What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 1:28? Where can we go? Moses is recalling Israel’s panic at Kadesh-barnea (Numbers 13–14). The question isn’t logistical; it’s spiritual—a cry of unbelief that ignores God’s promised destination. • Earlier God had already mapped the journey (Deuteronomy 1:6-8). • He had carried them “as a man carries his son” (Deuteronomy 1:31), proving His reliability. • When Joshua later faced the same land, he asked “What does my Lord say to His servant?” (Joshua 5:14). Faith asks God, not “Where can we go?” Our brothers have made our hearts melt The ten spies’ discouraging report spread faster than faith (Numbers 13:31-33). “Our brothers” shows the demoralizing power of voices within the covenant community. • Rahab later told Joshua’s spies, “When we heard it, our hearts melted” (Joshua 2:11)—this was how the Canaanites felt about Israel’s God, yet Israel let its own heart melt instead. • Proverbs 18:21 warns that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The earlier generation chose death-speaking. The people are larger and taller than we are The report focused on visible odds rather than divine certainty. • God had already promised victory “regardless of their size” (Deuteronomy 7:17-19). • David would later face a literal giant with the same logic: “The battle is the LORD’s” (1 Samuel 17:47). • 2 Corinthians 5:7 echoes the lesson: “We walk by faith, not by sight.” The cities are large, with walls up to the heavens Hyperbole fueled fear; yet God had flattened Egypt, the superpower of the day (Exodus 14:30-31). • Forty years later, Jericho’s walls fell without an Israelite hammer (Joshua 6:20). • Deuteronomy 9:1-3: “You are crossing the Jordan… strong and tall… fortified to the heavens… the LORD goes before you as a consuming fire.” The very language of fear became God’s platform for glory. We even saw the descendants of the Anakim there The Anakim were a clan of formidable warriors (Joshua 11:21-22). Scripture treats their stature literally, not symbolically. • Caleb later drove them out (Joshua 14:12-15), proving that giants fall when faith stands. • God had promised to “subdue peoples under us” (Psalm 47:3), Anakim included. summary Deuteronomy 1:28 captures a pivotal heart-check: Israel chose to magnify obstacles instead of the God who had already proven His power. The verse warns against letting fearful voices eclipse God’s promises, exalts faith that sees past size and walls, and reminds us that no giant—physical or otherwise—can outmatch the LORD who goes before His people. |
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