EGW WritingsNumbers 13

Conflict and Courage

A Contradictory Report, April 10

CC 106.1

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel. Numbers 13:32.

CC 106.2

The Lord commanded Moses to send men to search the land of Canaan, which He would give unto the children of Israel.... After they had spoken of the fertility of the land, all but two spoke very discouragingly of their ability to possess it.... As the people listened to this report, they gave vent to their disappointment in bitter reproaches and wailing. They did not wait to reflect and reason that God, who had brought them out thus far, would certainly give them the land....

CC 106.3

Caleb urged his way to the front, and his clear, ringing voice was heard above all the clamor of the multitude. He opposed the cowardly views of his fellow spies, which had weakened the faith and courage of all Israel. He commanded the attention of the people, and they hushed their complaints for a moment to listen to him.... But as he spoke, the unfaithful spies interrupted him, crying: “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.”

CC 106.4

These men, starting upon a wrong course, set their hearts against God, against Moses and Aaron, and against Caleb and Joshua. Every step they advanced in this wrong direction made them firmer in their design to discourage every attempt to possess the land of Canaan. They distorted the truth in order to carry their baneful purpose. They represented the climate as being unhealthful and all the people of giant stature....

CC 106.5

This was not only an evil report, but a lying one also. It was contradictory; for if the land was unhealthy, and had eaten up the inhabitants, how was it that they had attained to such massive proportions? When men in responsible positions yield their hearts to unbelief, there are no bounds to the advance they will make in evil.... If only the two men had brought the evil report, and all the ten had encouraged them to possess the land in the name of the Lord, they would still have taken the advice of the two in preference to the ten, because of their wicked unbelief.14Testimonies for the Church 4:148-151.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)

Ms 10, 1903

18LtMs, Ms 10, 1903, par. 1

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. ... And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan. ... So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath. And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron. ... And they came unto the brook of Eschol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. The place was called the brook Eschol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” [Numbers 13:1, 2, 17, 21-27.]

18LtMs, Ms 10, 1903, par. 3

“The people be strong that dwell in the land,” they said, “and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 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.” [Verses 28, 29.]

18LtMs, Ms 10, 1903, par. 5

“Let us go up at once, and possess it,” urged Caleb, “for we are well able to overcome it.” [Verse 30.] But the ten, interrupting him, pictured the obstacles in darker colors than at first. “We be not able to go up against the people,” they declared, “for they are stronger than we. ... And all the people we saw in it are men of 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.” [Verses 31-33.]

Patriarchs and Prophets

Chapter 34—The Twelve Spies

PP 387.1

Eleven days after leaving Mount Horeb the Hebrew host encamped at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from the borders of the Promised Land. Here it was proposed by the people that spies be sent up to survey the country. The matter was presented before the Lord by Moses, and permission was granted, with the direction that one of the rulers of each tribe should be selected for this purpose. The men were chosen as had been directed, and Moses bade them go and see the country, what it was, its situation and natural advantages; and the people that dwelt therein, whether they were strong or weak, few or many; also to observe the nature of the soil and its productiveness and to bring of the fruit of the land.

PP 387.2

They went, and surveyed the whole land, entering at the southern border and proceeding to the northern extremity. They returned after an absence of forty days. The people of Israel were cherishing high hopes and were waiting in eager expectancy. The news of the spies’ return was carried from tribe to tribe and was hailed with rejoicing. The people rushed out to meet the messengers, who had safely escaped the dangers of their perilous undertaking. The spies brought specimens of the fruit, showing the fertility of the soil. It was in the time of ripe grapes, and they brought a cluster of grapes so large that it was carried between two men. They also brought of the figs and pomegranates which grew there in abundance.

PP 387.3

The people rejoiced that they were to come into possession of so goodly a land, and they listened intently as the report was brought to Moses, that not a word should escape them. “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us,” the spies began, “and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” The people were enthusiastic; they would eagerly obey the voice of the Lord, and go up at once to possess the land. But after describing the beauty and fertility of the land, all but two of the spies enlarged upon the difficulties and dangers that lay before the Israelites should they undertake the conquest of Canaan. They enumerated the powerful nations located in various parts of the country, and said that the cities were walled and very great, and the people who dwelt therein were strong, and it would be impossible to conquer them. They also stated that they had seen giants, the sons of Anak, there, and it was useless to think of possessing the land.

PP 388.1

Now the scene changed. Hope and courage gave place to cowardly despair, as the spies uttered the sentiments of their unbelieving hearts, which were filled with discouragement prompted by Satan. Their unbelief cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation, and the mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen nation, 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; 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 though they must depend solely on the power of arms.

PP 388.2

In their unbelief they limited the power of God and distrusted the hand that had hitherto safely guided them. And they repeated their former error of murmuring against Moses and Aaron. “This, then, is the end of our high hopes,” they said. “This is the land we have traveled all the way from Egypt to possess.” They accused their leaders of deceiving the people and bringing trouble upon Israel.

PP 388.3

The people 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 and the Canaanites strong. But God had promised the land to Israel. “Let us go up at once and possess it,” urged Caleb; “for we are well able to overcome it.”

