A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 14 (Part 1)

Numbers 14:10-19—10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.  11 Then the LORD said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they." 13 And Moses said to the LORD: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' 17 And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 'The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.' 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now." 

Continuing from last time when we were talking about the people hearing the report of the land and the inhabitants that God promised He would lead them into. Twelve spies were sent and they brought back a cluster of grapes that they had to put it on a pole and carry it between two men because it was so big. But the sons of Anak were in the land, and the sons of Anak were so large (they were giants) that the spies seemed like grasshoppers in comparison. And ten of the spies convinced the entire camp that they would be better off going back to Egypt and being slaves again. But there were two—Joshua and Caleb—who knew that God is God and if He promises something, He will bring it to pass. Numbers 14:7-9—7 "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." Yet what did the people do? Did they believe Joshua’s words? Did they believe that YHVH was strong and mighty and would deliver them into the land He had promised to them? Did they think on all the manifold works that God had done in them and for them to bring them out of Egypt and into the good land? 

No. What did they do? All the congregation said to stone them with stones. They did not want to do the hard thing. They did not want to perform the task that God had laid out for them. They had become like the wicked men of Sodom, pressing hard against Lot’s door, despite the fact that the Angel of the Lord had blinded them (Genesis 19:11) desiring the strange flesh which God would deliver out of their hands. “Well, that’s pretty harsh of you to say”, you might respond. But is it? In both cases, God had performed a mighty work and those witnessing it and being caught up in it still did not believe that God is God. They were caught up in the sin of unbelief. What’s that you ask? “Is unbelief really sin?” Yes, yes it is. Hebrews 3:12—Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. Unbelief is the evidence of a wicked and sinful heart, one that does not believe in the True and Living God. Think of when Jesus had fed the multitude in John 6. Many believed in Him, but some did not. Those that did not merely thought of Him as a guy that could give them a free meal. Which is why they came back to Him the next day. John 6:26—“Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” They didn’t want Jesus; they only wanted the stuff He could give them. And He tells them as much. And He cuts to their heart with a stinging rebuke in John 6:36—“But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.” Just like these people who had defeated the Amalekites when Moses lifted his hands and had seen manna fall from the sky and seen water burst out of a rock and had seen Him burn up the outskirts of the camp when they grumbled and had seen Hin bring out so many quail in a day. They saw these things but they did not believe that He could defeat their enemies and bring them into the Promised Land. 

But Joshua and Caleb believed. And what was their reward for believing God? All the congregation said to stone them with stones. Many times we see that when men of God stand up for our Almighty Lord, they are subject to mocking and ridicule. They did it to Joshua and Caleb. They did it to Nehemiah. They did it to our Lord Jesus. In the Book of Acts, they did it to Stephen. Acts 7:57-58—57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. They did not want to hear that they were sinful men and that Jesus could deliver them from their bondage to sin. So they plugged their ears and cried out so they wouldn’t have to hear Stephen’s indictment of them, and they could go on trying to establish their own righteousness. And they killed him. Much like what the people were trying to do here. They lifted up a cry to block out the words of the faithful men and purposed in their hearts to kill them so they could go back to Egypt and live under the tyrannical rule of Pharaoh and his taskmasters. But isn’t that the case so many times? The unrighteous unbelievers don’t want to hear about the goodness of God, for they think they are good people, and they will be just fine without God. They would rather live under their slavery to sin than under the slavery to Almighty God, who is the perfect Master. Of these people, John Wesley wrote many years ago:

 

When they reflected upon God, his glory appeared not, to silence their blasphemies: but when they threatened Caleb and Joshua, they touched the apple of his eye, and his glory appeared immediately. They who faithfully expose themselves for God are sure of his special provision.

