08/17/2026
12 Spies...
excerpt...
Twelve men were chosen to search out the land of Canaan. They
spent forty days seeing its cities, its people, its strength, and its
fruitfulness.
They were not sent to determine whether God could give them the land because God had already promised it to Israel. They were sent to see what the land was like and to bring back a report about the land God had promised.
“Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel”
(Numbers 13:2)
Notice those words: “which I give.” God had already spoken.
They All Saw the Same Land...
All twelve spies saw firsthand that the land was everything God
had said it would be. It truly flowed with milk and honey. The land was so fruitful that they cut down a cluster of grapes and carried it on a staff between two men.
After forty days they returned and gave their report. They all
agreed that the land was good.
Then came one dangerous word: NEVERTHELESS…
“Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great”
(Numbers 13:28 )
In other words: “Yes, the land is wonderful. Yes, it is everything
God said it would be. BUT…”
There were fortified cities. There were powerful enemies. There
were giants.
“We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight”
(Numbers 13:33)
They saw themselves as grasshoppers because they had stopped looking at the greatness of their God and started magnifying the greatness of their
giants.
Then Caleb Spoke Up…
Caleb had seen the same giants. He had seen the same walls. He
knew exactly what they were facing. But Caleb remembered what the other ten had forgotten: God was with them.
“Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it”
(Numbers 13:30)
Caleb did not trust Israel’s strength. His confidence was rooted in the God who had promised to give them the land.
Later, Joshua joined Caleb in pleading with the congregation to
trust the Lord:
“If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us”
(Numbers 14:8)
“Their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not”
(Numbers 14:9)
Joshua and Caleb even said of their enemies, “they are bread for us.” The ten spies saw enemies who would consume Israel; Joshua and Caleb saw enemies whom God would enable Israel to overcome.
The difference was not the size of the giants. The difference was the size of their view of God.
Who Are You Letting Influence You?
Here is one of the most sobering parts of the story: ten fearful
men influenced an entire nation.
The majority was wrong. The popular opinion was wrong. The
fearful voices prevailed because the people looked at their circumstances instead of trusting what God had said.
Why do we allow people who are not walking by faith to determine how we live our lives?
All twelve men saw the same land. All twelve saw the same fruit.
All twelve saw the same walls. All twelve saw the same giants. But they did not respond with the same faith.
Ten said, “We are not able.” Two said, “The LORD is with us.” Ten magnified the giants. Joshua and Caleb magnified God.
And an entire generation wandered in the wilderness because they chose to believe the wrong report.
Which Side Would You Have Been On?
If you had been standing there that day, which report would you
have believed?
Would you have stood with the ten and said, “Yes, those grapes
taste great. Yes, the land is wonderful. But have you seen those giants? We cannot do this!”
Or would you have stood beside Joshua and Caleb and said, “Yes, the giants are real. Yes, the walls are high. Yes, the battle will be difficult. But God has spoken. The LORD is with us. Let’s go!”
What Giants Are You Facing?
Maybe your giant is fear. Maybe it is uncertainty. Maybe it is an
impossible situation. Maybe it is something God has clearly called you to do that seems far beyond your ability.
The question is not whether the giant is real. The question is whether you will view that giant through the lens of fear or through faith in the God who has spoken.
Are you magnifying the giant—or are you magnifying your God?
Who are you allowing to influence your faith?
Be a Caleb...
Decades passed. The unbelieving generation died in the wilderness, but Caleb was still there. At eighty-five, he remembered what God had promised him.
He did not ask for an easy place to retire. He asked for the mountain God had promised him:
“Now therefore give me this mountain”
(Joshua 14:12 )
And the Anakims—the giants—were still there. The same kind of
people who had frightened Israel decades earlier were still in the land. But Caleb’s faith had not changed.
At forty, Caleb believed God. At eighty-five, Caleb still believed God.
The giants may still be there—but so is God. The walls may still be high—but God has not changed. The battle may still be
difficult—but God is still faithful.
With the little time we have on this earth, be a Caleb.
Do not let the majority influence you when the majority is not
following God. Do not spend your life wandering because fear kept you from obeying what God clearly said. Do not look back toward Egypt simply because following God becomes difficult.
Believe God. Follow God. Trust God.
You can know about God’s power and still live in unbelief. You can
spend your life longing for the security of Egypt or wandering in the wilderness—or you can trust God, obey His Word, and walk where He leads.
The giants will always be there. But so will God.
Stop MAGNIFYING YOUR GIANTS, and MAGNIFY YOUR GOD.
Happy Monday...