PP 388.4

But the ten, interrupting him, pictured the obstacles in darker colors than at first. “We be not able to go up against the people,“ they declared; “for they are stronger than we.... 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.”

PP 389.1

These men, having entered upon a wrong course, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God. Every advance step rendered them the more determined. They were resolved to discourage all effort to gain possession of Canaan. They distorted the truth in order to sustain their baleful influence. It “is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” they said. This was not only an evil report, but it was also a lying one. It was inconsistent with itself. The spies had declared the country to be fruitful and prosperous, and the people of giant stature, all of which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to “eat up the inhabitants.” But when men yield their hearts to unbelief they place themselves under the control of Satan, and none can tell to what lengths he will lead them.

PP 389.2

“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 cloudy pillar, the Angel of His presence was witnessing their terrible outburst of wrath. In bitterness they cried out, “Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” Then their feelings rose against God: “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 one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” Thus they accused not only Moses, but God Himself, of deception, in promising them a land which they were not able to possess. And they went so far as to appoint a captain to lead them back to the land of their suffering and bondage, from which they had been delivered by the strong arm of Omnipotence.

PP 389.3

In humiliation and distress “Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel,” not knowing what to do to turn them from their rash and passionate purpose. Caleb and Joshua attempted to quiet the tumult. With their garments rent in token of grief and indignation, they rushed in among the people, and their ringing voices were heard above the tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief: “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.”

PP 390.1

The Canaanites had filled up the measure of their iniquity, and the Lord would no longer bear with them. His protection being removed, they would be an easy prey. By the covenant of God the land was ensured to Israel. But the false report of the unfaithful spies was accepted, and through it the whole congregation were deluded. The traitors had done their work. If only the two men had brought the evil report, and all the ten had encouraged them to possess the land in the name of the Lord, they would still have taken the advice of the two in preference to the ten, because of their wicked unbelief. But there were only two advocating the right, while ten were on the side of rebellion.

PP 390.2

The unfaithful spies were loud in denunciation of Caleb and Joshua, and the cry was raised to stone them. The insane mob seized missiles with which to slay those faithful men. They rushed forward 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 design. 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 none dared continue their resistance. The spies who brought the evil report crouched terror-stricken, and with bated breath sought their tents.

PP 390.3

Moses now arose and entered the tabernacle. The Lord declared to him, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation.” But again Moses pleaded for his people. He could not consent to have them destroyed, and he himself made a mightier nation. Appealing to the mercy of God, he said: “I beseech Thee, 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 to the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

PP 391.1

The Lord promised to spare Israel from immediate destruction; but because of their unbelief and cowardice He could not manifest His power to subdue their enemies. Therefore in His mercy He bade them, as the only safe course, to turn back toward the Red Sea.

PP 391.2

In their rebellion the people had exclaimed, “Would God we had died in this wilderness!” Now this prayer was to be granted. The Lord declared: “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.... 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.” And of Caleb He said, “My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” As the spies had spent forty days in their journey, so the hosts of Israel were to wander in the wilderness forty years.

PP 391.3

When Moses made known to the people the divine decision, their rage was changed to mourning. They knew that their punishment was just. The ten unfaithful spies, divinely smitten by the plague, perished before the eyes of all Israel; and in their fate the people read their own doom.

PP 391.4

Now they seemed sincerely to repent of their sinful conduct; but they sorrowed because of the result of their evil course rather than from a sense of their ingratitude and disobedience. When they found that the Lord did not relent in His decree, their self-will again arose, and they declared that they would not return into the wilderness. In commanding them to retire from the land of their enemies, God tested their apparent submission and proved that it was not real. They knew that they had deeply sinned in allowing their rash feelings to control them and in seeking to slay the spies who had urged them to obey God; but they were only terrified to find that they had made a fearful mistake, the consequences of which would prove disastrous to themselves. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to occasion a similar outbreak. This presented itself when Moses, by the authority of God, commanded them to go back into the wilderness.

PP 392.1

The decree that Israel was not to enter Canaan for forty years was a bitter disappointment to Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua; yet without a murmur they accepted the divine decision. But those who had been complaining of God’s dealings with them, and declaring that they would return to Egypt, wept and mourned greatly when the blessings which they had despised were taken from them. They had complained at nothing, and now God gave them cause to weep. Had they mourned for their sin when it was faithfully laid before them, this sentence would not have been pronounced; but they mourned for the judgment; their sorrow was not repentance, and could not secure a reversing of their sentence.

PP 392.2

The night was spent in lamentation, but with the morning came a hope. They resolved to redeem their cowardice. When God had bidden them go up and take the land, they had refused; and now when He directed them to retreat they were equally rebellious. They determined to seize upon the land and possess it; it might be that God would accept their work and change His purpose toward them.

PP 392.3

God had made it their privilege and their duty to enter the land at the time of His appointment, but through their willful neglect that permission had been withdrawn. Satan had gained his object in preventing them from entering Canaan; and now he urged them on to do the very thing, in the face of the divine prohibition, which they had refused to do when God required it. Thus the great deceiver gained the victory by leading them to rebellion the second time. They had distrusted the power of God to work with their efforts in gaining possession of Canaan; yet now they presumed upon their own strength to accomplish the work independent of divine aid. “We have sinned against the Lord,” they cried; “we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us.” Deuteronomy 1:41. So terribly blinded had they become by transgression. The Lord had never commanded them to “go up and fight.” It was not His purpose that they should gain the land by warfare, but by strict obedience to His commands.

