Numbers chapter 13 says God commanded Moses to send spies to spy out the land of Canaan. While Deuteronomy 1:22 says the Israelites asked Moses to commission sending spies to spy out the Promised Land. How can one resolve the apparent contradiction? I asked Facebook's Meta AI about the issue and it independently came to the same conclusion I did.
It wrote:
This apparent contradiction has been debated by scholars and theologians for centuries. However, it's not necessarily a contradiction, but rather a difference in perspective or emphasis between the two accounts.
In Deuteronomy 1:22, Moses recounts the events leading up to the spies being sent, and he says that the people came to him and asked him to send spies to scout out the land. This account focuses on the people's initiative and their request to Moses.
In Numbers 13, the account focuses on God's instruction to Moses. According to this account, God tells Moses to send spies to explore the land, and Moses obeys God's command.
One way to resolve this apparent contradiction is to consider that both accounts are true, but they're describing the same event from different perspectives. It's possible that the people did come to Moses and request that he send spies, and that God then confirmed this plan through His instruction to Moses.
Another way to look at it is that Deuteronomy 1:22 is providing a more nuanced understanding of the events leading up to the spies being sent. Moses may be highlighting the people's role in initiating the request, while Numbers 13 focuses on God's sovereignty and instruction.
Ultimately, the apparent contradiction can be resolved by recognizing that both accounts are complementary, rather than contradictory. They provide a more complete understanding of the events surrounding the sending of the spies, and they highlight the complex interplay between human initiative and divine guidance.
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