| The Spies in Parashat Devarim |
Why did the People of Israel send spies?The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders." So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of ParanWhen Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Numbers 13:1-3; 17-20 Then all of you came to me and said, "Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to." The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshcol and explored it. Deuteronomy 1:22-24 Guiding Questions1. Compare and Contrast these two versions of why Moses sent spies.2. Are the questions Moses asks the scouts in the first excerpt practical or disobedient to God? Is Moses taking too much initiative expanding on God’s command? 3. The first excerpt is in the third person while the second is a first person account of the incident by Moses. Why do you think his version of the story is different? Why is Moses forbidden from entering Israel?The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."-Numbers 20:7-12 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: "Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers…” Because of you the LORD became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter it, either.” -Deuteronomy 1:32-35; 37 Guiding Questions1. Compare and contrast the two accounts. Why is Moses not permitted in Canaan in the first account? In the second? Compiled by Jackie Gerber and Joseph Stone |
