The Book Of NUMBERS
Numbers 21:8 "And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole:
and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live."
CHAPTER 13: Shortly after arriving in the wilderness of Paran, the Israelites set up camp at Kadesh-barnea. (v.26) (See map below, courtesy of Logos.) (Numbers 20:16, 32:8, 33:36, Deuteronomy 1:19, Joshua 14:6) Kadesh is a desert oasis about 50 miles southwest of Beer-sheba. It’s where Abraham stopped during his journeys to and from Egypt (Genesis 20:1), and it’s also in this same area that God appeared to Hagar after she had been cast out of Abraham’s household the first time. (Genesis 16:7, 14) Here also is where Miriam dies and is buried. (Numbers 20:1) Verses 1-3: Even though it says here that God commands Moses to send the spies into Canaan, this is actually done at the request of the people. (Deuteronomy 1:22) Their lack of faith and trust in God is evident from the beginning, and this is another instance of God graciously acquiescing to a demand from His chosen people, only to have that selfish desire disastrously backfire upon them with terrible consequences. (1 Samuel 8:7, 9) Had the children of Israel simply trusted God and followed His leading from their first arrival at Kadesh-barnea, they could have conquered the promised land much sooner and avoided forty years of strife, discontent, and hardship. But because of their lack of faith and, later, their rebellion against God and Moses when ten of the twelve spies encouraged the people’s fear and lack of trust in God, this current generation doomed themselves to death in the desert instead of joy and peace in the promised land. (Deuteronomy 9:23) Verses 4-16: Each of these men is a leader in his tribe (v.3) though, obviously, these are not the same elders that assisted Moses in the tribal census at Mount Sinai. The men selected for this special mission are most likely young and physically fit, which is what is needed for a task of this kind. It also makes sense that the younger men do not have as strong a faith in God as their elderly fathers, which becomes evident later. These twelve men are also most likely the up-and-coming candidates to replace their fathers as the official tribal representatives, thus making them another logical choice for this scouting mission. Because of their status in their respective tribes, their voices carry significant weight, which will also become evident later in this chapter. Joshua, son of Nun, is named in verse 8, albeit with a different spelling: Oshea. In the original Hebrew the name is spelled “Hoshea”, which means “salvation”. Verse 16 states that Moses changes Oshea’s name to “Jehoshua”, which means “Jehovah is salvation”, though there’s no explanation given here for the name change. It’s very likely that this was done for the official record much later, after Caleb and Joshua’s public display of faith in God, when Moses was writing down all these events for the official record some time before his death. It's also significant that Caleb, son of Jephunneh, is of the tribe of Judah. (Numbers 14:6, 30, 34:19, Joshua 14:6-7, Judges 1:12, 1 Chronicles 4:15) He is the only other one who shows great trust and faith in God’s ability to deliver the peoples of Canaan into the hands of Israel. (Note: this is not the same Caleb that is mentioned later in 1 Chronicles 2:9, 18.) Verses 17-20: Take special note of Moses’ instructions to the spies. He tells them which route to take (v.17), to determine the numbers as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the inhabitants there (v.18), the status of the land itself and the cultures of the peoples there (v.19), and, finally, what kinds of crops and trees grow in the promised land (v.20). Moses also exhorts the men to “…be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.” (v.20) for this is the time of year of the grape harvests. (Deuteronomy 31:6-7, 23) He is encouraging the spies to have faith in God and to look at the promised land in light of God’s promise to Abraham and to them, his descendants. Sadly, what the spies actually report upon their return does not reflect Moses’ exhortation here. Verses 21-25: The route of the spies begins in the south at the Wilderness of Zin and ends in the north at Rehob and Hamath, near the city of Damascus. (v.21) (See map below, courtesy of Logos.) (Numbers 34:8, Joshua 13:5, 19:28) The Wilderness of Zin (Numbers 27:14, Joshua 15:1) is not to be confused with the Wilderness of Sin that is mentioned Exodus 16:1. That location is on the eastern coast of the Sinai Peninsula. The Wilderness of Zin is in the northwest region of the peninsula. (Refer back to the map at the beginning of this post.)
