Numbers 13:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we have, first, the order to send spies into the land of Canaan. In this passage, God tells Moses to send them (Numbers 13:1-2), but when the story is repeated later, it is clear the idea came first from the people (Deuteronomy 1:22). They came to Moses and said, “We will send men ahead of us,” and this came from their lack of faith. They would not trust God’s word that the land was good and that he would surely give it to them.

They also did not trust the pillar of cloud and fire to lead them. Instead, they trusted their own judgment more than God’s wisdom. It was foolish for them to send spies into a land God had already looked over for them, or to ask about the way when God had already promised to lead them. We ruin ourselves when we give more weight to what we can see and hear than to God’s word. We walk by sight instead of by faith, even though God’s testimony is greater than any human report.

When the people made this request, Moses asked God about it, perhaps not fully seeing the unbelief behind it. God told him to give the people their way and send the spies ahead, as if to let them follow their own plans. Yet God was not responsible for the sin that followed. If the spies had done their duty, and if the people had done theirs, this mission could have strengthened their faith and helped them.

Second, the men chosen for this task are named here (Numbers 13:4 and following). One man was chosen from each tribe, so the whole nation could see that this was the people’s own matter. These were leaders, men of rank in their tribes, some of them rulers over groups of thousands or hundreds, so their report would carry more weight. This was meant for good, but it had a sad result, because their high standing made the bad report they brought seem more believable, and the people were more easily swayed by it.

Some think all their names are listed to draw attention to the two good men among them, Caleb and Joshua. Joshua’s name change is especially noted here (Numbers 13:16). He was Moses’s servant, but he had also led Israel’s forces against Amalek, even though he came from the tribe of Ephraim. His earlier name was Hoshea, but Moses called him Joshua, both out of affection and as a sign of authority. From that point on, it seems Moses wanted others to use that name too.

Hoshea means a prayer for salvation, something like “Save now.” Joshua means a promise of salvation, “The Lord will save,” which answers that prayer. Prayer and promise belong closely together. Prayers gain strength from promises, and promises guide and encourage prayer. Some think Moses added the first part of God’s name, Jehovah, to Joshua’s name, to honor him and remind him that God would be with him in his work.

Even so, he is later called Hoshea again (Deuteronomy 32:44). Joshua is the same name as Jesus, and it points to our Lord Christ. Joshua was a picture of Christ as the one who followed Moses and led Israel into Canaan. Another man with the same name was also a type of Christ (Zechariah 6:11). Joshua saved God’s people from the power of Canaan, but Christ saves his people from the power of hell.

Third, Moses gave the spies their instructions. They were to go through Canaan by the nearest route, travel through the land, and report on its condition (Numbers 13:17). He gave them two main things to examine. First, they were to look closely at the land itself, whether it was good or bad, and whether it was rich and fertile or thin and poor (Numbers 13:18-20). Not every place on earth is equally fruitful. Some lands are much richer than others.

Moses already knew Canaan was a very good land, but he sent the spies so the people could hear a report for themselves. This was like John the Baptist sending messengers to Jesus to ask whether he was the Christ, not because John needed to know, but because his messengers did. The spies were to notice whether the climate was healthy, what the soil was like, and what kinds of crops the land produced. To help satisfy the people, they were also to bring back some of the fruit.

Second, they were to examine the people who lived there. They were to report whether there were few or many, whether they were strong and well-built or weak, and whether they lived in tents or houses. They were also to see whether they lived in open villages or in fortified cities. They were to notice whether the land was covered with standing woods, as in uncultivated places where the people were lazy or unskilled, or whether the trees had been cleared and the land was open for farming. These were the things they were told to find out.

Perhaps if trade between Egypt and Canaan had been more active in those days, they could have learned some of this without sending men on such a journey. This shows the value of books and learning. They can teach careful and curious people about far-off lands, much farther away than Canaan was from Israel, without the trouble and cost of sending spies.

Fourth, Moses sent the spies away with this charge, “Be of good courage.” He meant not only that they should face the journey bravely, but also that they should bring back a report that would encourage the people and speak as favorably as they could, as far as truth allowed. This was a great task, which required skill and courage. It was also a great trust, which required honesty and faithfulness.