The Other Ten …

Everyone knows Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who believed God when He said the Israelites could conquer Canaan. But what about the other ten? Who were they? What happened to them? All their names are listed in Numbers 13. They were all leaders of their tribes. So what happened?  Why did they fail to trust God?

The Bible doesn’t tell us, so By the Waters of Kadesh is my story, the story of Gaddiel, one of The Other Ten…

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The shrill blast of the trumpet awakened Gaddiel after a restless night. He shook his head to dislodge the fog. His sister-in-law’s annoying little girl had cried most of the night. Even in his own tent he could hear her. Couldn’t they have called for a meeting some other morning?

One sounding of the trumpet. That meant only the tribal leaders called to meeting. Gaddiel sat up, stretched, then reached for the water skin. He took a long draw and tossed the nearly empty skin to a corner, then kicked aside the long-sleeved thawb he used for a light blanket and crawled out.

Tirzah had already arisen and prepared manna. He grabbed a bowl and filled it with the warm meal. He stuffed it down, but the sweet flavor couldn’t improve his sour mood.

On the way to the gate of the tabernacle he caught up with Eliab.

“Good morning, Gaddiel.” Eliab’s strong, deep voice belied his age.

Gaddiel looked down at the man. “Good morning, Elder. Do you have any idea what the meeting is about?”

“We are on the edge of Canaan. I assume we will discuss plans for entering the land Yahweh has promised us.”

Couldn’t Eliab walk any faster? Old age and short legs—not a good combination. Gaddiel wanted to get to the gate and find out why they had been summoned.

Moses stepped out from the courtyard. He faced his leaders and smiled. His weathered face evidenced the struggles of eighty years as both prince and shepherd. “Generations ago, Yahweh made promises to Abraham. He promised to bless him, to make him the father of a great nation, to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands of the seashore. He said he would give him the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession.

“Fourteen months ago, Yahweh kept the promises He made to Abraham. He heard our cries and redeemed us from slavery at the hands of Egypt. He made us His people at Mt. Sinai. And now Canaan awaits us just over those hills.” Moses lifted his right arm, pointing his staff north beyond the tents of Dan, Asher and Naphtali. “It has been a long journey, but it is nearly over. Yahweh has given us this land. All we must do is go in and take it. I have told Joshua to ready an army—”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Gaddiel stood and addressed the crowd, waving his arms.

Moses raised a brow at the interruption, but Gaddiel pressed on.

“We can’t just go in there with an army. We have no idea what awaits us. We could be slaughtered. I insist we send in spies first.”

Sethur jumped up. “I agree. I’ll not let any Asherites attack without advance information.”

Joshua rose, spreading his hands wide. “But Yahweh has already given us the land. There is nothing to fear. It doesn’t matter what we find. Yahweh has promised us the victory. Remember what He has done for us already. Has He yet broken a promise?”

Murmurs of assent bubbled up around Gaddiel. “Joshua’s right. We must trust. Yahweh parted the Yam Suph, killed the Egyptian army. He’ll give us this land.”

Gaddiel was not going to let Joshua take over. Joshua had taken all the glory so far—at the battles at Rephidim and Sinai, going up Mt. Sinai with Moses, insinuating his way into prominence like a Nile viper. Even his tent was next to Moses’s. Everyone in camp knew the name “Joshua,” and Gaddiel had had enough.