 So what is God’s response? “I’m gonna wipe out all these sons of Abraham, and I’ll make of you, Moses, the progenitor of a new people” (Numbers 14:11-12). This is the second time He has told Moses He was going to do this. We saw last time that He said pretty much the same thing in Exodus 32. Would God have been righteous and just to wipe them all out without saying anything, without a warning? Of course. Would He have been righteous and just to wipe out all of humanity without saying anything, without a warning? Of course. We are all sinful creatures, born sinners as soon as we open the matrix. Job says this many times. Job 5:7—“Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” Job 14:1—“Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Job 25:4—“How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?” Many other times we read of this concept. Psalm 51:5—Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. In His promise to never flood the Earth again, God Himself acknowledges this. Genesis 8:21—Then the LORD said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.” Paul writes of the inherent sinfulness of man in Romans 3 and in Romans 5. There is no escaping it, there is no denying the fact that man is a sinful creature from birth, and deserves nothing but death. We do not deserve grace, we do not deserve mercy, and we certainly did not deserve Jesus. As I have said in the past, and will say for all the time I have on this Earth, you do not want God to be “fair”. 

And Moses understands this. He knows that this is a stiff-necked people, he knows that their hearts are going to go astray and they will forget the goodness of God. He knows that they will always drift away from God, never remembering the good He has done before, only thinking of the difficult tasks He has for them to do. He knows that rather than trusting God, they will be afraid of doing that which He has called them to do and always clamor to go back to the “safety” of their times as slaves in Egypt. And he “reminds” God of this. Moses tells God that if He wipes the people out, then the heathens will hear about it and mock Him. Numbers 14:15-16—“15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.'” And don’t the enemies of God always look for something to blame Him for? They always look for some way to mock Him or blame Him for some evil that happens somewhere in the world. And the enemies of God in Egypt would have been beside themselves if God had wiped out the people, thinking that He could not deliver them to the land that He had promised to them. And this was Moses’ only thought: the glory of God. 

Then he says in Numbers 14:18-19—18 “'The LORD is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.' 19 Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” God is indeed longsuffering and patient and is willing to forgive. But many people today think that God is so kind and He is all love, love, love, and that He would NEVER send ANYBODY to Hell. But He by no means clears the guilty. What is the purpose of Hell? Is it just God throwing a temper tantrum because somebody ate shrimp or wore a dress that was a cotton/polyester blend? No. The reason that someone is sent to Hell is because they were sinners who did not think that they were sinners and never asked for their sins to be forgiven. Or, that they did confess that they were sinners, asked forgiveness, and then continued on in their sins, never repenting. The reason people are sent to Hell is so God can show how much He hates sin, that He will send those who commit sin there to burn because He so despises sin. In other words, Hell exists to glorify God. Just as Heaven exists to glorify God by rewarding those who have called out to Jesus for forgiveness and have repented of their sin, and confess that they are not worthy of forgiveness, and that they fall short of the perfection God calls us to (Matthew 5:48). So how do we know we have attained to that perfection? If we have love for one another. John 13:35—“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” What does love look like? Is it the mushy, squishy, butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of love that a man has toward a woman he is in love with? No. Paul gives us an outline of what love is in 1^st Corinthians 13:4-7—4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love is putting the needs of another before your own. Love is being patient with the older person in the store that is blocking you from getting down the aisle, knowing that one day you too may be old and infirm and will need the same courtesy shown to you. Love is letting it go when someone cuts in front of you in traffic, knowing that tomorrow it will not matter one whit. Love is not getting steamed when the restaurant messes up your order, remembering that it is only by the grace of God that you are eating that day. “I asked for no tomato!” So you’re upset that you got more food to eat? Just take it off your burger. 

Love is the root of the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:37-40—37 "'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." If you love God, you will not worship other gods, you will not take His name in vain, and you will not bow down to idols. If you love your neighbor, you will not kill them, you will not steal from them, you will not lie to or about them, you will not covet their things. You will only want what is best for them. Like Paul. You can almost fell his heartache and anguish he feels toward his fellow Israelites that do not know Christ. Romans 9:2-4—2 I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites… Willing to be cast into the flames of torment if only his fellow countrymen would be renewed in Christ. You ask what love is? THAT is love! That is the same kind of love that Moses shows for these stiff-necked people, that God should not do away with them, but as he also pled with God before in Exodus 32:32, that if God would not forgive these people, that God should blot him out from the Book of Life. 

