Numbers 13:25-33

New International Version

25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

Report on the Exploration

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.

27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

40일 동안 정탐을 마친 정탐꾼들은 모세와 아론에게 돌아와 가나안에서 가져온 과일을 보여줍니다. 그리고 그 땅은 젖과 꿀이 흐르는 땅이 맞으나 그 땅의 사람들은 힘이 세다고 말합니다.  하나님이 약속해주신 풍요로운 가나안 땅을 보는 것이 아니라 거기의 사람을 보면서 두려움을 갖습니다. 이는 마치 우리가 천국 소망을 가져야 하는데 세상의 힘에 눌려 겁을 먹는것과 마찬가지입니다. 그리스도로 인해 영원한 생명을 가진 우리는, 이 세상의 현실에서 힘에 겨운 상황이 생긴다 할지라도 그것 때문에 신앙을 잃어버리는 것이 아니라 오히려 믿음을 더욱 굳건히 해야 하겠습니다.

After exploring the land for forty days, the spies returned to Moses and Aaron and showed them the fruit they had brought back from Canaan. They admitted that the land truly flows with milk and honey, just as God had promised. However, they also said that the people living there are strong and powerful. Instead of focusing on the rich and abundant land that God had promised, they looked at the people and were filled with fear. This is similar to how we are called to hold on to the hope of heaven, yet we often become afraid and overwhelmed by the powers of this world. But as those who have eternal life through Christ, we should not let difficult circumstances in this world shake our faith. Instead, we must stand firm in faith, trusting in God’s promises more than what we see with our eyes.

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”

갈렙은 모세 앞에 나아와 "우리는 그 땅을 차지해야 하며, 반드시 할 수 있다"고 말합니다. 그러나 사람들은 "그들은 우리보다 강하기 때문에 물리칠 수 없다고 합니다. 믿음을 가진자와 그렇지 못한자가 똑같은 가나안을 보고나서 하는 말은 이렇게 상반됩니다. 은혜를 체험한 우리가 공동체 안에서 어떻게 말을 하는지가 중요합니다. 우리는 하나님의 걸작품입니다. 우리가 스스로를 메뚜기 같다고 여기면 우리를 걸작으로 만드신 하나님은 얼마나 슬플까요? 우리는 메뚜기가 아닐 뿐 아니라 천하보다 귀한 자들이며, '너희가 내(그리스도) 안에 거하고 내(그리스도)가 너희 안에 거하면 무엇이든지 원하는대로 구하라 그리하면 이루리라'는 말씀도 받은 자들입니다. 그런데 약속의 땅을 주시겠다는 말씀을 받은 상태에서 직접 눈으로 보고도 이렇게 연약한 모습을 보이고 있습니다. 우리는 갈렙과 같은 자세를 가져야겠습니다. 우리의 현실이 두렵더라도 하나님이 주신 약속의 말씀을 믿음으로 의지하고 흔들리지 맙시다.

Caleb stepped forward before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the others said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” Even though they all saw the same land of Canaan, the words of those who had faith and those who did not were completely different.  It matters greatly how we, who have experienced God’s grace, speak within our community. We are God’s masterpiece. If we see ourselves as mere grasshoppers, how heartbreaking must that be to the God who created us so wonderfully?  We are not grasshoppers—we are those more precious than the whole world. And we are the ones who have received this promise: “If you remain in Me and I in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  Yet even after hearing God’s promise to give them the land and seeing it with their own eyes, the people still responded in weakness. We must take the attitude of Caleb. Even when reality seems frightening, let us hold firmly to God’s promises in faith and not be shaken.