PP 392.4

Though their hearts were unchanged, the people had been brought to confess the sinfulness and folly of their rebellion at the report of the spies. They now saw the value of the blessing which they had so rashly cast away. They confessed that it was their own unbelief which had shut them out from Canaan. “We have sinned,” they said, acknowledging that the fault was in themselves, and not in God, whom they had so wickedly charged with failing to fulfill His promises to them. Though their confession did not spring from true repentance, it served to vindicate the justice of God in His dealings with them.

PP 393.1

The Lord still works in a similar manner to glorify His name by bringing men to acknowledge His justice. When those who profess to love Him complain of His providence, despise His promises, and, yielding to temptation, unite with evil angels to defeat the purposes of God, the Lord often so overrules circumstances as to bring these persons where, though they may have no real repentance, they will be convinced of their sin and will be constrained to acknowledge the wickedness of their course and the justice and goodness of God in His dealings with them. It is thus that God sets counteragencies at work to make manifest the works of darkness. And though the spirit which prompted to the evil course is not radically changed, confessions are made that vindicate the honor of God and justify His faithful reprovers, who have been opposed and misrepresented. Thus it will be when the wrath of God shall be finally poured out. When “the Lord cometh with ten thousand of His saints, to execute judgment upon all,” He will also “convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds.” Jude 14, 15. Every sinner will be brought to see and acknowledge the justice of his condemnation.

PP 393.2

Regardless of the divine sentence, the Israelites prepared to undertake the conquest of Canaan. Equipped with armor and weapons of war, they were, in their own estimation, fully prepared for conflict; but they were sadly deficient in the sight of God and His sorrowful servants. When, nearly forty years later, the Lord directed Israel to go up and take Jericho, He promised to go with them. The ark containing His law was borne before their armies. His appointed leaders were to direct their movements, under the divine supervision. With such guidance, no harm could come to them. But now, contrary to the command of God and the solemn prohibition of their leaders, without the ark, and without Moses, they went out to meet the armies of the enemy.

PP 393.3

The trumpet sounded an alarm, and Moses hastened after them with the warning, “Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword.”

PP 394.1

The Canaanites had heard of the mysterious power that seemed to be guarding this people and of the wonders wrought in their behalf, and they now summoned a strong force to repel the invaders. The attacking army had no leader. No prayer was offered that God would give them the victory. They set forth with the desperate purpose to reverse their fate or to die in battle. Though untrained in war, they were a vast multitude of armed men, and they hoped by a sudden and fierce assault to bear down all opposition. They presumptuously challenged the foe that had not dared to attack them.

PP 394.2

The Canaanites had stationed themselves upon a rocky tableland reached only by difficult passes and a steep and dangerous ascent. The immense numbers of the Hebrews could only render their defeat more terrible. They slowly threaded the mountain paths, exposed to the deadly missiles of their enemies above. Massive rocks came thundering down, marking their path with the blood of the slain. Those who reached the summit, exhausted with their ascent, were fiercely repulsed, and driven back with great loss. The field of carnage was strewn with the bodies of the dead. The army of Israel was utterly defeated. Destruction and death was the result of that rebellious experiment.

PP 394.3

Forced to submission at last, the survivors “returned, and wept before the Lord;” but “the Lord would not hearken” to their voice. Deuteronomy 1:45. By their signal victory the enemies of Israel, who had before awaited with trembling the approach of that mighty host, were inspired with confidence to resist them. All the reports they had heard concerning the marvelous things that God had wrought for His people, they now regarded as false, and they felt that there was no cause for fear. That first defeat of Israel, by inspiring the Canaanites with courage and resolution, had greatly increased the difficulties of the conquest. Nothing remained for Israel but to fall back from the face of their victorious foes, into the wilderness, knowing that here must be the grave of a whole generation.

Selected Messages Book 3

Chapter 13—The Testimonies for the Church

3SM 95.1

Condensation of First Ten Testimony Pamphlets Republished in 1864—During the last nine years, from 1855 to 1864, I have written ten small pamphlets, entitled, Testimony for the Church, which have been published and circulated among Seventh-day Adventists. The first edition of most of these pamphlets being exhausted, and there being an increasing demand for them, it has been thought best to re-print them, as given in the following pages, omitting local and personal matters, and giving those portions only which are of practical and general interest and importance. Most of Testimony No. 4 may be found in the second volume of Spiritual Gifts, hence, it is omitted in this volume. [By popular demand the first ten were reprinted, in 1874, in full in book form, together with a reprinting of Numbers 11-20.—Compilers.]—Spiritual Gifts 4b:ii.

The Story of Redemption

Chapter 20—The Spies and Their Report

SR 158.1

The Lord commanded Moses to send men to search the land of Canaan, which He would give unto the children of Israel. A ruler of each tribe was to be selected for this purpose. They went and, after forty days, returned from their search, and came before Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of Israel, and showed them the fruit of the land. All agreed that it was a good land, and they exhibited the rich fruit which they had brought as evidence. One cluster of grapes was so large that two men carried it between them on a staff. They also brought of the figs and the pomegranates, which grew there in abundance.

