Today’s Reading: Numbers 14:20 – 15:41; Psalm 95

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of THIS people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.” — Numbers 17-19

When the people of Israel lacked the faith to cross into the land that had been promised to them, Moses interceded on their behalf. He asked God to forgive them for falling short once again. God had rescued them from Egypt, allowing them to see His power at work through the plagues as well as the crossing of the Red Sea. They had walked on dry land, received quail and manna from heaven, and been nourished by the water God caused to flow from a rock, yet they lacked the faith to take the final step into all God had promised them.

BACK TO THEIR OLD WAYS

God agreed to forgive His people once more, but there would be consequences this time. They had experienced the presence of a God, who was willing to come down from heaven and dwell among them, yet they refused to listen to His voice. He had given them multiple opportunities to turn their hearts towards Him, yet they had chosen once again to raise their voices against God’s plan. Their rebellion would not go unpunished this time.

Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land. Now turn around, and don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must set out for the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.” — Numbers 14:20-25

BACK TO THE RED SEA

Had they learned nothing from their journey with God? His character had been revealed and His promise to provide and protect had been fulfilled, yet they hardened their hearts once more. Because of their lack of submission, tomorrow would look much different. Instead of stepping into all God had beautifully planned for them, they would turn around and head back to the wilderness. For every day the 12 spies had spent in Canaan they would spend one year wandering in the wilderness.

God’s people had accused Him of placing their lives in danger by bringing them to the land of giants. They predicted that their children would be carried off by their enemies. But God told them they were about to find out what it was like for God himself to be their enemy. He had led them with a cloud by day and a light by night, but now they would wander aimlessly without His help. And their children would suffer the consequences of their parents’ lack of faith by spending the next 40 years of their lives in the wilderness. But after the 40 years, all who were now 20 years of age or younger would cross into the Promised Land with Caleb and Joshua — the two spies who believed God would give them victory against the giants in their path. These two young men believed that nothing was too difficult for God, and their faith would bring them to a full experience of God’s power.

BACK DOWN THE HILL

When the Israelites heard God was sending them back into the wilderness to die, they changed their minds and decided they would rather enter Canaan, but it was too late. Moses warned them to stay in the camp because the Lord was no longer with them to give them victory over their enemies, but they once again chose defiance over submission. They charged up the hill, only to be chased back down by the Amalekites and Canaanites.

Just like Moses spent 40 days on the mountain,
Just like Jesus spent 40 days in the desert,
Just like the spies spent 40 days in the Promised Land,
Just like the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness,
Let’s give God our full attention during these 40 days of Lent.

Father God, we humble our hearts before you this morning and ask that you reveal any areas of our lives where we are pulling back from you. Forgive us for our moments of doubt and for our failure to believe that you will provide for us, if only we will step into all you have planned for us. We ask you to give us the faith to move forward; we ask you to give us the courage to trust in you once again. May we continue to experience your presence on this journey of grace, daily responding to the Spirit’s prompting. We surrender our plans to yours and trust you for all tomorrow holds. Amen.

Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today! — Psalm 95:6-7