Women s Bible Study Rejecting the Lord s Guidance: Numbers 13-14 October 5, 2016 Jann Wright Good Morning and welcome to Women s Bible Study. We are studying the book of Numbers which one commentator subtitled "Marching and Murmuring". 1 That is a very apt description for our passage which is Numbers 13 and 14. We will be looking at the perils of Rejecting the Lord s Guidance. Last week we studied the Rejection of the Lord's Leadership. Aaron and Miriam had rebelled against God's Chosen Leader, Moses. God responded with both judgement and mercy. Sadly, the nation did not learn from this experience and now will face one of the most costly lessons in their history. However, before beginning a study on Rejecting the Lord s Guidance, we should review the guidance the Lord had provided to this point. Examples of the Lord s Guidance Direction and Destination First, God provided the Israelites with very specific guidance on their direction and purpose. God told them in Exodus 19:5,6 that if they obeyed him fully and kept his covenant, 5... then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation... God follows this direction with further details of the route they will take to a specific destination, a land He has promised to them. Prior to this time they had no specific geographic area to call their own. They had been guests at best in foreign countries and outcasts, victims of infanticide, and slaves at worst. But now that is behind them, they are on their way to a homeland that is a gift from God himself. The Lord guides them by providing direction and a destination. Leaders Second, God provided them with a capable leader, Moses. Moses has a rare intimate relationship with God. He also has a compassionate heart for the people. Additionally, he serves as a priest and a prophet. Aaron and his sons are given the priestly responsibilities of overseeing the sacrifices at the tabernacle. Moses, however, also serves some priestly functions, like intercession for the people. Personal Daily Presence Third, God provided his personal daily presence. He is in the cloud by day, guiding them in the way they should go and also shielding them from the scorching desert sun. He is in the fire by night, a reminder of his presence, protection, and warmth from the cold nighttime temperatures. Moreover, on occasion God comes down and meets with 1 Smith, James E. The Pentateuch. 2nd ed. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co., 1993. Print. Old Testament Survey Series, p 405. Page 1 of 10
them; especially through Moses. God also provided an angel to go before them in their travels (Exodus 14:19, Exodus 23:20, Exodus 23:23). Provisions for the Journey As extra bonuses along the way he has given them provisions for the journey. They have food in the wilderness: manna and quail. They have water. Deuteronomy (8:4, 29:5) tells us their clothes and their shoes never wore out. God has provided guidance for them in every way. He has given them the big picture vision of who there are in relationship to Him and He has given them day to day guidance as they go to take possession of the Promised Land. A Specific Directive Chapter 13 opens with God instructing Moses to send a representative from each of the twelve tribes to explore the Promised Land. Interestingly in Deuteronomy 1:21-22 we learn that it was the people who originally voiced the desire to conduct a reconnaissance mission. In verses 4-16 we read a listing of the men who will take part in the mission. Make special note of two of them. One is Joshua, referred to in the original list as Hoshea. He was the son of Nun and from the tribe of Ephraim. The second man is Caleb, son of Jephunneh, from the tribe of Judah. The twelve men are given specific instructions for the mission. They are told the route to take and the information they are to gather. (MAP) 17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. Commentator Joe Sprinkle describes the Negev as an arid desert and semi desert region from Beersheba south that is not quite as desolate as the desert of Paran. That area later became Southern Judah. 2 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land. (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.) 21 So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin (See Picture of Desert of Zin) as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. This far northern area, Lebo Hamath, is modern day Lebanon. This is some 270 miles north of Kadesh which is where the spies began their journey. 3 2 Sprinkle, Joe M. Leviticus and Numbers. Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks, 2015. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series, p 264. 3 Sprinkle page 265. Page 2 of 10
22 They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) Zoan is sometimes noted as the ancient Egyptian capital city. So this reference point is giving a sense of the long history of this land. Hebron is the place where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and all of Jacob s sons except Joseph were buried. 4 It had huge historical significance, but more importantly it was a place that evidenced God s faithfulness. Descendants of Anak were known for their great size and military skill. The Anakim were noted to live in the Hebron region and in cities such as Gath. Some have suggested this is the background of the famous Goliath. 5 23 When they reached the Valley of Eshkol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land. This whole process of walking through the land was a very symbolic act. For you students of Old Testament History you will remember back in the book of Genesis Abraham was told to walk this same land, an indication that he was to take possession of it. In Genesis 12:6-9 we read, 6 Abram travelled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. (skipping to verse 9) 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. When the spies walked the land it was a symbolic precursor to them possessing it. They were the descendants of Abraham. This is the historic moment God had promised to Abraham, sadly both the symbolism and historical significance seems unnoticed. FACTS When they return they present a very factual report. Numbers 13:26-29: 26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran... 27 They gave Moses this account: We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan. 4 Brown, Raymond. The Bible Speaks Today: The Message of Numbers. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Print. p 116. 5 Cole, Dennis R. Numbers Volume 3B. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2000. Print. The New American Commentary, p 220. Page 3 of 10
