EGW
As the children of Israel neared the borders of the promised land, Moses selected a man from each tribe, and sent them to view the land of Canaan, saying to them, “Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 1
After forty days the spies returned, bringing specimens of the fruit of the land. But all save two returned with a faithless report. “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us,” they began, “and surely it floweth with milk and honey.... Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. And the Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 2
The unbelief of the spies cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation; and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of his chosen people, was forgotten. The people did not wait to reflect. They did not reason that he who had brought them thus far would certainly give them the land of promise; they did not call to mind how wonderfully God had delivered them from their oppressors, cutting a path through the sea, and destroying the pursuing hosts of Pharaoh. They left God out of the question, and acted as if they must depend solely on the power of arms. RH May 20, 1902, par. 3
They were desperate in their disappointment and despair. A wail of agony arose and mingled with the confused murmur of voices. Caleb comprehended the situation, and, bold to stand in defense of the word of God, he did all in his power to counteract the evil influence of his unfaithful associates. For an instant the people were stilled to listen to his words of hope and courage respecting the goodly land. He did not contradict what had already been said: the walls were high, the Canaanites strong. But God had promised the land to Israel. “Let us go up at once, and possess it,” Caleb urged: “for we are well able to overcome it.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 4
Caleb's words excited the anger of the ten spies, and they cried vehemently, “We be not able to go up against the people: for they are stronger than we.... The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 5
“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.” Revolt and open mutiny quickly followed; for Satan had full sway, and the people seemed bereft of reason. They cursed Moses and Aaron, forgetting that God hearkened to their wicked speeches, and that, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, the Angel of God's presence was witnessing their terrible outburst of wrath. In bitterness they cried. “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” With the utterance of their discontent, their bitterness grew, until they began to reproach God, saying, “And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said to one another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 6
Cut to the heart by the rebellion of the people, feeling the enormity of their sin. “Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.” And again Caleb and Joshua tried to reassure the people. Above the tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief their clear, ringing voices were heard, saying: “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 7
But the congregation would not listen to the earnest entreaty. The unfaithful spies were loud in their denunciations of Caleb and Joshua, and the cry was raised to stone them. The insane mob seized missiles with which to slay these faithful men. They rushed forth with yells of madness, when suddenly the stones dropped from their hands, a hush fell upon them, and they shook with fear. God had interposed to check their murderous designs. The glory of his presence, like a flaming light, illuminated the tabernacle. All the people beheld the signal of the Lord. A mightier One than they had revealed himself, and no one dared continue his resistance. The spies who brought the evil report crouched, terror stricken, and with bated breath sought their tents. RH May 20, 1902, par. 8
Moses now arose, and entered the tabernacle. And God said to him, “How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 9
Unable to endure the thought of Israel's destruction, Moses pleaded: “If thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.... Let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy.... Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 10
And God said, “I have pardoned according to thy word: but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened unto my voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers.... Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, doubtless ye shall not come unto the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.” RH May 20, 1902, par. 11
For our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come, was this history recorded. How often the people of God today live over the experience of the children of Israel! How often they murmur and complain! How often they draw back when the Lord bids them go forward! The cause of God is suffering for want of men like Caleb and Joshua, men of fidelity and unshaken trust. God calls for men who will give themselves to him to be imbued with his Spirit. The cause of Christ and humanity demand sanctified, self-sacrificing men, men who will go forth without the camp, bearing the reproach. Let them be strong, valiant men, fit for worthy enterprises, and let them make a covenant with God by sacrifice. RH May 20, 1902, par. 12
Brethren, we must come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Remember that the nearer we approach the time of Christ's coming, the more earnestly we are to work; for we are opposed by the whole synagogue of Satan. We do not need feverish excitement, but that courage which is born of genuine faith. RH May 20, 1902, par. 13
We need greater faith in the progress of the cause of God. When the Lord gives us a work to do, let us not stop to inquire into the reasonableness of the command or the probable result of our effort to obey. Workers for Christ are never to think, much less to speak, of failure in their work. Though the outward appearance may be unpromising, energy and trust in God will develop resources. RH May 20, 1902, par. 14
If we restrain the expression of unbelief, and by hopeful words and prompt movements strengthen our own faith and the faith of others, our vision will grow clearer. RH May 20, 1902, par. 15
Be strong, and talk hope. Press your way through obstacles. God's word is your assurance. Approach your Saviour with the full confidence of living faith, joining your hands with his. Go where he leads the way. Whatsoever he says to you, do. He will teach you just as willingly as he will teach some one else. RH May 20, 1902, par. 16
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Have we not proved this in the past? As we moved out, trusting God's promises, things unseen, except by the eye of faith, have become things seen. As we have walked and worked by faith, God has fulfilled to us every word he has spoken. The evidence we have of the faithfulness of his promise should check every thought of unbelief. RH May 20, 1902, par. 17
Often the Christian life is beset with dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination pictures impending ruin before, and bondage or death behind. Yet the voice of God speaks clearly, “Go forward.” Let us obey the command, even though our sight cannot penetrate the darkness. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience till every shadow of uncertainty disappears, and there remains no risk of failure or defeat, will never obey. RH May 20, 1902, par. 18