The REALLY Scary Part:

So at the LORD’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites These are their names:

 . . . Shammua son of Zaccur;

 . . . Shaphat son of Hori;

 . . . Caleb son of Jephunneh;

 . . . Igal son of Joseph;

 . . . Hoshea son of Nun;

 . . . Palti son of Raphu;

 . . . Gaddiel son of Sodi;

 . . . Gaddi son of Susi;

 . . . Ammiel son of Gemalli;

 . . . Sethur son of Michael;

 . . . Nahbi son of Vophsi;

 . . . Geuel son of Maki.

 ¹⁶ These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

--Numbers 13:3-16

I admit it: I had not really given this list of names much thought before. Kind of like the genealogies of Jesus offered in Matthew and Luke. Great names, but really-- this is my chance to skim over a passage and move ahead-- into the action. (This passage comes right before yesterday's Nephilim tale.)

But what made me focus further on this passage was, in part, all the hubbub over the KONY 2012 video over the last several days.

(The essence of the conversation-- and this is less-than-bare-bones-- is that Joseph Kony is a very evil man in Uganda. He has been brought to the world's attention by a group called Invisible Children. Invisible Children, in turn, has generated a bit of its own controversy because of the low percentage of its proceeds that actually go to serving the cause, versus administrative costs. For more information and a plethora of articles to review on both sides and from both sides, visit http://rachelheldevans.com/invisible-children-kony-2012-resources)

My aim here is not to try to sort any of this KONY 2012 stuff out for you.

My point is this: Moses sent twelve men, one representing each of the twelve tribes of Israel, off to explore Canaan. Moses did not send them to see if Canaan was suited for them to live there. God had promised this land to his children. I believe God only promises things he deems are "suitable" for them. For us.

No, Moses sent this group off to explore how to best be about entering Canaan, knowing, trusting and believing God was with them as he had always been.

Twelve voices. Twelve different pairs of eyes. Two, Caleb and Joshua, came back eager and ready. The other ten concocted stories of monsters and giants.

(Okay, I know: I live in a nation of "majority rules." Ten-to-two. But someone said anyone plus God is a majority.)

More children's stories to remember: One is The Mystery Beast of Ostergeest by Steven Kellogg. It's a familiar folktale of seven blind men, all sent to figure out what this strange new beast brought to town by the circus could possibly be.

One blind man declared it a tree; another, a rope; the third, a snake-- and so forth.

It is a child who steps up and speaks a word of truth.

(If you have not read the story, I won't spoil the ending. Leo Leonni also wrote a version, Seven Blind Mice.)

Or how about The Emperor's New Clothes? A person of power, called out and called to a stark truth-- by a child.

The Truth will prevail. But we need to seek it.

We cannot blithely (or fearfully) accept what another tells us without a second thought. We need to sit with it, sit in it for ourselves.

Ask (and ask again). As the widow returned again and again to the judge, desiring justice (Luke 18). 

Seek (and keep seeking). As the shepherd seeks the one lost sheep (Luke 15). 

Find. As Nicodemus came at night, seeking and finding Jesus (John 3).

And the truth shall not enslave us, but make us free.

Most loving God, give us the courage to ask, the freedom to seek, and the wonder and joy of finding, at last, that which we always desired-- whether we realized it or not. Amen.