Numbers 13:1–33
Israel camped by Mount Sinai for almost a year. They built the tabernacle and Moses taught them God’s law. At last God’s cloud lifted from the tabernacle. This was the sign that they should continue their travels to Canaan.
They packed the tent of meeting and followed God. The pillar of cloud was their leader by day. The pillar of fire led them by night. At last they arrived and camped just outside Canaan at Kadesh.
Moses chose one man from each tribe, twelve in all. He sent them to spy in Canaan. “Go and see what the land is like. Find out if the tribes there are strong or weak. Be brave, and bring back some fruit from the land.”
Forty days later the spies returned. They carried a huge bunch of grapes on two men’s shoulders. “This land flows with milk and honey,” they reported. “But the people are strong and the cities like forts. The men are so big that we felt like little grasshoppers.”
The people were afraid of what they heard. They forgot all that God had done. He had promised to give them Canaan. But Israel refused to enter the land.
Questions: What did the spies bring back? What did they say about Canaan?