West Chester, Pennsylvania
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| Fruitful Spying
As Israel approaches the borders of the Promised Land, Moses selects twelve spies to scout out the land, one from each of the tribes of Israel (except Levi, the priestly tribe). Moses changes the name of one of the scouts from Hoshea to Joshua—signaling to the reader that Joshua will play a vital role in the unfolding story. Hoshea means “salvation,” while the name Joshua is a slight adaptation of that name, meaning “Yahweh saves.” As the spies embark on their mission, the name change of one of their prominent men to “Yahweh saves” is perhaps a sign of encouragement, to remind them that they should look at the challenge of taking the land from the perspective of faith. Moses’ last words before the spies’ journey confirm this, as he exhorts them to “be of good courage, and bring some of the fruit of the land” (Nm 13:20). The spies enter from the southern border through the wilderness of Zin. From there they make their way up to the north of Israel. Special note is made of their visit to Hebron, where the large and strong descendants of Anak dwell. In the stories of the Patriarchs, Hebron was simply a place where shepherds gathered and the place where Abraham purchased a cave to bury Sarah. Now, however, it has become a thriving and well-fortified city that is compared to the large Egyptian city of Zoan, located on the northeast corner of the Nile delta. The old homeland has gone through quite a building boom and, to the spies’ dismay, retaking it will not be easy. p 99 The spies also discover that the land is extraordinarily fruitful (note the contrast with the “cursed ground” of Genesis 3:17). In the valley of Eshcol, which means “cluster,” they find a single cluster of grapes that is so large it takes two men to carry it on a pole between them. They also find pomegranates and figs. Upon their return to the camp of Israel, they profess that the land “flows with milk and honey” (Nm 13:27), confirming God’s promise at the burning bush. Yet this confirmation of God’s promise is not enough for ten of the twelve spies. They give an “evil report” of the good land, praising its fruitfulness but discouraging the prospects of taking and living in it. They claim that Israel is not strong enough to take back the land of their forefathers, for the people of Anak are like the fabled Nephilim (a reference to a people of great stature before the flood; Gn 6:4) and now dwell in the large and fortified city of Hebron. In contrast to the people of Anak, the ten spies say, “we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers” (Nm 13:33). This exaggerated discrepancy between their statures is an inaccurate picture painted out of fear. Indeed, later in the story, Caleb will take the city of Hebron with no mention of the people being giants. The people respond by crying out in fear and weeping through the night in despair of ever reaching their destination. The next day, they lament having ever left Egypt: “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!” Then, questioning God’s motives, they ask, “Why does the L ORD bring us into this land, to fall by the sword?” Finally, they come to a decision. “Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Nm 14:2–3). Then they decide to choose a new captain to lead their return. The remaining two spies, Joshua and Caleb, address Israel with an appeal to faith. They exhort the people, saying that the land is an “exceedingly good land” and that with God they can have victory over those who dwell in the land. They remind the people that Yahweh will overcome their difficulties: “The L ORD is with us; do not fear” (Nm 14:9). This call to faith falls on deaf ears, for from the people comes a cry to stone Joshua and Caleb! It is at this point, when the lives of Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb are imperiled, that the glory of God appears in a great cloud. God speaks to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And p 100 how long will they not tải về 6.33 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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