Freedom By Association

Freedom By Association

“”…and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32

J. Capps

Watermelon, fireworks, and red, white, and blue! What was the first thing that popped into your head? The Fourth of July? OK, let’s try another one. A red and white blanket, fried chicken, and ants! A picnic? Sometimes a combination of otherwise unrelated items make us think about a specific event. Did the mention of watermelon, fireworks, and red, white, and blue conjure up an image of last year’s Independence Day barbecue? Or did the red and white blanket, fried chicken, and ants bring to mind a family outing from days gone by? We have the tendency to associate otherwise unrelated items to a particular thing or event. Sometimes, certain things when in a particular order symbolize something more than just the event that they are associated with. And it works in reverse as well. What is the first thing that pops into your head when I say “Thanksgiving”? Most of us, I presume, will say turkey. We associate a turkey with Thanksgiving Day festivities. It is God’s gift of association that He often uses as a teaching tool with us to bring to light some of the hidden treasures in His Word. With those principles in mind, I want to consider the account in Numbers 13 of the report of the spies returning from Canaan.

Num 13:23-26 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

And they returned from searching of the land after forty days

And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.

How often when we recall the story of the returning spies do we think of only the huge cluster of grapes that the spies brought back from the land that “floweth with milk and honey”? But we often leave out the fact that they brought back other fruit from the land, namely the figs and the pomegranates. Each of the fruits that are mentioned here in this passage, as well as the staff that bore the grapes and the staff bearers, are significant, else God would not have included them in His Word. Let’s take a few minutes to have a closer look at what was brought back, how it was done, who brought it back, how it was received, and what were the consequences of its reception.

To begin with, we know that the spies returned with a cluster of grapes that was so large that it had to be carried on a pole by two men. Now if that wouldn’t make a BIG jar of jelly, I don’t know what will! But all we normally seem to associate the grapes with is how much God had blessed the land and how He wanted to provide that blessing to His children. I’m not saying that is a bad association, just a somewhat incomplete one. Usually when we read the Bible we will link grapes with wine or grape juice. Jesus said at the Last Supper regarding the wine,

“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:28.

This “fruit of the vine” brought back by the spies has a lot more significance than generally attributed to it. You see, the blood from those grapes was shed for you and me. So we can see that the grapes represent the redemptive work of Messiah. The size of the cluster of grapes also denotes that it would be sufficient to be applied to whosoever will accept Him as the Messiah.

The pomegranate is one of the two most overlooked fruits brought back from Canaan. The pomegranate is a common fruit in the Middle East. It has a pure, white heart encased in a red flesh that “bleeds” when punctured. . The “heart” of Christ was pure and He “bled” when He was “punctured”. What is so thrilling about this is that He did this for you and me. The pomegranate is also said to have 613 seeds, which consequently equals the same number of commandments that God set forth in His Torah. The pomegranate is a perfect picture of Jesus, in that He completely kept the Law of God in His body. We can recognize that the pomegranates represent Jesus as the Word of God wrapped in flesh.

Another overlooked fruit from this passage is the fig. For the most part, unless figs are followed by Newtons, we do not recognize them as a food source. However, in Bible times, figs were a major food staple. They are easily stored by drying, and provide a long-term, dependable food source. They contain enzymes that promote digestion and break down tissue. Interestingly, they were a major ingredient in Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer for many years. They have been known for centuries for their healing properties, especially in treating diseases of the flesh. In 2 Kings 20:7, we find that King Hezekiah’s life-threatening infection was healed when treated with a “lump of figs”. Not only can we see the dependableness and provision of Messiah, but we can also see His healing work as well.

The pole that was used to carry back the grapes from the Promised Land also represents Jesus. The Hebrew word used here for staff is only used four times in the Bible. It means “a carrying frame, a pole, a yoke.” It was used in Numbers 4:10, it was the pole that carried the Menorah, or seven-branched candlestick of the Tabernacle, when the children of Israel traveled. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world,” in John 8:12. In Numbers 4:12, the pole is what was used to carry the Altar. Jesus offered Himself as our sacrifice on the altar to redeem us from our sins. Here in Numbers 13:23, we see that Jesus was the pole that carried redemption, the Word of God, provision, and healing to us. When used in Nahum 1:13, the word here means yoke. In the preceding verses, God speaks of breaking a yoke of affliction from off of His people. Jesus is the one who broke the heavy yoke of sin’s affliction for us by His redemptive work on the cross. Remember He said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me…for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

You will also notice in the passage from Numbers 13, that two men carried the pole. I cannot help but think of how Messiah is going to ultimately be carried to the nations by the two houses of Israel, Judah and Ephraim. We are part of the whole House of Israel because we are fellow citizens of the household of God (Ephesians 2:10-19).

When we examine how the “Fruit of the land” was received, we see a very disturbing picture. Even though they could not truthfully give a bad report about the Fruit, ten of the twelve spies gave a bad report about the land. They said, “The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” They failed or recognize that the Fruit they had brought back was redemption, the Word of God, provision, and healing. They had nothing to fear—God was on their side. Yet they let their fears and lack of dependence on God convince them and the rest of the children of Israel (except Joshua and Caleb) keep them from entering into the Land of Promise. As we continue to read in Numbers chapter 14, God was very displeased with the children of Israel, so much so, that He thought to destroy them, disinherit them, and make a greater nation from Moses’ seed. Moses pleaded with God to spare them for His Name’s sake. God pardoned the children of Israel according to Moses’ prayer. However, the ten spies that brought an evil report of the land were destroyed by a plague from the Lord. Furthermore, God decreed because the children of Israel had tempted Him ten times (after they had seen His miracles and provision), that they would not see the Promised Land. They were further sentenced to wander in the wilderness for forty years until their carcasses would fell in the wilderness.

As we have examined this passage of scripture, we see that God oftentimes uses association to relay hidden truths in His Word. We can associate Jesus’ redemptive work with the grapes, His standing as the Word of God in flesh with the pomegranates, and His provision and healing with the figs. Furthermore we can associate the pole with Jesus being the Light of the world, the sacrifice for our sins on the altar, and the remover of our heavy yoke of sin. We can associate ourselves with the two spies, responsible for carrying Messiah to the world. We can also relate to the consequences of failure to accept the True Fruit as well as the commission to carry this Fruit to the world. Let us not be like the children of Israel, left to wander through the wilderness never to enter into victorious living.