Torah Commentary Archives
Shelach “Send thou”
Numbers 13:1–15:41
Joshua 2:1–24
2 Samuel 22-24
This Torah portion begins with the twelve “spies' being sent out into Canaan. I still like to refer to them as tourists. What were their actions? They saw some sites and did some shopping for produce to take home as souvenirs. Sounds like tourists to me.
We are not told how these men were selected, but that they were leaders in their tribes. They walked into the same land together, saw the same sites, met the same people and ate of the same produce. In the end they brought back the same report only with a different spin. All twelve agreed the land was one which flowed with milk and honey. They all agreed the people they would be required to fight against were fierce and the cities well fortified. What was the significant difference? Ten of the men saw the obstacles through their own eyes; two saw it through the eyes of HaShem.
I just wrote a letter to our partners. In this letter I described what I see today in Hebrew Roots, Messianic circles. I called it chaos. Am I bringing a bad report? I think not. It is the truth at least from man's eyes. My letter went on to explain what I really see today is the order which is being brought out of the chaos. This is the same principle as the twelve spies. The important detail is it all depends on whose eyes we desire to see things though, man or HaShem.
Let's face it. It is so easy to get our eyes fixed on what we see in the natural. We all deal with issues in life. Some of those issues are serious and even life threatening. Others are fierce and have high walls. A life of faith though is not about what we see, but rather how we see it.
A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Hebron. It is recorded in Numbers 13:22, Hebron was also on the spies' itinerary. Terrorism was at a low during my visit so we were able to tour the city. We went to an excavation of the original walls. I remember standing, staring at a small section of wall. It dawned on me I was looking at the same wall Joshua, Caleb and the other spies saw.
As I think about the wall today it causes me to consider that for ten of the men they would never see it again. Only two would go back for another visit. What made the difference; their attitude toward obstacles.
The decision of Israel to follow the council of the ten spies is thought of as a sin greater than the Golden Calf. It was a sin which would cost thousands their lives. Their decision would affect a whole generation by adding years to Israel's wilderness experience. It could be argued that even when they did enter the Land the shadow of these ten was still walking in their midst.
The question we have for today, “Is the shadow of the ten still walking in our midst”? Is our focus on the fierce giants of powerful politicians and world leaders? Are the fortified cities the dark conspiracies of our day? Do we see His promises, covenant and Kingdom as unobtainable in our day because of these obstacles?
To deny situations, conspiracies, difficulties, sickness, struggles and basic problems in life as if they do not exist, is to deny reality. Fact is there are very few of those things in life I have any control over changing. What I can control is how I perceive these things and my reaction to them.
Numbers 13:31 sums it all up for me. It states, “We can't attack those people, because they are stronger than we.” If you look at the verse in Hebrew the words “than we” have been added to the text. In Hebrew it reads “am chazaq” or people stronger. Who were the people stronger than? Were they saying the people of the land were stronger than “me” or than “He”?
There is the key to everything we face. Is life stronger than me? The answer is always yes. Is life stronger than He? Never! I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me!
If only the ten spies had been able to read 1 John 4:4, “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world”, the story of Numbers may have been different. As we take these words to heart, our story may be different also.