Israels Golden Opportunity

Numbers 13 & 14
Introduction
The most significant event in the Book of Numbers is the sending of the twelve spies
into Canaan. The covert operation had within it two aspects: the actually selection and
sending of the twelve men, and their eventual return to camp with their individual report.
What is unsaid but present is that a golden opportunity stands before the people of
Israel. Their journey is almost over! Gods promise is at hand! They are literally
standing at the threshold of the Promised Land. What will they do? Do they even
recognize the opportunity before them?
To recognize a spiritual act of God requires spiritual discernment or spiritual eyes.
As we examine this incredible event please look at the story with spiritual eyes so you
can understand Gods purpose through out. (Even today we must become sensitive to
what is occurring all around us. There is more occurring in the spiritual realm than in the
physical. We are spiritual being because of our salvation and subsequent takeover by
the Holy Spirit. God expects us to live in the world, but as spiritual people.)
***Lets turn our attention to the decision at Kadesh-Barnea where the people are
standing on the border of Canaan looking over into the Promised Land.
First, we hear about
I. Gods Test vv. 1 3, 16
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am
giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a
leader among them." So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the
command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. These are the
names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the landAnd Moses called Hoshea the son of
Nun, Joshua.
Understanding the Word:
1. Who is in control? ____________
2. What does God order? ______________________________________________________
3. What was unique about each man that was selected? ____________________________
4. They were sent from _________________ to the land of ____________.
5. What was their mission? ____________________________________________________
***Second we learn that
II. Spies Are Sent Out vv. 17 25

Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way into
the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who
dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad;
whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor;
and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of
the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. So they went up and spied out
the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. And they
went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants
of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) Then they came
to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it
between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. The
place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down
there. And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
Understanding the Word:
1. The spies were told to enter in from the ____________ and go up into the ___________.
2. They were to observe the ____________ to see if they were _______ or _______.
3. They were to determine if the land was _______ or _______.
4. They were to determine if the cities were like _______ or _______.
5. And they were to determine if the land was rich or _______ and if there were _______.
6. Moses encouraged them by saying, ________________________.
7. If they found food they were to bring back a ____________.
8. The spies found ________ in such abundance that they had to carry them on _______.
9. They also found ____________ & ____________ and returned to camp.
***Third, we hear the
III. Spies Report vv. 26 - 33
Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children
of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the
congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: "We went to
the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless
the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we
saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites,
the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea
and along the banks of the Jordan." Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said,
"Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." But the men
who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are
stronger than we." 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. 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."
Understanding the Word:
1. The spies have returned with _________________ and a ____________ of their findings.
2. What was the initial report? __________________________________________________
3. But, we also discovered that the people are _______ and they live in _______________.
4. On top of that, we saw ________________________, giants.
5. Then they told where all of the other ____________ were located.
6. The report started off positive and ended _____________ due to the stress placed on
the _____________, the strength of their ____________, and the many different _________
who dwelt there.
7. On the face of it this report appears ____________.
8. How would you feel if you received this report knowing this is what you would have to
face upon entering the Promise Land? _________________________________________
9. The truth is you will respond based on how you view the report. Remember, I asked
you to put on your spiritual eyes as we examine this story.
10. Caleb had viewed the entire situation through spiritual eyes because he said to the
people, ___________________________________________________________________.
11. But the other ten spies spoke up and said, __________________________________.
12. They then elaborated and said, ____________________________________________.
13. What did this report do to the people? _______________________________________
14. Why do you think the people believed the ten spies over Caleb and Joshua? ________
____________________________________________________________________________
15. Do you think the people viewed their situation with spiritual eyes? ______________
16. Why? ____________________________________________________________________
17. What does this teach us? 1) ________________________ 2) ______________________
***Fourth, we hear the
IV. Response of the People 14: 1 - 5
So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And all
the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to
them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! Why

has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should
become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" So they said to one another,
"Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all
the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
Understanding the Word:
1. How did the people respond after hearing the report? ____________________________
2. Their despair gave way to anger and they turned on ____________ & ____________.
3. As a result of their despair the people also regretted _____________________________.
4. Have you ever experienced despair after becoming a Christian and regretted your
decision? ___________________________________________________________________
5. The people were so distraught that they wanted to _______. (Either in Egypt or the
wilderness.)
6. Some even said, Wouldnt it be better if we __________________________________?
7. This would be the same as a Christian giving up his faith and returning to a life _____.
8. Then the people said, Lets select a ____________ and return to ____________.
9. When a person is in the grip of despair he is very prone to _________________.
10. Remember, this should have been an exciting day, a special day. But it turned into
the ________________________.
11. The chaos was so bad that Moses and Aaron __________________ in utter disbelief.
***Next we hear the
V. Voice of Reason vv. 6 10
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; 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. 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. 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. And
all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the
tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
Understanding the Word:
1. Then the future leader, Joshua, and Caleb who were among the spies could not believe
the peoples reaction and _________________ and tried to regain control by telling the
people that _________________________________.
2. They begged the people, Do not ________________________.