Numbers 14:20-23—20 Then the LORD said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD—22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it.” I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again—God is a God of patience. Any one of us would have struck these people down with a snap of our fingers and blotted out any memory of them forever. But we are not God. God’s patience is infinite, and if you exhaust it, well, you have done something severe. Ten times—ten times—the people put God’s patience to the test, and finally He says “ENOUGH! That is the last time you will try my patience! I have put up with you this long, but no longer.” Now, rather than spend a lot of time going over all the times the people tested God’s patience, I will simply list them here: 

1. Exodus 14:11-12 (at the Red Sea, fleeing from Pharaoh)
2. Exodus 15:23 (bitter water at Marah)
3. Exodus 16:2 (no food in the Wilderness of Sin)
4. Exodus 16:20 (keeping manna until the morning)
5. Exodus 16:27 (trying to gather manna on the Sabbath)
6. Exodus 17:1 (no water at Rephidim)
7. Exodus 32:4 (The Golden Calf)
8. Numbers 11:1 (murmuring at Taberah)
9. Numbers 11:4 (The Quail Incident)
10. Numbers 13-14 (The report of the ten spies) 

Time and time and time and time again, the people grumbled against God, time and time and time and time again they questioned God’s ability to provide for them, and time and time and time and time again they questioned God’s reasons for bringing them out of their bondage in Egypt. Yet sometimes we do the same thing. We have a perfectly content life, with a happy little spouse in a happy little neighborhood with happy little kids and we go to work at our happy little office, then we come home and put our happy little family in our happy little car, then go out to eat at a happy little restaurant and eat our happy little food. All the while ignoring God, never once thinking of Him and all the good He has done in our life, taking everything He has given us for granted. Day after day we may give Him some lip service, thankful that we are not like those disgusting poor people. “Thank God I’m not like them!” Like the Pharisee who said he was glad he was “not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector” (Luke 18:11). They may, at the very least, ignore Him. Or they may, at worst, sneer at Him and claim that they have gotten what they have gotten by the sweat of their own brow, and they have never needed any God to help them. So they go on with their happy little life. Then one day they come to the end and there they are, standing before the very God who gave them their happy little life, and they stand naked and exposed before the Ruler of all Creation, covered with the filth of their sins, and are sent away from His presence for all eternity. 

On the other hand, there are some who feel God tugging at their heart. They get a feeling that they may be called to more than just this happy little life. They know it is Jesus pulling them away from themselves, but at first they just don’t want to let go. They like their happy little life and they don’t want to give it up. Then one day they are overwhelmed, and they give in and cry out “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!” A wave of relief like none they’ve ever known before comes over them, and they stand up a brand new person. Then they tell their spouse. And they get a reaction. “What, so you’ve found God? Well, good for you. But I like my life and I’m not going to give it up!” So the spouse puts up with this “new phase” the person is going through, but they will figure out a way to squash it. Just like the ten cowardly spies who tried to convince the people that they should just go back to Egypt. But sometimes, when the God denier starts out to quench the Holy Spirit, they actually come to find God as well. Lee Strobel is an illustration of this. He was an atheist, and one day his agnostic wife got saved. Well, he was an investigative journalist, and wasn’t going to put up with his wife being a Christian. So he set out to debunk her beliefs. Well, you’ll never guess what happened. In researching the claims of Christ and His resurrection, he found these claims were true. And he is now one of the foremost apologists for the Christian faith. All because his wife listened to the prompting of God and believed that He is who He says He is. And she had a husband who was trained to investigate things, and did some digging into God and His Son’s claims, and now he goes around debunking those who doubt God. Here is a quote from Lee Strobel:

 

“In short, I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following Him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved His divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following Him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take.”

