Spies!

Reminder: Beginning in July, Google will stop sending automatic notifications of new postings for blogs such as this one that are published under "blogspot.com". If you have been receiving notifications, or would like to receive them, please enter your email address in the box in the upper right corner of the blog page before July. These email addresses will be retrieved hopefully, and you will be sent a notification directly when there is a new post available. These email addresses will not be used for any other purpose. You will receive the "new blog post" notifications from "the disciple". If you choose not to enter your email address, I would recommend that after June 2021, check the blog regularly for new posts. Thank you for your patience and faithful readership. This week's Sabbath reading includes two different spy missions. The first mission, from Numbers 13 and 14, was sent out by Moses at God's command to spy out the Promised Land. Moses sent a leader from every tribe of Israel, except for the Levites, the priests. Two of these men were unusual, which we will see. The spies searched the new land for forty days. The spies come back reporting how good the land was, and brought back a sample in the form of a large cluster of grapes. However, ten of the spies also reported that the new land was filled with giants, the Anakim, and other strong people who lived in fortified cities (Num. 13:27-29). The conclusion of the ten spies: "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we...we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." (v. 31-33). Although one of the spies, Caleb, spoke up assuring the people: "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it", the people believed the report of the other ten spies, and refused to go into the land promised to them by God. They reacted in fear to the negative report of ten of the spies, rather than the Word of the LORD that had promised to bring them into the Promised Land. The people wished that they had died in the wilderness instead, and planned to select a leader to lead them back to Egypt (Num. 14:2-4). Joshua and Caleb appealed to the congregation, spoke of the goodness of the new land, and begged the people not to rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land (Num. 14:6-9). The congregation picked up stones to stone Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the LORD appeared in the Tabernacle in front of the people. The LORD spoke that He would strike the people with a pestilence, and make a new nation from Moses. Moses interceded on behalf of the people, and the LORD relented. It is at this point, however, that God banned that generation from ever entering into the new land. They would wander for forty years, one year for every day that the spies had been in the new land. Only Joshua and Caleb would enter the land. Of Caleb the LORD said, "But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will brung into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it." (v. 24). As mentioned earlier, Joshua and Caleb were unusual men. Joshua was really named Oshea ("salvation"), the son of Nun (fish, heir to the throne, son), from the half tribe of Ephraim (meaning "I shall be doubly fruitful") (Num. 13:8). The patriarch of that tribe generations before was Joseph, and the mother of that tribe was an Egyptian woman whom Joseph married. Moses changed Oshea's name to Jehoshua ("God is Salvation"), or Joshua (Num. 13:16), and we know him as Joshua from that day. This is also a form of Jesus' Hebrew name. Caleb also had an unusual story. He is described as being from the Tribe of Judah ("Praise") (Num. 13:6). His name translated into English means "yelping dog" from a root meaning "contempt or abasement, to attack, male prostitute". This is not a very impressive beginning, but he became part of the tribe of "Praise", the tribe of the Messiah. Surprisingly, he was not from any of the Israelite tribes originally, but was a Kenizzite (Joshua 14:6, 14). The Kenizzites were a nomadic Canaanite tribe of people who were friendly to Israel, and often dwelt among Israel's tribes. It is believed that they were descendants of Esau, who had married local Canaanite women (Gen. 26:34). Caleb's father's name was Jephunneh, meaning "he will be facing", or to turn, to make a turn. Perhaps this name indicates that there was a turning to the LORD, to be facing the LORD. In any case, it seems that Caleb was adopted into, and even considered a leader of, the Tribe of Judah, which is the tribe of Christ. Remember, the LORD said of Caleb, "He is of a different spirit...". The LORD is prophesying something in the lives of these two men: the Church, both Jew and Gentile, is hidden in the lives of these two men. One was only half Hebrew, and the other was part of the Tribe of Judah by the Spirit, rather than by the flesh. Later on, as The Israelites took possession of the land, Caleb, at the age of 85, specifically asked for and received the mountain filled with the fortified cities of the giants as his personal allotment of the Tribe of Judah (Josh. 14:6-15). This land included the ancient city and Anakim stronghold of Hebron. As he promised, Caleb successfully took out the three giant sons of Anak from that place, and conquered that mountain (Josh. 15:13-14). The second spy mission also covered in this week's Sabbath reading is from Joshua Ch. 2. The mission occurred forty years after the previous one as Joshua was about to lead the people of Israel into taking the strategic town of Jericho, before entering the promised land. However, this spy mission was different from the one a generation ago. It was of a different spirit from beginning to end. