Steps with Christ

The Twelve Spies

Thoughts from "Patriarchs and Prophets" Chap. 34 by Ellen G. White

At the banks of Jordan

The children of Israel had finally come to the only natural obstacle left before they could enter the land that had been promised to their father Abraham. But before entering upon the conquest of Canaan the Israelites asked the Lord for permission to send spies in to the Promised Land to search the land. And the Lord answered giving them permission;

"Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel." - Num 13:2-3

Among the children of Israel were chosen twelve spies, one ruler and leader as representative of every tribe of Israel to search the Promised Land before entering with the whole nation.

The spies was gone for forty days and returned thereafter to the camp of Israel on the other side of the Jordan.

"And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it." - Num 13:27

"And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs." - Num 13:23

What a feeling it must have been! God had promised Israel this land and now finally they were on the border of it with information about the land that praised it as flowing with milk and honey. The spies even brought a cluster of grape so big that it had to be carried between two men on a staff! The people must have been in a hurry to enter upon the land they had been promised by the God of heaven and earth.

Distrust and Unbelief

"But after describing the beauty and fertility of the land, all but two of the spies enlarged upon the difficulties and dangers that lay before the Israelites should they undertake the conquest of Canaan. They enumerated the powerful nations located in various parts of the country, and said that the cities were walled and very great, and the people who dwelt therein were strong, and it would be impossible to conquer them." - {PP 387.3}

Instead of pushing the people onwards to claim the Promised Land and the fruits thereof ten of the twelve spies spoke to the people of the great obstacle and hindrance that lay before them if they would try to take the land. Here things stated to go in the wrong direction.

We should never enlarge upon the problems and troubles of life or our mission. Instead we are to walk in the presence of the Lamb of God trusting in His word and promises. In this story we can see clearly the result of unbelief and of letting our mind dwell on the great obstacles and trails of life instead of the power and great helper we have in God.

Says the prophet;

"Now the scene changed. Hope and courage gave place to cowardly despair, as the spies uttered the sentiments of their unbelieving hearts, which were filled with discouragement prompted by Satan. Their unbelief cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation, and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen nation, was forgotten." - {PP 388.1}

What was the result of the spies giving a bad report of the land? And what spirit was behind their unbelief?

The people were discouraged and they forgot the mighty power of God that had been manifested earlier in their behalf! This I have found to be true in my own experience. When faced with great problems and when life seems really difficult we tend to forget what God have promised us in the past and the power and signs He has given us. We forget our own history and personal experience with our Maker and thus we make unsanctified decisions based sole upon the arm of flesh instead of the Omnipotent´s right arm of righteousness. Distrust and unbelief comes suddenly and swiftly and few are so grounded in the faith and word of Jesus that they can stand without being discouraged.

"In their unbelief they limited the power of God and distrusted the hand that had hitherto safely guided them. And they repeated their former error of murmuring against Moses and Aaron. "This, then, is the end of our high hopes," they said. "This is the land we have traveled all the way from Egypt to possess." They accused their leaders of deceiving the people and bringing trouble upon Israel."  {PP 388.2}

This is almost always the case when dealing with unbelief and distrust. If we do not believe in the power of our God we are doing all what the devil wants us to do. When we distrust the power of God we are unable to lay hold upon the precious promises of the Bible and God will not be able to help us.

"The people were desperate in their disappointment and despair. A wail of agony arose and mingled with the confused murmur of voices. Caleb comprehended the situation, and, bold to stand in defense of the word of God, he did all in his power to counteract the evil influence of his unfaithful associates. For an instant the people were stilled to listen to his words of hope and courage respecting the goodly land. He did not contradict what had already been said; the walls were high and the Canaanites strong. But God had promised the land to Israel. "Let us go up at once and possess it," urged
Caleb; "for we are well able to overcome it.""  {PP 388.3}

But two of the twelve spies had the faith in God to stand up and point the people to the words spoken to them. Caleb did not lie and he did not try to alter the description given of the land. He only put the description in contrast to the power of their Helper. As should we do today, we are not to dwell on our problems and the obstacle of life or of following God. We are to place every test, event, problem and worries in contrast to our Savior. Unbelief will lead you away from trusting the Lord as He wants you to trust in Him. It will be you doom.

Some time ago I was talking with one of my old friends from back in my high school days on the phone. When suddenly the conversation took a fearsome course. I had expected for some time that all wasn't as it should be with my friend and now he opened up for me. There was a part of his life that was not as it should be he stated. He had lost all hope that this part of his life would become expectable before Christ. The conversation turn dark and gloomy and I could hear on my friend's voice that he was hardening his hearth. As the spies returned to give a bad report of the land making the people too lose their trust in the Lord, so my friend gave a really bad report of the situation and all his focus was on the obstacle and problems of life. The conversation went back and forth for a few minutes and then I finally asked him. "Are you telling me that Jesus Christ, our risen Savior, can't heal your hurt and make you situation blossom again? Surely, if we trust in the Lord He can make us clean, if we are ready to head His promises and take in possession what He have promised us." The answer came as a shock for me and my heart and soul fell as tears started to make their way down my face. "No, he said. Even Christ couldn't help now; it´s too infected with sin."

