Verse 31 says,But the men who had gone up with him [Caleb] said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
That’s what happens when you have the wrong perspective. Problems and challenges do seem insurmountable sometimes, until you place them next to the Most High God. God is bigger than any challenge you can ever face. After hearing the report from the spies, the people were swayed and extremely discouraged. Have you ever shared something and then felt deflated when the person with whom you are sharing has a negative reaction or doesn’t react at all? The people simply refused to enter Canaan—the Promised Land that God had given them. God had moved on their behalf in dramatic fashion, and they still were not convinced they could possess the land. It was the land God gave them, but they were afraid to go get it. Think about that for a moment. The land was already theirs, but because they were afraid, they chose not to go get it. It is their land but they don’t want to actually possess it because they are too afraid to go get it. How many times have we chosen to not possess what God has promised us?
But Joshua and Caleb weren’t having it. Numbers 14:6 says, But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
Thank God for Joshua and Caleb and their ability to focus on the promise of God. We need more Joshuas and Calebs, people who see the challenges ahead but are not swayed by them. Yes, there were giants in the land. But look at where their confidence was: If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey. Look at their words.God will bring us to the land and give it to us. They realize there is no reason to fear because is God is with them. Joshua and Caleb were willing to stand on the promises of God and take what was rightfully theirs.
The Manna Chef 