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The parasha this Shabbat is called Sh’lach L’cha, meaning “send out for yourself” and spans Numbers: 13-15. God said to Moses, “Send out for yourself men so that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel.” Moses chose one leader from each of the tribes, and sent them on a fact-finding mission. This group of spies included Joshua from the tribe of Ephraim and Caleb from the tribe of Judah. In the generations to come, the northern part of Israel would be called “Ephraim” and the southern part would be called “Judah,” and I believe Moses wanted us to take note that these two men – the only faithful ones among the twelve, hailed from those two tribes.

The spies returned forty days later, and just as God had promised, it was a lovely, spacious and fruitful land; truly eretz zavat chalav u’d’vash – “a land flowing with milk and honey”. They brought back from Eshcol a branch with a single cluster of grapes so huge that it took two men to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought figs and pomegranates. It was a wonderful land the Lord reserved for us! That was the good news.

The bad news, according to ten of the spies, was that this was “mission impossible”. They said, “The people there are much bigger than us, much stronger than us, more numerous than us; their cities are enormous and well-fortified, and as if all that wasn’t bad enough, we saw the descendants of the Nephilim – the giants there! The ten spies were saying, in essence, “We don’t stand a chance!” And by all outward appearance – by purely human standards, they were correct.

But they forgot something very important.

We had a promise from God! Adonai had already promised to give us victory over the inhabitants of the land, and to bring us in. Joshua and Caleb tried to remind the people of that fact. But the majority held sway over our people – a pattern that has, unfortunately, continued to this very day. Sinful human beings are far more likely to follow the crowd than to do what is right. In this case, the majority opinion was to abandon the mission and turn back to Egypt. We dare not underestimate the seriousness of this! It wasn’t merely a bad decision made innocently in a moment of fear; it was rebellion against the Lord. An entire psalm was later written to warn us of the perils of unbelief (Psalm 95).

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes – not that they took it personally, but rather that they understood the gravity of this sin. They reminded the people of God’s promises and power, and beseeched them to repent. But the people refused to listen, and even threatened to stone the four of them to death!

This, in fact, set another tragic precedent for our people. The Scriptures reveal a consistent pattern of Israel persecuting the very individuals God sent to help us – good men, leaders and prophets who called us to repentance; most of whom our people persecuted and some of whom they put to death. This persistent and callous disregard for God and contempt for His messengers culminated with the killing of the Messiah Himself, Yeshua of Nazareth!

Chapter 14 records that God was furious with us, and contemplated destroying us. God offered to start over completely, and make of Moses a new nation – an offer that a lesser man, a covetous or egotistical man might well have accepted. Moses, instead, pleaded for Israel, reminding God of His own patience and forgiveness; and suggested that the Egyptians would certainly interpret it the wrong way. So Moses stood in the gap for us, acting as our middle man; and for his sake, God relented and we were spared.

But rebellion does not go unpunished. That generation of unbelievers and ingrates, that mob, was consigned to wander forty years (one year for each day of the expedition), and the promise of the land would be postponed until every last adult (except Joshua and Caleb) died in the wilderness. Their children would inherit the land. And what of the ten wicked spies, who caused our people to stumble? They were struck down by God with plague that very day.

At the prospect of spending forty years in the wilderness, the people decided that perhaps they had been hasty, and that they should go in and take the land. Moses warned them not to try it. They had already forfeited God’s favor and protection. Furthermore, Adonai had pronounced His verdict. To now rebel a second time would certainly bode disaster. But again, Israel refused to listen, attempted a military strike against the Canaanites, and many of our people died as a result. Utterly dejected, we turned around and headed back to the wilderness.

Briefly, chapter 15 outlines some of the offerings to be made to Adonai once we entered the land, including wine for drink offerings. Also we find an admonition that there be no double-standards. The sojourner was to enjoy equal justice with the native Israeli, and to be held to the same standards of faithfulness to God. We also learn in this chapter of a man who violated the Sabbath, for which he was put to death. This was part of the reason God commanded that our people sew tassels (tzitzit) on the corners of our garments.

So what are we to learn from this woeful episode in Israel’s history?

• First, when the majority goes astray, you remain steadfast. Crowds can behave badly, and at times even inhumanly. If you would be a man or a woman after God’s heart, then follow the truth regardless the cost. And don’t expect to win any popularity contests. In fact, prepare to be in a tiny minority.
• Second, it’s a really, really bad idea to re-interpret God’s directives. Just follow them. The rewards for obedience are wonderful, whereas the results of disobedience are disastrous.
• Third, faith in Adonai requires that you act in the light of His promises, irrespective of what your eyes see or your ears hear. Rabbi Paul wrote “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
• Finally, we are reminded of the extraordinary grace of God. Despite our rebellion, God was willing to pardon us, and ultimately brought us into the Land of Canaan. Despite our failures, God always keeps His end of His promises.

There’s a very good reason why nobody remembers the names of the ten faithless spies, though they are listed here; yet just about any kid in a Sunday School class could recite the names Joshua and Caleb. How do you want to be remembered? As one who went along with the crowd, never rocking the boat – or as a Joshua or Caleb, one who in spite of the disapproval and even hostility of the overwhelming majority, took a stand for the truth? Are you looking for the applause of men or the applause of Heaven? That’s a question each of us needs to wrestle with.