ISRAEL'S REFUSAL TO ENTER CANAAN VVS.

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19 ¶ And when we departed from Horeb, we went through

all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the
way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our
God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh barnea.

Moses only briefly mentions the journey of Israel from Horeb to Kadesh
Barnea, though he speaks of the wilderness as "great and terrible" (v.19).
The experience in such a desert ought to have given them a strong
incentive to enter the promised land as soon as they could. (L M Grant)

20¶ And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain
of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto
us.
21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before
thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers
hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

The Hebrew word translated "take possession" (v. 21), referring to the
Promised Land, occurs over 50 times in Deuteronomy. God's great desire
for His people had been that they possess what He had promised them.
Unfortunately the older generation would not because of fearful unbelief.

Hebrews 3–4 is the NT commentary on these chapter.

Cf. Heb. 3:17-19, “But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it
not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to
them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in
because of unbelief.”

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Canaan does not typify heaven as some hymns say for there will be no
fighting and wars in heaven against the enemy as it was with Israel when
they entered the land and neither will we loose out inheritance as Israel lost
theirs time and again to the enemy.

Canaan typifies the warfare of the believer down here against the powers
of darkness that would seek to rob them of the enjoyment of their
heavenly inheritance. Ephesians is the NT counterpart of the book of
Joshua. It is in Ephesians that we learn of our spiritual blessings and also
learn of how we have an enemy who seeks to defeat us.

22 ¶ And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said,

We will send men before us, and they shall search us out
the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go
up, and into what cities we shall come.

Deuteronomy does not repeat the story of the spies as in Numbers but
gives us further details as to the source of the mission. It was not Moses
idea but originally the people’s idea to spy out the land.
God had already perfectly described it to them and there was no need to
spy it out.

Cf. Exodus 3:8

“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the

Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land
and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place
of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the
Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”

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Cf. Deut. 8:7-9,

“For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of
brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys
and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and
pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou
shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in
it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest
dig brass.”

In Numbers 13, the reason given was that they wanted to see what the
land was like even though God has already described it for them.

“And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad;
and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in
strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether
there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring
of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe
grapes.” (Numbers 13:19-20)

However here we see that they used the argument that they wanted to see
which way to go up and conquer the land that is which cities to attack first.
“by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.”

This argument pleases Moses well but it turned out to be disastrous (v. 23).

Illustration: Got What He Wanted

The carriage was being driven along the road. The mother sat on the front
seat and the maid, caring for the spoiled baby, on the back seat. The child
began screaming for something. The mother impatiently said, "Why don't
you let him have what he wants?" The nurse let him have it.
What he was crying for was a wasp on the window. Then he screamed
vociferously when he felt the terrible sting of the wasp. The mother then
called out to ask, "What is the matter with him
now?" The maid quietly replied, "He got what he wanted." How often
have we seen this! It is better to seek the will of God first

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Three times God allowed the people to have what they wanted to
teach them a lesson –

1. He gave them flesh to eat

“But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the

desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their
soul.” (Psalm 105:14-15)

2. He gave them spies

Numbers 13, the story considered here

3. He gave them a king

A similar situation occurred in 1 Samuel 8. God told Samuel to appoint a

king over Israel for they had rejected God as their King. God gave them
what they wanted to teach them a lesson.

“But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to
judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said
unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they
say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected
me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:6-7)

Cf. Hosea 13:9-11,

“O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. I will

be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities?
and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? I
gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath.”

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Faith takes God at His word and does not need evidences. Whether it is in
the matter of the land or the presence of God as their King.

Cf. Heb. 1:11 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen.”

These things were written for our admonition and we must apply the
lesson to ourselves.

“Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they
are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.” (1Corinthians 10:11)

Many today are taking the easy way out in the Christian life. They want to
go back to the world God saved them from instead of moving on
spiritually.

They do not want to live by out and out faith in God. They do not want to
venture forth to meet the enemy. If we live for God as we should, we will
face a lot of opposition from Satan.

Others like in the days of Samuel want a one man ministry in the assembly,
some kind of visible gathering centre.

23 ¶ And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve

men of you, one of a tribe:
It is to be noted that none of the names of these men are repeated again
from Numbers 13 except Joshua and Caleb.

“The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall
rot.” (Proverbs 10:7)

With regard to the mission of the spies, the reader will note, with interest,
the way in which Moses refers to it. He confines himself to that portion of
their testimony which was according to truth. He says nothing about the
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ten infidel spies. This is in perfect keeping with the scope and object of the
book. Everything is brought to bear, in a moral way, on the conscience of
the congregation. CHM

These men were supposed to be the heads of their tribe, the greatest,
strongest and best of them but most proved to be hopeless. It proves that
God’s work is not done by the best of men but the most faithful of men.
The best of Israel trembled before the foe but Joshua and Caleb were men
of faith.

