Numbers 13 and 14

Numbers 13 and 14 tells the story of the spies going into the land God had promised Israel and the results of the report that the spies brought back.  In this story we find the reason why the Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years.  In chapter 13 Moses sends out the spies.  They spent 40 days exploring the land.  The fact is it had been just over 2 years sense they left Egypt.  They had been in the desert longer then was intended already for their disobedience.  The Israelites were just outside the area that God had promised them. This is evident by the fact that they sent spies in.  Today in the Army we call them scouts.  They look at the terrain and the enemy and send information back to the command so the command can make a decision on how to assault.  Such was the purpose of these spies.

We see in Chapter 13 that the reports start off being pretty positive.  It is a land that flows with milk and honey and they even brought back some fruit to show.  It was exciting until some of the spies began to talk about the people.  They began to complain about the people that lived in the land.  Saying that they were too big and too strong for the Israelites to take on.  The only dissenters were Caleb and Joshua who told the people that in spite of the challenges they were more then capable to take the land.

The other spies began to spread lies and rumors among the people to cause them to turn against Moses, and not believe Caleb and Joshua.

Chapter 14 tells the results of the turmoil these spies caused as they spread their lies.  It got to a point that they wanted to stone Moses and Aaron.  God was ready to slaughter them all.  Moses once again steps in and tells God if he kills them, all that God did before will be seening as worthless among the people of the promise land and Egypt.  The Israelites would be dead several times over had Moses not continued to step in.  Prayer does make a difference.

God forgives but the consequence for the peoples actions is that they will not take possession of the promised land.  God tells Moses to turn around and head back into the desert.  Anyone 20 or older would not live to see the land.  The exception to this is Joshua and Caleb.  God says in verse 28 that he will do to the Israelites what they said would happen to them.  The children of these adults would be the ones to take over the land.

The men sent to explore the land died instantly because they had made the whole community complain, only Joshua and Caleb survived.

Application

The odds may seem overwhelming in your flesh but when God has said he will give you something he will give it to you.  If he has called you to a place he will take you through to the finish.  When we look at the circumstances instead of the blessings.  When we allow the bad to blind us to what God promises we lose out.  It is okay to have doubts we all do but if you trust God and head in the direction he has asked he will take care of the giants in the land.

We also need to be careful what we ask for.  We may just get it.  When you get what you have asked for you have no right to complain.  God does not give us junk.  If you lack confidence and lack trust in God doing what he siad he would do you may find yourself doing what an old song says, “Take another lap around mount Zion, until you learn  your lesson."  Do not take another lap around the desert.  Trust that God will lead  you in to the promise land and will take care of the giants of the land.