Upholding Divine Honor

Numbers 14

From each family, a scout is selected to go into the Promised Land and bring back a report to the people.  The land is indeed flowing with milk and honey - just as God promised.  It also contained fortified cities and giants.

Caleb and Joshua told the people the land was good, and that it was time to invade- to do as God commanded.  All the other scouts spent their time spreading scary stories among the people and compared themselves to grasshoppers in the sight of the people in the land.

That night all the people in the camp began shouting loudly.  The Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron. All the people came together and said to Moses and Aaron, “We should have died in Egypt or in the desert. Did the Lord bring us to this new land to be killed in war? The enemy will kill us and take our wives and children! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt.”

Okay - same song, millionth verse: We should have died, we should go back to Egypt.

Using these complainers as examples:  This is what I imagine as the script a besetting sin follows. Find a catch-phrase that sticks in the mind, and hammer on it to get attention.  Paul says we have to die to that appeal, to that voice, and find freedom in the Spirit.

These people, however, have not partaken of that Spirit.

Then the people said to each other, “Let’s choose another leader and go back to Egypt.”

Moses and Aaron bowed low to the ground in front of all the people gathered there.

Moses has spoken to God more than once about the burden of caring for this complaining crowd of people.  Maybe he sees a way to literally "bow out" of the role.

 Joshua and Caleb became very upset. (Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were two of the men who explored the land.) These two men said to all the Israelites gathered there, “The land that we saw is very good. It is a land filled with many good things. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land. And he will give that land to us. So don’t turn against the Lord! Don’t be afraid of the people in that land. We can defeat them. They have no protection, nothing to keep them safe. But we have the Lord with us, so don’t be afraid!”

A clear call to action, and to following the Lord - but the people have already given themselves over to fear and hate.

All the people began talking about killing Joshua and Caleb with stones. But the Glory of the Lord appeared over the Meeting Tent where all the people could see it. 

Guess who?

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “How long will these people continue to turn against me? They show that they don’t trust me or believe in my power, in spite of the many miracles I have done among them. 

We sometimes joke: "It's a good thing I'm not God - or this world would have far fewer people." 

But it seems we are truly made in His image:

I will kill them all with a terrible sickness. 

I will destroy them, 

I will use you to make another nation.

Those are explicit examples of God's will.

Your nation will be greater and stronger than these people.”

It sounds like God is ready to countermand the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Then Moses said to the Lord, “If you do that, the Egyptians will hear about it! They know that you used your great power to bring your people out of Egypt. The Egyptians have already told the people in Canaan about it. They already know you are the Lord. They know that you are with your people. They know that the people saw you. Those people know about the special cloud. They know you use the cloud to lead your people during the day. And they know the cloud becomes a fire to lead your people at night. 

I don't really understand this line of appeal.  Why would God care about His reputation with the Egyptians or the Canaanites so much that Moses would utilize this argument.

So you must not kill these people now. If you kill them, all the nations who have heard about your power will say, ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he promised them. So he killed them in the desert.’

Ah.  The first part of that argument was to remind God of what He has done, and the second part is to remind Him of why He did it.

“So now, Lord, show your strength! Show it the way you said you would. 

A call to action - hopefully along a line of Not Destroying The People.

You said, ‘The Lord is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He forgives those who are guilty and break the law. But he always punishes those who are guilty. He punishes them, and he also punishes their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren for those bad things.’Now, show your great love to these people. Forgive their sin. Forgive them the same way you have been forgiving them since the time they left Egypt until now.”

Wow!  That's powerful - quoting the Word of God to God.

The Lord answered, “Yes, I will forgive the people as you asked. 

Moses is still interceding for the people.

But I tell you the truth. As surely as I live and as surely as the Glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, I make you this promise: 

This sounds like Christ proclaiming "Verily I say to you..."

None of the people I led out of Egypt will ever see the land of Canaan. 

Ouch.  There will be some exceptions to the "none" -- but ouch.

They saw my glory and the great signs that I did in Egypt and in the desert. But they disobeyed me and tested me ten times. 

I find myself fully on God's side here.  These people are -- hard-headed, stupid, stoopid, willful, short-sighted, untrusting, untrustworthy, self-centered, (... how many more minutes in this Bible study? ...), weak, smug, complainers.   It's like making a list of common human bad points.