3. The people responded to their encouragement by ______________________________.

4. Then the ______________________________ thus putting a stop to the chaos. (It is as
though dad has come through the front door. The children were quiet and mannerly.)
***Then we hear
VI. Gods Response vv. 11 - 12
Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they
not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them with the
pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."
Understanding the Word:
1. God asked Moses, How long will these people ____________?
2. Then He asked, How many more ____________________ will I have to perform before
they believe and accept Me? (I wonder if God has ever thought this about you and me?)
3. Then God said, I will _________________ & _________________ and make _____
(Moses) a ______________________________________.
***Next we hear
VII. Moses Plea vv. 13 - 19
And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought
these people up from among them, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have
heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and
Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar
of fire by night. Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of
Your fame will speak, saying, 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land
which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' And now, I pray, let the
power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 'The LORD is longsuffering and
abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears [the guilty],
visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth [generation]. Pardon the
iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have
forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now."
Understanding the Word:
1. Moses demonstrated his love and concern for the people by _____________________.
2. Moses also reminded the LORD of His goodness and _________________.
3. Then Moses says, LORD, I am not asking You to overlook their ____ but please dont
_________________.
***Lastly we hear
VIII. Gods Decision vv. 20 38

Then the LORD said: "I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth
shall be filled with the glory of the LORD -- because all these men who have seen My glory and
the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten
times, and have not heeded My voice, they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to
their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he
has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went,
and his descendants shall inherit it. Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valley;
tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea." And the LORD
spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who
complain against Me? I have heard the complaints which the children of Israel make against Me.
Say to them, 'As I live,' says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to
you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of
you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.
Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter
the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be
victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised. But as for you,
your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness
forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are consumed in the
wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for
each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My
rejection. I the LORD have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are
gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall
die.' Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the
congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who
brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the LORD. But Joshua the son
of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the
land. Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.
And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, "Here we
are, and we will go up to the place which the LORD has promised, for we have sinned!" And
Moses said, "Now why do you transgress the command of the LORD? For this will not succeed.
Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the LORD is not among you. For the
Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because
you have turned away from the LORD, the LORD will not be with you." But they presumed to go
up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses
departed from the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain
came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.
Understanding the Word:
1. How did the LORD respond? _______________________________________________
2. What did God says about the ten spies who gave a bad report? __________________
3. What did God say about Caleb and Joshua ____________________________________
4. God then acts quickly to _________________ by moving them away from ___________.
5. What was Gods judgment on the people? ______________________________________
6. What will happen to those who complained against God? _________________________

7. Who would ultimately bear the results of the bad report and the peoples rebellion?
____________________________________________________________________________
8. God said, You shall return to the wilderness for ____________, one year for each day
the spies were in _________________.
9. God called the people an _________________ because of their unbelief and _________.
10. What happened to the ten spies who presented a bad report? ____________________
11. Look at the results of viewing events and situation with _________________ as
opposed to spiritual eyes.
12. How did the people respond when Moses told them everything God had said? ______
13. In the morning they _______________________ and told the LORD, _______________
and will now go and possess the land that God has _________________. (Compare 1
Sam. 15.)
14. Their remorse caused them to disobey God further because He told them to go back
into the ____________ by the ________________________.
15. Still they refused to listen to Moses and went to the mountain where the Amalekites
and the Canaanites dwelt and were ____________ and ____________.
16. There is never a time that we should not obey Gods voice. The people realized they
should have listened to Caleb and Joshua and not the other ten spies. So they tried to
make up for their initial disbelief by going into the Promise Land and taking on the
inhabitants. But it was too late! Their opportunity had passed. They stood at the
threshold of Gods promise (the border of the Promised Land) only to not enter and enjoy
it due to disbelief that led to rebellion that resulted in a very harsh punishment.
Closing Thoughts:
1. We must (MUST) view life through our spiritual eyes because we are spiritual
beings. Our God operates in the spiritual realm in spiritual ways. (Not the ways of
man or the world. His ways are different and higher than our ways.)
2. When God opens a door He expects us to go through it. If we hesitate we may lose
the opportunity.
3. Gods people are rewarded for their willingness to act on faith as opposed to sight.
Consequently, some are punished for acting on sight instead of faith.
4. Lastly, God is always near and in control of every situation. He has a plan so we
must allow Him time and space to perform it.
Pray