Story Producer 125 - Spies Explore Canaan

Optional titles:Spies explored Canaan [Land].Trust the Lord or disrespect [ignore] him?The results from rebellion.

Long ago, the Lord had promised to the Israelites that they would, one day, settle in Canaan Land. As the Israelites traveled across a wilderness [on their way there], the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Choose a respected man from each of the twelve Israelite tribes. Send them to go observe [spy / see / find out about] Canaan Land, which I have promised to give to them.”

So Moses chose twelve tribal leaders, one from each tribe. He then gave them instructions [orders]:

“Go to Canaan Land and look carefully [research/spy it out]. How good is the land for farming and for cattle? How strong are the people there? How protected [fortified/strong] are their towns [cities/villages]?”

Those spies [observers/men] traveled round in Canaan Land forty days. When they came back, they reported, “The land is fertile and good. But the people there are big and powerful, and their cities have strong walls.”

Two of the spies named Caleb and Joshua said, “We are strong enough! Let us attack them now, and take their land!”

But the other ten men [spies] disagreed, saying, “No! We must not attack the people there, because they are stronger than we. We could not take their land!

“The people there are giants [huge/very tall and strong]! We felt like insects beside them, and they considered [saw] us to be small and weak!”

The [Israelite] people shouted and complained to Moses. Some of them said, “It would have been better for us had we stayed in Egypt!”

“The Lord has led us to this land where the people will kill us and take our children to be slaves!” “Let us choose another leader who will lead us back to Egypt!”

But Caleb and Joshua kept [did not stop] saying, “All the land in Canaan is very good!

“The Lord will help us to conquer the Canaanite people. Do not rebel against the Lord!”“Do not be afraid! The Lord will go there with us!”

Some fearful men wanted to kill Caleb and Joshua by throwing heavy stones at them. But suddenly, the Lord’s bright light appeared [shone] above the tabernacle [the tent where God met with the people via priests]. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“These people are acting [being] very disrespectful to me! They do not trust me, even after all the powerful actions [miraculous things] that I have done for them! I want to make them sick so they will die!”

Moses replied, “O Lord! Please! Forgive them again.” So the Lord forgave them and decided to not kill them. But the Lord also said [the Lord warned]:

“The unfaithful people in Israel [tribe] will never see Canaan Land. The Israelites must wander [walk / travel / move] about in this wilderness forty years, until the faithless people [this generation / the disobedient ones] have died.

“None of those people who have acted disrespectfully to me will ever see the land that I promised to give to their ancestors! Rather the children they thought would be enslaved will go into the land.”

Later, the Lord struck with disease the ten spies [observers / men] who gave a bad report [who discouraged the people and caused them to rebel], so that they died. But Caleb and Joshua did not get sick; they lived many years.

When the Israelites heard what the Lord had said to Moses, they replied, “Let us go now into Canaan Land!” But Moses said, “If you go now, the Lord will not go with you [to help you], and you will surely die in battle!”

Some of the men did not listen to Moses and they left to go to Canaan. When they came into Canaan, the people in Canaan defeated them and chased them back to the wilderness.

The Israelites were not able to go into Canaan until forty years later, after most of their mature people [adults] had died.