Around the end of the 14th century BC, Moses was commanded by God to lead the Israelites out of the control of Pharaoh in Egypt, and to go to the land of Canaan that God had promised to Israel’s ancestor Abraham (Genesis 12:7). Traveling from Egypt to Canaan should take about 2-3 months (Exodus 13:17, 19:1; Deuteronomy 1:2), and even accounting for the promulgation of the Ten Commandments and the reorganization of the Israelite army the travel time should still only take a little over a year. (Numbers 10:11). However, we see the Bible tells us that it took 40 years to enter the Promised Land (Numbers 2:14).
The reason behind this decades long delay is recorded within Numbers 13-14 and Deuteronomy 1:22. What we are told is that the leaders of the 12 Tribes of Israel sent 12 spies into the promised land; and after 40 days of spying those spies returned saying:
“Numbers 13:27–33 (ESV): 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there…The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (Numbers 13:27-33 abridged)
In other words, all but two (Caleb and Joshua) of the spies came back with the self-assessment that the Promised Land was truly beautiful and fertile; however the local cities were large and well-fortified, the local residents were tall and strong, and the “descendants of Anak” (particularly large people) dwelt among these cities. Compared to the enemy, the spies felt as small as grasshoppers and gave up any chance of winning in combat. The attempt of attacking and occupying this Promised Land seemed to not only sign the death warrants for the spies and soldiers, but for their families and culture as well.
This report caused the whole of their nation to forget the power and glory that God showed in His deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, going as far to cause the people to cry “…Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness!: (Numbers 14:2) In response God says in anger that “…none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it” (Numbers 14:22-23).
This report causes a 38 year delay, due purely to the inability for those who saw difficulties in front of them, and lost sight of the God’s promise and God’s power.
With this declaration, the Israelite nation would not enter the promised land for another 38 years. A decades long delay because they could not see past the difficulties in front of them, so they missed seeing God’s promise and God’s power. This challenge continues on for Christians today. Anyone who is determined to follow in the footsteps of the Lord, live a life of holiness which benefits God and others must face this challenge.
History then tells us, that the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land after removing the obstacles that prevented their entry. As modern Christians, let us examine the lessons from history to understand and remove the obstacles between us and God’s promises so that we may live a sanctified, God ordained life.
The difference between the two generations of Israelites can be summed up within two points:
1) Grasshoppers - The Giants and Walls:
The Israelites who had left Egypt were struck by nostalgia FOR Egypt, so much so they forgot the shackles and pains of slavery as well as the power of God that helped them escape bondage. They complained throughout their trek and failed in their faith to the point that God let these men who were born in Egypt die in the wilderness as they compared their physical prowess (as grasshoppers) to the physical size of the giants. After the “grasshopper” generation’s passing, Joshua led the Israelites to defeat Sihon, King of Heshbon (who lived in once feared large well-fortified cities), and Og King of Bashan, who is described as a 13 foot tall giant (Deuteronomy 3:11). The Giants and the Walls that their parents feared, the new generation overcame and eventually it opened up the way to the Promised Land.
2) Hornets – God’s Promise and Power
So how was this new generation different than the old? The “new generation” was led by two leaders, Joshua and Caleb, both who were part of the 12 spies sent to scout the promised land. Their faith led them to declare: “…The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:7-9). They whole heartedly followed God’s will and became a model and testimony for the new generation.
Joshua testifies that: “And I (God) sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.” (Joshua 24:12-13). The Lord sent before them hornets to fight their battles and enacted other miracles to allow the Israelites to finally enter and dwell within the Promised Land.
In this story of entering the Promised Land two common insects are mentioned, the grasshopper and the hornet. Although we have only the strength of a grasshopper, God is able to send the hornet to fulfill his ministry and purpose. We cannot live a victorious life by our own efforts alone we must rely on faith, as Caleb did when he followed wholeheartedly regardless of the world’s opinion. We must dare to be set apart living in awe of our omniscient God, with the determination to live each day with honesty and love. Then and only then can we experience the presence of God and experience safety, abundance, joy, and live a full life. Are you willing to go before God and say “I would like to live such a life and may the Lord lead me”?
- Rev. M.H. Phillip Liu, Ph.D
PMGO PO BOX 5275
Kendall Park, NJ 08824
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