The children of Anak (v.22) are listed as inhabitants of Hebron (Deuteronomy 2:21, Joshua 11:21-22, 14:15, 15:13-14, Judges 1:10). The word “ânâq” in the original Hebrew means “neck”, and it refers to a “tribe of the giant people in Canaan”, according to the Brown Driver Briggs Bible dictionary. (One such giant is Goliath of Gath. (1 Samuel 17:4)) Most Biblical scholars seem to agree that these giants are descendants of the Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6:4 and Ezekiel 32:26-27, though it’s unclear how these people would have come about in the time after the Flood. There’s a good reason for the parenthetical statement in verse 22 about Hebron being built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, “Zoan is associated with the city of Tanis in the north Nile delta and was to become a political capital for Egypt around the time of King David. That Hebron predates this Egyptian city certainly underscores Hebron’s importance.” John MacArthur has this to say about Hebron in his Bible commentary: “This was the first major city the spies came to in Canaan. Abram had earlier built an altar to the Lord here (Genesis 13:18). Abraham and Isaac were buried here (Genesis 49:31). The city had been fortified around 1730 B.C., seven years before the building of Zoan in Egypt, and later became the inheritance of Caleb (Joshua 14:14) and then David’s capital when he reigned over Judah (2 Samuel 2:1–4).” The valley of Eshcol, too, is a familiar reference. (v.23) (Genesis 14:13, Numbers 32:9, Deuteronomy 1:24-25) The name of that place is a reference to the Amorite that is mentioned in Genesis 14:13, and the name in original Hebrew, “eshkôl” means “cluster”. This is a reference to huge clusters of grapes that the spies bring back with them, carried on a pole between two men because it is so large. (v.23-24) The spies were in the promised land for forty days, and this is why the nation is punished by God to wander forty years in the wilderness. (v.25) (Number 14:34) Verses 26-33: Although the spies begin their report on a positive note (v.27), they immediately shift focus to the negative (v.28-29). With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the men report of the walled cities, the giants that inhabit them (v.28), and then they list all of the major enemies of Israel that dwell throughout the land. (v.29) Although Caleb is quick to shift the focus back to Israel’s strength in the LORD, the other men repeat their warning about the sons of Anak (v.33), as well as the more wild and rugged parts of the land that they view as a difficulty in settling there. (v.32: “…a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof…”) (Numbers 14:36-37, Deuteronomy 1:28, 9:2, Psalm 106:24) Ten of the spies, as well as the children of Israel, were so quick to distrust God, and their weak faith crumbled in the sight of what they believed were enemies greater than them. Instead of focusing on the promise of the Lord and on His might, they chose to view the promised in land in the light of their own numbers and their own physical strength. It’s no wonder, then, that they trembled in fear when they saw the large populations of the peoples living in Canaan, as well as the size of the giants and their heavily fortified cities. Once again, it seems astonishing that the nation of Israel could so quickly forget all the miraculous ways in which God had delivered them out of Egypt, provided for their daily sustenance in the desert, and brought them all this way to the promised land. Even after Caleb, Joshua, and Moses try to remind them of all that, the people refuse to believe them. As will be seen in chapter 14, it’s easier for the Israelites to give into their fear than to trust in God. And because of this, the current generation will never see the wondrous and miraculous ways in which God goes forth before His people to deliver unto them the promised land. Their lack of faith will cost them a great blessing. CHAPTER 14: Verses 1-4: For the tenth time since the exodus from Egypt (v.22) the congregation of Israel cries against God and complains against Moses and Aaron. (v.1-2) (Exodus 16:2, 17:3, Numbers 16:41, Psalm 106:25, 1 Corinthians 10:10) They believe God has brought them to the promised land only to have them perish at the hands of the mighty armies that inhabit Canaan. (v.3) They long to be put out of their misery, wishing that they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness. (v.2) The people even begin talking of deposing Moses and selecting another leader who will take them back to Egypt! (v.4) The sad irony is that God gives the Israelites exactly what they ask for. All those who are twenty years and older will die in the wilderness and never see the promised land. Their complete lack of faith and disobedience against God is punished accordingly, and it costs them greatly. Because of their sin of unbelief, the Israelites forfeit happiness, peace, and prosperity in a land rich in natural resources and an abundant variety of crops. That’s the true lesson of this account here in Numbers. A lack of faith in God is sin! Doubt and disbelief are, in fact, a form of rebellion against Him! The Israelites, in essence, are accusing God of lying because they refuse to believe that He will keep His promise to their father Abraham. God told Abraham that He would make his descendants as great in might and number as the stars of the heavens, and that He would deliver them into the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. (Genesis 12:1-2, Exodus 3:8) To claim that God – who is holy and perfect, which means He is without any sin – will not keep His word and, thus, commit sin, is blasphemy! That is exactly what the Israelites are doing here! Every time they rise up against Moses and grumble and complain about their circumstances or the