Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Numbers Chapter 13
Metaphysically Interpreting Numbers 13:1-24
13:1And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 13:2Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them.13:3And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 13:4And these were their names: Of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 13:5Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 13:6Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 13:7Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph. 13:8Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. 13:9Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 13:10Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 13:11Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 13:12Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13:13Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 13:14Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 13:15Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 13:16These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
13:17And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way by the South, and go up into the hill-country: 13:18and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; 13:19and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; 13:20and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes.
13:21So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath.13:22And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)13:23And they came unto the valley of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it upon a staff between two; they brought also of the pomegranates, and of the figs. 13:24That place was called the valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from thence.
Metaphysically Interpreting Numbers 13:25-33
13:25And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days. 13:26And 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. 13:27And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us; and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 13:28Howbeit the people that dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 13:29Amalek dwelleth in the land of the South: and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the hill-country; and the Canaanite dwelleth by the sea, and along by the side of the Jordan.
13:30And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 13:31But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. 13:32And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. 13:33And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
August 24, 1902: Numbers 13:26-33
The Promised Land is also called Caanan, which, according to Hasting's Bible Dictionary, is derived from a root signifying “to bow down,” and means the “low lands” of Palestine. The metaphysician discerns at once that this refers to the subjective consciousness, or the mind beneath conscious thought, with its body. The “land” is the body and the “people” are the thoughts. The object of the spiritual worker is to make a union between the conscious and subconscious realms. This can be done successfully with the help of God, and in no other way. We are to possess the land in the name of the Lord.
Our first work is to become acquainted with God in the conscious thought realm. This is the journey in the wilderness. While doing this we also have a desire to know more about the sources and laws of the life manifesting in the body, and we send our thoughts, or “spies,” down into the subjective consciousness. These do not all go at once.
Our experiences are not always so definite that we can describe them, but gradually in the dealing with our thought world, we find that certain mental attitudes bring to us body sensations, and it dawns upon us that we have a world below the surface of things of which we know but little. This “land below the surface” is so wonderful, and its resources so great that words can never describe them. It is not only the realm where the hidden processes of nature are carried on in the body, such as digestion, assimilation, circulation, elimination, etc., but it also includes the stored-up records of the soul with all the mysteries of Being. It is a land “flowing with milk and honey.” But it has established itself in certain fixed ideas in connection with its great resources, and when our thoughts go down into it, we are confronted with obstacles that sometimes appall us. There is no doubt about its wonderful fruitfulness, and when our thoughts go across the line of the conscious life into the subconscious, and there wells up in our nerves mighty currents of vitality, we have the evidence of what may be ours, when we have put out the interlopers who have taken possession, like the Hittites (fears), Jebusites (animal desires), etc. The cities are “walled” also; that is, the centres of thought are seemingly impregnable and unchangeable. Some of the thoughts in those cities seem as giants. Ten out of twelve of our thoughts report that we cannot possess the land.
But there is one thought that says, “Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are able to overcome it.” This is Caleb (faith or courage). The majority is against him, however, and their fears make the land utterly beyond their attainment. They saw themselves as grasshoppers, and the people as giants. This illustrates the power of fear to keep us from attaining that which we desire. When we allow the weak and cowardly thoughts to prevail, we are overtaken by a panic, and are willing to sacrifice all we have attained and go back to Egypt.
– UNITY magazine.
September 1, 1907: Numbers 13:17-20,23-33
The “promised land” is the subconscious in man. In Genesis this is symbolized as the Garden of Eden. Man abused the privileges of this wonderful storehouse of the Lord and was driven to a desert place without. But he has always yearned to return. The Sons of God are not at home in a realm where matter binds them on all sides. They are spiritual and their minds naturally revert to the place where spiritual forces prevail. Paul refers to this as a country from which we came forth and from which we are to return. Those who behold this possibility and are striving to fulfill the Divine Law are the children of Israel on the way to the Promised Land.
Joshua means “I am” and Caleb “faith.” These are ready to take up the conquest of the land which has been found so rich, but the remainder of the spies make such discouraging reports about the size and the strength of the people occupying that land, that the children of Israel refuse to go over and possess it.
This is strikingly illustrative of the mind where fear of ability overpowers the faculties that make ability. We are none of us in the conscious possession of the ability to go into that great realm of the soul and at once master its elemental energies. But the I am, coupled with Spiritual Faith (Caleb) will develop power as needed and the conquest be anally accomplished.
This promised land is in the so-called psychic realm and thousands are entering it in their search for the occult. But they are not protected by the Lord, nor is their I AM centered in spiritual faith. Without these safeguards they are liable at any time to be attacked by the strong people in possession of that land, and in their weakness overcome. We are often called upon to help those who have experimented with and quickened forces they cannot control. Hypnotism, mediumship, telepathy, occult breathing and the many quick methods for developing the psychic are of this class and should be avoided by those who wish to observe the Divine Law. We cannot force the unfoldment of the sleeping powers of the soul. The awakening must be gradual and under the direct impulse of the Christ-mind.
“Awake thou that sleepest and Christ shall give thee light.”
– UNITY magazine.
April 21, 1918: Numbers 13:17-20,23-33
What in consciousness is the “promised land”? The “promised land” is the realm of original spiritual ideas, symbolized in Genesis as the “Garden of Eden.”
