Numbers 14:39-45,
“When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people mourned
greatly. (40) And they rose early in the morning and went
up to the heights of the hill country, saying, "Here we are. We will go up
to the place that the LORD has promised, for we have sinned." (41)
But Moses said, "Why now are you transgressing the command of the
LORD, when that will not succeed? (42) Do not go up, for the Lord is not among you,
lest you be struck down before your enemies.
(43) For there the Amalekites and
the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you
have turned back from following the LORD, the LORD will not be with you." (44)
But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although
neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the
camp. (45) Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who
lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even
to Hormah.”
Numbers 14 goes
from bad, worse to worst! The people of Israel continue on in their deliberate
and defiant disobedience of God, and on this occasion had the audacity to think
that it was obedience. Even when Moses clearly warns them against going and attempting
to take the land, they ignore his warning and continue on their way. The text
makes it clear that God was not with them as they went out to battle. We are
told that Moses, their leader, and the ark of the covenant, which was a symbol
of God’s presence, remained in the camp. The people went out in their own
strength and in stubborn disobedience.
On this occasion
they would learn the cost of disobedience in blood, for they were defeated and
chased off. We are not told how many people died, nor how many were injured in
battle, but blood was shed, lives were lost.
Numbers 14
teaches us many truths, and one of those truths which it shouts out to us is
that disobedience is not just deadly, but it also leads to death. Living and
walking in disobedience will lead us straight into the jaws of death, and
having claimed our lives, we will then face the eternal judgement of God,
suffering eternal death in hell. When it comes to God there is no room for
disobedience, God doesn’t work with varying shades of grey, it is black or
white, obedience or disobedience. The people of Israel had wrongly presumed
that if they obeyed God now and went up to take the land, God would ignore,
turn a blind eye to their previous disobedience, and be pleased by their
current obedience and willingness and therefore bless them.
What has led to
this change of heart? If only it were a change of heart! The people of Israel
have heard what the consequences will be for their rebellion and disobedience,
and it was far from pleasant. They will never enter into the Promised Land and they
will all die in the wilderness. This is far from the fairy tale ending they had
hoped to enjoy, life in a land flowing with milk and honey. Realising the consequences
and eager to escape them, they presume they can redeem themselves by being
obedient now.
Some may think
that God is being harsh and ungracious, why not accept their obedience and set
them free from His coming punishment? The fact is this, the people of Israel
are rebellious, they have not truly served God nor been faithful to their
covenant promises, and they never will be. Their hearts are hard, they are
stubborn and defiant. God has been gracious and patient on numerous occasions,
He has relented and restrained His hand of judgement several times. But now the
time of grace has passed, an ungrateful, stubborn, defiant and rebellious
nation are being handed over to their sinful disobedience, which will lead to
their eventual death and eternal judgement.
For those of us
who claim we are true believers in Jesus Christ, it is important for us to take
note of the disobedience of the people of Israel, their slowness to obey and
the many times they tested God. We need to compare it to the example of Christ,
who was humble, submissive and quick to obey, it was His delight to do the will
and work of God the Father. Having compared these two we need to understand the
importance, benefit and blessing of obedience and how destructive and deadly
disobedience is. We should also be careful to avoid delayed obedience, as many
others have said in the past, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.”
There is great
joy, peace and blessing to be found in obedience. Joy and peace because we know
that we are listening to God and to His Word and are responding with obedience,
which leads us to peace as we will not live in fear of God’s judgement or discipline.
Instead we can look forward to receiving the blessings that come through our
obedience. Numbers 14 urges us to be on our guard against disobedience,
stubborn defiance, rebellion and the rejection of God. It reveals to us the
great dangers of doubting God, calling God’s character, attributes and promises
into question, and to just how sinister and sinful it is to accuse God of evil.
Let us keep a
close watch on our lives so that we don’t develop this same attitude, instead
let us look to Christ as our great example of what obedience looks like. Let us
walk in that example for the glory of God and for our eternal good and reward.
Lord Jesus Christ thank You that You were entirely
obedient to the will of God the Father. Thank You that through Your obedience
we now have salvation. We know that You have called us to be obedient to You
and Your Word, yet we are slow to hear and obey. Many times we resist Your will
and choose to go our own way. Forgive us for our many disobediences, may You
help us to see the joy, peace and blessing that comes through obedience to You.
May we follow faithfully in the example set for us by Christ. Amen.
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