Spies; Hosea renamed Jesus; forty years for unbelief

And when the Hebrews drew near the land God had promised to Abraham and his seed, Moses chose one man from each tribe and sent them to spy out the land, its cities, and their inhabitants. (Num 13:1-3) Then God revealed to him the name of the One who alone can save all who believe in him. Moses therefore changed the name of Hosea son of Nun, one of those sent, and named him Jesus; then he sent him in the full strength of that name, persuaded that under its protection they would return safe — as indeed they did. (Num 13:16; name of Jesus)

When the spies came back from their search, bringing a cluster of grapes, some of the twelve terrified the whole assembly, saying they had found very great cities fortified with walls, and that the people of those lands were giants, sons of giants, so that it was impossible to master the country. (Num 13:23-33) Then all the people wept, doubting whether God would give them strength and put all under their power. They added that the wicked land was not worth facing so many dangers to conquer it.

But two of the twelve — Jesus son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh — seeing the harm of those words, tore their clothes and pleaded with the people not to lose heart, because God had given those nations into their hands and because the land was exceedingly fertile. (Num 14:6-9) The people would not be persuaded but persisted in unbelief; so God turned and changed their route and made them wander in the wilderness to test and chastise them.

And as the spies had spent forty days going to explore the land and return, so God, appointing a year for each day, kept them forty years in the wilderness. (Num 14:33-34) None of those of full age and sound mind was judged worthy to enter that land because of unbelief — except the two who had given a true witness to the promised inheritance, Jesus son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, and those still too small to know their right hand from their left. (Heb 3:18-19) The whole unbelieving people perished and wasted away in the wilderness, little by little paying the penalty of their unbelief. But through those forty years the children multiplied until they filled the gaps left by their fathers’ death.