Here’s a big what if. What if they had just entered the land in faith instead of spying it out first?
Israel’s Mossad is one of the most effective espionage agencies in the world. But did you know it was God who founded the Israeli spy service? Numbers 13 records His words to Moses: “Send men to spy [Heb, tuwr] out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel” (v 2). At first glance, it appears this was God’s idea, but a little more spying things out ourselves proves otherwise. Moses explained how the plan had actually developed: “And everyone of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search [spy, Heb, tuwr] out the land for us’” (Deut 1:22). In fact, Someone had already spied it out for them! The Lord declared, “On the day when I chose Israel…and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt,…On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched [spied, Heb, tuwr] out for them, ‘flowing with milk and honey’” (Ezek 20:5-6). Oh, I see. I recall a conversation I had with my little daughter about prayer. God helped us when we asked Him one day, and I said, “See, God does answer prayer.” To which she replied, “Well, sometimes He says, Yes. Sometimes He says, No! Sometimes He says, Wait. And sometimes He says, O.K.” “What’s the difference between Yes and O.K.?” “Sometimes we want something that you don’t want us to have, but we keep bothering you until you say, ‘O.K.’” Quite often God said O.K. to Israel. Here’s one example: “I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath” (Hos 13:11). You recall earlier, when they demanded meat, “He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul” (Ps 106:15). So be careful what you wish for, because you may actually get it!