“We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit….There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
— Numbers 13:27, 33
The spies searched through the whole land in forty days, probably walking ten to twenty miles a day. They brought back a cluster of grapes so large that it had to be carried between two men (Num. 13:23–24)! Upon returning, they reported, “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit” (v. 27).
While in the land, they also saw the different peoples who inhabited it. Ten of the spies reported, “We saw the giants…and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (v. 33). They saw God’s blessing in the produce of the land, but they didn’t believe that God would help them overcome the giants. Because of this, the children of Israel wept that night (14:1).
For the ten spies to compare themselves to grasshoppers was more serious than if they had said they felt small. Saying they were grasshoppers indicates they felt they were going to be trampled. They saw themselves as hopeless. In fact, they were visionless, like many today. God chose us to live meaningful, purposeful lives, full of vision. We should realize the goal of our lives and fight for the Lord’s interest.
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, page 31.
Monday: “We Should Not Forget”