God wanted the Israelites to see the wonderful land he had intended as their permanent home! The view of the land should excite, encourage, and motivate them to continue in God’s plan and purpose for their lives. Yet, they were so accustomed to be slaves; servants of others and subjugated by force, that they could not get away from their fear of people.
Moses intended to motivate the people by sending the spies into the land to bring back a report of the fertility of the land. In Numbers 13:17-20 we read that Moses sent the spies out to “see what the land was like.” To see “whether the land is fertile or not…whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are many trees.” Moses wanted all the people to know how wonderful God’s Promised Land was so he told the spied “bring back samples of the crops.”
Unfortunately the spies also saw the inhabitants of the land… they were strong (not weak). But the people had just seen the mighty demonstration of the nature of the God that led them out of Egypt. They had seen his powerful presence in the thunder, lightning and earthquakes. They knew that no one could stand against him. The Egyptians couldn’t and certainly the peoples of the land couldn’t either. “Don’t be afraid” Moses exhorted them. “God will go with you.”
So to us – when you face the giants in land, “don’t be afraid.” God hasn’t left you.