Numbers 14

Verses 1-4

1. “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
3. And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?
4. And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”

Fear spreads fear, especially when it overrides a good a leader. And fear also spreads anger. In such situations the masses try to find a scapegoat. And this happened to be Moses and Aaron, who were used of God to free the people from slavery. The people shouted that it would have been better to die in Egypt or in the desert. What a ridiculous thing to say! It made no sense, but emotional minds will look for any excuse to reject the truth and God. All the people wanted was an easy way out, an easy life.

The people took the spies’ words and expanded on them… it is what emotionalism does to a person. They envisaged being slashed to death by swords, even the women and children. Surely, they should return to Egypt? So, they chose someone to lead them back to their captors. What fools we can become when we ignore God and his word. And what a bad result comes from it. If God promises us something, then we can be assured He WILL bring it about. Unless, as in this time, the people prefer their imagined problems to God’s concrete words.

Verses 5-9

5. “Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.
6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
7. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
8. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
9. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.”

Moses and Aaron were overwhelmed, and lay down prostrate on the ground before the people. When Joshua and Caleb saw this fall into fear, they ripped their clothes in anguish. If even the one who leads shows fear and anxiety, it quickly affects everyone else, who will do the same.

Caleb and Joshua confirmed that Canaan was a great land for the Hebrews. If the people obeyed, then Jehovah would bless them with everything promised. The land was theirs, because God promised it, and it contained everything good and rich. Yet, if the people now rebel against God, there would be no reward. Nor should they fear the people of Canaan, not even the giants. If God is with us, who can be against us? Fear reduces us to quivering wrecks, unable to function properly. It demoralises us and we choose wrong solutions. And it flies in the face of faith, as we concentrate on our woes rather than on God and His commands.

Verses 10-16

10. “But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?
12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13. And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)
14. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,
16. Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.”

We see reference to the ‘congregation’, ʿēḏâ. Simply, in this context, it means all the people. The congregation shouted for the two men to be stoned to death… fear can send sane people to the edge of reason and violence. As the crowds shouted and became unruly, there was a sudden epiphany… God came down into the Tabernacle and the people saw it. Was this in a fiery cloud? We do not know, but it was clearly seen by the crowds, who were transfixed by the phenomenon.

God called to Moses: ‘How much more must I take! I have shown them many signs of my presence and protection – how much longer before they believe me? I will strike them all down with a plague and cast them aside as a people’. God showed His wrath and yet remembered Moses – He would make the descendants of Moses even greater than the Hebrews.

When homosexuals moved against me and had me thrown out of my job, I pleaded with God NOT to let them have dominion over me, but that He should save me. Not for myself, but so that His Name was not mocked; “See how this Christian believed in God, yet that God has not saved him!” And God answered. I lost my job but His Name was not mocked, nor did the enemy finally crush me. This is what Moses was talking about, when he begged God not to kill the Hebrews. If He did so, the Egyptians would mock Him and the people, by telling the Canaanites that the Hebrews believed in God and yet He did nothing. He repeated the things God had done and was still doing… and if He killed the Hebrews, the surrounding nations who had already heard of the miracles and God, would claim God could not get them to Canaan, so He killed them off – making God a liar and ineffective! Oh, how we need His Presence today!

Verses 17-24

17. “And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,
18. The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.
20. And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word:
21. But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
22. Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
23. Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24. But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”

Moses asked God to show His mercy, in full view of the surrounding nations; let Him show His power even now amidst the fear and murmuring. Moses reminded Jehovah of His mercy and longsuffering, and His forgiveness of sin – whilst also visiting the evil and their offspring with punishment. Please, he continued, pardon this sinful people. In this text ‘pardon’ can mean either to forgive or to spare. Would the Lord spare the people out of His great mercy?

Now, none of this was unknown to Jehovah! He knew in advance of the crowd’s anger and fear, and knew how Moses would react to His wish to put the Hebrews to death. As in other instances, He wanted to show His mercy and might; the words of Moses were God’s words. And it eventuated in Him revoking the penalty for such national sin. Immediately, God simply said that Moses would get his wish, and He would spare the Hebrews, and said that people everywhere would see His glory and power, possibly referring to the second coming of His Son, when all rebellion would be stopped.

This was not the final word, for God then added that the end of all who saw His miracles and yet spoke against Him, would face the consequences. This chilling word from God was then delivered to the people – they who came out of Egypt* would never see Canaan. Only Caleb would enter Canaan, because his spirit was alive and true. (*Not including children born on the 40 year journey). Joshua was also exempt.

Verses 25-35

25. “(Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
26. And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
27. How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
28. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you:
29. Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
30. Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
31. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.
32. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.
33. And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.
34. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
35. I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

At that time the people camped to the east of the two mountain ranges. The valley in between (running south to north) was inhabited by Amalekites and Canaanites. In their frame of mind, the Hebrews would not have the heart to fight, and (if this is true) God ordered them to turn around and return to the Red Sea area. ‘How long must I tolerate this rebellious people?’, he asked Moses and Aaron. God was really angry.

God’s mind was now set on bringing His wrath to pass… the ones who came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness – all who were aged 20 and older and who murmured against Jehovah. It took 40 days to spy the land and now God would make the Hebrews wander for 40 years in the wilderness, as a penalty. The murmuring He called ‘whoredoms’. The people would thus know the wrath of God for their unbelief. They would never enter the promised land, though their children (then under age 20) would.

Verses 36-38

36. “And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,
37. Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
38. But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.”

The spies who gave a bad report and discouraged the people, all died of a plague sent by God. But, Caleb and Joshua lived, for they did not murmur against God.

Verses 39-43

39. “And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
40. And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.
41. And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
42. Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
43. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.”

Moses told the people what God had said, and the people ‘mourned greatly’ for their sin and unbelief. In this episode, we see that though we might continue to live after committing great sin, we will face the consequences sent by God. At times, when we sin, God removes His active presence, and we struggle to live. He does not always give us back our joy or help, even after repentance, if we need to learn tougher things. But, repentance is required anyway, and we might live in hope that His anger will not remain for life.

Unbelievably, even though they had just witnessed the anger of God, the people did not turn immediately to Him, but continued in disobedience! We might look at this and shake our heads, but we, too, can be equally foolish. We can see the miraculous today and yet, tomorrow, we can forget it and still do wrong! That is human nature. And this is why we must always be alert to our failings, and always rectify ourselves, repenting and changing before God penalises us.

The day after God gave them His judgment the people decided to ‘go it alone’. They started to climb into the nearest mountain, and look at Canaan before taking it for themselves. In other words, they tried to shorten their time wandering by not waiting for God to lead them! And so their foolishness became even worse. Moses warned them not to continue. Because they were doing so without God’s direct command, they would be beaten by the people of the valley. His warning was stern.

Verses 44&45

44. “But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.
45. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.”

The people decided to ignore Moses. The day before, they were afraid, and now they were feisty… but, without the backing of Jehovah they would die. And so the inhabitants came to fight, and won. Sadly, we can do similar things – we will fight under our own banner and not under the protection and bidding of God. And so we lose. Our humanly-devised ventures will not profit us, but will turn on us like a punishment. Far better to wait patiently and see what God will do.

© 25 August 2024

---oOo---