12 Spies

 12 Spies

(1) Numbers 13:4 And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.

Spy Name: Shammua

Meaning: Rumor 

Explanation: 

• A person who went for spying, spreads a rumor about the place.
• So don’t spread rumors.

Father’s Name: Zaccur

Meaning: Remember

Explanation: 

• Rumors stick in our minds more than good things.
• So we have to be careful.

Tribe’s Name: Reuben

Meaning: Behold a son

Explanation: 

• If we do things that are pleasing to the Lord, God will show us to devil and proudly and say, "That is my child." 
• If we do things that are not pleasing to the Lord, the devil will show us to the Lord and say, "see, that is your child."

(2) Numbers 13:5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.

Spy Name: Shaphat 

Meaning: Judge

Explanation: 

• What should a Judge be like? 

Father’s Name: Hori

Meaning: Free born/ noble

Explanation: 

• We are also of high birth. 
• We become children of the Father God through regeneration.

Tribe’s Name: Simeon

Meaning: Hear

Explanation: 

• If he is the son of a high-birth father, he must judge rightly from a high place. 
• A Right Judge will judge by hearing completely.
• Faith also comes from hearing.
• So hearing God’s word is very important.

(3) Numbers 13:6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

Spy Name: Caleb

Meaning: Dog

Explanation: 

• Caleb is as grateful as a dog.
• And also dog represents Gentiles. 

Father’s Name: Jephunneh

Meaning: He that beholds

Explanation: 

• In Hebrew there are 2 words Hozeh and Roeh.
• Roe'h means "one who sees". 
• Hoze'h means "one who looks". 
• It is given as “Seer” in English. 
• If you look at it that way, Jephunneh is a prophet.

Tribe’s Name: Judah

Meaning: Praise

Explanation: 

• One who sees things that praises God. 
• We are praisers of God by nature.
• Caleb was not a Jew by birth. 
• He is a Gentile. 
• Belongs to the lineage that became Jewish in the time of Abraham. 
• It is a sign of us.
• We have come from Gentiles to the seed of Abraham to the tribe of Judah through Jesus.

(4) Numbers 13:7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.

Spy Name: Igal

Meaning: He will redeem

Explanation: 

• This is our expectation. 
• He will protect us from any kind of danger. 
• The man whose name have a meaning of “He will redeem” goes for spying and giving negative comment.

Spy Name: Joseph

Meaning: Yahweh adds

Explanation: 

• God acts as Joseph in our lives.
• It is God who bestows us additional blessings.

Spy Name: Issachar

Meaning: His reward comes

Explanation: 

• For us, this name is a prophecy. 
• There are two types of rewards. 
• Immediate and Eternal. 
• What is the eternal reward that Jesus promised us? John 3:16 
• Eternal life is our eternal reward/gift. 
• A temporary reward - a gift in the world. 
• Temporal reward, it doesn't matter whether it comes or not.
• But we always need that Eternal reward.

(5) Numbers 13:8 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.

Spy Name: Oshea/Joshuva

Meaning: Salvation

Spy Name: Nun

Meaning: Serpent

Spy Name: Ephraim

Meaning: fruitful

Explanation: 

• Hosea son of Nun. 
• It referring us. 
• How we were born into this world, in sin. 
• If we are born in sin, we are children of sin. 
• The serpent is a symbol of Satan. 
• There are two types of children, 
• Children of the devil and children of God. 
• But Hosea has salvation in his name. 
• A Christian is one who has Christ. 
• We are born as children of Nun, we die to sin through Jesus and we are born as children of God.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

• Jesus says if you abide in me, you will bear fruit (Ephraim)

(6) Numbers 13:9 Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.

Spy Name: palti

Meaning: Liberates

Explanation: 

• These men were slaves in Egypt. 
• The Lord delivered them. 
• So we Christians can be called palti.