 Believing God and going where He calls us is the most rational and logical step we could possibly take. Do not test God another day. You know, even if you don’t want to believe, that He is real and wants you to be in His presence for all eternity. Do not put Him off one more day. Repent and believe the Gospel!

Part 2 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 13 (Part 2)

Numbers 13:20-25—21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. They were sent to the north to the Wilderness of Zin (not to be confused with the Wilderness of Sin) in the Negev desert in the southern part of Canaan, and even went as far as Rehob, which lay in the northern area of what we now know as the country of Israel, that would later be given to the tribe of Asher, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee (what was then called the Sea of Chinnereth). Hebron is located on the west side of the Dead Sea, just south of Jerusalem. So this was no small undertaking. There were many mountains to climb, and much desert to traverse. And they did not know the area, though they had Hobab the Midianite with them (the land of Midian was across the Gulf of Aqaba from where they were camped, to the east). But the area they were sent to was probably foreign even to him. 

But here’s the thing: they went. They didn’t know where they were going, they didn’t know who or what they may encounter, they didn’t know if the land would be smooth or rugged. All they knew was they were sent. Just as Abram was called to leave Ur of the Chaldees, believing God and God counted it to him for righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Does God often call people to go to a place they do not know? He called William Cary to preach to the people of India and he went. He called Jim Elliott to take the gospel to the Waodoni people in Peru, and he went. He called Hudson Taylor to take the gospel to China. He called David Livingstone to go to the depths of Africa. He called John Allen Chau to go to the Sentinel Islands, and he was martyred before he even set foot on the land. Did these know what they would encounter? Did they know whether they would live or die or have food or lodging? But here’s the thing: they went when they were called. Just as Samuel (1st Samuel 3:4) and Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8), who said “Here am I”. And when God the Father sent His Son to live amongst His Creation—the very Creation that Christ created (John 1:3)—the Son said “Here I am. Send Me”. And the Son of God stepped down into this world, made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant (Philippians 2:7), consented to being mocked and scourged and ultimately became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). 

So the spies brought back grapes and pomegranates and showed that the land was good, that there was food in abundance. Great news, right? Well, yes…and no. See in verse 22 where it says Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. The Anakim (from צַֽנָק, Anak, “neck”) were a Cushite tribe, and were (according to all accounts) a long-necked people. But that was not their only distinguishing characteristic. They were also reckoned to be giants. So yes, while the land itself may have been good for growing and producing food, there were giants in the land (we will see more about this later). Now, who might have been descended from these Giants? Well, it doesn’t say so explicitly in Scripture, but we can deduce from certain verses of one in particular. It says in Joshua 11:22—None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. We know of at least one giant (and his brother) that came from Gath, and his name was Goliath (1st Samuel 17:4). We also know one ruddy, read-haired shepherd from Ramah (about 5 miles northwest of Jerusalem) who did not fear going against this Anakim with just five smooth stones in a sling. 

But remember, these folks in Numbers were not brave people. “Oh no! Giants! We must go back to Egypt!” Numbers 13:27-32—27 Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan." 30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it." 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 