I promised their ancestors that I would give them that land. But none of those people who turned against me will ever enter that land! 

I wonder if this crowd of dunderheads will believe that promise.

But my servant Caleb was different. He follows me completely. So I will bring him into the land that he has already seen, and his people will get that land.

So we have another family inheritance to add to our list of people who have claim to the Promised Land.

The Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valley. So tomorrow you must leave this place. Go back to the desert on the road to the Red Sea.”

Now, back to the complainers:

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,  “How long will these evil people continue to complain against me? I have heard their complaints and their griping. 

So tell them, ‘The Lord says that he will surely do all those things to you that you complained about. This is what will happen to you: You will die in this desert. Every person who is 20 years old or older and was counted as one of my people will die. You complained against me. So none of you will ever enter and live in the land that I promised to give you. 

I wonder of Moses will intercede for the people again (or does he understand that God is dispensing Judgement now, after granting Mercy earlier?)

Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun will enter that land. 

The "over 20" exceptions.  I wonder if Moses noticed that he was not mentioned in the exception list?

You were afraid and complained that your enemies in that new land would take your children away from you. But I tell you that I will bring them into the land. They will enjoy what you refused to accept. As for you people, you will die in this desert.

“‘Your children will wander around like shepherds here in the desert for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful to me. They must suffer until all of you lie dead in the desert. For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. (That is one year for each of the 40 days that the men explored the land.) 

You will know that it is a terrible thing for me to be against you.’

So God was speaking literally about the sins of the fathers causing punishment for the sons and grandsons.  This is not about cursed family lines, or generational judgement.

“I am the Lord, and I have spoken. And I promise that I will do these things to all these evil people. They have come together against me. So they will all die here in this desert.”

God said it, that settles it.

The men Moses sent to explore the new land were the ones who came back complaining about him to all the Israelites. They said that the people were not strong enough to enter that land.  The men were responsible for spreading the trouble among the Israelites. So the Lord caused a sickness to kill all those men. 

Rancid quail poisoning?  Bad dates from Canaan? In any case - no one will need to put up with their lies and complaints for 40 years.

But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh were among the men who were sent out to explore the land. They are the only ones who did not get the sickness that caused the others to die.

When Moses told the Israelites this, they were very sad. 

It's not about sadness - it's about getting back up and following the Lord.

Early the next morning the people started to go up to the high hill country. They said, “We have sinned. We are sorry that we did not trust the Lord. We will go to the place that the Lord promised.”

It's about following the Lord, not your own stupid ideas.  Did we mention hard-headed, conceited, willful?

But Moses said, “Why are you not obeying the Lord’s command? 

God had explicitly told them to get moving - back into the desert.

You will not be successful! Don’t go into that land. The Lord is not with you, so your enemies will easily defeat you. The Amalekites and Canaanites will fight against you there. You have turned away from the Lord, so he will not be with you when you fight them. And you will all be killed in battle.”

But the people did not believe Moses. 

Aargh.  These people are literally too stupid to live.

Mentally, the only slack I can give them is they are in shock over their death sentence, and don't want to believe and accept Moses's words from God.  Their reflex is to go back that that nexus that caused the rift, and take another path.

But time (and God) are not there.

God's pardon is limitless - nothing can exhaust it - except rejecting it.

They went toward the high hill country. But Moses and the Box of the Lord’s Agreement did not go with the people.

Literally - God was not with them.

The Amalekites and the Canaanites living in the hill country came down and attacked the Israelites and easily defeated them and chased them all the way to Hormah.

Hormah is very near Hellandback on my map.

God has shown us this generation of people just will not "get it."  They remain Egyptian in their habits and wants.  After 400 years of captivity and crying out to God - we get a hint that they may have merely been going through the motions.

God shocked the world when he defeated Pharaoh and Egypt.  Even the Amalekites and Caananites have gotten the word and are in awe.  It seems everyone, except the Israelites, is impressed by God's power and promises.

Let's not be like them.  

God's power in the church, and in His Spirit within believers, overcomes anything and everything under, on, or above this planet.

God's promise, through His Son Jesus, of redemption and eternal life, trumps anything this world has to offer by way of temptation.