Spy Name: Raphu

Meaning: Healed

Explanation: 

• Like Yehovah Ropha. 
• I am the healed son.
• I am a healthy child. 
• I may have illness, But I am not a patient.
• Sickness will come to us as long as we are on this earth.
• But we are not a patient. 

Spy Name: Benjamin

Meaning: Son of Right hand

Explanation: 

• To the Jews the right hand is power, authority.
• Therefore, we are the children of God in whom power and authority are perfected.

(7) Numbers 13:10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.

Spy Name: Gaddiel

Meaning: God is my fortune

Explanation: 

Spy Name: Sodi

Meaning: My Secret

Explanation: 

• Paul says in the book of Thessalonians, he tells the secret that we will not die. 
• This secret is for Christians only. 
• We don't go to hell. 
• Others don't know that.

Spy Name: Zebulun

Meaning: Honor

Explanation: 

• We belong to a respectable tribe. 
• The person whose name means 'God is my fortune', who is the son of this supreme secret who represents such a Honorable tribe, went for spying came back and said that we are not fortunate enough to get this land.

(8) Numbers 13:11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi.

Spy Name: Gaadi

Meaning: My Troop

Explanation: 

• He is the army of God. 
• We are his army. 
• He is the Lord of hosts.

Spy Name: Susi

Meaning: Horse

Explanation: 

• We are an army who is sitting on top of horse.
• Be like a horse. 
• We are warriors on horseback. 

Spy Name: Manasseh

Meaning: Forget

Explanation: 

• We must learn to forget. 
• The devil always reminds us of our old sins.
• But forget it. 

(9) Numbers 13:12 Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.

Spy Name: Ammiel

Meaning: Ammi-My people; El-God; People of God

Explanation: 

• God is saying, these are my people.

Spy Name: Gemalli

Meaning: My God invests

Explanation: 

• God invests Himself in us. 
• To make a profit. 
• His profit is Our praises, thanks, and praises.
• He does not expect anything else from us.

Spy Name: Dan

Meaning: Judge

Explanation: 

• Our Judge is God.
• Don’t Judge yourself.  

(10) Numbers 13:13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.

Spy Name: Sethur

Meaning: Hid

Explanation: 

• God has hidden us from the world. 
• What you would normally hide. 
• Normally, We hide only the rich things.
• God hides us, so that the devil does not destroy us. 
• Because we are God's property. 
• Don’t under estimate yourself, seeing what you have in this world.
• You are rich enough to be God’s Child.

Spy Name: Michael

Meaning: who is like God

Explanation: 

• Our God is incomparable God.

Spy Name: Asher

Meaning: Happy

Explanation: 

• A Christian should always be happy.
• We may have lot of reasons to worry. 
• But we have only one reason to be happy- that is our God.

(11) Numbers 13:14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.

Spy Name: Nahbi

Meaning: Secret

Explanation: 

• We are the Secret of God.
• We are the secret of Jesus (Bride)
• He who made the heavens and the earth is attractive towards me.

Spy Name: Vophsi

Meaning: My increase

Explanation: 

• We must be abounding in the Lord. 
• God has increased our happiness.

Spy Name: Naphtali

Meaning: My Struggle

Explanation: 

• Our life is a life of struggle. 
• Why? 
• My groom has an enemy. 
• An enemy to him means an enemy to me. 
• I am the honored one, if we want to keep the honor we have to fight in our life. 
• The Christian life is not a flowery path, it’s a  thorny path. 

(12) Numbers 13:15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

Spy Name: Geuel

Meaning: God's redemption

Explanation: 

• This name is placed at the last.
• Because our final redemption is going to come soon. 
• Our end is near. 
• God will come to rescue us. 
• God is going to take over the church. 
• That is our expectation/hope.

Spy Name: Machi

Meaning: decrease

Explanation: 

• What should be reduced? 
• The lust/attraction of the world must diminish within us. 
• Because Jesus’ coming is near. 

Spy Name: Gad

Meaning: Fortune

Explanation: 

• Finally, God says you are lucky.