This is a theme we see over and over in the journey from Egypt to Canaan. Some trial befalls the people, they think it is too much to bear, and they cry out “Let’s go back to Egypt!” It’s why Moses has his little meltdown in Numbers 11:11. I don’t think anybody wouldn’t get frustrated by a people who time and again see the mighty works of God and shrink back at some trial of their faith. But again, they forgot Who was fighting for them. Remember the passage from Exodus 17 I quoted earlier? About their battle with the Amalekites? How did they win that battle? By their own strength? No, not by their own strength. Exodus 17:11—And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. So it wasn’t by their might or strength or numbers that they defeated the armies of Amalek. It was when the man of God lifted up his hands in praise of God. Keil & Delitzsch say well that ”from this Israel was to learn the lesson, that in all its conflicts with the ungodly powers of the world, strength for victory could only be procured through the incessant lifting up of its hands in prayer.” How could a motley bunch of slaves defeat an army that had trained in battle? How could one smooth stone from a river have pierced Goliath’s helmet? How could a man rise from the grave and enter the Holy of Holies in the Heavens if God was not in Him? Can you overcome sin by your sinful self? Can you defeat the roaring lion that seeks whom he may devour (1st Peter 5:8) in your own strength? No, it is impossible. Even the Apostle Peter could not have returned to Christ is Jesus did not intercede for him. Luke 22:31-32—31 "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." Interesting note here. In verse 31, “you” is plural in the Greek, but in verse 32 is singular. Jesus gave the Apostles over to the Adversary, but said He was praying for Peter. Why? Because He knew that even though Peter was considered the chief Apostle, Peter could not (and would not) overcome him. What does Jesus say? “I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” And why does He say this to Peter only? Because He knew that with all of his bravado and bluster, Peter was a man. A man like any other man. Acts 10:25-26—25 As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, "Stand up; I myself am also a man." 

We can do nothing of our own when it comes to spiritual things. You cannot convince someone to believe that Christ is Lord apart from the Holy Spirit working on them to change their heart to be ready to do so. You cannot win spiritual battles with your earthly mind or body. Satan is too strong and too smart. And the people of Israel could not defeat their enemies by themselves. Their enemies were too strong and too smart. The people of Israel were sheep. They were not to march into the Promised Land in their might and vigor. God told them He would lead them into the land. They had to be led. And He led them to the Promised Land by a mighty man of God, and later led them through the Promised Land by the hand of a mighty man of battle. 

Even David understood this centuries later when he wrote the Psalms. Psalm 44:1-3—1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, the deeds You did in their days, in days of old: 2 You drove out the nations with Your hand, but them You planted; You afflicted the peoples, and cast them out. 3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them. But the people of Israel did not remember this. They thought they had to fight their battles on their own. They forgot that the Lord of all Creation was on their side, and would not let them perish, lest the heathens raise a report that God could not save His people, that He was too weak, that He was a (little-g) god like the ones they bowed themselves to, that could do nothing for them. When the people convinced Aaron to make the Golden Calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai and God was going to wipe them out, Moses pled for the people thus in Exodus 32:9-14—9 And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation." 11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: "LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" 14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. When a trial comes your way, when your faith seems small, when it feels as though you are all alone, remember that you DO have a friend, and His name is Jesus—the Word made flesh—and the Holy Spirit which dwells within you, that you may remember that it is not only in this life that we have hope, but in Christ we have eternal life.

 Though Satan should buffet

Though trials may come

Let this blest assurance control

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate

And hath shed His own blood for my soul

 These are the words of a man who lost his wife and children in a shipwreck. And as he himself passed the very spot where their ship went down, he confessed that Jesus was his only hope. He went on to say this: 

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought

My sin, not in part, but the whole

Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh, my soul! 

Numbers 13:33-14:9—33 There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." 14:1 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return to Egypt." 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.' 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them." I include these verses because it flows better that way, and almost completes the thoughts of chapter 13. And actually, almost all of Numbers 14 is a continuation of Numbers 13. 

Now, I want to point out a phrase in Numbers 13:33—the descendants of Anak came from the giants. What giants? Well, for one thing, they were obviously not the giants who were destroyed in Noah’s flood, for they were all wiped out. We don’t know much about Anak’s ancestors, but we do read about his progeny and descendants (like Goliath and his brother Lahmi, [1st Chronicles 20:5]). They were men of considerable size and stature. And when a skeptic tries to say they were fictional or made up, consider the Greek myth of a man called Anax. According to the Greek myth, Anax was a giant who lived in the area of Lydia, in what was formerly known as Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). Asia Minor is just north of the area where the Anakim lived, and Greece is just miles from Turkey. Do the math, and it is plain to see that the Lydian (later Greek) myth of the giant Anax is derived from the biblical story of Anak. But that’s just a coincidence, right? 

