn from the preparation and strategy involved in sending the spies, and how can these be applied to our spiritual journey? 5. How does the unity of the twelve tribes in this mission speak to the importance of community in the body of Christ? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 12:7God's promise to Abraham about giving his descendants the land of Canaan, establishing the foundation for the mission of the spies. Deuteronomy 1:22-23Provides additional context on the decision to send spies, showing the people's request and God's approval. Joshua 2The account of Rahab and the spies sent by Joshua, highlighting a later instance of espionage in the conquest of Canaan. Hebrews 11:8-10Reflects on the faith of Abraham, who trusted in God's promise of the land, a faith that the Israelites were called to emulate. People Aaron, Ahiman, Amalek, Amalekites, Ammiel, Amorites, Anak, Asher, Benjamin, Caleb, Canaanites, Dan, Eshcol, Gad, Gaddi, Gaddiel, Gemalli, Geuel, Hittites, Hori, Hoshea, Igal, Israelites, Issachar, Jebusites, Jehoshua, Jephunneh, Joseph, Joshua, Machi, Manasseh, Michael, Moses, Nahbi, Naphtali, Nun, Oshea, Palti, Raphu, Rehob, Reuben, Sethur, Shammua, Shaphat, Sheshai, Simeon, Sodi, Susi, Talmai, Vophsi, Zaccur, ZebulunPlaces Canaan, Egypt, Hebron, Kadesh-barnea, Lebo-hamath, Negeb, Paran, Rehob, Sinai, Valley of Eshcol, Wilderness of Paran, Zin, ZoanTopics Ancestral, Canaan, Chief, Fathers, Giving, Israelites, Leader, Leaders, Prince, Ruler, Search, Sons, Spy, Tribe, TribesDictionary of Bible Themes Numbers 13:1-2 4207 land, divine gift Numbers 13:1-3 4926 delay, human
8409 decision-making, and providence Numbers 13:1-6 7266 tribes of Israel Numbers 13:1-20 5552 spies Library Afraid of Giants
'And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain; 18. And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19. And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20. And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Spies
THE UNBELIEF OF THE CHILDREN of Israel, prompted them to send spies into Canaan. God had told them that it was a good land, and he had promised to drive out their enemies, they ought therefore to have marched forward with all confidence to possess the promised heritage. Instead of this, they send twelve princes to spy out the land, and "alas, for human nature," ten of these were faithless, and only two true to the Lord. Read over the narrative, and mark the ill effect of the lying message, and the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 4: 1858 Exploring Canaan by Faith
EXPLORING CANAAN BY FAITH I can not understand faith. What is faith, anyway? I try to believe; sometimes I feel that my faith is strong, but at other times I feel that my faith is giving way. Can you help me in this matter? Faith seems such a hazy, intangible, elusive thing; now I think I have it, now it seems certain I have it not. I feel at times that my faith is so strong I could believe anything, then again I feel that every bit of faith I had is gone. Can you give me any instructions that will …
Robert Lee Berry—Adventures in the Land of Canaan Canaan
Canaan was the inheritance which the Israelites won for themselves by the sword. Their ancestors had already settled in it in patriarchal days. Abraham "the Hebrew" from Babylonia had bought in it a burying-place near Hebron; Jacob had purchased a field near Shechem, where he could water his flocks from his own spring. It was the "Promised Land" to which the serfs of the Pharaoh in Goshen looked forward when they should again become free men and find a new home for themselves. Canaan had ever been …
Archibald Sayce—Early Israel and the Surrounding Nations Hebron
From Jericho we proceed to Hebron, far off in situation, but next to it in dignity: yea, there was a time, when it went before Jerusalem itself in name and honour;--namely, while the first foundations of the kingdom of David were laid; and, at that time, Jericho was buried in rubbish, and Jerusalem was trampled upon by the profane feet of the Jebusites. Hebron was placed, as in the mountainous country of Judea, so in a place very rocky, but yet in a very fruitful coast. "There is no place, in all …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica An Unfulfilled Desire
'... Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!'--NUM. xxiii. 10. '... Balaam also the son of Beor they slew with the sword.'--NUM. xiii. 8. Ponder these two pictures. Take the first scene. A prophet, who knows God and His will, is standing on the mountain top, and as he looks down over the valley beneath him, with its acacia-trees and swift river, there spread the tents of Israel. He sees them, and knows that they are 'a people whom the Lord hath blessed.' Brought there …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Epistle xvii. To Felix, Bishop of Messana.
To Felix, Bishop of Messana. To our most reverend brother, the Bishop Felix, Gregory, servant of the servants of God [246] . Our Head, which is Christ, to this end has willed us to be His members, that through His large charity and faithfulness He might make us one body in Himself, to whom it befits us so to cling that, since without Him we can do nothing, through Him we may be enabled to be what we are called. From the citadel of the Head let nothing divide us, lest, if we refuse to be His members, …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6 Numbers
Like the last part of Exodus, and the whole of Leviticus, the first part of Numbers, i.-x. 28--so called,[1] rather inappropriately, from the census in i., iii., (iv.), xxvi.--is unmistakably priestly in its interests and language. Beginning with a census of the men of war (i.) and the order of the camp (ii.), it devotes specific attention to the Levites, their numbers and duties (iii., iv.). Then follow laws for the exclusion of the unclean, v. 1-4, for determining the manner and amount of restitution …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Numbers 13:2 NIVNumbers 13:2 NLTNumbers 13:2 ESVNumbers 13:2 NASBNumbers 13:2 KJV
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