See the map entitled "Map of the Exodus". They only had to go about 400 miles to get to the Promised Land. Let's give them 10 miles a day, it would take them 40 days to travel through this wilderness. This is not a 40-year journey, yet they took 40 years to enter into the promised land and we'll see why.

Numbers 13
:1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
:2 Send thou men,
        that they may search the land of Canaan,
        which I give unto the children of Israel:
    of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man,
    every one a ruler among them.
:3 And Moses by the commandment of the Lord
    sent them from the wilderness of Paran:
    all those men were heads of the children of Israel.

Verses 4 - 16 list the names of the leaders from each tribe that were sent to spy out the Promised Land.

:17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them,
        Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:
:18 And see the land, what it is;
    and the people that dwelleth therein,
        whether they be strong or weak,
        few or many;
:19 And what the land is that they dwell in,
        whether it be good or bad;
    and what cities they be that they dwell in,
        whether in tents, or in strong holds;
:20 And what the land is,
        whether it be fat or lean,
        whether there be wood therein, or not.
    And be ye of good courage,
    and bring of the fruit of the land.
    Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.

This was in second year since they left Egypt.

Numbers 13
:21 So they went up,
    and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob,
        as men come to Hamath.
:22 And they ascended by the south,
    and came unto Hebron; 
        where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai,
        the children of Anak, were.
    (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
:23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol,
    and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes,
    and they bare it between two upon a staff;
    and they brought of the pomegranates,
    and the figs.

Can you imagine this cluster of grapes? It took two people to carry it. Today you would need a different kind of shopping cart just for the grapes, maybe one of the transports bellhops use in the hotels. This is just for the grapes what about the rest of the foods? You would need a tractor and trailer just to get the groceries home. This was a very prosperous land.

:24 The place was called the brook Eshcol,
        because of the cluster of grapes
        which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
:25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
:26 And they went and came to Moses,
    and to Aaron,
    and to all the congregation of the children of Israel,
        unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh;
    and brought back word unto them,
    and unto all the congregation,
    and shewed them the fruit of the land.
:27 And they told him, and said,
        We came unto the land whither thou sentest us,
        and surely it floweth with milk and honey;
        and this is the fruit of it.
:28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land,
    and the cities are walled,
    and very great:
    and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.
:29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south:
    and the Hittites,
    and the Jebusites,
    and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains:
    and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, 
        and by the coast of Jordan.

Ten of the twelve Spies brought back a fear-based report. The land was very abundant, yet the people were afraid, even though they had just been delivered from the greatest army of that time. The Egyptians had the latest in chariots and military expertise. They were the wealthiest and greatest army of the time. Yet here, they are afraid of these little clusters of strongholds. No comparison! They were nothing compared to the army of Egypt.

:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said,
    Let us go up at once, and possess it;
    for we are well able to overcome it.
:31 But the men that went up with him said,
        We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.
:32 And they brought up an evil report of the land 
        which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying,
            The land, through which we have gone to search it,
            is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof;
    and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature.
:33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of A'nak,
        which come of the giants:
        and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers,
        and so we were in their sight.

People feared the report of 10 of the 12 spies [every one was a ruler among them]. This is a sense knowledge reaction, they were unbelieving. They did not believe they could do it. They didn't consider that God would do it for them. God had defeated the greatest army at that time, but here they fear. They are looking at the circumstances, what should they look at? The circumstances or God's promises? According to the circumstances, they should have still been slaves in Egypt. But according to God's promise, they were delivered out of there and supposed to be heading home to the Promised Land.

What does God tell us about circumstances?

Philippians 4
:6 Be careful for nothing;
        but in every thing by prayer and supplication
        with thanksgiving
    let your requests be made known unto God.

Matthew 6
:25 Therefore I say unto you, 
    Take no thought for your life, 
        what ye shall eat, or 
        what ye shall drink; 
    nor yet for your body, 
        what ye shall put on. 
    Is not the life more than meat, 
    and the body than raiment?
:26 Behold the fowls of the air:
        for they sow not,
        neither do they reap,
        nor gather into barns;
    yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.
    Are ye not much better than they?
:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
:28 And why take ye thought for raiment?
    Consider the lilies of the field,
        how they grow;
        they toil not,
        neither do they spin:
:29 And yet I say unto you,
        That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field,
        which to day is,
        and to morrow is cast into the oven,
    shall he not much more clothe you,
    O ye of little faith?
:31 Therefore take no thought, saying,
        What shall we eat? or,
        What shall we drink? or,
        Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)
        for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
        and his righteousness;
    and all these things shall be added unto you.
:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
        for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
    Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Israel looked at the circumstances that they were in and their own abilities/inabilities. God says look unto Him, He is our sufficiency.

II Corinthians 3
:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves;
    but our sufficiency is of God;

II Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;
    that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things,
    may abound to every good work:

To Be Continued . . .