Okay, moving on. In verses 2-4, the people are afraid they are going to die at the hands of these men that make the people look like grasshoppers. And they cry out in a way similar to the way many today cry out when a trial comes upon them they think they cannot bear. Numbers 14:2-4—2 "If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?…4 Let us select a leader and return to Egypt."  Does this not sound like us at times? We can’t overcome some situation, so let us call on our former master and return to living in our former ways, that we may get through this situation and be subject to that former master, forgetting the stripes that former master laid on our backs. “The bills are due and the money is tight. Maybe I should do this thing that I used to love, that I now hate, so we can get through it. I’ll repent tomorrow.” Friend, if you have God on your side, you can get through. It may require you to give up something you love, you may have to move into a smaller dwelling, you may need to drive an older car, you may need to scrimp and save and not eat as well as you do now, but God will get you through it. 

“But people will talk about us and laugh at us.” Was this Nehemiah’s concern when he set his mind to rebuild Jerusalem? When Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem sneered at him and told him he was crazy for thinking that he and the rest of the people could rebuild what had been torn down? No. Nehemiah 2:19-20—19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, "What is this thing that you are doing? Will you rebel against the king?" 20 So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem." Nehemiah knew that God was with him, to reestablish God’s name in the city where He had placed His name. Why? It was not so Nehemiah could be thought of as a great man and have his name etched into the walls of the city, and have his memory remembered forever. It was for the same reason Joshua and Caleb set their hearts on leading the people into the Promised Land—simply for the glory of God. And Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem had no right to partake of the city where God placed His name. But if we know Christ as Lord and Savior, we do! Robert Hawker—

 

Men may despise and laugh God’s people to scorn; but the day of decision must come; and an awful decision it will be. Reader! have you the smallest, even but the smallest evidence, that you love God’s cause and God’s people, though you fear you have no portion, no interest, no right or memorial among them? Let this comfort and encourage your soul. None ever truly loved the cause of Jesus, and the people of Jesus, but secretly loved Jesus himself. And John was authorized by the Holy Ghost to mark this down as a standing cause of comfort, when higher evidences were wanting; We know (says he) that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren (1st John 3:4). 

FB Meyer—

Whenever God’s work revives, there is sure to be evil-speaking and reproach. It is a mistake to reply. Let us hand over our cause to God, and go on with His work. It matters very little what men say, as long as He is pleased. 

Let us be like Joshua and Caleb. Let us not see our enemy as one against whom we appear as grasshoppers, but one whom, against God, appears to be a grasshopper. Let us not fear to take hold of the things God has promised, to shrink back at the first sign of trouble and sink into the Slough of Despond. There is nothing greater than God, not our fortunes or our wealth and especially not our enemy, which God cast out of Heaven and fell as lightning to the earth. For all his claims were “I will…I will…I will…” But let all our claims always be “BUT GOD”. 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Numbers 13 (Part 1)

Numbers 13:1-3, 16-20—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them." 3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel…16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. 17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains,  18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 

So the people of Israel have arrived at the Wilderness of Paran, which was in the land of Canaan. But they do not know the land or what is contained therein. These are people who had lived in Egypt all their lives, then came out and dwelt at Mt. Sinai for a couple years, and now they are in a place they have never been and know nothing about. So they must go out and see what resources are available and what dangers there may be that may come upon them. Now, before we go too deep into the text, I want to touch on what it says in verse 16. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua. This is one of those verses that just seems oddly juxtaposed. Well, let’s address it. Because it is one of those places where a skeptic of Scripture could say “he was already called Joshua, why does it say this here?” Well, yes, we do see him called Joshua 7 times in Exodus. But this is no hard thing to reckon, as the entirety of the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy, was written by Moses. It is easy to reckon that he was called Hoshea (עַשֵוֹח, "salvation") by his family, but Moses reckoned his name Joshua (or “Jehoshua”, עַוּשׁוֺה י, “YHVH is salvation”). Why would he think this? Why would he say that this man should be the salvation from God? After all, it was Moses who would lead the people into the Promised Land. Perhaps Moses didn’t know that he would forfeit the honor of leading the people into the Promised Land, and that this Joshua would be the man to do that. Perhaps it was the name that God laid on his heart to give to Hoshea, knowing the things that would later transpire. 

