And so the trouble hits. Today we read about the Israelites inability to trust God. Lack of faith means lack of direction and purpose, and it could spell the end of the Promise as well.
From Hazeroth to Kadesh-Barnea
Numbers 33:18-36, 12:16, Deuteronomy 1:19-20
From Kadesh-Barnea to Jordan crossing: spies sent out
Numbers 13:1-24, Deuteronomy 1:21-24
Spies return
Numbers 13:25-33, Deuteronomy 1:25-33
Unbelief of Israel
Numbers 14:1-24
Generation cursed to die in the wilderness
Numbers 14:25-30
NOOOOoooo! When they finally reach the edge of the promised land, and send some spies in, ready to moving in and possessing the land that God had promised them, Moses must have been breathing a sigh of relief. Done it! I’ve brought these ungrateful so and so’s through the desert and now we are about to get the milk and honey.
But their nerve fails them. Once again they grumble. Once again they hark back to Egypt, and even to the wilderness, saying “We’d rather die here than be killed by these fearsome tribes.” Caleb and Joshua, the only two spies whose confidence didn’t waver, try to remind them that if God had defeated the Egyptians, then a few Canaanite tribes should prove too hard. But it’s no good. Their nerve has gone. Their faith has failed once again.
Moses must have been crushed. God pronounces a terrible sentence: they will have to wander in the desert for 40 years, and he, Moses, will not get to see the Promised Land.
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