Contemplative Bible Reading

Numbers 13:30 (New Living Translation)

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

This is part of the (hi)story of the people leaving slavery in Egypt and going to the land that God promised them. A group of men went into the land to see what and who were there. Many of these men reported the abundance of agriculture in the land, but also the abundance of people who had easily defended positions. The people could not invade and conquer.

Caleb, one of the men sent, says the above. “We can certainly conquer it!” he boasted with great confidence.

Caleb was correct. History showed that the people conquered those defensible positions held by the people in the land.

Caleb was sort of correct. History also showed that initial invasions into the land were military disasters.

Caleb and the other spies of the land forgot God. Without God, invasion failed. With God and with 40 years of wandering around the desert, invasion succeeded.

Note that Caleb did not mention God in his confident boast of success. Perhaps something is lost in the translation. The people were in a bad situation facing large armies in defended positions. Military scientists can explain why invasion would fail.

What about God? God enables all that God endorses. Things happen that defy explanation; that is why they are called super-natural.

Let’s not forget to mention God in our boasts and fears. Sure, our sentences will be longer, but we will be stating the truth based on faith and past events.