SR 158.2

After they had spoken of the fertility of the land, all but two spoke very discouragingly of their being able to possess it. They said that the people were very strong that dwelt in the land, and the cities were surrounded with great and high walls; and, more than all this, they saw the children of the giant Anak there. They then described how the people were situated around Canaan, and the impossibility of their ever being able to possess it.

SR 158.3

As the people listened to this report they gave vent to their disappointment with bitter reproaches and wailing. They did not wait and reflect and reason that God, who had brought them out thus far, would certainly give them the land. But they yielded to discouragement at once. They limited the power of the Holy One and trusted not in God, who had hitherto led them. They reproached Moses and murmuringly said to one another, This, then, is the end of all our hopes. This is the land that we have been traveling from Egypt to obtain.

SR 159.1

Caleb and Joshua sought to obtain a hearing, but the people were so excited that they could not command themselves to listen to these two men. After they were calmed a little, Caleb ventured to speak. He said to the people, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” But the men that went up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” And they continued to repeat their evil report, and declared that all the men were of 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.

SR 159.2

“And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 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 one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.”

SR 160.1

The Israelites not only gave vent to their complaints against Moses but accused God Himself of dealing deceitfully with them by promising them a land which they were unable to possess. Their rebellious spirit here rose so high that, forgetful of the strong arm of Omnipotence which had brought them out of the land of Egypt and had thus far conducted them by a series of miracles, they resolved to choose a commander to lead them back to Egypt, where they had been slaves and had suffered so many hardships. They actually appointed them a captain, thus discarding Moses, their patient, suffering leader; and they murmured bitterly against God.

SR 160.2

Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation, to implore the mercy of God in favor of a rebellious people. But their distress and grief were too great for utterance. They remained upon their faces in utter silence. Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes as an expression of the greatest sorrow. “And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, 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 defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

SR 160.3

“Their defence is departed from them.” That is, the Canaanites had filled up the measure of their iniquity, and the divine protection was withdrawn from them, and they felt perfectly secure and were unprepared for battle; and, by the covenant of God, the land is ensured to us. Instead of these words having the designed effect upon the people, they increased their determined rebellion. They became in a rage and cried out with a loud and angry cry that Caleb and Joshua should be stoned, which would have been done had not the Lord interposed by a most signal display of His terrible glory in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

SR 161.1

Moses went into the tabernacle to converse with God. “And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe Me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for Thou broughtest up this people in Thy might from among them;) and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that Thou Lord art among this people, that Thou Lord art seen face to face, and that Thy cloud standeth over them, and that Thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. Now 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 unto the land which He sware unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness.”

SR 161.2

Moses again refuses to have Israel destroyed and himself made a mightier nation than was Israel. This favored servant of God manifests his love for Israel and shows his zeal for the glory of his Maker and the honor of his people: As Thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until now, Thou hast been long-suffering and merciful hitherto toward this ungrateful people; however unworthy they may be, Thy mercy is the same. He pleads, Wilt Thou not, therefore, spare them this once, and add this one more instance of divine patience to the many Thou hast already given?

SR 162.1

“And the Lord 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 to My voice; surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it: but My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”

SR 162.2

The Lord bade the Hebrews return and go into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. They were very near the good land, but, by their wicked rebellion, they forfeited the protection of God. Had they received the report of Caleb and Joshua, and gone immediately up, God would have given them the land of Canaan. But they were unbelieving and showed such an insolent spirit against God that they brought upon themselves the denunciation that they should never enter the Promised Land. It was in pity and mercy that God sent them back by the Red Sea, for the Amalekites and Canaanites, while they were delaying and murmuring, heard of the spies and prepared themselves to make war with the children of Israel.

SR 163.1

“And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against Me.” The Lord told Moses and Aaron to say to the people that He would do to them as they had spoken. They had said, “Would God we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” Now God would take them at their word. He told His servants to say to them that they should fall in the wilderness, from twenty years old and upward, because of their rebellion and murmurings against the Lord. Only Caleb and Joshua should go unto the land of Canaan. “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.”

SR 163.2

The Lord declared that the children of the Hebrews should wander in the wilderness forty years, reckoning from the time they left Egypt, because of the rebellion of their parents, until the parents should all die. Thus should they bear and suffer the consequence of their iniquity forty years, according to the number of days they were searching the land, a day for a year. “And ye shall know My breach of promise.” They should fully realize that it was the punishment for their idolatry and rebellious murmurings which had obliged the Lord to change His purpose concerning them. Caleb and Joshua were promised a reward in preference to all the host of Israel, because the latter had forfeited all claim to God’s favor and protection.

