by David Chadwick

As many of you know, I love to seek out the hidden places of God’s Word. To find the concealed things that God has given us and to search out the deeper meaning in it all.

I have five hidden insights into God’s Word that I want to share with you this week. This one is from Numbers 13:4-5,7, and 9-15.

Have you ever heard of Shammua, Shaphat, Igal, Palit, Gaddiel, Gaddi, Ammiel, Shethur, Nahb, and Gruel?

Do you know the unique parts they played in God’s overall story? Do you recognize any of their names? No? Guess why not? Because they were all cowards! Cowards of the faith are much less remembered than the heroes.

These ten men had little to no faith. Their lives were so impactless that no one even needs to remember their names.

Who are they?

These named ten spies went into the Promised Land and brought back nothing but bad reports to the Israelites, thus infecting God’s people with unbelief. They were the ones who created fear in the hearts of the Israelites, which ultimately caused them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until that generation of unbelievers died off. Eventually, God was able to raise up a community of people who had great courage and faith, but he had to let the old mindsets die off.

So what lesson do we have from these ten cowardly men? Here is the insight. Guard your hearts and seek to be people who release reports and receive reports that only come from God himself. Don’t believe the narratives of the evil one.

These guys are not people you should emulate. And definitely don’t name your kids or grandkids after them! These guys were wimps. They did not help to establish a strong nation, but rather kept God’s people stuck in a place of doubt and fear for 40 years.

Follow the courageous ones! They will lead you to the heart of God himself.