Before the spies from the green tree crossed over into Canaan to survey the land, they were already in possession of the good report that came by Moshe. The half stick belonging to the dry tree is also in possession of a good report-- that which came by John the Revelator from Yahushúa, in the message to the churches of Asia. Looking backward to Yordan's ancient crossings and forward, through the crossings of our day and on to the future, great crossing in the time of the Deliverer, we are able to discern the ten evil reports of the fearful spies, presented in the previous text on the Canaanites. Two reports are still needed: the reports of Oshea, later called Joshua (Y'shúa) and Jehoshua (Yahushúa), and of Caleb.

We will therefore spy out the land of Canaan twice again before we prepare to take possession. Each time, we will embark from Malkuth; but to retrieve Joshua's report, we will take the right-hand path; and for Caleb's, the left. We adopt this procedure because truth and grace, garments of the center path, were hidden within the deep mysteries of Torah in the time of the Fathers and were fully comprehended by few, as it is therefore written, "Nay, but as captain of the host of hwhy am I now come." This thirteenth spy must speak again, as concerning the churches of Asia.

I had no intention of taking the narrative in this direction, having planned quite another; but the Holy Spirit drew my mind this way as I began to work on my conception of the text's next turn. As I considered the implications of the new instruction I was receiving, I soon passed the limits of conventional approaches to scripture. I surpassed, also, my own understanding of appropriate applications of Adam Kadmon for study: I was proposing, in effect, to use the symbol to recapture the purport of unrecorded conversations thousands of years in the past. Should I be blessed in the undertaking, how could I defend its fruit against criticism? There is often a thin line between revelation and the work of a speculative imagination.

Who would receive it? Could I believe it myself? If the teaching it engendered should be judged as essentially true by witness of the Holy Spirit, how could that truth be presented in a way that would not offend-- either as written by me, or as related to another by any reader who might receive similar witness? What use could it be, therefore? At the very outset, I would have to make unsupportable assumptions about Caleb and Joshua. How, then, might the end stand scrutiny? As I prepare this edition, I still don't know; but I remain willing to continue by the counsel I first received. I believe in the ongoing work of the Spirit of Truth. I have come, also, to trust the words of Paul: "For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?"

My best advice to my readers is to free yourselves of the force of my logic, such as it is, and to ask the Father directly if all this is worth your while. I will hold no grudge-- as I, myself, have but a vague idea of the purpose of what follows. Fair is fair. I have explained my instructions as they were given, and I've got a job to do. Another door has been opened; and I, for one, have learned wisdom enough to step on through to the other side, even in foolishness.

We will associate Caleb with the Messianic line of Judah. There is no serious trouble there, even though Caleb's father was a Kenizzite, according to the flesh. Joshua, as minister to Moses, we will associate with Levi, the priestly line. True, Oshea is a son of Ephrayim; but he came to serve in new names at the side of Moses, whom we identify as forerunner of Y'shúa in the line of Melchizedek.

In the context of these associations, we recall the image of Hur (representing Caleb as a son of Judah), Moses, and Joshua at the battle of Rephidim, in the vicinity of Horeb, between Yisrael and the Amalekites. The beginning of significant difficulty, is that we will place Hur, as also Caleb, on the left of Moses and Joshua on the right.

Left and right are matters of perspective. As we consider Adam Kadmon, for example, are we looking out from our vantage point, or are we seeing as from above-- from a heavenly perspective-- and looking back towards our seeing selves? Even more complex, is Messiah looking at us face to face, as with Moses in the closet of his tent; or has he covered our eyes with His hand, as upon Sinai, that we may follow, as from behind? As He turns, do the sephiroth turn also? All of them? These questions of right and left are matters of comfortable routine in our daily lives; but should the familiar interchange be suspended, as they shall briefly be in this presentation, the implications go somewhat beyond protocol.

Brushing all that aside, however, we will follow first Caleb, then Joshua, as they enter Canaan at the place called Malkuth. We shall imagine that the spies branched out-- not unreasonable, as a group of twelve would be rather conspicuous without some extensive subterfuge, and as Joshua, himself, later sent out spies as a mere pair: even as Y'shúa sent the twelve by twos, and even as every true Jew pairs within himself the earthly and the heavenly man. We will postulate that Caleb went to the left as they crossed Jordan, and that Joshua went right. If others went straight on to branch out elsewhere, their evil reports brought no promise of positive revelation to add to our understanding; so we will not concern ourselves with that probability.