A Different Spirit But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. (Numbers 14:24)

The Sending of 12 Spies (Numbers 13) 11 AND THE Lord said to Moses,2 Send men to explore and scout out [for yourselves] the land of Canaan, which I give to the Israelites. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader or head among them.3 So Moses by the command of the Lord sent scouts from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the Israelites.23

1717 Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, and said to them, Get up this way by the South (the Negeb) and go up into the hill country, 1818 And see what the land is and whether the people who dwell there are strong or weak, few or many, 1919 And whether the land they live in is good or bad, and whether the cities they dwell in are camps or strongholds,20 And what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is timber on it or not. And be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first ripe grapes.20

The Good vs Bad Report 2525 And they returned from scouting out the land after forty days They came to Moses and Aaron and to all the Israelite congregation in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh, and brought them word, and showed them the land's fruit They told Moses, We came to the land to which you sent us; surely it flows with milk and honey. This is its fruit.

28 But the people who dwell there are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large; moreover, there we saw the sons of Anak [of great stature and courage] Amalek dwells in the land of the South (the Negeb); the Hittite, the Jebusite, and the Amorite dwell in the hill country; and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along by the side of the Jordan [River].29

3030 Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it But his fellow scouts said, We are not able to go up against the people [of Canaan], for they are stronger than we are So they brought the Israelites an evil report of the land which they had scouted out, saying, The land through which we went to spy it out is a land that devours its inhabitants. And all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature There we saw the Nephilim [or giants], the sons of Anak, who come from the giants; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

The Result of the Evil Report 11 AND ALL the congregation cried out with a loud voice, and [they] wept that night. 22 All the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron, to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt! Or that we had died in this wilderness! 33 Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be a prey. Is it not better for us to return to Egypt? 44 And they said one to another, Let us choose a captain and return to Egypt.

55 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of Israelites. 66 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among the scouts who had searched the land, tore their clothes.

Joshua and Caleb’s Defense 77 And they said to all the company of Israelites, The land through which we passed as scouts is an exceedingly good land. 88 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 99 Only do not rebel against the Lord, neither fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense and the shadow [of protection] is removed from over them, but the Lord is with us. Fear them not.

The Lord’s Defense 1010 But all the congregation said to stone [Joshua and Caleb] with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting before all the Israelites And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke (spurn, despise) Me? And how long will it be before they believe Me [trusting in, relying on, clinging to Me], for all the signs which I have performed among them? 1212 I will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and will make of you [Moses] a nation greater and mightier than they..

The Lord’s Judgment 1919 Pardon, I pray You, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your mercy and loving-kindness, just as You have forgiven [them] from Egypt until now And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word But truly as I live and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 2222 Because all those men who have seen My glory and My [miraculous] signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have tested and proved Me these ten times and have not heeded My voice,

2323 Surely they shall not see the land which I swore to give to their fathers; nor shall any who provoked (spurned, despised) Me see it But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it Surely none shall come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun But your little ones whom you said would be a prey, them will I bring in and they shall know the land which you have despised and rejected.

A.The Problem of the Israelites -unbelief, they didn’t really believe God’s promise -They quickly forgot how powerful God is -They quickly grumble and murmur against God -They easily got intimidated by their enemies -They have a slave mentality For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.” (Psalms 95:10)

B. What God saw in Caleb - He knew the Lord’s ways This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you will be careful to do all that is written therein. Then you will make yourself prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8) - He obeys God wholeheartedly, passionately - He has the fear of the Lord in his heart

Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it sood firm. (Psalms 33:8) But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalms 33:18)

-He embraced the beauty of God’s promised land For we know that all things work together for the good of those that love God, those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) He trains my hands for battle, my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. (Psalms 18:34-35)

We have what it takes to overcome. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. (Luke 10:19)

Conclusion: -Friends we need to have a different spirit like Caleb’s so that we can do greater things that God has called us to do - We need to keep our eyes on the Lord and truly know His ways, His promises - We need to keep our hope firmly planted in His power. The Lord is telling us today - Be strong and courageous for He is with us - Arise and shine for the glory of the Lord is within us.

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Cor. 2:12) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)