Pilgrim’s Road Trip #13: Caleb & Joshua’s New Specs

Last updated on: July 17, 2013 at 6:27 am by Michelle Van Loon

Pilgrim’s Road Trip #13: Caleb & Joshua’s New Specs 2013-07-17T06:27:51-05:00 Michelle Van Loon

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

We live as exiles. We’re called to be pilgrims.

I am journeying through Scripture, stopping at a few oases along the way, in order to contemplate our exile experience. I’ll also offer some helpful thoughts about how Christ can reshape that identity and reorient our journey so we live as pilgrims. To read earlier posts in the series, click here.

* * * * * * *

I value the vocation of visual artists. Their essential work jars us to look at the familiar in fresh, sometimes-arresting ways.

We see what we expect to see, unless someone comes and hands us a different set of lenses we can use to view the world.

Nowhere is this truth more evident than in the account in Numbers 13-14 when God told Moses to choose one leader from each of the twelve tribes to head into Canaan to do some reconnaissance work. The Israelite people had been wandering the Sinai since God had escorted them out of Egyptian slavery. The barren, blazing hot terrain exposed their mistrust, their idolatry, and their immaturity. Again and again, through the miraculous and the mundane, God showed them who he was, and they were as ready as they’d ever be to go home to a home in which none of them had ever lived.

The twelve sent by God, chosen by Moses did forty days of scouting across a wide swath of the beautiful territory, and came back with a small amount of fruit to show Moses a sample of what was growing there. But the taste of the sweet fruit went sour as ten of the men insisted that those who residing in the land would annihilate the children of Israel if they were to attempt to follow God in and claim the territory.

“We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 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. 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.” (Numbers 13:31-33)

Only two of the scouts, Joshua ben Nun, and Caleb ben Jephunnah, disagreed with the dramatic negative assessment of their ten traveling companions. Moses gave Hoshea (Salvation) the name Caleb, which means Faithful, perhaps to differentiate him a bit from the other scout named Salvation, Joshua. These two men had the lens of the character of God – the God who had saved them, the God who had faithfully provided for all their needs – through which to view the land they’d reconnoitered.

The behavior of the other ten is understandable, given all that generations of the children of Israel had been through as slaves in in Egypt. They’d been trained to do what they’d been told. To survive meant to bow low before those in power. They had no experience as fighters. The closest they’d ever come to battle was when they were fleeing the Egyptian army.

God had done the fighting on their behalf. This should have been a point of reference for them as they got an up-close look at the people who were living in Canaan at the time, but it wasn’t. The negative report of ten of these scouts upon their return reflected what they saw, not what was true. They were acting out of their exile identity, and the nation to whom they brought their report responded as they had so many times before: hysterics, and a hue and cry to return to Egypt, stat.

In the face of an entire nation gone wild with fear, Caleb and Joshua tore their garments in grief, then spoke the words of pilgrims: *“*The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

It takes a new set of lenses to step into an uncertain, scary future and do so pilgrim style.

When you’ve been on the brink of something new, how have your past experiences shaped your perception of the present? What do you do with that very real sense of fear that may be telling you to go back, go back, go all the way back?

Pilgrim's Road Trip

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 12, 2013

Sanctuary Guided Silent Retreat Invite

Next Post

July 17, 2013 The Gift Of A One-Track Mind

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Baggage Books Calendar Church and Ministry CVID Ecclesiology Everyday Christian life Faith Falling Upward From The Margins Housing Jesus Movement's Unintended Consequences Midlife Midlife Survey #1 Midlife Survey #2 Moments and Days Out To The Margins Pilgrim's Road Trip Regret Seminary Spiritual Formation Uncategorized What's A Nice Jewish Grandmother Like You Doing In Seminary? When The Heart Waits Writing

Select a Month June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does the Bible say about using one's gifts or talents?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Waste them Hide them Use them for God's glory Brag about them