23. Giant Problems

Read Chapter 23, then read Numbers 13:25-33. The spies return with fruit from the land and agree that it is abundant. They also report fortified cities, strong people, and descendants of Anak. Caleb urges the people to go forward; the other spies say they cannot overcome the people and describe themselves as grasshoppers. The report mixes observations with conclusions about what Israel can do.

In Heiser’s framing, Chapter 23 asks why giants appear after the flood and considers two supernaturalist explanations: the divine-human offspring described in Genesis 6 appeared again after the flood, or the flood was regional rather than worldwide. These are proposals to examine, not settled facts supplied by Numbers 13. The chapter sets out two ways readers might account for the later reports of Nephilim and their descendants.

Compare the relevant passages instead of choosing an explanation too quickly. Genesis 6:1-4 describes the sons of God, the daughters of man, and the Nephilim before the flood narrative. Genesis 7:17-24 describes the flood’s effect on life outside the ark. Numbers 13:33 records the spies’ report linking the sons of Anak with the Nephilim, but it appears inside a report the passage calls bad. Notice what each text says directly, what the proposed explanations infer, and what remains uncertain. Numbers 14:6-9 gives Joshua and Caleb’s response to the same crisis: they acknowledge the people’s fear but call Israel to trust the LORD.

The question of giants is not the same as the question of how the spies should have responded. Chapter 23 raises the first; Numbers 13 also lets readers examine the second. Keep both in view without using one to erase the other. The spies’ report contains real details about a daunting land, but it also turns fear into a claim that defeat is certain. Caleb’s confidence rests on God’s presence, not on pretending the obstacles are imaginary.

The text leaves readers with limits. Numbers 13 reports what the spies said; it does not explain how the Nephilim language relates to the flood or settle whether the flood was global or regional. Genesis 6 is brief, and Christians interpret it in different ways. Heiser’s two proposals give readers specific possibilities to test against those passages. Good study can name a remaining question without filling the gap with certainty the text does not give.

When you face a hard decision, separating observations from conclusions can help. Write what you know, what you fear might happen, and what you still do not know. Then ask what faithful action is available while uncertainty remains. Trust does not require denying danger, and courage does not mean having every answer. In this passage, the people must decide whether fear or God’s promise will guide their next step. Let careful reading and honest trust grow together.