24 ¶And they turned and went up into the mountain, and

came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.

25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and
brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and
said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give
us.

The grapes of Eshcol was an earnest of their inheritance and illustrates

what the Holy Spirit does for us.

“Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed

us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

“Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the

purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:14)

Earnest is the Greek word 'arrabon' meaning a part-price paid as a pledge

of our inheritance.

As a seal He is given to us on God's behalf, to secure for God what is His,

and what is to be His for ever. But as the earnest He is given to us for our
comfort and assurance, in our hearts.
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He enables us to enjoy what awaits us in heaven right now on earth.

The purchased possession of Eph 1:14 signifies what has been paid for
and laid by. In Matthew 13:44, the Lord illustrated it as the buying of the
field. At his coming the Lord will redeem (Greek apolutrosis) by power
what He has acquired and we shall then receive our inheritance.

But there is more than this in the word translated 'earnest'. The Holy
Spirit, given to us, is the pledge that we shall one day be put in possession
of the inheritance reserved in heaven for us. But more, He is the
installment of that inheritance, the means by which we may already enter
into the reality and joy of it.

The word is still used in Modern Greek and is used of an engagement ring.
This furnishes an excellent illustration of what has been just said. The
engagement ring is a pledge that the marriage will follow.

Not only was it a type of the earnest of our inheritance but also a type of
the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,

gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such
there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

What a wonderful cluster of fruit this is!

26 ¶ Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled

against the commandment of the LORD your God:

27 And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the

LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land
of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to
destroy us.

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What a strange proof of hatred! How utterly absurd are the arguments of
unbelief! Surely, had He hated them, nothing was easier than to leave them
to die amid the brick kilns of Egypt, beneath the cruel lash of Pharaoh's
taskmasters. Why take so much trouble about them? why those ten plagues
sent upon the land of their oppressors? Why, if He hated them, did He not
allow the waters of the Red Sea to overwhelm them as they had
overwhelmed their enemies? Why had He delivered them from the sword
of Amalek? CHM

28 ¶ Whither shall we go up? our brethren have

discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and
taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven;
and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.

In Numbers 13 mention is made of Joshua’s former name Oshea means

“salvation” whereas Jehoshua means “Jehovah is salvation”. By this
Moses, turned Joshua’s thoughts away from the blessings of salvation to
the giver of salvation Himself. It was because Joshua was occupied with
the glory of God that he could be so bold.

The Canaanites were great but God was greater. Their city walls were high
but God was higher.
When a man is occupied with God, no foe can make him tremble.

It was fixing his eyes upon the Lord that made Peter do what no other
disciple dared to do, to walk on the water.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come
unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was
come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning
to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou
of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Matthew 14:28-31)

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We do not dare to do great things for our God because sadly we look to
much on the impossibility of the situation and not on the Saviour.

29 ¶Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of

them.

30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall

fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt
before your eyes;

31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that

the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son,
in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.

32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,

Despite all the assurances and promises given they still rebelled. It shows
they had already made up their minds to do their own thing.

33 ¶ Who went in the way before you, to search you out a

place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by
what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

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CONSEQUENCES OF THE REBELLION VV. 34-46

34 ¶ And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and

was wroth, and sware, saying,

35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil

generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto
your fathers,

36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to

him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to
his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

In verse 36 Joshua is not mentioned because he was identified with Moses

in leadership of Israel, and Caleb was one of the people otherwise -- one
clear example for all of the common people. (L. M. Grant)

37 ¶ Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes,

saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.

38 But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee,

he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause
Israel to inherit it.

39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a

prey, and your children, which in that day had no
knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither,
and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.

However, their children, then under 20 years of age (Num.14:29), whom

they feared would suffer, God would bring into the land (v.39). It was this
generation whom Moses was now addressing. (L. M. Grant)

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40 ¶ But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into
the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.

41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned

against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to
all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye
had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were
ready to go up into the hill.

Though they confessed they had sinned, they never repented of it. They
were sorry because of the sentence upon their sin but not upon the sin
itself. They never felt the pain and guilt of sin.

42 ¶ And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not
up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be
smitten before your enemies.
Again they showed their evil by disobeying another clear commandment of
the Lord GO NOT UP!

When God tells them to go they refuse and when He tells them not to go
they go!

Man’s depraved heart is constantly contradictory in its behaviour.

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43 ¶ So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but
rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and
went presumptuously up into the hill.

44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came

out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed
you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the

LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto
you.

They wept but again it was because of the consequences of their sin not
for their rebellion against God therefore the Lord would not give ear to
them.

46 ¶ So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto

the days that ye abode there.

They did not immediately turn back into the wilderness. Because we are
slow leareners, the Lord sometimes has to keep us in such a place as
Kadesh to remind us of our failure and give us ample time to meditate
upon the reasons for His hand of disciple restraining us as it does. (L. M.
Grant)

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