How? How I asked myself could my friend say that? I never thought I'd hear those words from any of my sister or brothers in Christ. "What could I do?", I asked myself. If he doesn't even believe in the power of Jehovah's only begotten Son? What could I then do?! As the ten spies unbelief were urge on by satan, the enemy of souls, so this poor human had lost himself in the snares of the deceiver. With tears of anguish running down my face I tried to reason with him, but in vain. He only hardened his heart with every word I spoke until he finally said in despair and anger. "I don´t want to talk with you anymore, I have work to do tomorrow." "Please", I pleaded, "what if you and I were to study the Word of God and pray together and see if it really was no hope, don´t do anything rash. Let's seek comfort and wisdom from God." "NO", he replied. "I already know the will of the Father concerning this matter, there is no hope..." After that day he never called to speak with me again.

Even when writing this down, months after the incident. Tears still fall from my face over those words of unbelief and distrust. Oh, how I want to go to Heaven, where all is light and glory. Oh I long to be with Jesus, O I long to be with God. Sometimes I think I can stay here no longer. I feel very lonely here, for I've seen a better land. Oh, that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest. How I yearn to sit at the Saviors feet and have all my tears blotted out!

What a different meaning the words of my Lord have today because of this experience.

"Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me." - Mat 17:17 

If only he would come, as the Savior calls after him. If only he would have come to the Lord. But it isn't my decision to make. Thou this experience have brought me much sadness I now understand the words of the Savior and the prophets much clearer;

"Character is revealed by a crisis. ... It will be made manifest whether or not there is any real faith in the promises of the word of God. It will be made manifest whether or not the soul is sustained by grace, whether there is oil in the vessel with the lamp." - {RH, September 17, 1895 par. 9}

"Testing times come to all. How do we conduct ourselves under the test and proving of God? Do our lamps go out? or do we still keep them burning? Are we prepared for every emergency by our connection with Him who is full of grace and truth? ... We shall be judged according to the character we have formed. It is perilous to neglect to prepare the soul for eternity, and to put off making our peace with God until upon a dying bed. It is by the daily transactions of life, by the spirit we manifest, that we determine our eternal destiny. He who is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much. If we have made Christ our pattern, if we have walked and worked as he has given us an example in his own life, we shall be able to meet the solemn surprises that will come upon us in our experience, and say from our heart, "Not my will, but thine, be done."" - {RH, September 17, 1895 par. 10}

It´s hard to hear and even harder to say. But if we are not warned we will not be ready. And if we do not understand what evil we have done in the past, how are we then to redeem those things and make them right before the brightness of His coming shall fall upon us?

Fruits of Unbelief

"These men, having entered upon a wrong course, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God. Every advance step rendered them the more determined. They were resolved to discourage all effort to gain possession of Canaan. They distorted the truth in order to sustain their baleful influence. It "is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof," they said. This was not only an evil report, but it was also a lying one. It was inconsistent with itself. The spies had declared the country to be fruitful and prosperous, and the people of giant stature, all of which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to "eat up the inhabitants."" - {PP 389.1}

One sin leads to another and soon the ten spies turn all their power over to the enemy because of pride and stubbornness. It´s unbelievable what lengths man is ready to go so that he does not have to admit having been in wrong and done evil.

"But when men yield their hearts to unbelief they place themselves under the control of Satan, and none can tell to what lengths he will lead them." - {PP 389.1}

"Revolt and open mutiny quickly followed; for Satan had full sway, and the people seemed bereft of reason." - {PP 389.2}

When man turn from the precepts of God and His will they will do anything to hinder and silence any rebuke. As did Cain when Abel´s pure faith and self-denial called for Cain to render the same faith and obedience to God or apostasies.

Rash and passionate purpose or Love and a sound mind

"In humiliation and distress "Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel," not knowing what to do to turn them from their rash and passionate purpose." - {PP 389.3}

As shown thought the Bible, inspiration and the story I shared one of the most distinct marks of the devils influence is the rash and passionate actions unchecked and unsanctified by the Word of God.

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." - 2Ti 1:7 

False repentance

After the rebellion of the children of Israel God punished the ten spies and the whole nation. They were to wander again back into the wilderness for forty years and all but the faithful Caleb and Joshua would enter the Promised Land of the people. This the people could not accept and they finally became aware of their sins against the Lord.

"Now they seemed sincerely to repent of their sinful conduct; but they sorrowed because of the result of their evil course rather than from a sense of their ingratitude and disobedience. When they found that the Lord did not relent in His decree, their self-will again arose, and they declared that they would not return into the wilderness. In commanding them to retire from the land of their enemies, God tested their apparent submission and proved that it was not real. They knew that they had deeply sinned in allowing their rash feelings to control them and in seeking to slay the spies who had urged them to obey God; but they were only terrified to find that they had made a fearful mistake, the consequences of which would prove disastrous to themselves. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to occasion a similar outbreak. This presented itself when Moses, by the authority of God, commanded them to go back into the
wilderness." - {PP 391.4}

As is the case very often with humans. We tend to regard past sins a light and of none importance or consequence. We do not learn from what wrongs we have done in the past and instead we are doomed to repeat past sins. Only if the heart is made new in Christ and we be founded upon the rock dose we stand a chance against our own nature.

