Tag: spy out the land

47.e. “Wilderness” – 11.k. “And your children shall suffer for your faithlessness”

Num 14:26-38  And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the LORD, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have rejected. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ I, the LORD, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”  And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land—  the men who brought up a bad report of the land—died by plague before the LORD.  Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me?…. Bear with their murmurings, spare them, and not cut them off? how long must sparing mercy be extended to them? the Lord speaks as one weary of forbearing, so frequent and aggravated were their murmurings. As ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you; what they had wished for, and expressed in the hearing of the Lord, he threatens them should be their case. They had wished they had died in it, Numbers 14:2, and the Lord here declares they should. I the Lord have said,…. Determined, resolved on doing what I have declared, and again repeat it; the decree is absolute and peremptory, and will never be revoked: I will surely do it to all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me; against his ministers, Moses the chief magistrate, and Aaron the high priest; and this is interpreted gathering, conspiring, and rebelling against the Lord himself. Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land,…. They, and they only at this time: died by the plague before the Lord; either by the pestilence immediately sent upon them by the Lord, or by a flash of lightning from him, or in some other way; however, by the immediate hand of God, and in his presence, being in the tabernacle of the congregation. (Gill)

How many times has the unfaithful spoken and pulled along with them those whose hearts and minds are lukewarm? How many times has the neglect of God’s Word in a person’s life resulted in their lack of:

  1. Faith in God
  2. Being able to recognize that which is false
  3. Joining that which is causing disunity
  4. Repeating that which is false or misleading
  5. Trust and Reliance in and on God
  6. Seeing the need to repent

Out of the heart, the mouth speaks and I can tell you that there is much coming out of the mouths of many Christians that is void of God’s Word and honor and glory for Jesus Christ. I am reminded many times when my wife says; “Thank you Jesus”, and my thoughts were; “boy were we lucky”. How many times do we need to be reminded of the purposes, plans, mercy, grace, love, and promises of God? How many times do I walk out the door and have thoughts about my day without thanking God for the day, for His love, for His grace, for His mercy, for His promises of protection, peace, joy, rest, refuge, hope,…… etc? Far too many. 

46.z. “Wilderness” – 11.e. “Spy out the land of Canaan”

Num 13:1-3  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.

The Israelites being now come to the borders of Canaan, Moses commanded them, in the name of God, to go up and possess it, reminding them of his promise to give them the possession of it, and exhorting them not to fear nor be discouraged, Deuteronomy 1:21. But the unbelieving and distrustful multitude, forgetting the power and faithfulness of God, were afraid to venture on this hazardous undertaking, as they thought it, till some persons were sent to examine and bring them information what sort of country it was, and what kind of people they should have to contend with. Moses, therefore, in compliance with their request, is directed by God to send proper persons, chosen from all the tribes, for this purpose. (Benson)

The spies were sent to search the land, which was a scheme of the Israelites’ own devising, and which they first proposed to Moses, who approved of it as prudential and political, at least he gave his assent unto it to please the people, and carried the affair to the Lord, and consulted him about it; who, rather permitting than approving, gave the following order; for the motion carried in it a good deal of unbelief, calling in question whether the land was so good as had been represented unto them, fearing it was not accessible, and that it would be difficult to get into it, and were desirous of knowing the best way of getting into it before they proceeded any further; all which were unnecessary, if they would have fully trusted in the Lord, in his word, promise, power, providence, and guidance; who had told them it was a land flowing with milk and honey; that he would show them the way to it, by going before them in a pillar of cloud and fire; that he would assuredly bring them into it, having espied it for them, and promised it unto them; so that there was no need on any account for them to send spies before them; however, to gratify them in this point, he assented to it. (Gill)

How many “Christians”, quell the leading of the Holy Spirit by doubting God’s direction, protection, power, purpose, and sovereignty? How many times has the Holy Spirit prompted us to move out in faith and we have not listened because of doubt? Far too many I would guess.