Posted on March 2, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call
“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.’ So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel…” Numbers 13:1-3
You probably have heard the story of the 12 spies that Moses sent into Canaan as the people of Israel came into Kadesh-Barnea. I learned something recently that I thought I would pass along. When I thought about this event I didn’t consider some of the practical realities of their excursion. Did you know…?
This was no small task. They didn’t have automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles or hover boards in those days.
It is details like this that often give us a better understanding of what life was like for people in Biblical times. It takes the people off the 2-D page and adds clarity in 3-D. So instead of just being 12 spies, they were real men who probably got blisters and calluses on their feet and maybe sunburn and more than a few bug bites along the way.
Oh yeah, we forget things like that when we read the Bible simply as history rather than the living, breathing Word of God. Do you ever find yourself reading the Bible as a nice story but forgetting the people really lived and the events really happened?
Guilty as charged.
Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.
Think About This: “Doctrine is useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. It is worse than useless; it does positive harm. Something of ‘the image of Christ’ must be seen and observed by others in our private life, and habits, and character, and doings.” – J.C. Ryle
The Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 22-23. You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; 2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night…” Psalm 92:1-2
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
