Journal Through the Bible: Week 22 Saturday

(Edited for clarity. The edits I made prior to posting evidently were not saved.)

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Numbers 14, verses 11 through 45

After all the teaching, encouraging, and sustaining of the past year when put to the ultimate test of obedience the Hebrews failed. They would not allow God to lead them into the Promised Land. In other words, they did not believe God's promises to them.

God also tested Moses. We read a few days ago that Moses was meek. God gave him an opportunity to find out just how meek he really was. If Moses so chose, God said He would destroy all of the Hebrews and  make a new nation from Moses's descendants. Unlike the rest of the Hebrews Moses puts God's reputation in front of his own. Instead of jumping at God's offer Moses prayed for the people and reminded God of his promises to them. Moses passed his test.

Does God make any promises in this passage?

• God promised to pardon the Hebrews as Moses requested. However, since the people had witnessed the glory of the LORD like no one else ever had they were to be held accountable for their contempt.
• God promised that the earth shall be filled with His glory.
• God promised that all who provoked Him would die in the wilderness. Everyone from the age of twenty years old and above would die. Only Caleb and Joshua would survive. 
• God promised that the younger generation would inherit the land of promise after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. The number of years was based on the number of days  the spies searched the land. God considered them the payment for their breach of promise. The 10 spies who encouraged the people to rebel died immediately.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• As patient as Jesus is with sinners, one day all opportunities will cease and judgment will come. That is what the Hebrews found out when they refused to follow God into the Promised Land and then changed their minds when God told them He had judged them and sentenced them to death. It no longer mattered what they decided. Destruction awaited them.

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• The promise of the earth being filled with God's glory will ultimately be fulfilled in the future, if not in the Millennial Kingdom, definitely on the New Earth.

Does God issue any commands?

• Through Moses God told the people not to try to take possession of the land because He was no longer with them, but they made an unsuccessful attempt anyway.