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Yosef appeared to have prophetically but deceptively accused his brothers of spying on Mitzraim1Hebrew: Egypt in the Torah reading ויגש Vayigash (“he approached,” Genesis 44:18–47:27). But in a sense, they were infiltrating the land as part of the Genesis 15 prophecy given to Abraham that his descendants would go down to Mitzraim and be delivered from it over four centuries.
In Joshua 14:5–16, a secondary haftarah (parallel reading) to Vayigash, Kalev (Caleb) at age 85 recalls his being the delegate for the tribe of Yehudah (Judah) to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13) at age 40. Of the 12 delegates from Israel, only Kalev ben Yefunah and Yehoshua (Joshua) ben Nun reported that entering the Promised Land would be possible by Heaven’s help (Numbers 14).
‘You shall not enter My rest’
Because of the rejection of those who sided with the 10 other delegate-spies, Israel proper would have to be “born again” with the second generation for rejecting Heaven’s grace in entering His “rest,” i.e., the Land (Psalm 95; Hebrews 3–4).
The 12 spies, including Kalev (as a representative of Yehudah) and Yehoshua (as a representative of Ephraim), were sent out to spy the Land. Like the other 10 spy-delegates, they saw giants, large clusters of grapes and produce, big walls around cities. But those two trusted — had faith — God was with them, while the other 10 trusted in human will and might.
Four decades later, Yehoshua as Moshe’s successor sent two spies into the Land, particularly Yericho (Joshua 2). In God’s providence, the men went to the home of Rahab, who chose to trust the God of Israel over the gods of Canaan, and her family was saved from death when Israel entered the Land.
Where do blessing and knowledge truly come from?
Back to the reading Vayigash, the Pharaoh had enough faith and common sense to understand that the reason his land was blessed was because of God’s calling on Yosef.
At this point in history, Yosef was consolidating Egypt from several minor kingdoms into a united kingdom under the Pharaoh. And this Pharaoh granted Yosef leadership over all of Egypt. The Creator of Heaven and Earth is acting through superpowers such as Egypt and the Hittites to preserve Israel and his descendants. God gave this pharaoh enough faith in the Creator that he was willing to plan far in advance for the famine to come.
In the mobilization leading up to the U.S. involvement in World War II, many people sacrificed to put their resources behind opposition to a common threat. So too, Pharaoh gave Yosef control over a famine-prevention campaign with similar life-and-death consequences.
Caleb and Joshua as leaders of Yehudah and Ephraim were united in their faith in God, just as Ezekiel prophesied would happen again, as those tribes led the 10 to be reunited in and by Messiah’s hand (Ezek. 37:15-28).
Similarities between the spies of Mitzraim and Canaan to Yeshua’s ‘spies’ to the Lost Sheep of Israel
We also see that as there were 70 members of Israel’s family who went down into Egypt (Gen. 46:27), Yeshua sent out 70 Apostles to the people of Israel to spread His message of the Kingdom of God (Matt. 10:1–11:1). Their message would grow from a small group to a message that would be known and preached throughout the world.
There are parallels between the 12 representatives of Israel who were sent into Canaan and Yeshua’s commission of his 12 closest disciples throughout Israel to preach the message of the Kingdom of Heaven (parallel passages: Luke 9:1–6; Mark 6:7–13).
Here is what Yeshua sent the Twelve out to do:
- Take authority over unclean spirits: Cast out demons.
- Preach repentance.
- Anoint and heal the sick.
The 12 spies were sent into Canaan as a cleanup operation, the spies were being tested to see if they trusted that God would give them the strength to clean up the land.
We see something similar with Yeshua when He sent the 12 Apostles to spread His Message. Those who were privileged to hear them were being tested as to whether they would hear and follow their prophetic message.
The 12 spies and the 12 apostles were both sent to find out that the people of the land were like. Were they receptive of God’s message or would they rejected God’s message?
The Pharaoh who put in his lot and the lot of his nation into the hands of Yosef and his God, Rahab also had put her lot in with the God of Israel. Not all those who claim to be of Israel are of Israel, but by their faith and action, the Yosef’s Pharaoh and Rahab were of Israel much more than the Pharaoh later on who “did not know Yosef” or the Jewish authorities who condemned Yeshua to death without just cause.
We as the Body of Messiah, who Paul calls “ambassadors of Messiah” (2Cor. 5:20), have been given a legacy of sending Messiah’s message of reconciliation to the world. We are called to make peace with our families and those around us (Matt. 5:9), but we also face stiff opposition from the Evil One. When people don’t want to reconcile, they will fight harder and harder against those who bring God’s message of peace.
Summary: Tammy