They report the land is flowing with milk and honey, an obvious picturesque contrast to their current desert conditions. Specifically this description means that the land is good for herds of cattle and goats that produce milk and for producing other types of sweets. 6 They describe the people groups. The Amalekites had previously engaged them in battle early in their desert journey (Exodus 17:8-16). The Canaanites were descendants of Noah's son whose descendants were condemned to a subservient position because of his sexual sin 7. The descendants of Anak were from around Hebron and would likely be the first foes the Israelites would face in an invasion. Additionally, the spies have visible evidence of God s faithfulness and the richness of the land. They are carrying huge clusters of grapes, figs, and pomegranates. FEAR We have a very factual assessment of the land and its inhabitants. However, the tone shifts rapidly from facts, to interpretation, then rapidly escalates to fear. 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, We can t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. Now instead of the land flowing with milk and honey, and producing abundant fruit, it devours the people in it. Interesting, they roamed through it for six weeks as travelers without a military escort or fortresses for housing and they all survived to tell the story. Now instead of the people being powerful and some of them tall, all of them are of great size. They refer to the Nephilim, mentioned in Genesis 6 as descended from the sons of God and the daughters of men. 8 They are often described as giants. The Israelites feel small in comparison. So their factual assessment has now given way to their interpretation which is full of overstatements and exaggerations. They have magnified their obstacles and minimized their resources. There is reason for caution, but they have left God out of the equation. What about the Exodus? They witnessed the ten plagues, received plunder from the Egyptians, and had the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. They have direction and a clear destination, a competent leader, and the daily presence of the Lord. However, they are now overtaken by their fears. FIGHT 6 Sprinkle 266. 7 Sprinkle 266 8 Cole page 221 Page 4 of 10
That fear leads them to fight. Unfortunately, they direct their energy to the wrong enemy and pick the wrong battle. Chapter 14: 1-4, That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? 4 And they said to each other, We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt. So they raise their voices, weep, and unleash on Moses and Aaron. Apparently, last week s lesson on Rejecting God s Leadership was only part one in a series. They have decided to fight and so they take aim at Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Caleb, and finally God. The leaders recognize the gravity of what the people have said and more importantly the attitude from which their words spring. They tear their clothes, a sign of intense grief, and try to reason with the people, explaining: 7... The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them. (Numbers 14:7-9) They are trying to get the people to get a rational hold on their fear, but the people instead talk of stoning them. The trend here is very bad. Think about where we are in history. They are a nation without a homeland, they have no governmental structure, other than basic tribe organization. We still have the judges to come, the prophets, the Kings, the reigns of David and Solomon. Jesus is coming, born of a virgin and a descendant of King David. God is orchestrating a mighty work and they just want to go back to Egypt full of its pagan gods, slavery and likely an enraged Pharaoh. FALLOUT This is a disaster on all levels. However, God, like any good parent, has boundaries and these Israelites have just crossed the line. God is going to take decisive action. Verse 10,... Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they. Lessons in Intercessory Prayer Rejecting the Lord's Guidance is costly. At this point it looks like the whole population, hundreds of thousands of people will be destroyed. I think our patience would have Page 5 of 10
been exhausted long before this. However, before divine punishment falls we are going to get a lesson on Intercessory Prayer. God's Honor Moses begins with an appeal to God s honor. 13 Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness. God's Attributes Next, Moses appeals to the attributes of God. 17 Now may the Lord s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now. These are helpful things to consider when we pray, not because we are trying to manipulate God to do what we want, but because it aligns our thinking with God s purposes. This example shows us that the focus is to be on God and his honor and character. Forgiven 20 The Lord replied, I have forgiven them, as you asked. 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. Detour The Lord forgives, however the collateral damage is significant. They will not be entering the promised land. They will now have a lengthy detour. A journey that would take only a few weeks now will take nearly half a century. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. Fall Out Continued Now Punishment is meted out. We should recall this is not the people's first time of disobedience. They have a repetitive pattern. God addresses all of their complaints and with clear irony gives them what they requested. Page 6 of 10
Adults For the adults, 28 So tell them, As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. Children 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years one year for each of the forty days you explored the land you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you. Spies 36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. Disobedience is costly, the spies were struck down immediately. The adults will wander in the desert 40 years until they all die and their children will mark time until that happens. Yet, even in judgement we still see God s mercy. God has spared them from immediate annihilation. God continues to care for them in the wilderness for the next 40 years. They are still given provisions for their now much longer journey. Continuing in the Wrong Direction and Fighting the Wrong Battles 39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned! Sometimes people think they just can just say sorry and continue in their pattern of disobedience. Apparently, they still don t grasp the need for obedience. So despite Moses warning that they will fall by the sword of their enemies, 44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah. Application So that is the account of the Israelites rejecting the Lord s Guidance. It would be a nice tidy lesson if at this point we just concentrated on their disobedience. However, in addition to the benefits of studying a historical narrative, it is also included to teach us. We can learn from their experiences and as a result choose a different course of action. Page 7 of 10
