Wilderness wandering to Kadesh

There are precious few places suitable for life in the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula or the Negev Desert. An oasis named Kadesh is very near today’s border between Egypt and Israel. It would have been an ideal place for Moses and his people to camp. Even so, they were still in a harsh environment with very limited amounts of water. Twelve spies were sent north from this location, and all of them returned with stories of a fruitful land nearly impossible to describe. Unfortunately, ten of the 12 advised against moving forward. Their reluctance to trust God cost an entire generation their lives, save only Joshua and Caleb. It would be 40 years before Joshua took a new generation into the Promised Land.