Now, on with the text of this passage. The people had known little of battle, save it was their encounter with the Amalekites in Exodus 17: 8-13, when Moses sat upon the rock and his hands were lifted up by Aaron and Hur, and God gave them victory over their foes. So the people were unsure if they would be able to defeat any foes that came against them. They were not, at this time, a people of war. But they forgot one thing: God had promised to bring them into a land that He would give them. And if He promises something, it will come to pass. So although they would do the fighting, it was God who would give them victory. We see this so many times in Scripture. Like when David went out to fight Goliath. Here was a shepherd boy, with no experience in warfare, going out to fight a man of war from his youth (1st Samuel 17:33). A man 4 whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze (1st Samuel 17:4-5). Yet David knew that even though Goliath was a huge man, whose armor was impenetrable and whose weapons were grand, that his strength and weapons were no match for the might of God. In fact, David understood that the fight was not about human strength, but about those who belonged to God versus those who opposed God. “this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God” (1st Samuel 17:36). Thus, he knew that he was not fighting against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  And what did he say? What words did David have, a poor shepherd boy who was to go against this giant with all the armor and weapons of war? “All this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands” (1st Samuel 17:47). He would say again in Psalm 20:7—Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. And we will see a bit later that even in the Wilderness of Paran, the people had forgotten that God was on their side. And If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) 

So they were most likely camped at Ezion-Gaber, which was at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and to the west of the land of Edom. And it is from here that Moses sends men to spy out the land to see how bountiful it was. Numbers 3:17-20—17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes. 

They were sent to learn whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many. They had to know what the people were like who lay ahead of them, and what kind of hardships they may encounter because of them. The land was promised to them by God, but they did not know what kind of travails they may come across. But one thing was certain: they had God on their side, and whatever struggles they might face from the people, God would fight for them. So many times in our lives, we do not know what God has in store for us. We do not know the trials He has planned for us. But one thing we do know: If God is for us, who can be against us? We know that when any test or temptation comes against us from our enemy, if we trust in God, He will lead us through it. It may not be easy in our eyes, our faith may be stretched to the limit, but we need not fear if God is on our side. We need to look no further than the martyrs of the early Church. Under Roman rule, they knew their lives were in danger every day. Paul said 30 And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1st Corinthians 15:30-31). He was ready to die any day, for he ran as one who seeks a crown. John did not fear being boiled in oil. Peter did not shy away from being crucified, and even requested to be crucified upside down. For a fuller accounting, I would refer you to Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, where you will find stories of horrific persecution, the likes of which your mind could not even fathom. And all these gained an eternal crown for fighting giants of earthly power. 

The spies were sent to learn whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds. It would have been of no profit for the people to sojourn to the land if they could not live there. In the people’s case, they were better off than was Abram. He was called by God to come out of Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 11:29, 31, Exodus 6:8) to dwell in Canaan, having no inkling of what awaited him there. Would the land be tillable and fertile? Were there bandits who would rob him of all he owned? Would there be vile men who would abuse him and his family? These things he did not know. But one thing he did know: God called him to go there, so he must go. And God promised him that He would make of Abram a great nation. And we know that if God promises something, He will make it come to pass. 

The spies were sent to learn whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. If they could not grow their own food, how could they survive? If there were not forests, how could they have timber with which to build houses? If this were the case, they could almost be excused for their grumbling, that “God has brought us out here to die!” But that is not God. He does not bring the people into an area to kill them. No, He brings them into an area to bless them. But really, was there any doubt? Might Moses have been questioning God’s faithfulness in having sent out these spies? God already told them, in Leviticus 23:10—“When you come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.” He told Moses that when he came into the land that God had promised, they would gather a harvest. Did Moses not believe? Had the complaining of the people gotten to him that his faith was shaken? Or perhaps it was Moses’ aim for the people to see that the land to which God was sending the people was a good land, flowing with milk and honey (Leviticus 20:24), and that God would provide for them, as He provided manna and quails and all sorts of other good things to quell their complaining. 

