Lesson date: 08/19/5860AA

Verse 2 – This is a very interesting verse. We need to look at the a couple of the Hebrew words used.

שְׁלַח־לׁךָ – ‘shelaḥ leḥa’ – “you send” – H7971 – שׁלח – shâlach – BDB Definition: 1) to send, send away, let go, stretch out. ((I have to show you something really really neat. The Greek word used in the LXX for “shalach” is  G649 – ἀποστέλλω – apostellō – the word from which we get apostle or “the one who is sent”. Literally, Mosheh is being told to send out 12 apostles to spy out the land. Isn’t that beautiful?

Mat 10:5 יהושע sent these twelve out, having commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the nations, and do not enter a city of the Shomeronim,

Mat 10:6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Yisra’ěl.

Mat 10:16 “See, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Mat 15:24 And He answering, said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Yisra’ěl.”

H8446 – תּוּר – tûr – BDB Definition: 1) to seek, search out, spy out, explore

תּוּר tur – Strong’s H8446 – This word may be the word from which we derive the words “Tour” and “touring”

Pro 12:26 The righteous is a guide to his neighbour, But the way of the wrong leads them astray.

H8446 – תּוּר – tûr – BDB Definition: 1) to seek, search out, spy out, explore, to investigate

In the above verse of Scripture the “tur” is written in Hiphil verb tense “yater” and this implies the use of caution, to carefully guide or seek out.

Num. 13:2 “Send men to (seek) spy out (H853 את) the land of Kena‛an

Is this a message for us? Are we supposed to be those who are sent out to seek Yeshu’a? In Proverbs 12:26 does this tell us to “guide” our neighbors, our families to the Truth of Torah? If so, the Hiphil verb tense employed here shows that I have not “carefully and cautiously” guided my family but instead I have been frustrated and discouraged.

2Ti 4:2 Proclaim the Word! Be urgent in season, out of season. Convict, warn, appeal, with all patience and teaching. ((The word used here for “convict” – G1651 means to convince or prove them wrong in an instructional rather than a combative manner.))

We are coming to the end of an age and we should be very carefully bring back a good report to our friends, family, loved ones and neighbors about the Truth of the Besorah (Good News) about our Messiah. We should be ready “in season and out of season” about what Yeshu’a Messiah did for us and brought us into a covenant relationship with our Creator and our Father that we never had before.

1. Shammua – שַמּוּעַַ – Strong’s H8051 – ‘famous/renowned’
2. Shaphat – שָׁפָׁט – Strong’s H8202 – ‘judge’
3. Kalĕḇ – כָּׁלֵב – Strong’s H3612 – ‘dog’ ((Implies “friend of the heart”))
4. Yiḡ’al – יִׁגְׁאָׁל – Strong’s H3008 – ‘He redeems’
5. Hoshěa – הוֹשֵעַַ – Strong’s H1954 – ‘salvation’
6. Palti – פַלְׁטִׁי – Strong’s H6406 – ‘escape, my deliverance’
7. Gaddi’ĕl – גַדִׁיאֵל – Strong’s H1427 – ‘El is my attack troop’
8. Gaddi – גַדִׁי – Strong’s H1426 – ‘my attack troop’
9. Ammi’ĕl – עַמִּׁיאֵל – Strong’s H5988 – ‘my kinsman is Ĕl’
10. Shĕthur – סְׁתוּר – Strong’s H5639 – ‘hidden’
11. Naḥbi – נַחְׁבִׁי – Strong’s H5147 – ‘hidden’
12. Geu’ĕl – גְׁאוּאֵל – Strong’s H1345 – ‘majesty of Ĕl’

The Renowned Judge is my Friend of the Heart, He redeems me and brings Salvation, El is my Attack Troop, my Army, and My Kinsman and has Hidden me in the Majesty of El.

Does this sound like a group of men who would have come back afraid? Didn’t they understand that they were hidden in the Majesty of El, covered with a cloud? That He had redeemed them out of Mitsrayim? That He was their army that had fought for them and won over the greatest world power of their day?

Verse 16 – Look what happens here, Mosheh renames Hoshea – Yehoshu’a – Yehovah’s salvation.

Verse 17 – A translation note: this verse translates the word “Negeb” as South and that is the literal meaning but look at the map below and you will see that the actual direction that the spies had to travel was north, not south. This word should not have been translated in my opinion but left as Negeb which is Southern Israel.  “Go up” would indicate North, not South. To say “Go down the Nile River” means that you are travelling North (up the map), not South (down the map).

Look at the prophecy contained in the names of the two spies that brought back a good report: Hoshea is from the tribe Ephrayim and Kaleb is from the tribe of  Yehudah: Eze 37:19 say to them, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I am taking the stick of Yosěph, which is in the hand of Ephrayim, and the tribes of Yisra’ěl, his companions. And I shall give them unto him, with the stick of Yehuḏah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in My hand.” ’

Now, look again at the name change of Hoshea to Yehoshua, and who does Ephrayim represent in the prophecy above? The lost 10 tribes of Yisra’el. What is it telling us? When Ephrayim, the lost 10 tribes of Yisra’el, return to the Truth of Torah, in that Yeshu’a/Yehoshu’a Messiah, is the Living Torah and the One who leads us and delivers us into the family (covenant) of YHVH.

