Power Talk

Words are powerful. The 10 spies with thier faithless report (Numbers 13) had no idea how far-reaching their words would be or what their report would lead to. The change was dramatic and sudden; the vast crowd's mood changed from and excited expectant atmosphere to one of extreme disappointment, despair, and anger. The words of the spies seemed to have an effect on the speakers themsleves, and they extend their story to include illogical statements, not based on fact. If the land was so bad (verse 32) that it swallowed up those in it, how was it that it could also nurture gaints?

This one speech lead to an attempted stoning, changed the course of Israelite history and ended in a 40 year detour. There is no such thing as just words. Words reflect and shape thoughts and feelings and lead sooner or later to action.