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho. This time the spies were unnamed. Names in scripture can offer a great deal of information in their meanings, but unnamed individuals are telling us something also by the fact that they are unnamed. These men came out of Shittim, the Acacia Grove. This place's name means "to pierce, scourging thorns". The two men came to the house of Rahab the harlot in Jericho. The king of Jericho heard that there were Israelite spies in the land, and questioned Rahab. She told the king that the men had left her house, but she had hidden(taman- to hide by covering over, to bury) them on her roof (root word: ga'a- triumph, gloriously, risen, to be exalted in triumph, to be lifted up, raised up), under stalks (es- gallows, tree, carpenter; root- close the eyes) of flax (peset- linen, fiber used for garments) laid in order (order, ordain; set forth a legal case). She asked the spies to deliver her whole household from death (Josh. 2:13). They promised her on their lives that they would protect her when the Israelites invaded (v. 14). Rahab let the spies down (yarad- descend, send down, sink down) by a cord (hebel- portion, sorrows, pangs, pain, travail, destruction; root: to take in pledge, to writhe, broken, offend (see Isa. 53 also) from her window (hallon- piercing (of the wall), which was in the town wall (homa- wall of protection), and told them to get to the mountain and hide there for three days, and then go their way. Before they left, the spies told Rahab to mark her dwelling by binding (qasar- to bind to oneself, to league together, to knit, to join together) a line (tiqva- hope, expectation, things hoped for,; root: wait for, look for, look eagerly for, collect, gather, remain, tarry, endure) of scarlet (sani- crimson, color used in the curtain, veil, ephod of the temple) to her window. When the Israelites come into the land, they told her, she must bring (asap- gather together, assemble, collect, gather and take away, remove, harvest) her family and they must remain behind the doors of her house for safety, and not go into the streets. From the meanings of the Hebrew words used in this account of the two spies and Rahab, we find a depiction of the passion of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, and the hope, expectation, and harvest of the believers in Him. The Gospel is clearly told here. Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Christ, as she ended up marrying an Israelite, one of His forebearers (Mt. 1:5). Rahab is also listed in the champions of faith in Heb. 11:31, among those who hope for things not yet seen (Heb. 11:1). These two accounts of spies are very different. The title of this week's Sabbath reading is Sh'lach L'cha, which means "Send for yourself". As the LORD commands us to spy out the land and the conditions, what are we seeing? Though the land is full of abundance that has been provided for God's people, waiting for us to gather it, do we see as being even greater the undefeatable giants and fierce people? Are we seeing the testimony of Christ in the land, hidden even in the midst of the greatest fortified cities of the enemy? Do we reject the report of the LORD because the spy who brings it is "different" from us? Do we desire to stone the spies who insist on bringing the good report that challenges us to proceed fully in God and overcome? Do we fail to discern the help that God has ordained for us because it is in the form of Rahab the harlot? Do we see that even though the enemy may instill fear in us, the enemy has heard the report of what God has done in His people, and it has produced in him the greater fear? The report of the people of God, those who follow God fully, and are of a "different spirit", has come to the enemy, and he is in desperate fear because of it. Our Father has told us to "send for yourself". What will we "see"? What will we conclude from our mission, and what report will we bring back to the people? Considering the wrath of the enemy before us today, this is the big challenge for God's people. However, the prophet Daniel wrote that in the latter days, the people who know their God would be strong, and carry out great exploits! (Dan. 11:32) If you would like to know the testimony of Christ hidden within the enemy camp, and if you would like to follow God fully, you can pray: "Heavenly Father, I have spied out the land, and although I see giants and fierce people, I believe the promises that You have made. I have found the hidden testimony of Christ in the land, that He suffered, died, descended into Hell, and rose again from the dead to cleanse me from sin, and to redeem my soul from death, to save my whole household. The report of the LORD and His people has come before the enemy, and he is already defeated by fear, according to Your Word. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I may be of a different spirit, and may follow You and Your Christ fully wherever You are go. Forgive me, LORD, when I have not discerned Your greatness, when I have not discerned Your completed victory in Christ, Who is Head over all things. Thank You, LORD, in Jesus' name, AMEN."