Be Still And Know

Deuteronomy 1:30-31 In the opening chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people of their history. The journey from the Nile river to the promised land of Canaan took less than two weeks. When they arrived in Kadesh-barnea, just south of the border with Canaan, Moses encouraged them to enter the land that God had promised to give them. But the people were cautious. They suggested spies should be sent in, to find out whether it was safe to proceed. When the 12 spies returned, most focused on the problems. They reported that the inhabitants of the promised land were taller and more powerful than they were, and their towns and walls were enormous. They even said they had seen giants. This was enough to scare the Israelites, who suggested it would be better to head back to slavery in Egypt. The fact that two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, gave a very positive report did nothing to calm their nerves. God responded angrily. The spies’ report was based on 40 days in the promised land, and so God punishe