Learning To Listen to God

10 Foolish Spies – Disaster In Canaan

Getting Past Our Debilitating Humanness

•We struggle with deciding our abilities based upon our own human strength.

•We are tempted to limit God’s abilities based upon what we perceive to be our own limitations.

•God has shown us repeatedly that there are NO LIMITATIONS to His strength.

•He intends for us to factor His power and will into every decision we make.

•The Flowing Land

•This principle is shown in God’s deliverance of the Jews from Egyptian bondage.

•God’s deliverance came with a promise•Exodus 3:8, 17 -- So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. -- And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.'

Exodus 13:5 --

When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your forefathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month:

•Explorers Enter Canaan•Twelve men were sent into Canaan to check out it’s strength and wealth.

•They were told to look for the following things:

•What was land like?•what were the people like?•What are the cities like?

Numbers 13:17-20

What they found in Canaan:

Numbers 13:23, 27 – When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs.

Vs. 27 -- They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

Their compaintsNumbers 13:28 -- But the

people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 33 -- We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

Two Righteous Men

Numbers 13:30 -- Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

Numbers 14:6-8 -- Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "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.

A Forty Year Disaster

Numbers 13:32 -- And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

The people in full rebellion…

Numbers 14:1-3 -- That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

The leaders try to reason with them:

Numbers 14:9 -- Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

The appearance of the Lord…

Numbers 14:10-12 –

Blames the people for treating Him with contempt.

Threatens to destroy them.

The decision of the Lord

Numbers 14:21-23; 28-29 –

Bans those 20 years old and above from entering Canaan.

40 years of wanderingOnly Joshua and Caleb are to be allowed

to enter the promised land at the end of the 40 years.

What Did the People Know

They knew the power of God to overthrow nationsPlagues on EgyptDrowning of

Pharaoh’s army.Defeat of the

Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-13.

They knew the provision of God

MannaQuailWater

They knew the presence of God

Pillar of firePillar of

cloud

They knew the promise of God

“I will give…

Learning to properly evaluate God’s mighty power

If God promises, He delivers!If God sends, He empowers.If God commands, He expects obedience.