Thus they told him, and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there.

—Numbers 13:27-28

The Numbers 13 Lesson: When Fear Looks Bigger Than Faith

I am firmly convinced that one of the most exciting things about reading Scripture is the possibility of reading a passage you’ve nearly memorized from hearing it so often and suddenly seeing a whole new depth to its meaning you’ve never seen before. That’s exactly what happened this week as I read through the book of Numbers.

This is the first time I can remember reading through Numbers. Call me crazy, but it’s just never been at the top of my reading list before. So color me surprised when I found the very flannel-graph-able story of the twelve spies who went to check out the promised land in my morning reading this past week.

It’s one of those stories I’ve heard since I was a child. But reading it this past week, God made it real to me in a way I’d never seen before.

The Journey to the Promised Land

The story starts with the people of Israel finally approaching the Promised Land. Their journey had likely already taken longer than expected because of pit stops for things like the Ten Commandments, the building of the tabernacle, and a slew of mishaps caused by the people’s complaints and lack of faithfulness.

When they finally get within spitting distance, God tells Moses to pick one leader from each tribe to go spy out the land. The only problem? When they returned, their advice was to give up and walk away.

It’s striking for me to think about those men being in that mindset. Their people had spent generations—400 years’ worth—longing for freedom and the Promised Land. And as soon as they were freed and made it to their new home, the consensus was that they should abandon ship? And do what? Go back to Egypt, like they kept talking about on the way over?

It seems astonishing that they would be so quick to give up what they had been looking forward to for so long, but if we look closely at their report, the reason for their mindset becomes clear.

The Report: Milk, Honey, and Terrifying Giants

The first part of the report is all the positives—the land is abundant, both in nutrition (milk) and in luxuries (honey), plus there’s a lot of good fruit. Sounds great. Exactly what God promised them. But the report doesn’t end there.

In the very next breath, the ten unfaithful spies explain that taking this land will not be without its risks. There are large, fortified cities that they would have to conquer to gain control of the land. And what’s more, some of those cities were inhabited by the sons of Anak, who are linked to the Nephilim or giants born out of the “marriage” of angels and the daughters of men described in Genesis.

It wasn’t going to be smooth sailing to take control of the Promised Land. Battles would have to be fought and won before families could settle down. It was possible that Hebrew lives would be lost.

What the Ten Spies Forgot (And Why It Cost Them Everything)

While that is true, and I don’t think anyone blames them for taking such a serious truth into consideration, I do think the thing they left out is interesting. Not once in their report did any of the ten unfaithful spies remember God’s promise. All they focused on were the benefits and the risks. That’s what led them to decide it was a better idea to give up on a 400-year-old dream than to trust the God who had demonstrated His power and love for them more times than they could count.

When God Calls You Forward: The Promise in Your Calling

And that’s when it hit me. I wasn’t reading a story about ancient knuckleheads making bad choices. I was remembering every time God had called me to do something that felt difficult and intimidating. Sometimes I responded like Joshua and Caleb. Sometimes I was like the ten unfaithful leaders.

The thing about callings is that they’re very much like the Promised Land because they come with a promise. While a calling isn’t a guarantee of earthly success, our obedience comes with a promise of provision and intimacy with the Father. In Romans 8:28, it’s not just anybody for whom God makes all things work for good. It’s the ones called according to His purpose. The calling comes with the promise of good, just like the Promised Land came with the promise of milk and honey.

The problem is, these promises, as wonderful as they are, can look pretty small if we measure them against the giants standing between us and where God’s called us to go. It’s not enough to only hold onto the promises. We’ve got to hold onto God Himself. 

Hold Fast to God, Not Just His Promises

The tragedy of the ten spies wasn’t that they saw the giants; the giants were real. Their failure was forgetting that the God who led them out of Egypt was infinitely greater than any obstacle they would face in Canaan. They weighed the risks and benefits but left God out of the equation, and missed out on what God had planned for them.

Faith doesn’t ignore the giants; it simply sees God as bigger. So let’s step forward into what God’s calling us to do and, above all, hold fast to Him.