“17 So Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up there into the Negev; then go up into the hill country. 18 “And see what the land is like, and whether the people who live in it are strong [or] weak, whether they are few or many. 19 “And how is the land in which they live, is it good or bad? And how are the cities in which they live, are [they] like [open] camps or with fortifications? 20 “And how is the land, is it fat or lean? Are there trees in it or not? Make an effort then to get some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.” – Numbers 13:17-20 LSB
Every one of the spies saw the same thing!
“27 Thus they recounted to him and said, “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 “Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified [and] very large; and moreover, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 “Amalek is living in the land of the Negev and the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites are living in the hill country, and the Canaanites are living by the sea and by the side of the Jordan.” – Numbers 13:27-29 LSB
Two radically different responses!
Caleb and Joshuas’ Response:
“30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we are surely able to overcome it.” – Numbers 13:30 LSB
The ten spies’ response:
“31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us.” 32 So they gave out to the sons of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, …” – Numbers 13:31-32 LSB
Expertise has little to do with good judgment
All twelve spies agreed on what they saw. Where they differed was in their judgment. Ten said Canaan wasn’t conquerable, while Caleb and Joshua, said it was conquerable.
The difference between their assessments exemplifies this truism:
People may see the same reality, but often come to diametrically different judgments.
Let me ask this question: Why?
Before I answer my own question, let me make a few observations and examples.
- In the late 1930s, just before World War II, two groups in England agreed about how strong Nazi Germany was, and both groups similarly recalled the devastation of World War I, which had ended just 20 years earlier. The larger group led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, decided to appease Hitler in an attempt to avoid another war. The smaller group, led by Winston Churchill, urged Britain to confront the Nazis. The two groups saw the same thing and arrived at opposite conclusions —just as the two groups of spies did.
- Between 2020 and 2022, during the outbreak of the corona virus, we saw another example of diametrically opposed conclusions when observing the same situation. Throughout the world, most experts in medicine and etymology called for locking down nearly all schools, stores, restaurants, and public events, and mandated vaccinations. Medical experts in Sweden, however, resisted this call to lockdown and the country kept its businesses and schools open.
- Churches across America were mandated to close by the state authorities, and most did, but some stayed open and appealed to the Constitution as their right to do so.
We must be careful not to confuse knowledge or expertise with good judgment. Think about this: Compared to all other Israelites, the twelve spies were “experts” on Canaan. And yet, the judgment of ten of them was defective. Why, did they believe God? He said, “Send men to scout the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelite people…” (13:2) “Experts say” is to many secular people (and even some professing Christians) what “Thus sayeth the Lord” is to godly people.
An Outlier— The ability to Stand Alone
I’m not entirely certain when it first hit me, but for as long as I’ve followed Jesus, I’ve lived with the deep awareness that being a Christian often means having the courage to stand alone.
Looking back over my Christian journey, there have been countless moments when I’ve had to step away from the current of culture—and even at times, the Christian community. In high school, three of my closest friends tragically died due to choices rooted in unbiblical living—drunkenness, drug overdose, and suicide. As my faith began to grow, I knew I had to distance myself. While in college, I stood my ground by confronting Marxist, leftist teachers. When we first started Rolling Hills, I was one of the few pastors in Oregon leading a large church to support pregnancy resources and stood against abortion publicly from the pulpit. I didn’t realize it then but according to the new terminology I was an “outlier.”
In our powerful story in Numbers 13 it was the outliers among the twelve spies who were right, not the overwhelming majority. This is frequently, but not always, the case. People with courage are outliers. Goodness, and moral uprightness cannot prevail without courage—the courage to march to the beat of a different drum, to alienate people, to confront the mob, to risk one’s well-being, and even one’s life.
Clearly outliers are not always right. But they are more often right than the majority, and are always righter than the mob, (Exodus 23:2). Caleb and Joshua were outliers!
Oh Lord Jesus Christ,
I want to have the Outlier DNA that was present in these two godly men!
Two answers to my question:
The answers are broader than I have presented here as each answer has a variety of nuances, but those additions fall into these broad categories.
Why do people who see the same thing arrive at radically different conclusions?
1. It depends on one’s Worldview– which is the lens through which they view reality. Does a person view the culture through the lens of Scripture? Or view the Scriptures through the lens culture?
A follower of Jesus Christ who believes all the Bible to be instructive for good judgment (2 Timothy 3:16,17), will evaluate EVERYTHING through the lens of both the OT (The Book of the Covenants) and the NT (The Renewed Covenant).
2. It depends if one believes or trusts (dependence on and in) Yahweh God and is obedient to all His ways. Disobedience and unbelief in God’s Word will manifest a different judgment.
“But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.” – Numbers 14:24 NASB95
It is worthwhile to note that the ten spies (who were leaders), did not believe what God said (look to 13:2.). Unbelief is manifested in disobedience to God and His Word!
I close with the profound passage in Hebrews 3:7-19. Notice how the writer of Hebrews connects disobedience with lack of faith.
“So we see that they could not enter (the land) because of unbelief.” – Hebrews 3:19 NKJV
Applications:
1. Ok gang, where do you need to become an “outlier”? Where do you need to be one who stands alone and stands on the Word of God?
Only a few of areas to consider:
• Perhaps with your family or children who are standing in opposition to the Word of God in their belief system and/or their behavior?
• Perhaps in your church that is not teaching the whole counsel of God. Talk to your pastor or your small group, or your Christians friends.
2. Recount times that you were an outlier for righteousness. Express these experiences to others.
3. What truths from this teaching resonated with you and why? Please express your thoughts to someone else.
4. Food for thought:
Comment on the following: In verses 2 and 3 of our reading, Scripture tells us that all the spies were leaders. Here is another lesson: Many people in leadership positions are not leaders– at least not on behalf of what is good. This is true, or just as true in modern societies, as it was in premodern ones.
Standing Alone With You,
In Christ,
Dale