The word “describe” seen here in verse 9 and previously in verse 4 literally means “to survey.” Three men from each of the seven tribes who hadn’t claimed their inheritance were sent to survey the land. Here’s the question: Where did they learn how to survey? Did they learn while wandering in the wilderness? I don’t think so. Did they learn while fighting in the Promised Land? Not likely. I suggest they learned the art of surveying while in Egypt. Those who were twenty years of age when they left Egypt would have been involved in all kinds of construction projects requiring surveying skills.

Sometimes we wonder why we’re in the occupation, the situation, or the position we’re in when it doesn’t seem to be advancing us in our plan for life. That’s what these men must have thought as they surveyed Egyptian land for Egyptian building projects. Little did they know, however, that they would use the very skills they were learning there to lay the groundwork for their own inheritance in the Promised Land.

Be faithful, dear saint, in whatever position the Lord has placed you. Trust that He’s preparing you in ways you might not be able to even imagine for the specific part you’ll play, the unique role you’ll fill in the days that might be too far down the road for you to see now, but which He knows all about.