He came from the tribe of Naphtali. The first census taken in the book of Numbers shows the number of the tribe of Naphtali being 53,400. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, using the words of Josephus, states about Naphtali that multitudes of men of courage were ready to give account of themselves on all occasions of war. To be selected from 53,400 people says a lot about how much this man had excelled. He was chosen with 11 other men to go and spy out the land of Canaan. He would return after 40 days and be able to say that the land was everything God said that it was.
Had he stopped there our recognition of him might be better. He, with nine others of those sent to spy out the land, made the report, yes the land is all God said it was; however, there are walled cities and giants in the land. God the kept his word about the land being cared for until the Israelites got there. However, the strength of the enemy as to size and strength of the cities was not something these ten men were ready for. Doing good or great things for God is not always the case of knowing all that will happen in the work. As Christians we need to remind ourselves from time to time that we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).
We all know about Joshua and Caleb because of their faithfulness toward God’s promise of taking Canaan. Caleb’s attitude is shown when he says to his fellow Israelites, “…let us go up at once and possess it” (Num. 13:30). He and Joshua were the two out of the twelve that were on the Lord’s side. God cannot lie, therefore the land could be taken (Heb. 6:18). The wisdom of the ten was greater among the people than the spiritual voices of Joshua and Caleb. All those 20 and above would die in the forty years of the wilderness wanderings (Num. 14:29). These ten men were killed by God through a plague (verse 37).
Nahbi, a man of courage from a tribe known for its courage, is killed by God. His death and the death of all those who were 20 and above, came about because of unbelief (Heb. 3:18,19). Men who had seen the 10 plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea parted, Egyptians killed and water from a rock, all evidences of God’s great power. Yet when it came time to apply all they knew about God to their own individual lives they resorted to unbelief. Such unbelief is not what we would call atheism. It is a failure to trust what God has said.
The religious world in different groups have asserted there in no way for anyone who is saved to be ever lost. This man proved he had courage in leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea. He demonstrated the right kind of attitude as he and all Israel waited at the foot of Mount Sinai for the commands from God on how to live life. The world may argue, oh they were not saved to begin with. The content of their lives begs to differ. Faith comes from what God has said (Rom. 10:17). The development of that faith is a result of staying in the Word and increasing in the knowledge of that Word.
Paul demonstrated his own concern about his life. He wrote to Timothy how that Hymenaeus and Alexander had made a shipwreck out of their faith (I Tim. 1:19,20). Paul said he was concerned that after he had preached to others that he would become a castaway (I Cor. 9:27). Belief is seldom if ever seen as a one time thing. The need to daily sacrifice our lives in our service to God takes place until the day we die (Rom. 12:1).
The name of Nahbi is not well known for the simple reason that he failed to take God at his word and therefore left an infamous mark on his life. Contrast that with Abel who being dead and yet he speaks (Heb. 11:4). Why do we remember an Abel and not Nahbi? It was what Abel continued to do with his life which made the difference. It is not a message about being famous but it is a message that we all continue to act on what God has given us through the revelation of His will by means of the scriptures. Let us be doers of the word (James 1:22).