The Review and Herald

October 3, 1893

RH October 3, 1893, par. 6

Shall not these lessons be of profit to those who are tempted to criticise, think evil of, speak evil of, and judge and condemn those whom God is leading and favoring? And how much worse it is to criticise and give judgment against the church that God has chosen to magnify his name and vindicate his honor, than to speak simply against an individual member. (Read carefully the history of the spies in Numbers 13 and 14.) A ruler from each of the twelve tribes of Israel was chosen to go up and spy out the land into which they were to come. Forty days were consumed in fulfilling their charge. God sent them into the land for a special purpose, but the spies brought back an evil report, full of unbelief and complaint. Before the congregation they exaggerated the difficulties to be met. But Caleb’s clear, ringing voice was heard before Moses and the people, saying, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” The exaggerated report of the unfaithful spies filled the people with discouragement, and they gave up in the abandonment of despair, and the leaven of murmuring spread throughout the camp of Israel. And they said one to another:

From Eternity Past

Chapter 34—Twelve Spies Survey Canaan

EP 270.1

The Hebrew host encamped at Kadesh, in the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from the borders of the Promised Land. Here it was proposed by the people that spies be sent up to survey the country. The matter was presented before the Lord by Moses, and permission was granted. The men were chosen and Moses bade them go and see the country and the people, whether they were strong or weak, few or many; also to observe the soil and its productiveness and to bring of the fruit of the land.

EP 270.2

They went, and surveyed the whole land, and returned after forty days. The news of the spies’ return was hailed with rejoicing. The people rushed out to meet the messengers, who had safely escaped the dangers of their perilous undertaking. The spies brought specimens of the fruit, showing the fertility of the soil. They brought a cluster of grapes so large that it was carried between two men. They also brought of the figs and pomegranates, which grew in abundance.

EP 270.3

The people listened intently as the report was brought to Moses. “We came unto the land whither thou sentest us,” the spies began, “and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.” The people were enthusiastic; they would eagerly obey the voice of the Lord and go up at once to possess the land.

EP 270.4

But all but two of the spies enlarged upon the dangers and uttered the sentiments of their unbelieving hearts, which were filled with discouragement prompted by Satan. Their unbelief cast a gloomy shadow over the congregation. The mighty power of God, so often manifested in behalf of the chosen nation, was forgotten. The people 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, as though they must depend solely on the power of arms.

EP 271.1

In their unbelief they repeated their former error of murmuring against Moses and Aaron. “This, then, is the end of all our high hopes,” they said. They accused their leaders of deceiving the people and bringing trouble upon Israel.

EP 271.2

A wail of agony arose, mingled with the confused murmur of voices. Bold to stand in defense of the word of God, Caleb did all in his power to counteract the evil influence of his unfaithful associates. He did not contradict what had been said; the walls were high and the Canaanites strong. But God had promised the land to Israel. “Let us go up at once and possess it,” urged Caleb, “for we are well able to overcome it.”

EP 271.3

But the ten, interrupting him, pictured the obstacles. “We be not able to go up against the people,” they declared; “for they are stronger then we... . All the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

EP 271.4

These men, having entered upon a wrong course, stubbornly set themselves against Caleb and Joshua, against Moses, and against God. They distorted the truth in order to sustain their baleful influence. “It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” they said. This was not only an evil report; it was a lying one. The spies had declared the country to be fruitful, and the people of giant stature, which would be impossible if the climate were so unhealthful that the land could be said to “eat up the inhabitants.”

EP 272.1

Revolt and open mutiny quickly followed. The people seemed bereft of reason. They cursed Moses and Aaron, forgetting that enshrouded in the cloudy pillar, the Angel of His presence was witnessing their terrible outburst of wrath. Then their feelings rose against God: “Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.” Thus they accused not only Moses but God Himself, of deception, in promising them a land they were not able to possess.

EP 272.2

Caleb and Joshua attempted to quiet the tumult. They rushed in among the people, and their ringing voices were heard above the tempest of rebellious grief: “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 defence is departed from them and the Lord is with us: fear them not.”

EP 272.3

By the covenant of God, the land was ensured to Israel. But the false report of the unfaithful spies was accepted. The whole congregation were deluded. The traitors had done their work. If only the two men had brought the evil report and all the ten had encouraged them to possess the land in the name of the Lord, they would still have taken the advice of the two in preference to the ten, because of their wicked unbelief.

EP 272.4

The cry was raised to stone Caleb and Joshua. The insane mob rushed forward with yells of madness, when suddenly the stones dropped from their hands, and they shook with fear. God interposed. The glory of His presence, like a flaming light, illuminated the tabernacle. None dared continue their resistance. The spies who brought the evil report crouched terror-stricken and sought their tents.

EP 272.5

Moses now arose and entered the tabernacle. The Lord declared to him, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation.” But again Moses pleaded for his people. “I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering, 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.”

EP 273.1

The Lord promised to spare Israel from immediate destruction; but because of their unbelief and cowardice He could not manifest His power to subdue their enemies. Therefore in His mercy He bade them turn back toward the Red Sea.

EP 273.2

In their rebellion the people had exclaimed, “Would God we had died in this wilderness!” Now this prayer was to be granted: “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... . 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.” And of Caleb He said, “My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” As the spies had spent forty days in their journey, so the hosts of Israel were to wander in the wilderness forty years.

EP 273.3

When Moses made known to the people the divine decision, they knew that their punishment was just. The ten unfaithful spies, divinely smitten by the plague, perished before the eyes of all Israel; and in their fate the people read their own doom.

