Aloha, Bible Study Hui!
After wandering through the wilderness, the Israelites were so close--very close--to entering the Promised Land. It had been a long, hot, treacherous journey. But they had made it this far, thanks in large part to their tenacity, but mostly due to God's generosity. God had given them food and drink to sustain them, just enough to get them through one day at a time. God gave them rules to love and live by, in the form of the commandments, which we heard about in Exodus last week. God gave them the Tabernacle, the visible, unmistakable reminder of God's presence with them. But most of all, God gave them clear direction as to where to go. A formidable cloud moved ahead of them by day, and a tall pillar of fire moved ahead of them by night. All they had to do was follow it, keep up with it, never move ahead of it, and they would be confident in their progress toward their destination.
Then at the start of Numbers 13, that all changed.
They were now just miles away from the border of the promised land, and what is implied in this text is that there would no longer be a daily cloud or nightly fire ahead of them.
God decided instead to take the training wheels off, to see if they could decide what to do next on their own. God told Moses to select 12 men to scout out the promised land and bring back a report. Why, do you suppose God had them do that? Obviously, God knew what they would find. They would find sprawling armies filled with giant soldiers next to whom the Israelites would appear like tiny grasshoppers. Yes, they would find a bounty of produce, a land rich with milk and honey, a veritable paradise awaiting them. But they would also see the kinds of ominous threats that would trigger a cautious person.
The obvious answer would appear to be that this was a test period, a test by God to see if they would trust in God, rather than the evidence—a test to see if they would live by faith, and not by data.
But digging a little deeper, we might see that this was not just about the decision itself, but how they would make that decision. Ten of the twelve spies came back reporting the truth. The threats were ominous, the chances of survival slim.
Only Joshua and Caleb, representing the minority report, looked at the data and offered truth as well. God was with them, and that's all that mattered.
These were competing truths, and the people had to decide.
Here's the lesson that is crystal clear in this story: humility is always right. Generosity of the spirit is always right. Courage is always right, when it is unpaired from arrogance. Truth is something to be pursued and never something to be owned.
And I suppose the final lesson is this: God's got this. God always sees the long game, even if we can't.
Here you will find:
The presentation from week 5 that was shared during class, which can be accesssed by clicking the button below:
I've shared a video recording of the class above for those who were unable to attend or who would like to revisit the discussion.
Our next class will be on February 18, 2026
You are welcome to join us:
In person at the Royal Kahana Surf Room
4365 Lower Honoapiʻilani Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761Online via Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/8855454622
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. I am looking forward to some lively discussions this year, and I’m grateful to be on this journey with you.