Numbers 13; 14:1-39.
AT last the Israelites came quite near the land of Canaan.
They could see the tops of the high hills that were in Canaan, and they wished to know what sort of land it was, and what sort of people lived in it.
So the Israelites came to Moses and said, "We wish to send some men to look at the land, and we wish them to come back and tell us what kind of a land it is."
Would Moses send some men?
Moses waited to know whether God would like some men to go.
Soon God said to Moses, "Send twelve men into Canaan to see the land." So Moses called twelve of the children of Israel, and said to them, "Go into Canaan, and walk up among the high mountains, and look at the land; see whether there are many people living in the land, and what kind of people they are; whether they are strong or weak; see whether there are many trees, and much corn and grass in the land; and bring back some fruit, to show us the kind of fruit that grows in the land.”
So the twelve men set out on their journey. These men were called the twelve spies. They walked up and down the hills, and by the side of the water. They saw sweet gardens and some fields covered with sheep, and some fields full of corn, and trees laden with fruit, and they saw holes in the trees, which the bees had filled with honey, so that honey dropped on the ground.
They saw large towns with high walls round them, and they saw many strong men, and some of them were giants.
At last they came to a brook or pond. A vine grew by, it, and on the vine there were ripe grapes—one of the bunches was very, very large. They said, "Let us bring it back to show to the children of Israel." One man could not carry this bunch by himself. So they took a staff, or stick, and fastened the bunch of grapes to the staff, and one man held one end of the staff and another held the other. The rest of the men picked figs and other fruit, and carried them back to the tents.
The spies were forty days looking at the land of Canaan. When they came back, the people saw the beautiful bunch of grapes. There were no such grapes in the wilderness. The spies then said, "The land of Canaan is a fine land, full of milk and honey; but we cannot get into it, for the people live in great towns with high walls; they are very strong, and some of them are giants, and when we saw them, we felt as if we were as little as grasshoppers.”
Then the children of Israel were very much frightened, and they began to murmur and to weep.
"Ah!" said the people, "we shall be killed if we try to get in.”
It was wicked to say this, because God had promised to help the Israelites to get into Canaan. It is wicked not to believe what God says.
Two of the spies were very good men; their names were Joshua and Caleb. They did not wish to frighten the people; and Caleb stood up and said, "Let us go into the land, for we can conquer the people that are in it.”
But the ten other spies said, "No, we cannot, because the people of Canaan are stronger than we.”
These ten spies were very wicked men, because they knew that God had promised to help the Israelites to conquer the men of Canaan, and they ought to have told the people to trust in God.
The Israelites cried all night long, and they were angry with Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt, and said, "Oh, that we had died in Egypt, or in the wilderness! The people of Canaan will kill us with their swords, and they will kill our wives and our little children.”
They spoke in this way all night long, instead of praying to God to help them.
At last they said, "Let us go back into Egypt.”
They knew that Moses would not take them back. So they said, "We can make another man captain over us, and he will take us back to Egypt.”
Moses and Aaron heard these wicked words; they were full of grief, and they fell down on the round upon their faces.
What had grieved Moses and Aaron?
They were grieved to see the people so wicked.
Then Joshua and Caleb stood up and said to the people, "We have seen the land, and it is a very beautiful land; and if we trust in God, He will help us to fight; but the people of Canaan have no God to help them; therefore we ought not to be afraid of them.”
The children of Israel would not listen to Joshua and Caleb, but were going to kill them with stones, when God shone brightly upon the tabernacle, so that the people saw that He was angry.
Moses was lying on his face on the ground, but God spoke to him, and said, "How long will this people provoke me? I will kill them with a plague.”
Then Moses prayed to God for the people.
"Oh, pardon this people," he said,” their great sin.
Thou halt forgiven them many times, and Thy mercy is very great.”
God heard Moses' prayer, and said, "I have pardoned them. I will not kill them all now, but they shall not come into Canaan; only their children shall come in. They shall stay in the wilderness forty years, and they shall all die in it; and when their children are grown up they shall go into the land of Canaan. But there are two of the men who shall go into Canaan—they are Caleb and Joshua.”
Moses told the children of Israel what God had said, and when the people heard it they were very unhappy, and they murmured.
The ten wicked spies soon fell sick and died, but Joshua and Caleb lived still.
How sad it was for the people to think that they should never see that sweet land of Canaan, but should die in the wilderness! Yet they deserved to die, because they had not believed what God had said.
God has promised to give us His Spirit if we ask Him, and to take us to heaven. Do you believe this promise, dear children? Then you will ask God for His Spirit. But if you do not care about heaven, then you will not pray to God& for His Spirit. Then God will be angry, and at last He will say that you shall never get to heaven.
Hymn 29
O' Is that fair Canaan's coast?
Are those her mountains high? "
Cry Israel's eager host,
As in the camp they lie.
"Let's send a little band
Of brave and faithful men,
To search the, pleasant land,
And bring us word again."
The chosen band departs:
What scenes before them rise,
To charm their anxious hearts,
And their astonished eyes
They climb the mountain's Side,
Whence cooling waters flow:
They cross the valleys wide,
Where golden harvests grow;
Pass through the woods, where bees
Sip honey from each flower,
And in the hollow trees
Hide their delicious Store;
View gardens where the vine
And olive tree are seen,
The sheep and lowing trine
Amidst the pastures green.
But while the beauteous land
They view with great delight,
They See where cities stand
With walls of wondrous height,
And towers tall and strong,
And gates of iron and brass;
And 'midst the countless throng
Some who the rest surpass:
Men of enormous size,
Who wield the Sword and spear,
And in whose sight the spies
Like grasshoppers appear.
But why should such a sight
Fill Israel with dismay?
Their God for them shall fight,
And they shall win the day:—
For idols are adored
By Canaan's wicked race,
And cups of blood are poured
Before each idol's face,
And helpless babies bleed
Amongst the thickest trees,
And every wicked deed
Is done, those gods to please.
Child
There is a land more fair
'Than any land below,
And I would enter there,
In spite of every foe.
Then let me now begin
To strive with all my might
To overcome all sin,
However hard the fight.
The Lord will give me strength,
And fill my soul with grace,
And I shall reach at length
His heavenly dwelling-place.