EP 273.4

Now they seemed sincerely to repent; but they sorrowed because of the result of their evil course rather than from a sense of their ingratitude and disobedience. When they found that the Lord did not relent in His decree, their self-will again arose and they declared that they would not return into the wilderness. God tested their apparent submission and proved it was not real. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to occasion a similar outbreak. Had they mourned for their sin when it was faithfully laid before them this sentence would not have been pronounced; but they mourned for the judgment. Their sorrow was not repentance and could not secure a reversing of their sentence.

EP 274.1

That night was spent in lamentation, but with the morning they resolved to redeem their cowardice. When God had bidden them go up and take the land, they had refused; and now when He directed them to retreat, they were equally rebellious.

EP 274.3

“We have sinned,” they confessed, acknowledging that the fault was in themselves and not in God, whom they had wickedly charged with failing to fulfill His promises. Though their confession did not spring from true repentance, it served to vindicate the justice of God.

EP 274.4

The Lord still works in a similar manner to glorify His name by bringing men to acknowledge His justice. God sets counteragencies at work to make manifest the works of darkness. Though the spirit which prompted to evil is not radically changed, confessions are made that vindicate the honor of God and justify His faithful reprovers who have been opposed and misrepresented. Thus it will be when the wrath of God shall be finally poured out. Every sinner will be brought to see and acknowledge the justice of his condemnation.

EP 275.1

Regardless of the divine sentence, the Israelites prepared to undertake the conquest of Canaan. They were, in their own estimation, fully prepared for conflict. Contrary to the command of God and the solemn prohibition of their leaders, they went out to meet the armies of the enemy.

EP 275.2

Moses hastened after them with the warning, “Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.”

EP 275.3

The Canaanites had heard of the mysterious power that seemed to be guarding this people, and they now summoned a strong force to repel the invaders. The attacking army had no leader. No prayer was offered that God would give them the victory. Though untrained in war, they hoped by a fierce assault to bear down all opposition. They presumptuously challenged the foe that had not dared to attack them.

EP 275.4

The Canaanites had stationed themselves upon a rocky tableland reached only by a steep and dangerous ascent. The immense numbers of the Hebrews could only render their defeat more terrible. Massive rocks came thundering down, marking their path with the blood of the slain. Those who reached the summit, exhausted with their ascent, were fiercely repulsed and driven back with great loss. The army of Israel was utterly defeated.

EP 275.5

The enemies of Israel, who had awaited with trembling the approach of that mighty host, were inspired with confidence to resist them. All the reports they had heard concerning the marvelous things that God had wrought for His people, they now regarded as false; there was no cause for fear. That first defeat of Israel, by inspiring the Canaanites with courage and resolution, had greatly increased the difficulties of the conquest.

EP 276.1

Nothing remained for Israel but to fall back from the face of their victorious foes, into the wilderness, knowing that here must be the grave of a whole generation.

From Eternity Past

An Example of False Repentance

EP 274.2

God had made it their privilege and duty to enter the land at the time of His appointment, but through their willful neglect that permission had been withdrawn. Satan now urged them on to do the very thing in the face of divine prohibition which they had refused to do when God required it, leading them to rebel the second time. “We have sinned against the Lord,” they cried. “We will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us.” Deuteronomy 1:41. So terribly blinded had they become! The Lord had never commanded them to “go up and fight.” It was not His purpose that they should gain the land by warfare, but by strict obedience to His commands.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)

Lt 100, 1899

14LtMs, Lt 100, 1899, par. 2

When the children of Israel were encamped on the other side of the Jordan, “the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children the children of Israel.” [Numbers 13:1, 2.] Read this history, contained in the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters of Numbers. When the evil report brought back by the spies was received, God was displeased, and declared His determination concerning the people. For forty years they were to wander in the wilderness. After He had said this, the people decided to go up. But the favorable time had passed. The news of their coming had been circulated, and their enemies were prepared to resist them. And Moses said, “Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.” [Numbers 14:42.] But they presumptuously went to the hilltop to be defeated by their enemies.

Christ Triumphant

Speak No Words of Unbelief, April 23

CTr 120.1

We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Numbers 13:27.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)

Ms 33, 1899

14LtMs, Ms 33, 1899, par. 9

When will our people receive the Word of the Lord and work in Christ’s lines? There is no help for those who refuse to listen to the divine voice pointing out their duty. Such have fallen prey to a fatal disease, for which no human skill can provide a remedy. So long have they neglected to respect and obey the voice of God through His servants that their hearts have become hardened. The Lord has sent warnings, He has marked out the way; but strong-minded, self-willed men have separated from God. Their voices have not been raised as was Caleb’s in defense of the right. A chieftain in Israel, Caleb was one of those selected to spy out the land of Canaan. When they returned from this work the voices of his companions was raised in complaint. They acknowledged the goodness of the land, but “the people be strong that dwell in the land,” they said, “and the cities are walled and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.” [Numbers 13:28.]

14LtMs, Ms 33, 1899, par. 10

Caleb saw the difficulties just as plainly as the other spies, but he stood plainly to the post God had assigned him. He never shirked any disagreeable responsibility, and now, in the face of his cowardly companions, who had raised stones to throw at him, he cried with a ringing voice, “Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” [Verse 30.] We need Calebs in our work today.

