The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Episode: Day 62: Spies Sent to Canaan
Release Date: March 3, 2026
Host: Fr. Mike Schmitz
Readings: Numbers 12–13, Deuteronomy 11, Psalm 94

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Israel’s critical journey moments in the wilderness, focusing on two stories:

• The challenge to Moses’ leadership by his own siblings (Numbers 12)
• The sending of 12 spies into Canaan and the fearful response to God’s gift of the Promised Land (Numbers 13)
  Fr. Mike highlights how these stories reveal the Israelites’ struggles with trust, faithfulness, and remembering God’s past works. He reflects on the enduring need for visible reminders and constant recollection of God’s presence in the lives of believers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Sibling Conflict: Miriam and Aaron Challenge Moses

[19:15–21:12]

• The Incident: Miriam and Aaron criticize Moses because of his marriage to a Cushite woman. Their underlying complaint is about their own prophetic roles—“Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” (Numbers 12:2).

  • Notable Quote: “Here is Aaron and Miriam and Moses… they’re having the sibling fight, more or less. That’s kind of it. They’re mad because he married a Cushite woman.” [19:27]

• God's Response: God singles out the uniqueness of Moses’ calling (“With him I speak mouth-to-mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech” – Numbers 12:8) and rebukes Aaron and Miriam for speaking against him.

• Judgment and Mercy:

  • Miriam is struck with leprosy, highlighting the consequences of envy and division.
  • Aaron appeals to Moses to intercede for Miriam: “O my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned” (Numbers 12:11).

• Family Unity Through Suffering:

  • Fr. Mike draws a parallel to modern family divisions, noting how crisis or illness often reunites estranged members:
    “How often has this happened… there is a division in a family… then… someone gets sick… and that unites people. We realize that the differences we have are smaller… than our relationship.” [20:32]
  • Moses’ prayer results in Miriam’s eventual healing, but only after a period of exclusion.

The 12 Spies and Israel’s Fear

[21:13–24:24]

• Spies’ Mission: At God’s command, Moses sends twelve tribal leaders, including Caleb and Joshua, to scout Canaan.

• The Report: All agree it’s a land flowing with milk and honey, but most focus on the dangers—the strength and size of Canaan’s inhabitants, and the formidable, fortified cities.

  • Direct Quote from the text: “The land… devours its inhabitants… all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature… we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” (Numbers 13:32–33)
  • Fr. Mike’s Reflection: “The people go up and remember: this people has not—they’re not a warring people. They have spent their entire lives as slaves. They don’t know how to fight… And even, in spite of the fact that God had just set them free from the most powerful nation… they still said, ‘No, we can’t do it.’” [22:45]
  • Contrasting Faith: Caleb urges immediate action and confidence—“Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” (Numbers 13:30)

• Failure of Trust:

  • The Israelites’ fear overrides their memory of God’s recent deliverance from Egypt.
  • Fr. Mike connects this to the larger biblical lesson: “Now, God has already made it clear: ‘You’re right—you can’t. I can.’ But at this point, they do not have the confidence in the Lord.” [23:40]
  • This lack of trust proves pivotal and will have lasting consequences for Israel, setting up major developments in the subsequent narrative.

Moses’ Warning and God’s Promise (Deuteronomy 11)

[24:25–26:45]

• Retelling and Reflection in Deuteronomy:

  • Moses, recalling events decades later, urges the new generation not to forget the Lord’s mighty acts:
    “Remember back when… Deuteronomy, this is Moses speaking back and saying, here’s what happened back in the day, 40 years before this.” [19:15]

• Covenant Faithfulness:

  • Moses stresses the importance of loving and obeying God, teaching his commandments to one’s children, and setting physical reminders of God’s Word:
    “You shall… bind them as a sign upon your hand, and… as frontlets between your eyes.… write them upon the doorposts of your house, and upon your gates…” (Deut 11:18-20)
  • Obedience results in blessing and abundance; forgetting leads to loss and curse.

• Physical Reminders & Spiritual Memory:

  • Fr. Mike parallels Jewish practices (phylacteries, mezuzah) and Catholic traditions (crucifix, icons) as essential tools for remembering God’s actions and love:
    • “That’s… why, as Catholic Christians, we have a crucifix. Because here’s a reminder of God’s love for you… That’s why we’re going through the Bible in a year: we do not want to forget what God has done for us.” [26:01]

Psalm 94: God’s Justice and Comfort

• Theme: A cry for justice in the face of rampant evil; affirmation that God sees, hears, and will defend the righteous.
• Notable lines:
  • “When I thought ‘my foot slips,’ your mercy, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” (Psalm 94:18-19)
• Fr. Mike uses the Psalm as a springboard for prayer, thanking God for choosing His people and seeking the grace to accept His love fully.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family and Forgiveness:
  “When Miriam gets leprosy… that unites Aaron and Moses… How often has this happened… we realize that the differences we have are smaller than… our relationship.” — Fr. Mike Schmitz [20:32]

• On Spiritual Memory:
  “We need to pray for each other. I need your prayers. And please know that you have mine.” — Fr. Mike Schmitz [26:39]

• On God’s Sufficiency:
  “God has already made it clear: ‘You’re right—you can’t. I can.’” — Fr. Mike Schmitz [23:40]

• On Practicing Remembrance:
  “We are going through the Bible in a year because we do not want to forget what God has done for us… Do not forget it in times of distress, and do not forget it in times of abundance.” — Fr. Mike Schmitz [26:09]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 19:15 – Distinction between Numbers (“real time story”) and Deuteronomy (“remember back when”)
• 19:27 – Sibling conflict over Moses’ wife: context and speculation
• 20:32 – Reflections on family division and unity through suffering
• 21:13 – The sending of the spies and their mission
• 22:45 – The spies’ fearful report and its context
• 23:40 – Israel’s lack of confidence and the consequences
• 24:25 – Moses’ Deuteronomic recap: necessity of remembering God
• 26:01 – The spiritual importance of reminders (mezuzah, crucifix, etc.)
• 26:09 – The need to remember God always; prayers for mutual support

Final Reflections

Fr. Mike concludes by reinforcing the central message: Faith requires deliberate remembrance of God’s works and trust in His promises, especially when facing fear or uncertainty. He exhorts listeners to keep spiritual reminders accessible, remain steadfast in prayer, and consistently support one another in the journey of faith.

A powerful episode spotlighting how memory, trust, and faith intertwine in the journey of God’s people—then and now.