"And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned." - Num 14:40

"And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper." - Num 14:41 

You see, false repentance is the repentance of a fool. They know that they had done something wrong and sinned against God. That's the first step, a very good step. But where do we turn our attention to seek for forgives of our sins?

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" - Act 2:37

This is what we are to do, we are to ask. We are not to act again on our impulses and self-will as did the children of Israel on the banks of Jordan. We are to ask for guidance and light upon the right path to choose when we have sinned. Sin always carries with it responsibility for the action. We cannot presume to have turned from our wicked ways if we do not make right the wrong we have done.

The stubborn children of Israel didn´t listen to Moses, the prophet whom God have chosen to lead the people. They did not care that the lawgiver looked upon them with sadness and anger over their false repentance and wicked deeds.

"But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the

LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. Then the Amalekites came down, and the

Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto

Hormah." - Num 14:44-45

Here we have it, false revival and false repentance doesn't ask what to do. It doesn't seek guidance from above. It acts rash and on presumption and sets its course without the arc of the covenant containing the Ten Commandments and the writings of the prophet going before. Every true believer will turn to the law and to the prophets to find the right way to walk after coming out of Egypt. And as the children of Israel forty years later entered Canaan they had the Levites carrying the arc of the covenant before the whole nation. Thus are the people of God today, the modern Israel, going to enter heavenly Canaan with the Ten Commandments and the writings of the prophet going before them.

"Forced to submission at last, the survivors "returned, and wept before the Lord;" but "the Lord would not hearken" to their voice. Deuteronomy 1:45. By their signal victory the enemies of Israel, who had before awaited with trembling the approach of that mighty host, were inspired with confidence to resist them. All the reports they had heard concerning the marvelous things that God had wrought for His people, they now regarded as false, and they felt that there was no cause for fear. That first defeat of Israel, by inspiring the Canaanites with courage and resolution, had greatly increased the difficulties of the conquest. Nothing remained for Israel but to fall back from the face of their victorious foes, into the wilderness, knowing that here must be the grave of a whole generation." - {PP 394.3}

Because of their great sin of unbelief, forgetting Gods past dealing with them, trying to silence the messengers of God, their false repentance, their rash and unsanctified actions and because they would not hearken to the law and to the prophet believing that they could claim the promises of God without obeying the law of love and not seeking to do the right thing taking responsibility for their sins they had committed according to God's word and will, they brought misery to the nation and to Gods name. God forbid that we trample upon the name and law of Jehovah. As followers of Christ we are to vindicate the law of God among the heathen nation showing that by obedience to Gods law and will you will prosper.

"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." - 1Jn 5:3 

"Those who are truly the followers of Christ, will not serve God only when it is in accordance with their inclination, but, as well, when it involves self-denial and cross-bearing." - {CE 113.1}

Have you walked in your own judgments and reasoning as of late? Have you overlooked the claim God has on your life today? One friend of mine once said, very wisely, when asked what his plans were for the future. My friend answers and said, "I have some realistic choices to choose from, but I don't want to make any rash decision in my own strength and flesh. And I want to be careful that I do not break or make void any promises and commitments I´m under or have made." That's the true Christian spirit, the spirit of seeking after the old paths (Isa 58:12, Jer 6:16). The spirit of "the law and the prophets first", even before life itself. The spirit of self-denial.

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." - Jas 4:13-17

There is something in your life that's not in harmony with the Saviors will. Somewhere deep inside the Holy Ghost is trying to prick your heart. We are standing upon the banks of Jordan today. Will you turn from the law and the prophets, to follow your own path and your own righteousness? It´s not enough to read the laws and speak of the prophets. You have to live the law and the prophets in perfect submission and love of God and you fellow man.

"As long as you live, you are accountable to God to keep His way. . . ." - {AH 187.1}

Do you delight in the law of the lord, Psa 1:2, are you willing to march behind the arc of the covenant containing the law and the prophets, are you willing to enter heavenly Canaan as Christ specified? Lay you life and plans down before the Lord. Only you know what the Holy Ghost is trying to communicate. Only you know what you have to make right. Do not terry, obedience before death should be your battle cry.

Dear heavenly Father. Create in us a new heart, a heart that does not only have the appearance of Christendom. But a heart whereon you can write you law upon. Help us to have faith in you promises and your words. Help our unbelief and forgive us our sins. Give us the power to make past wrongs right before you. Help us to let the great cleaner cleans our heart and life from all rubbish and dirt. Give us the power of love, the power to love. The power to take responsibility for our actions and words. Help us to represent Christ in thought, words and deeds. Give us of you Holy Spirit Father, and take our experience with heaven to a higher level, step by step, day by day. Do this according to Your will, Your commandments and laws. Not according to our will. We ask this in the name of Your only begotten Son and our dear Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen