The Twelve Spies sent to scout out the land of Canaan came back laden with grapes like these (also from Israel), as well as figs and pomegranates; but they also reported that the Canaanites were a warrior people with well-defended cities, and instead of trusting that God would go before them and defeat their enemies, they feared to grasp their inheritance. For that, the whole people was doomed to remain a little longer in the wilderness.
Episode 10 of 11 in the Series
The Story of Moses
Introduction
After fleeing slavery in Egypt, the Israelites have been living in the empty wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. On Mount Sinai itself, God has met with their leader Moses and given his people a law to live by and a promise of a land of their own. In the meantime, however, life in the desert is punishingly hard.
THE Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness between Egypt and their Promised land, and they were years of trouble. A plague of venomous snakes invaded their camp, but Moses raised up a brazen serpent on a pole, and those who looked at it were cured of snakebite.1
They were assailed by the people of Amalek, and prevailed only so long as Moses kept his hands in the air. Whenever through weariness he lowered them, the Amalekites started to rally.2
As they drew nearer to Canaan, the Israelites encountered equally hostile kings in Moab and Edom, and worse was feared in the Land of Promise itself. “Surely it floweth with milk and honey” admitted the spies that Moses sent out, “nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled.”3
Two of the twelve spies, Caleb and Joshua, scolded the rest for their timidity, but the damage was done. It would be many years more before God judged his people had the courage to grasp their inheritance.
1See Numbers 21:6-9. The episode is picked up by Jesus, who refers it to himself on his cross in John 3:14-15: the sight of the cross acts like an antidote to the bite of the serpent of Eden. The brazen serpent is another example of Old Testament image-making cited by supporters of sacred art during The Restoration of the Icons. While it was used for its proper purpose, it was divinely blessed; after it acquired its own name and cult, as the god Nehushtan, King Hezekiah had it destroyed: see 1 Kings 18:4.
2See Numbers 13:17-33. The spies brought back grapes, figs and pomegranates from the Valley of Eshcol, generally thought to be near Hebron, some sixteen miles south of Jerusalem.
3See Exodus 17:8-16.
Archive
Word Games
1Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Long. Sure. Year.
2 So. Spy. Wilderness.
3 Encounter. His. Rally.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
2Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1.
Admit.
2.
Courage.
3.
Fearful.
4.
Hand.
5.
Many.
6.
More.
7.
Most.
8.
Near.
9.
Restless.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
3Verb and Noun Find in Think and Speak
Many words can serve as noun or verb depending on context: see if you can prove this with the examples below. Nouns go well with words such as the/a, or his/her; verbs go well after I/you/he etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Spend. 2 Draw. 3 Land. 4 Promise. 5 Damage. 6 Fear. 7 People. 8 Milk. 9 Air.
Variations: 1.if possible, use your noun in the plural, e.g. cat → cats. 2.use your verb in a past form, e.g. go → went. 3.use your noun in a sentence with one of these words: any, enough, fewer, less, no, some.
4Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
lnd (5+1)
land. leaned. lend. lined. loaned.
eland.
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