Num 14:20-25 Then the LORD said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD, none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it. But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”
We don’t understand the relationship between the eternal, sovereign plan of God and our prayers; but we know it is no game. God never wanted Moses to think of it as a game and wanted Moses to at least think that his prayers had directly affected the outcome: I have pardoned, according to your word! We should pray as if life and death, heaven and hell, would be decided by our prayers! God had brought them to the threshold of the Promised Land, but they rebelled against Him and did not enter – so God will send them back to the wilderness. (Guzik)
The Lord granted the prayer of Moses so far as not at once to destroy the congregation. But disbelief of the promise forbids the benefit. Those who despise the pleasant land shall be shut out of it. The promise of God should be fulfilled to their children. They wished to die in the wilderness; God made their sin their ruin, took them at their word, and their carcases fell in the wilderness. They were made to groan under the burden of their own sin, which was too heavy for them to bear. Ye shall know my breach of promise, both the causes of it, that it is procured by your sin, for God never leaves any till they first leave him; and the consequences of it, that will produce your ruin. (Henry)
In answer to this importunate prayer, the Lord promised forgiveness, namely, the preservation of the nation, but not the remission of the well-merited punishment. At the rebellion at Sinai, He had postponed the punishment “till the day of His visitation” (Exodus 32:34). And that day had now arrived, as the people had carried their continued rebellion against the Lord to the furthest extreme, even to an open declaration of their intention to depose Moses, and return to Egypt under another leader, and thus had filled up the measure of their sins. “Nevertheless,” added the Lord (Numbers 14:21, Numbers 14:22), “as truly as I live, and the glory of Jehovah will fill the whole earth, all the men who have seen My glory and My miracles…shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers.” (Keil)
It is so easy for us to see barriers and road blocks in our path and much harder to trust and rely on Jesus Christ when there is lukewarm commitment to things of God and neglect of His Word in our daily lives. One point that I want to make is about that first person who made an unfavorable report and stated fear of following what God ordained for them to do. This first person had no fear of God, no trust in God, and no reliance on God, and yet the others fell in line to his report and fear. If we listen to others fear and give it more credibility over our trust and reliance on God then surely we will follow their line of thinking. I see it all the time in those who spend much of their time listening to news media outlets and social media posts. They regurgitate the fear and hate they choose to listen too. How easily sheep are led by the dark opinions of others who have no thoughts about things of God or His holiness, glory, honor, power, sovereignty, strength, wisdom, plans, purposes, etc… I find no good coming from news outlets or much of the social media posts. A careful examination or review of most will tell you that it is garbage, opinionated, and filled with pride, lies, half-truths, and nothing wholesome.
Think about it. God’s Word is life, truth, and profitable for every day. It will lead a person to repentance, salvation, obedience, faith, and give strength, wisdom, power, hope, refuge, and continually feed the soul unto kindness, gentleness, and joy.
What is feeding your soul? What are you allowing into your mind? If you want to grow and honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do, spend time in His Word with a hunger to do just that. Stop feeding it with what others think is important about worldly stuff.