While we may chastise the Israelites for rejecting the Lord's Guidance in the face of all they had, we must face the fact that what they had was food, water, clothes, shoes, the tabernacle and God. How much more do we have both materially and spiritually? Yet, we too reject the Lord's Guidance. While we geographically are not in the desert, we also face hard times. Perhaps you have passed through difficult times. Maybe you are in the midst of a wilderness now. Maybe you are just in a spiritually dry place. The facts in these places can be daunting. Maybe there is disease, or a job loss, or damage to your home, or a child who is struggling, or an ill parent, or difficulties in your marriage. The wilderness can be a lonely difficult place. Facts The facts are an accurate accounting of our circumstances. It is perfectly reasonable to review them. It is also acceptable to give some interpretation to them. However, we need to be cautious of exaggerations and overstatements. Fear We like the Israelites can move quickly from facts to interpretation to debilitating fear. Fear can warn us of dangers, but it can also prevent us from doing things we have clear guidance to do. I don t want to minimize the reality of fear. Fear is very very real when we encounter challenges in our lives. It can be an absolutely overwhelming cloud that weighs down our thinking, influences our conversations and relationships, and can move us to rash actions. In this way, fear is a paralyzing as well as unhelpful emotion. Fear is an enemy and can inflict great harm. Commentator Joe Sprinkle notes that fear is the enemy of faith. Perhaps that is why fear is addressed so much in the Bible. A Different Response The Israelites' fear led them to reject the Lord's Guidance. So how can we, even in the wilderness, follow the guidance of the Lord? Realize We Have the Lord's Guidance First, realize that we too have the Lord s Guidance. We have the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We have the full revelation of God through the 66 books of the Bible. We have the Holy Spirit. We have the church. These are all aspects of guidance that the Israelites did not have available to them. However, like them we also have direction and a destination. Similar to God's direction to Moses and the Israelites in Exodus, we are told in 1 Peter 2:9, 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. We also have a specific destination. In John 14: 1-4 Jesus says, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me Page 8 of 10
that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going. Our destination is eternally with God in Heaven. Realize that we like the Israelites have the Lord s Guidance. We also have direction and a destination. Look for Visible Evidence of God s Faithfulness A second way we can follow the guidance of the Lord is to look for the visible evidence of God s faithfulness. The Israelites had manna and the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. They had those grapes as a tangible reminder of God s faithfulness. We also have visible evidence of God s faithfulness. Look around and take inventory. February was a difficult month in the life of our family. My oldest daughter was far way in England. Early in the month she told me she had created a gratitude calendar. It was a simple wall calendar and she determined each day she would write down one thing that she had experienced for which she was thankful. Here is her gratitude calendar. (Calendar) Although cake for breakfast figures prominently, it is a wonderful visual reminder of God s faithfulness. It is also helpful to look at past examples of God s faithfulness. He has a track record, His faithfulness in the past reminds us that he will be faithful in the present. Sprinkle notes that fear can cause us to forget God s past faithfulness. Be Wary of Pitfalls in Your Thinking Third, in our efforts to follow the Lord s Guidance, we should be wary of pitfalls in our thinking. Often we say and think, If God would only tell me what to do then I would do it. However, Biblical examples tell us that is not true. God told Adam and Eve exactly what to do in the garden, they disobeyed. The Israelites knew exactly what God wanted them to do. They disobeyed. Our problem is not a lack of knowing what to do, it is a desire to do it. The Bible doesn t give us an answer for every decision we face, but we often don t even do the things that are clearly outlined. Another pitfall is attributing bad motives to God. Again this has been an issue from the beginning when Satan attacked God s motives for commanding Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit. He tricked them by calling God a liar and saying, 4 You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. 5 For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. The Israelites also attributed bad motives to God. In Numbers 14:3, they complain, Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? They are saying the Lord is just bringing them to the desert for sport. That he merely brought them out just to watch them be killed by their enemies, or to die from traveling in the desert, or so their wives and children could be taken away. It is a huge pitfall to attribute bad motives to God. Page 9 of 10
Remember Rejecting the Lord's Guidance is Costly Finally, to spur us on to obey the Lord s Guidance, we should remember that rejecting the Lord s Guidance is costly. This generation lost so much that could have been theirs. They lost time, purpose, and the gift of the Promised Land. Rejection of the Lord s Guidance is Costly, may we seek always to accept the Lord s Guidance and obey Him. Women s Bible Study is a ministry of Autumn Ridge Church, Rochester, MN 55902 Questions: ouren.jennifer@autumnridgechurch.org or call 507-288-8880 Page 10 of 10