Numbers 13:30–33 KJV – “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. 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. 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 a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
The twelve spies that Moses sent into the Promised Land returned with a cluster of grapes so huge it took two men to carry it on a pole. They told of a land flowing with milk and honey and filled with magnificent fruit; and “Oh, by the way,” they said, “there are giants in the land.” As soon as those words were uttered, the size of the fruit and the richness of the milk and honey no longer mattered. There was a problem in the Promised Land—big problems, people problems.
We know that Joshua was in one accord with Caleb, but look at the focus of the other ten spies. Both Caleb and Joshua said, “Let’s do it,” but the other ten said, “It can’t be done.” Notice, Caleb didn’t try to convince them otherwise or coerce them to his point of view; he simply stated a fact. Not only were they able, he said, but they were “well able” to overcome the obstacles. Did Caleb see something the others didn’t? Did Caleb not see what the others saw? The fact is, both parties saw exactly what they were looking for. One was looking for what God had promised, and the other was looking for all the problems with what God had promised. All they could see was why the promise couldn’t happen, why it wouldn’t work, why it couldn’t work. Have you ever approached a promise of God with a “here’s all the problems with the promise” mentality? Have you ever told God, “Here is why it won’t work,” “Here is what is wrong with the people,” “This is what is wrong with this place,” or “These are all the obstacles”? Friend, don’t do that! If God said it, that settles it. Don’t let a little detail like giants in the land make you forget the size of the grapes.
Is there something you feel God is calling you to do? Is there someone in your life who is a giant problem? Is something in your land threatening to devour you? If so, then do what Caleb did and proclaim, “I am well able to overcome it!” After all, it’s not about you. It’s about God’s promise to give you the land, even the land of the giants!