Christ Triumphant

Calebs Still Needed Today, April 25

CTr 122.1

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13:30.

Our Father Cares

Why Wait? July 10

OFC 203.1

Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13:30.

Pacific Union Recorder

March 27, 1902

PUR March 27, 1902, par. 12

Tried and aged servants of God are most precious in His sight, and they are not to be cast off or made to feel that they are no longer of use in His cause. They should not be expected to engage in active labor and carry the heavy burdens which they once bore; younger men should put their shoulder to the wheel and work disinterestedly, carrying the work strongly and zealously forward; but, though called to bear responsibilities, they should, with true humility of mind, know how to value and use the wisdom and counsel of these more experienced ones. If they have that connection with God that they should have, they will prize above gold and silver the advice and instruction of these worn and tried servants of the Lord. Those who for years have labored as the chosen of God, who have ever shown that their hearts were in the work, deserve our fullest confidence. The Lord will certainly use these old standard-bearers, who have served Him with heart and pen, and voice and means, if they will continue to cling fast to Him. He is, and ever will be, with the veterans who have held fast to the truth in times of peril. When the foundation of the faith of younger men seems to be giving way, and their house falling, the testimony of these older warriors , like Caleb, will be heard, “Let us go up at once, and possess it [the land]; for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30. When the voice of unbelief is heard, their faith will turn the tide to a glorious victory.

Sons and Daughters of God

We Need More Calebs and Joshuas, July 19

SD 207.1

And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13:30.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 5 (1887-1888)

Ms 18, 1888

5LtMs, Ms 18, 1888, par. 41

God help us to work unitedly and as we never have worked before, is my prayer. There is need now of faithful Calebs whose voices will be heard in clear, ringing notes, saying of the immortal inheritance, “Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able.” [Numbers 13:30.] We need now the courage of God’s faithful servant of old. Not one wavering, uncertain note should come from the watchers’ trumpets. They must be true to the sacred, solemn work that has been entrusted to them and lead the flock of God in right pathways onward and upward to victory.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)

Ms 3, 1890

6LtMs, Ms 3, 1890, par. 26

If you open your minds and hearts to the insinuations and suggestions of Satan, you will be led to act a part similar to that of the unfaithful spies. Instead of trusting in God to bring victory, instead of inspiring hearts with firm faith in the leadings of His Spirit, you will talk and act as did the spies. Can you afford to do this? No, no. Let your voice be heard echoing the words of faithful Caleb concerning the land of promise: “Let us go up at once and possess it.” [Numbers 13:30.] Caleb and Joshua “spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, 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 that 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.” [Numbers 14:7-9.] This is the spirit that dwelt in Caleb and Joshua.

Education

By Faith to Conquest

Ed 149.1

The truth that as a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), finds another illustration in Israel’s experience. On the borders of Canaan the spies, returned from searching the country, made their report. The beauty and fruitfulness of the land were lost sight of through fear of the difficulties in the way of its occupation. The cities walled up to heaven, the giant warriors, the iron chariots, daunted their faith. Leaving God out of the question, the multitude echoed the decision of the unbelieving spies, “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” Numbers 13:31. Their words proved true. They were not able to go up, and they wore out their lives in the desert.

Ed 149.2

Two, however, of the twelve who had viewed the land, reasoned otherwise. “We are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30), they urged, counting God’s promise superior to giants, walled cities, or chariots of iron. For them their word was true. Though they shared with their brethren the forty years’ wandering, Caleb and Joshua entered the Land of Promise. As courageous of heart as when with the hosts of the Lord he set out from Egypt, Caleb asked for and received as his portion the stronghold of the giants. In God’s strength he drove out the Canaanites. The vineyards and olive groves where his feet had trodden became his possession. Though the cowards and rebels perished in the wilderness, the men of faith ate of the grapes of Eshcol.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 7 (1891-1892)

Ms 6, 1892

7LtMs, Ms 6, 1892, par. 38

Now when we are just on the borders of the promised land, let none repeat the sin of the unfaithful spies. They acknowledged that the land they went up to see was a good land, but they declared that the inhabitants were strong, the giants were there, and that they themselves were in comparison as grasshoppers in the sight of the people and in their own sight. All the difficulties were magnified into insurmountable obstacles. They made it appear as folly and presumption to think of going up to possess the land. Thus they leavened the whole congregation with their unbelief. The people broke forth into lamentations and loud outcries. But Caleb stilled them before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” [Numbers 13:30.]

7LtMs, Ms 6, 1892, par. 39

This was the language of faith; but the men who had spoken discouragingly were not to be baffled in their attempts to prevent the people from going forward in doing the word of the Lord. They tried to cry down the voice of Caleb, saying, “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” [Verse 31.] And they exaggerated the difficulties until all the congregation were crazed with discouragement and fear. The people wept all night, and murmured against the very men in whom they should have had confidence. Then in their exasperation they cast reflections upon God, wishing that they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness; they planned rebellion, proposing to thrust aside their God-appointed leaders. “Let us make a captain,” they said, “and let us return into Egypt.” [Numbers 14:4.]

