Read Numbers 13:1-3, 27-33; 14:1-10.
The book of Numbers records that grumbling and complaining were the order of the day as the people of Israel approached the Promised Land. God commanded Moses to send out twelve leading men from the tribes to spy out the land, its produce, and the military capability of the people that inhabited it. The men returned with a tale to tell. The land, they said, was indeed plentiful, however, the inhabitants were too strong for the Israelites. It seems that the majority used every possible description they could think of to indicate the strength of those people. One of the spies, Caleb, stood and deliver the minority report. The land could be taken and they should go now.
The people had a choice before them and they made it. Weeping and wailing must have made a dramatic scene. The people of Israel replayed the old record of lament of how good it was in Egypt the land of slavery. They also added a second stanza about how it was God’s fault they were in this position. They actually wanted to appoint a new leader to take them back to Egypt.
How many times do we come to a decision point and, instead of trusting in God, we complain and go in the wrong direction? Joshua and Caleb attempted to remind the people that God had already promised them the land. God had not expected His people to enter the land in blind faith, but on His promises to them and the example of what He had done to the Egyptians only a short time before. It is the same way with us. We should learn from the example of our own rebellions and trust God’s direction and provision. He has promised to give us far greater things than a simple piece of real estate.
Mark Riser - Apologist 