SERIES E --- YHVH’S LAWS --- LESSON 14 --- PART 1

CANAAN DESCRIBED

SPIES VISIT THE PROMISED LAND

From Numbers 13

While the people of Israel were camped in the Wilderness of Paran, Adonai instructed Moses to send spies into the Promised Land. Send spies into Canaan, the land I will give to the people of Israel, Adonai said. Send one leader from each tribe. Moses followed Adonai’s Command and sent the following twelve leaders of the tribes:

Shammua the son of Zaccur, from the tribe of Reuben.
Shaphat the son of Hori, from the tribe of Simeon.
Caleb the son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah.
Igal the son of Joseph, from the tribe of Issachar.
Oshea the son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim.
Palti the son of Raphu, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Gaddiel the son of Sodi, from the tribe of Zebulun.
Gaddi the son of Susi, from the tribe of Manasseh.
Ammiel the son of Gemalli, from the tribe of Dan.
Sethur the son of Michael, from the tribe of Asher.
Nabbi the son of Vophsi, from the tribe of Naphtali.
Geuel the son of Machi, from the tribe of Gad.

These were the twelve tribal leaders which Moses sent to spy on the Promised Land. [About this time Moses began to call Oshea by a new name: Jehoshua or Joshua.] Go up through the Negeb into the hill country, Moses told the spies as he sent them forth. See what the land and the people are like; whether the people are strong or weak, many or few. Find out whether the cities are strongholds or merely camps. Check the land, to see if it is rich or poor and whether or not it has trees. Go without fear. Bring back with you some of the produce of the land. It was during the time of the grape harvest that the spies set out. The twelve men went into the Promised Land as spies. They went all the way from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob near Hamath. First, they passed through the Negeb as they went northward. They arrived at Hebron, where the descendants of Ahirnan, Shesliai and Talmai were living. These men were giants, descendants of Anak. Hebron, built seven years before Zoan or Tanis in Egypt, was an ancient city at that time. When the spies arrived at a rich valley, which they later named Eshcol, they cut a large branch with a giant cluster of grapes. The cluster was so large that two men had to carry it on a pole between them. They named the place the Valley of Eshcol, which meant {Cluster,} because of the large cluster of grapes they found there. Along with this cluster of grapes, the spies took back some pomegranates and figs with them. The entire expedition took forty days. At last, they returned to the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh to report to Moses, Aaron and all the people of Israel. Along with the report, they showed the people the fruit they had brought back with them. The land where you sent us is a rich land, as you can see from this fruit, the spies reported. But the people who live there are mighty and have great fortified cities. We saw the Anakim, descendants of the giant Anak, living there. The Amalekites live in the southern part of the land, in the Negeb. To the north, in the hill country, live the Amorites. The Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan River. The people became frightened because of the report. But Caleb tried to build up their courage. Let us go at once to conquer this land! he urged. We can overcome these people and occupy the land. No, we are not strong enough to conquer these people, the other spies said. They are mightier than we. The land through which we have gone is a land that devours its inhabitants. We saw great and mighty men there, as well as giants who are descended from Anak. They were so mighty that we looked like grasshoppers beside them. Most of the spies brought an unfavourable report to the people.