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RUSSELL SANDERS
1-4-2022
THE LIFE OF JOSHUA – LESSON 6
HE BELIEVED GOD
After about two years in the wilderness, God told Moses in Numbers 13:2 to choose one ruler from each of the twelve tribes to spy out the land of Canaan which God had promised to give them. Joshua was chosen to represent Ephraim and Caleb for Judah.
These twelve chosen men brought back a good report of a land flowing with milk and honey. They brought much fruit back including a cluster of grapes so large that it took two men to carry it on a staff.
However, they also brought back an evil report about the inhabitants of the land. The cities were fortified with walls and were very large. There also were giants throughout the land that were so tall that these men felt like grasshoppers beside them. They instilled fear in the hearts of all Israel when they said in Numbers 13:31, “We be not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we.”
In the natural, their fear was very reasonable considering the people of the Amalekites, Jebusites, Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, plus the sons of Anak. Who were these people? The Hittites had one of the largest empires of that time. It existed during 1600-1180 B.C. covering present-day Turkey, parts of Europe, and with pockets scattered around Canaan. They were fierce warriors and were one of the earliest people to develop weapons of iron.
The “sons of Anak,” or Anakim, were indeed giants standing nine to ten feet tall. They inhabited the mountain areas (Joshua 11:21-22) which were strategic high ground advantages in battles of Hebron, Debir, Anab, Judah, and other mountains including Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.
Joshua had no fear. He believed God would give them victory over the land just as He had promised. Caleb also said that they would be victorious. These two believers along with Moses and Aaron were ready to march in and take the land.
The people’s fear rose up as they refused to follow these four men of God. They refused to go into the land. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes and they, with Moses and Aaron, fell in repentance to God for the people’s rejection.
The ten men of the evil report died of a plague. God decreed that all males above twenty years old would die before ever seeing Canaan. Only Joshua and Caleb would enter that land.
Folks, God’s promises are sure and certain. Some do have conditions to be met but some are unconditional. We must be obedient and truly believe His promises just as Joshua and Caleb did. There is no room for doubters. Believe!
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