Manuscript Releases, vol. 15 [Nos. 1136-1185]

MR No. 1179—The Evil of Rebellion

15MR 289.1

Young men are needed in the work—those who will undertake the work interestedly, and will carry it forward zealously and strongly. But the Lord is, and ever will be, with the old, steadfast leaders who have held fast to the truth in times of peril. When the foundation of the faith of the younger men seems to be swept away and their houses falling, the testimony, like that of Caleb, will be heard from the old warriors, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” [Numbers 13:30]. Then the voice of unbelief was heard. “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” [verse 31]. One word of unbelief prepares the way for more. Satan does not easily let alone any man whom he can tempt to dishonor God by his unbelief.

15MR 289.2

“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, 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” [verses 32, 33].

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Lt 106, 1897

12LtMs, Lt 106, 1897, par. 9

Young men are needed in the work—those who will undertake the work interestedly and will carry it forward zealously and strongly. But the Lord is, and ever will be, with the old, steadfast leaders who have held fast to the truth in times of peril. When the foundation of the faith of the younger men seems to be swept away and their houses falling, the testimony, like that of Caleb, will be heard from the old warriors, “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the voice of unbelief was heard. “We be not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” [Numbers 13:30, 31.] One word of unbelief prepares the way for more. Satan does not easily let alone any men whom he can tempt to dishonor God by his unbelief.

12LtMs, Lt 106, 1897, par. 10

“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the men that we saw in it are men of 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.” [Verses 32, 33.]

Conflict and Courage

Why Wait? April 11

CC 107.1

Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Numbers 13:30.

CC 107.2

It was Caleb’s faith in God that gave him courage; that ... enabled him to stand boldly and unflinchingly in defense of the right. From the same exalted source, the mighty General of the armies of heaven, every true soldier of the cross of Christ must receive strength and courage to overcome obstacles that often seem insurmountable.... Those who would do their duty must be ever ready to speak the words that God gives them, and not the words of doubt, discouragement, and despair....

CC 107.3

While the doubting ones talk of impossibilities, while they tremble at the thought of high walls and strong giants, let the faithful Calebs, who have “another spirit,” come to the front. The truth of God, which bringeth salvation, will go forth to the people if ministers and professed believers will not hedge up its way, as did the unfaithful spies....

CC 107.4

Human agencies are to be employed in this work. Zeal and energy must be intensified; talents that are rusting from inaction must be pressed into service. The voice that would say, “Wait; do not allow yourself to have burdens imposed upon you,” is the voice of the cowardly spies. We want Calebs now who will press to the front—chieftains in Israel who with courageous words will make a strong report in favor of immediate action. When the selfish, ease-loving, panic-stricken people, fearing tall giants and inaccessible walls, clamor for retreat, let the voice of the Calebs be heard, even though the cowardly ones stand with stones in their hands, ready to beat them down for their faithful testimony.15Testimonies for the Church 5:378-383.

CC 107.5

It is when the unbelieving cast contempt upon the Word of God that the faithful Calebs are called for. It is then that they will stand firm at the post of duty, without parade, and without swerving because of reproach. The unbelieving spies stood ready to destroy Caleb. He saw the stones in the hands of those who had brought a false report, but this did not deter him; he had a message, and he would bear it. The same spirit will be manifested today by those who are true to God.16Selected Messages 2:369.

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 12 (1897)

Lt 19, 1897

12LtMs, Lt 19, 1897, par. 11

I wish to have the people bear in mind the history of the spies. They went up to view the land which the children of Israel afterward inherited. But the unfaithful spies brought a false and exaggerated report of the difficulties to be encountered, so that the whole congregation of Israel received the unwelcome tidings. Caleb and Joshua alone brought a correct testimony. These two brave men stilled the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once, for we are well able to overcome it.” [Numbers 13:30.] They knew that no time was to be lost, because it would be noised abroad of their coming up to spy the land, and the people would be prepared to make determined resistance. “But the men that went up with him said, 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 sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” [Verses 31-33.]

Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 14 (1899)

Lt 39, 1899

14LtMs, Lt 39, 1899, par. 3

Caleb stood before Moses and the people, and his ringing voice was heard above all the noise of wailing and complaint. He came to the front, and in face of unbelievers, in face of the cowards who stood with stones in their hands to throw [at him], he said, “Let us go up at once, and possess the land; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against this people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, 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.” [Numbers 13:30-33.]

Christ Triumphant

Be Careful of Giving a False Report, April 22

CTr 119.1

We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. Numbers 13:31.

Christ Triumphant

We Are on the Borders of the Promised Land, December 29

CTr 370.1

And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof. Numbers 13:32.

The Ellen G. White Letters and Manuscripts: Volume 1

Lt 5, 1849

I saw that as God worked for His people, Satan would also work, and that the mysterious knocking and signs and wonders of Satan and false reformations would increase and spread. The reformations that were shown me were not reformations from error to truth, No, no, but from bad to worse, for those who professed a change of heart had only wrapt about them a religious cloak which covered up the iniquity of a vile heart so as to deceive God’s people; but if their hearts could be seen they would appear as black as ever.21

For a study of early Sabbatarian Adventist attitudes to religious revivals, see P. Gerard Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission, pp. 184-186.

Jesus, Name Above All Names

Angel of God’s Presence, August 18

JNN 244.1

“And we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”—Numbers 13:33