What in consciousness does “Moses” typify? “Moses” typifies the consciousness of Spirit as Divine Law.
What in consciousness does “Canaan” symbolize? “Canaan” means lowlands, and symbolizes the subconscious realm of mind.
What does the finding of the “first ripe grapes” mean, as applied to the individual? “Grapes” symbolize life. When the individual enters into the regeneration, the subconscious forces are vitalized by the Spirit, and new life comes into expression.
What is the spiritual interpretation of “Caleb,” and its application in consciousness? “Caleb” means faith. Through, faith the I Am is ready and willing to enter into the inner consciousness and possess the people (soul forces). This process of regeneration must be carried on under the Divine Law, else psychic forces (men of great stature) will be aroused and strive for dominion.
October 10, 1926: Numbers 13:23-33
What is represented by the grapes, the pomegranates, and the figs (mentioned in verse 23), which the spies brought from the Promised Land? Spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures reveals that its fruits mentioned in verse 23 are always associated with the life forces in the organism. The spies' bringing these fruits to the attention of the children of Israel means that, when man enters the regeneration, he discerns the possibilities of redeemed life.
What is the meaning of Eshcol? Eshcol means “cluster of grapes,” and signifies the free flowing life in the subconscious mind. Eshcol is situated in a valley, which means that this life is hidden from general observation but is rich in possibilities. In our early experiences the first realization of the new life in Spirit is but the beginning of a greater unfoldment. Jesus called the greater unfoldment the more abundant life.
What is the meaning of the sentence, “And they returned from spying out the land at the end of forty days”? The figure 4 represents Being in its four foundation principles: mind, idea, expression, and manifestation. The New Jerusalem is pictured in Revelation as resting on a foursquare foundation: “And the city lieth foursquare.” All structures, whether mental or physical, should be reared upon this understanding of Being. When these foursquare principles are understood, the differentiations may be extended indefinitely and a every direction. Every metaphysician should meditate on these principles, until, like Moses, who was forty years in the wilderness, or like Jesus, who was forty day in the wilderness, he learns the lesson of the foursquare foundation of all philosophy and all truth.
What is the meaning of the spies' telling of the Promised Land and exhibiting its fruits? The activities symbolize the conscious mind's making contact with the subconscious mind; a contact which brings to the surface new life and new feelings (the fruits). When the conscious thought contacts the original inspiration of the riches of the newly discovered country within the soul, man proclaims, “Surely it floweth with milk and honey.”
The spies also brought the report that the people who dwelt in the Promised Land were strong, that the cities were fortified, and that the children of Anak dwelt there. Explain. Anak means “length of neck,” symbolizing physical vigor, strength, vitality. Man contacts these giant physical forces in his initial steps into the mysteries of the soul; in occult literature they are called “dwellers on the threshold.”
“And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.” Explain. Caleb represents faith and courage in the overcoming power of Spirit. Faith and courage always look beyond mere physical limitations.
What cooled the first enthusiasm of some of the spies and caused them to give a false report of the land? When these spies (thoughts of the conscious realm) found that the Promised Land (within the soul) was already in possession of the Anakim, the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites (representing the five senses), they became aware that it could be possessed only by the exercise of courage and industry. They were seized with an inferiority complex; they whined and said, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
September 18, 1932: Numbers 13:1-3
What were the children of Israel seeking during their wanderings in the wilderness? They were seeking a productive state of mind in which to sow the real thoughts which they had unfolded under the guidance of divine law (Moses).
The command was to send spies from every tribe into the Promised Land. Each spy was to be a prince. Why? When the mind is seeking a more productive state of consciousness in which to establish itself, it sends its very highest and best thoughts; that is, thoughts in which is implanted that princely idea of man as the Son of God.
Where shall we find in man’s mind and body the rich soil symbolized by Canaan? Canaan means “lowland,” also its “land flowing with milk and honey,” indicating productiveness. Metaphysicians relate Canaan to the subconscious realm of the mind and the abdominal region of the body: an idea to be spiritually apprehended.
September 18, 1932: Numbers 13:23-33
They came into the valley of Eshcol. What is the meaning of the word Eshcol? Eshcol means “cluster of grapes,” indicating the life forces in the subconscious manifesting in the body.
What is the significance of the statement that they bore the fruit of the land on a branch between two of them? The two that bore the grapes, pomegranates and figs, represent the masculine and feminine principles working in the subconsciousness to the bringing forth of spiritual good.
Why did they spend forty days spying out the land? “Forty days” signifies completeness. It means that one who essays to redeem the subsconscious mind must look at the proposition from every angle. He must give himself over to the work with a “foursquare” or all-round effort.
What is represented or symbolized by the reference to the strength of the people and to the fortified cities of the land? The subconscious has been built up from the conscious mind, symbolized by the children of Anak, meaning intellectual giants. Cities represent cell centers or ganglionic nerve centers, and the people are the strong thoughts that inhabit these cities, or nerve centers.
Why did the spies think that they were as grasshoppers in the presence of the Nephilim, or giants, in the Promised Land? The elemental life forces in the subconscious mind are much more powerful than those in the conscious mind; and when man makes contact with these forces and feels their power in the silence, his first thought is that they are more than he can overcome. But Jehovah said to Joshua, when he commanded him to go over into the Promised Land: “Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whither soever thou goest.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-02-2014