Which is why Moses charged them, saying “Be of good courage”. A charge that Joshua would later lay at the people’s feet in Joshua 1:9—“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua expands on Moses’ command, telling the people that God would be with them wherever you go. It is a promise that we still have today, that God is with us. Isaiah 7:14—Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (עִמָּנוּאֵל, Immanuel, “God with us”), a promise repeated in Matthew 1:23, showing that Matthew 1:21 was the fulfillment of the Isaiah prophecy. And what do we read in Matthew 1:21—“And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus (Ιησοΰυς, Iesous [Jesus], “YHVH is salvation”), for He will save His people from their sins.” If we are in Christ, then God is always with us, for Christ is God. It then goes without saying, that if we are in Christ, then we are in God. We need never be afraid of sin, for Jesus has already overcome sin and death. We fight many battles in this life here on Earth, and most of those are not easy battles. We may battle with our boss, or a coworker. We may argue with our spouse, or the mechanic. We may even be in a dispute with the government. Or maybe we will be called upon one day by our government to renounce the name of Christ or face jail, loss of a job or our house, or even be put to death. Think about the Christians currently in India. According to tradition, the Apostle Thomas was the first to preach the gospel there, an undertaking for which he was put to death. Things have not changed much there in 2000 years. The latest figure shows that only 2.4% of the population of India identifies as Christian. Many have had their homes burned, their families slain, their churches burned. And yet they continue on. They have taken to heart the call of Moses to Be of good courage. They press on, knowing their reward will be great with God (Hebrews 10:35). 

“And bring some of the fruit of the land.” The people were always looking for something visible, something tangible, to know that God was real and He was with them. They were not going to believe unless they could see it with their own eyes. So Moses commands them to bring back something the people can see and feel and touch. Something the people can point to and say “Yes, it is a good land.” Even though God had done all these things to them and for them, they still had to be convinced by sight. Were the Jews millennia later any different? They had their Messiah right in front of them, He was doing many signs and wonders before their eyes, and what did they ask him? Matthew 12:38—Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." Wait a minute. He has raised the dead, cleansed lepers, healed the lame, and done all sorts of other miracles, and they were asking for a sign? Much like with the people in the wilderness, to whom God could not have given any greater evidence that He was God, so now with the Pharisees Jesus could not have given any clearer evidence that He was the Christ of God! And Jesus tells them as much, and lays even higher the heap of accusations against them. Matthew 12:39—“An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign”, almost as if He is comparing them to those whom Moses brought out of Egypt. 

Even the Apostle Thomas, after being told of the Resurrection, sought after a sign. John 20:25—The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And yet, Jesus did not call him “evil and adulterous”. Why? Because he knew that Jesus was the Christ, testified of Jesus, and believed Him to be the Messiah. You see, God deals with each person as an individual. Those who did not believe in Jesus, and sought a sign as a way to cast doubt upon Him, were indeed “evil and adulterous”. But Thomas, one of those whom Christ called to be one of His, found it hard to believe that God had raised Him from the dead. Why? Because, as he was also called “Didymus” (Greek Δίδυμος, “two-fold”) was so-called, most likely, due to being “either in the highest realms of bliss or in a state of lowest dejection” (Paul Kretzmann). And Jesus knew that and understood that. Just as He knew Peter would return to Him after denying Him, although it took some prodding on our Lord’s part for him to understand that (see John 21:15-17). But what does Jesus tell Thomas once He shows him the prints of the nails and the wound where the spear entered? John 20:29—“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” A lesson these people could greatly use. They would hardly believe even though they had seen.

 

Part 2 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.