Summary: The biblical account of Israel’s spying of the promised land reveals how fear can prevent God’s people from entering into His inheritance. In the spiritual life, the crossing of the Jordan symbolises the soul’s passage through the deepest purification — the “dark night of the spirit” described by St John of the Cross — to reach full union with God. Such a journey demands immense courage, the “determined determination” spoken of by St Teresa of Ávila, to persevere when all human supports fall away and only God’s fidelity remains.

The Spying of the Land and the Crisis of Fear

The story of the spying of the land, recorded in Numbers 13–14 and recalled in Deuteronomy 1, provides a striking lesson on the relationship between divine promise and human courage. Israel, having reached the borders of the land God had promised, was instructed by the Lord through Moses to send twelve men to reconnoitre it. Among them were Joshua and Caleb. For forty days they surveyed a land “flowing with milk and honey,” bringing back a cluster of grapes so large it had to be carried on a pole between two men (Num 13:23). Yet, alongside the abundance, they saw the strength of its inhabitants and the imposing figure of the Anakim. When the spies returned, ten of them spread fear among the people: “The people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; and we saw the descendants of Anak there… We are not able to go up against these people, for they are stronger than we are. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we seemed to them.” (Num 13:33). This fear paralysed the congregation, who murmured against Moses and Aaron, longing to return to Egypt rather than face such adversaries. “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Let us choose a leader and return to Egypt.” Only Joshua and Caleb spoke in faith, urging the people to trust in God’s power: “The land we passed through is exceedingly good. If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us — a land flowing with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not be afraid of them.” (Num 14). God’s response was severe: “How long will these people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?” In His anger, God decreed that the entire generation who had come out of Egypt — all those over twenty years old — would wander in the wilderness for forty years, until they perished. Only Joshua and Caleb, who had trusted in the Lord and refused to give in to fear, would enter the land. (Num 14:30).

The Spiritual Reading: Giants Within the Soul

In the spiritual life, this episode becomes an image of the soul’s journey towards union with God. The promised land, rich yet guarded by enemies, represents the fullness of divine life. The “giants” are not merely external adversaries but deep-seated resistances within the soul — disordered attachments, fears, and hidden idols — which can only be overcome by grace. The decisive question is not whether God is faithful, but whether the soul will show the courage to trust Him in the face of interior obstacles.

Crossing the Jordan: The Dark Night of the Spirit

The crossing of the Jordan, which would later mark Israel’s actual entry into the land under Joshua (Jos 3–4), carries a still deeper spiritual meaning. In mystical theology, it can be read as an image of the final and most radical purification described by St John of the Cross in the Dark Night of the Spirit. In this stage, the soul, having already passed through the earlier “night of sense” — the stripping away of reliance on sensory consolations and devotional sweetness — is brought into a more profound trial in which the very faculties of intellect, memory, and will are purified. St John explains that here God works “like a dark fire for the soul,” consuming its last vestiges of self-seeking and drawing it into perfect union with Him (John of the Cross, Dark Night, II, 5). This process, like the crossing of the Jordan to confront the seven nations of Canaan (cf. Deut 7:1), involves a complete surrender to God’s action. The “seven nations” become an allegory for the deepest roots of sin and imperfection, which no effort of our own can conquer.

Note: In the Roman Latin office of Laudes (Morrning Prayer) we have this passage of the Psalm 94:8-11: “If only, today, you would listen to his voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah, on the day of Massah in the desert, when your fathers tested me – they put me to the test, although they had seen my works. For forty years they wearied me, that generation. I said: their hearts are wandering, they do not know my paths. I swore in my anger: they will never enter my place of rest.’” Although Psalm 94 recalls both Massah and Kadesh, its warning takes the form of Kadesh’s outcome — “they shall not enter” — reminding us that truly listening to God means obeying His call to advance, trusting that if He summons us to battle, He Himself will be with us and grant the victory, as at the crossing of the Jordan.

Courage: The Decisive Virtue

It is here that courage proves indispensable. St Teresa of Ávila, in her Interior Castle, speaks of the “determined determination” (determinada determinación) needed to persevere to the end, even when the road seems dark and barren (Interior Castle, Way of Perfection 21). She warns that the spiritual life is a greater battle than any earthly war, for it demands that one renounce self-will entirely and submit to God’s often hidden designs. This virtue of courage is precisely what distinguished Joshua and Caleb from their companions. Where others saw only danger, they saw the promise and the presence of God. Where others calculated human probabilities, they reckoned with divine fidelity.

The Warning of Kadesh-Barnea

The failure of the first generation at Kadesh-Barnea is thus a cautionary tale for the spiritual journey. One can come to the very threshold of the promised land — in mystical terms, to the brink of transforming union — and yet turn back through fear, attachment, or the unwillingness to endure the stripping away that union requires. The soul that does not cross the Jordan of the dark night will, like that generation, wander in a spiritual wilderness, never tasting the full inheritance prepared for it.

Transformation Through Purification

In the end, the crossing of the Jordan into the land is not merely about arrival but about transformation. Just as Israel could only inherit the land after a purifying passage and a confrontation with its enemies, so too the soul can only enter the fullness of divine life after passing through the most profound purification of the spirit. Here, God Himself fights for the soul, as He fought for Israel, but He asks in return the one thing the fearful generation lacked: an unshakable courage rooted in trust.

Why Immense Courage is Required

Saint Teresa of Ávila is blunt in her assessment: “For the spiritual life, more courage is needed than for war — and God knows how much is required!” This is not rhetorical flourish. The purifying action of God can seem unbearable because it touches what is most intimate and most resistant in us. Here courage means: Perseverance under trial — refusing to turn back when the path becomes dark and incomprehensible, Trust in God’s goodness — believing His hand is at work even when nothing can be felt or understood, Detachment from self — surrendering our own measures of progress, success, or comfort. Teresa’s expression of “determined determination” captures this steadfast will: to go forward without turning aside, regardless of the cost.

Relevance for Today

In our time, the idea of holiness is often softened into moral decency or emotional well-being. Yet true holiness demands the courage to undergo transformation at God’s pace and in His way — even when it involves suffering, loss, and the stripping away of every false support. Modern disciples face “giants” of their own: cultural opposition, inner fragmentation, and a pervasive temptation to settle for mediocrity. The call to holiness still requires: Spiritual resilience against discouragement and compromise, a readiness to endure misunderstanding, loneliness, or spiritual dryness. A wholehearted trust that God’s purifying work leads to greater freedom and love.

Conclusion: The Courage that Endures

Holiness is not a gentle drift into a pleasant religious state; it is the conquest of a promised land, fought through trust and perseverance under the Lord’s leadership. The crossing of the Jordan reminds us that the journey into the fullness of union with God involves real battle. But it is a battle already encompassed by God’s promise: “The Lord will go before you; He will be with you; He will not leave you nor forsake you.” In this assurance lies the courage to continue — the determined determination that presses on, step by step, until the soul rests in the abundance of the land God has prepared.

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