Numbers 14:7, commentary and pictures

Caleb and Joshua spoke to the whole company of Israel from what they themselves had found in their search, declaring the promised land to be an exceedingly good land. Their witness urged Israel to trust that if the Lord delighted in them He would bring them in and give them the land, and therefore not to rebel against Him nor to fear its people, for their protection had departed and the Lord was with Israel. They stood with a truthful report against the discouraging and false report of the faithless spies, though the cities were indeed walled and giants made conquest appear daunting. The congregation answered with wailing and rebellion and sought to stone them and return to Egypt, and that unbelief cost that generation the land and brought forty years of wandering in which the rebels perished while Caleb and Joshua entered in. Their firm stand remains an example of faith and courage by the Holy Spirit that God's people are to follow toward the heavenly Canaan, speaking of its goodness and moving forward in God's strength instead of murmuring or spreading discouragement.

Setting and Wording

The verse belongs to the report of the spies sent from Kadesh to survey the promised land, examining its situation, natural advantages, inhabitants, soil and produce. Caleb and Joshua speak it to the whole company of Israel from their own personal search through the land, declaring that it is an exceedingly good land.

The goodness of the land was evident in its fertility, in abundant figs and pomegranates, and in a cluster of grapes so large that two men carried it. The spies also reported that the land flowed with milk and honey, and the large cluster carried back illustrates its abundance.

The declaration is made amid tumult after the people murmured against God's wisdom in bringing them to Canaan to fall by the sword and wished to return to Egypt, so weak in confidence despite the miracles He had wrought for them. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly, cut to the heart by rebellion and silently begging God's mercy for a rebellious people with distress and grief too great for utterance. Caleb and Joshua tore their clothes in greatest sorrow and cried out to the whole company to quiet the tumult and the tempest of lamentation. They lifted a clear, ringing voice above the wailing and complaint to declare the searched land an exceeding good land.

Call to Trust God

The declaration that the searched land is exceedingly good is a call to trust that if the Lord delights in His people and is pleased with them and favors them, He Himself will bring them in and give them the land flowing with milk and honey. The land is promised by God's covenant, and its goodness is affirmed from personal search and exploration as the ground for entering it in trust. Caleb with Joshua pressed this truth forward with a clear, ringing voice above wailing and complaint, speaking truth for that time and every time, even with unbelievers and cowards holding stones to throw at him. This history with its witness was recorded for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Joined to that promise is the charge not to rebel against the Lord. The faithful testimony counters the discouraging report by affirming the land's goodness and urging obedience rather than rebellion and fear, and it models faithful encouragement that refuses to repeat discouraging unbelief. The land of promise in this appeal also serves as an image of the heavenly Canaan, whose trials should be met with faith rather than murmuring.

The same appeal charges Israel not to fear the people of the land, because their defense and protection has departed while the Lord is with Israel. Strong inhabitants, fortified cities, giant warriors and chariots of iron are no reason for dread, for the Canaanites will be an easy prey and Israel is well able to overcome and they will be easily overcome. The reassurance was spoken above a tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief after Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly, cut to the heart by rebellion. Caleb's faith in God gave him courage to uphold the land's goodness despite fears about its inhabitants and to urge Israel to enter and possess it.

The call was given when God had shown that the protection of Canaan was gone and that the right moment to enter had come, having planned easy access for Israel with His armies to go with them to battle. To refuse to go up then was to refuse God when He promised to go with them.

The declaration is the truthful testimony of Joshua and Caleb, standing against the evil, discouraging, false and lying report of the faithless spies under Satan's control that broke the courage of all Israel. Their words stand as an example of firm faith in God's leading, in contrast with doubt, murmuring and rebellion, encouraging Israel to trust God's promise and move forward. Caleb continued to bear his message even when threatened with stones, illustrating how God's faithful people stand firm in duty despite contempt and opposition.

The opposing report was correct in many respects, for the cities were fortified and the inhabitants included powerful giants, so that conquest appeared daunting. The people's error was not in hearing an inaccurate report, but in responding to real difficulties with unbelief and rebellion instead of trusting God to overcome them.

Rejection and Judgment

The witness that the searched land was exceedingly good was answered with wailing and complaint, with a tempest of lamentation and rebellious grief that blasphemed God, rejected the appointed leader, sided with the unfaithful spies in denouncing the faithful two, and sought a rebellious leader to carry the people back to Egypt. The congregation refused the earnest entreaty to trust that the Lord would give a land flowing with milk and honey if He delighted in them, and would not be moved from rebellion even while Moses and Aaron lay on their faces before the assembly, cut to the heart. The lying report of the faithless spies had broken the courage of all Israel and ripened into a rebellion so complete that it called for God's own presence to settle matters.

The fury turned murderous, with unbelievers and cowards holding stones and raising the cry with murderous madness to stone Caleb and Joshua for their truthful counsel. The congregation bid to stone them to silence the clear, ringing voices urging them not to rebel against the Lord and not to fear the people of the land whose defense was departed. They were stopped only when God interposed and the glory of the Lord appeared at the tabernacle before all Israel, illuminating it to end the wild and blasphemous outcry and to save the lives of His servants.