Verse 20 – “be strong” ((courageous)) – chazaq – H2388. This was their charge and only 2 were faithful. Deu_11:1 “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim and guard His charge: even His laws, and His right-rulings, and His commands, always.

The funny thing is that chazaq also carries the idea of “grasp between the ears” to understand. The other ten did not understand or remember that El was their army, that He was going to fight for them.

Verse 23 – Wadi Eshkol – Eshkol – H811 = “cluster”. A cluster of grapes or : Son 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of Ěn Geḏi.

One cluster of grapes had to be carried on a pole between two men. What is the takeaway: wherever we see giants we see genetic manipulation.

As you know, while reading these chapters I let my imagination run wild. I imagine to myself that the two men carrying the cluster of grapes was Yehoshu’a and Kaleb. Why? Because they are the only two who gave a good report. The cluster of grapes was their “bona fide” to prove that the land was a good land. Yehoshu’a and Kaleb bore the grapes (think juice – wine) on their shoulders. They bore fruit!

Luk 8:15 “And that on the good soil are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, retain it, and bear fruit with endurance.

Mat_3:10 “And the axe is already laid to the root of the trees. Every tree, then, which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Joh_15:8 “In this My Father is esteemed, that you bear much fruit, and you shall be My taught ones.

Mic 7:1 Woe to me! For I am as gatherings of summer fruit, as gleanings of the grape harvest. There is no cluster to eat. My being has desired the first-ripe fruit.

Pomegranates – have over 200 to as many as 1200 seeds. The pomegranates represent the fruitfulness of Abraham but also just fruitfulness, like the Scriptures above indicate that we should be fruitful for YHVH’s Kingdom. Let’s jump ahead just a little. The 15^th stop in the 42 stops in the Wilderness is Rimmon Perets: Num_33:19 And they departed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perets.

Num_33:20 And they departed from Rimmon Perets and camped at Liḇnah.

H7416 – רִמֹּן  רִמּוֹן – rimmôn  rimmôn – rim-mone’, rim-mone’ From H7426; a pomegranate, the tree

H6556 – פֶּרֶץ – perets – peh’-rets – From H6555; a break (literally or figuratively): – breach, breaking forth (in), X forth, gap.

The “pomegranate of the breach” or “the fruit of the breach” but here is a clue the pomegranate is called “rimmon” because it “stands upright” so, rimmon perets means stand upright in the breach. We are to bear much fruit by standing upright in the breach therefore we repair the breach by standing upright in it: Amo 9:11 “In that day I shall raise up the Booth of Dawiḏ which has fallen down. And I shall repair its breaches and raise up its ruins. And I shall build it as in the days of old,

Amo 9:12 so that they possess the remnant of Eḏom, and all the nations on whom My Name is called,” declares יהוה who does this.

((Translation note: the Masoretes added vowelization to the word Edom rather than Adam, which represents mankind so, this was may have been a mistake.))

Figs – people who have not grown figs usually are not aware that the fig itelf is the flower and the pistil and stamen are contained inside the fruit. But what good is a fig tree if it does not bear fruit: Mat 21:19 And seeing a single fig tree by the way, He came to it and found naught on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” And immediately the fig tree withered.

Look very closely at this illustration because it is taking place early in the spring, when there would be no expectation of a fig on the tree so, why was it condemned? Maybe, in season and out of season?

Mat 24:32 “And learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that the summer is near.

Figs can represent the fruitfulness of YHVH’s people but it can also represent the rebellion of His people: Jer 8:13 “I shall snatch them away,” declares יהוה. “There are no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf has faded. And what I gave them shall pass away from them.” ’ ”

Jer 24:3 And יהוה said to me, “What do you see, Yirmeyahu?” And I said, “Figs, the good figs, very good. And the spoilt, very spoilt, which could not be eaten, they are so spoilt.”

Figs can also represent healing: 2Ki 20:7 And Yeshayahu said, “Take a cake of figs.” And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.

The more that I think about the times that we live in, how evil, corrupt, deviant, rebellious just the “church” is, not to mention mankind as a whole, I am reminded of Luke 18:8: Luk 18:8 “I say to you that He shall do right to them speedily. But when the Son of Aḏam comes, shall He find the belief on the earth?”

Verses 25-33 – The report – We know the report how two men Yehoshu’a and Kaleb gave a good report and the others gave an evil report. The 10 told the truth about the situation that there were giants in the land but because of their lack of faith in the Mighty Works of El Shaddai the giants became an insurmountable obstacle.

Ahavah vberakhot,