Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Send out men for yourself to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am going to give the sons of Israel; you shall send a man from each of their fathers’ tribes, every one a leader among them.” (Numbers 13:1-2, NASB)
Every golfer remembers Arnold Palmer. It is not only that he won but also how he did it. Palmer took a chance in the last round of the 1960 US Open at Cherry Hills in Denver, drove the first green, made a birdie, and then proceeded to birdie five of the next six holes en route to a final round of 65 and a two-shot victory. We remember brave leaders who perform well under pressure.
Who are the great Bible characters you remember, and which would you like to emulate today? David defeating Goliath? The Apostle Paul? How about Peter and his leading of the early church?
Let’s return to Moses. He was commanded to select a leader from each of the twelve tribes. Numbers 13 says, “Every one a leader among them.” A pretty select group if you ask me.
Which one would you want to emulate? Shammua, the son of Zaccur or Shaphat, Caleb, Joshua, or Palti? What about Raphu? Or how about Gaddiel? Or you might pick a good one, Gaddi, the son of Susi? If not Gaddi, then you might go with Ammiel. You might settle for Sethur or my personal favorites, Nahbi or Geuel.
Of the twelve spies, ten of these men went into the promised land and agreed that the Israelites could not conquer these people because of their mighty strength and power.
Only two of the twelve thought they could win and take over the land that God, incidentally, had already promised to give them—Joshua and Caleb. Today, everyone remembers Joshua and Caleb.
They both had faith that what God had told them was true. But the crowd went with the majority, and the Israelites suffered through another 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. They incorrectly thought that the battle depended upon them and not what God had promised.
I want to be like Joshua and Caleb. Those are the leaders I want to remember and imitate. They might also have been afraid, but they had faith in their God. As John Wayne said, “True courage is being scared but saddling up anyway.”
Courage will be remembered when we look to God and not the giants living in the land. If it is God’s will, it is not a risk but a future reward.
Do you want to be remembered? We can’t just sit in the stands and cheer; we must get in the arena and trust God to do the impossible as Joshua and Caleb did. First, know what God is calling you to do, and then step out in faith and watch Him clear the giants in the land and provide victory. God already said He would give them and you the land. Joshua and Caleb remind me to remember God and His promise.
Closing prayer: We want to possess what you have already given us. To you, God, be the glory.