Saturday, April 12, 2014

What was the provocation at Kadesh-Barnea and how did God respond? 542 - 4 - 7

Either you trust in God or you don’t. It is very difficult for me to understand why the Israeli kept doubting God’s Word! God had called down plague after plague on pharaoh and his people. God parted the Red Sea to allow the Israeli save passage and then closed it upon the Egyptians. Imagine walking between two walls of sea and then doubting God.
Before the Israeli were to enter the Promised Land Moses sent in twelve spies, Caleb of the tribe of Judah, Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim and ten men representing the other twelve tribes of Israel. 
Upon their return Celeb and Joshua brought their good report.
Numbers 13:7-9, “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. 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. 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.”
Celeb and Joshua may have coined the popular expression, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
The other ten spies disagreed.
Numbers 13:32-33, “And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”
So the Israeli turned on Moses and refused to enter the Promise Land. Clearly God was angry.
Numbers 14:11-12, “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? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.”
Moses may have been slow of speech but he talked fast and connived God to downplay His wrath. God proclaimed that only those 20 years of age and younger and Celeb and Joshua would enter the Promised Land, as for the rest of the Israeli, Number 14:32, “But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.”
Pride and doing it our way can certainly be our undoing. The Israeli decided to enter the Promise Land against the advice of Moses. Numbers 14:41-42, “And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the Lord? but it shall not prosper. Go not up, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.” And smitten they were.

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