Unbelief and rebellion at that moment cost Israel the promised land and God's protection, bringing first the purpose to destroy them and then the sentence to wander forty years in the wilderness and know His breach of promise, with long delay before entering. The multitude that left God out and echoed that they were not able to go up wore out their lives in the desert, and the cowards and rebels perished in the wilderness. Though Caleb and Joshua shared the forty years' wandering with their brethren, they entered the land of promise because they had counted God's promise superior to walled cities, giant warriors, and chariots of iron. Caleb remained as courageous as when he left Egypt, asked for and received the stronghold of the giants, drove out the Canaanites in God's strength, and possessed the vineyards and olive groves where his feet had trodden, eating with Joshua of the grapes of Eschol.

After the sentence, the people swung to the other extreme and tried too late to do just what they had been told to do, expecting that God would certainly give the land of promise. They went up without the Lord with them, without their General, and without the ark, against warning that their enemies were ready. They were defeated and slaughtered by the Amalekites lying in ambush, as punishment for guilty rebellion.

Joshua was one of the two spies who gave a faithful account of the richness and goodness of the land and urged the people to go up and possess it in the strength of God. That faithfulness qualified him to succeed Moses and lead Israel into Canaan. His long service beside Moses, his sight of God's wonderful works, and his understanding of the disposition of the people fitted him to become the acknowledged leader of Israel for the conquest.

Faithful Witness Endures

The declaration that the searched land is exceedingly good stands as an example of firm faith in divine leading set against doubt, murmuring and rebellion, and its truthful counsel and courageous faith urge forward movement instead of acceptance of a discouraging report. That confidence rested on trust that if the Lord favored and delighted in His people He would bring them in and give them a land flowing with milk and honey, encouraging others to follow rather than spreading fear, doubt or rebellion when the way brings trials. The faith and courage to speak so were given by the power of the Holy Spirit, the same power that sustained the patriarchs, made the apostolic church effective, upheld God's faithful children in every succeeding age, helped Waldensian Christians prepare the way for the Reformation, and made successful the pioneers of modern missions and the translation of the Bible into all languages and dialects. Their example remains one of courageous faith and readiness to press forward in God's work.

The witness shows that God's truth must be carried forward courageously rather than hindered by doubt and discouragement, refusing to let fear of walls and giants override trust. The truthful report stood against a false report and popular unbelief, and Caleb continued to bear his message even when the people threatened him with stones, illustrating how the faithful stand firm in duty despite contempt and opposition. Joshua and Caleb are therefore models of faithfulness, showing that God's people should rise up and support a true testimony even when others resist it.

This history, including the clear ringing voice lifted above wailing and complaint in the face of unbelievers and cowards holding stones, the attempt to stone the witnesses stopped only when the glory of the Lord appeared at the tabernacle, was recorded for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. It warns against unbelief and drawing back when obedience involves risk, since Israel was unwilling to heed truthful counsel and courageous faith.

The same loud rebellious spirit that answered with complaints blaspheming God, rejecting appointed leadership, seeking a rebellious leader to return to Egypt, and attempting to stone the faithful witnesses until divine glory intervened to save His servants, still appears in modern Israel in council meetings and board meetings, where the declaration of goodness speaks truth for that time and every time. The report of the spies thus warns against repeating work that discourages people and undermines confidence in God's work.

The outcome proves the principle that as a man thinks in his heart so is he, for Caleb and Joshua counted God's promise superior to walled cities, giant warriors and chariots of iron, declaring the land exceeding good and that Israel was well able to overcome it, and their word proved true. The multitude left God out, echoed the unbelieving spies that they were not able to go up, and wore out their lives in the desert. Though Caleb and Joshua shared the forty years of wandering with their brethren, they entered the land of promise while cowards and rebels perished in the wilderness, and Caleb, as courageous as when he left Egypt, asked for and received the stronghold of the giants, drove out the Canaanites in God's strength, possessed the vineyards and olive groves where his feet had trodden, and with Joshua ate of the grapes of Eschol.

Present Application and Hope

The exceeding goodness of the land is to remain the focus of faithful speech even when the way forward is dark and danger is real, trusting that if the Lord delights in His people He will bring them in and give it to them. That confidence rests on trust in God rather than on favorable appearances, for if He favors His people He will bring them in and give them what He has promised. It calls for courageous action in faith despite fear of dangers in the land and despite opposition from those urging retreat. On the way to the heavenly Canaan, trials are to be met by strengthening faith in His leading instead of murmuring, spreading discouragement, or rebelling.

The witness is a model for standing courageously against reports that weaken faith and for moving forward in God's strength. Applied to temperance work, it teaches that believers can accomplish a mighty work with God. The same faithful stand is what is needed now in strong, devoted, self-sacrificing young men and young women who press to the front and, after a short time spent in school, go forth to give the message to the world. God will help them with wisdom and understanding as He helped Daniel.

The land of promise serves as an image of the heavenly Canaan as a goodly land. God's people are able to go up and possess that good land despite the trials they must pass through and despite opposition to their good report. The faith and courage by which the land was declared exceeding good were given by the power of the Holy Spirit. That same power sustained the patriarchs, made the work of the apostolic church effective, has upheld God's faithful children in every succeeding age, helped the Waldensian Christians prepare the way for the Reformation, and made successful the pioneers of modern missions and the translation of the Bible into all languages and dialects.