The Torah tells us about the negative response of the 10 spies to Calev’s positive report about going into the Promised Land:
“And the men (the 10 spies) who went up with him (Calev, one of the 2 good spies) said, ‘We cannot go up to that people (the present inhabitants of the land of Canaan) because they are stronger than us.’ ” (Bamidbar 12:31)
Why did the 10 spies feel they weren’t strong enough to enter the land?
The Chofetz Chaim used to say that the evil inclination tries in every possible way to prevent a person from doing a mitzvah. At times, a person is arrogant and feels that he is already on the highest level and need not do more. At other times, when a person tries to do something good, he starts feeling sad and guilt-ridden. He tells himself that the mitzvah he wants to do is only possible to accomplish for people on a much higher spiritual level that he has attained.
He immediately remembers all the bad things he has done in his life. Even though he might have already regretted those things and repented, he forgets this and starts feeling so inferior that he loses all desire to accomplish anything positive.
This, said the Chofetz Chaim, was their mistake in being afraid to enter the Land of Israel. They remembered the things they did wrong in the past and said that they were unworthy to enter the land. Especially since the people who lived there were very mighty.
They would need a special merit to be victorious and they felt too lowly for this.
We learn from this and the punishment that we should never be deterred from doing what is good out of misplaced humility.
Do not allow guilt feelings to prevent you from doing the will of the Almighty.