daily sustenance God has graciously given them, they are committing the sin of blasphemy by accusing God of failing them and not keeping His promise to them and their forefathers. Verses 5-9: That’s why the reaction of Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua is so dramatic. (v.5-6) They recognize the great and grievous sin of the people, and they implore the congregation to cease in their sin and to believe the word of the LORD. “If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us…”. (v.7) (Deuteronomy 10:15, 2 Samuel 15:25-26, 1 Kings 10:9, Psalm 147:11) “…rebel not ye against the LORD…” (v.9) (Deuteronomy 1:26, 9:7, 23-24, 1 Samuel 15:23) They extol God’s power and sovereignty by reminding the nation that they have nothing to fear from the inhabitants of the land, that the Canaanites are “…are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not.” (Genesis 48:21, Exodus 33:16, Numbers 24:8, Deuteronomy 7:18, 20:1, 3-4, 31:6, Joshua 1:5, Judges 1:22, 2 Chronicles 13:12, Psalm 46:7, 11, Zechariah 8:23, Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5) Verses 10-12: But the pleas of Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua fall on deaf ears. The people become so angry with them, in fact, that they desire to stone the four men! (v.10) (Exodus 17:4) Only the sudden appearance of “…the glory of the LORD…” in the tabernacle silences the mob. God’s wrath is kindled against the Israelites yet again because of their doubt and disbelief. (v.11) (Psalm 95:8, John 12:37, Hebrews 3:8) As He did in the aftermath of the incident with the golden calf, God tells Moses that He will wipe out the nation of Israel as punishment for their rebellion and start again with just Moses and his family. (v.12) (Exodus 32:10) Verses 13-19: And, once again, Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel. His argument here is the same as it was in Exodus 32:12: if God wipes out the Israelites now, the Egyptians are sure to hear of it, and they will mock God to the other nations who have also heard of the LORD and His might. (Deuteronomy 2:25) Moses makes the argument that God’s judgment against Israel will reflect more on His character and name than on that of disobedient and rebellious Israel. (v.14-15) How will God be glorified if He cannot fulfill His own word? The heathen nations of Canaan, as well as Egypt, will mock God, claiming that He delivered the Israelites from slavery only to kill them all in the wilderness. (v.16) (Deuteronomy 9:28) Moses then makes an appeal to God’s attributes of mercy, patience, and longsuffering. (v.17-18) How can God claim to be all of those things and then wipe out an entire nation whom He promised to deliver into the land of Canaan? At the same time, however, Moses also recognizes that the consequences of rebellion and disobedience can – and often do – bleed into the next generation. (v.18) Moses repeats here the Lord’s own words to him at Mount Sinai: “…and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7) The word for “mercy” in this verse is the Hebrew word “chêsêd” which means “goodness, kindness, faithfulness”. This is the same word God used when He gave Moses the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6, Deuteronomy 5:9) While God is a righteous and jealous God, He is also a loving and merciful God who is faithful and just. He made a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, and while He allows the consequences of sin to carry over from one generation to the next, He is also a faithful and merciful God who cannot go back on His word. On the basis of all that, Moses pleads with the LORD to pardon the iniquity of the Israelites. (Exodus 32:32, 34:9, Psalm 51:1, 78:38, 106:45) He is, in essence, asking God to remember His covenant with His chosen people. “…according unto the greatness of thy mercy…” (v.19). That chêsêd, that covenantal mercy, is one of the foundational characteristics of God, and it’s the only reason that the children of Israel are not wholly destroyed here at the border of the promised land for their sins of doubt and rebellion. Verses 20-25: God hears the intercessory prayer of His servant Moses, and He pardons the iniquity of the Israelites. (v.20) (2 Samuel 12:13, Micah 7:18, 1 John 5:14) However, the attributes of mercy and faithfulness must also be in harmony with the attributes of justice and holiness. Sin cannot go unpunished. As stated earlier at Mount Sinai, God is a righteous and a jealous God, and, therefore, He cannot allow His glory and honor to be given unto anyone else or any thing. It is just as impossible for God to allow sin to go unpunished as it is to go back on His covenantal word. To allow this generation of the Israelites to escape the punishment for their doubt, their lack of faith, and their rebellion against God would be just as harmful to God’s honor and glory among all the earth as if He wiped out the entire nation. (v.21) God promises Moses that “…all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.” (v.21) (Psalm 72:19, Isaiah 6:3, 66:18-19, Habakkuk 2:14) He is going to keep His covenantal promise to Abraham, but He is also going to punish the Israelites for their disobedience. Verse 22 is God’s summary of that disobedience: the children of Israel had witnessed firsthand their salvation from bondage and oppression in Egypt, the miracles in the desert that provided their sustenance, as well as God’s glory in the form of the cloud resting upon the tabernacle and the pillar of fire at night. Despite all of that, however, they had continually tested God and tried His patience. They had refused to believe in God’s might, providence, and faithfulness, instead choosing rebellion by way of doubt, fear and utter lack of faith. For that reason God declares that this current generation will never see the promised land. (v.23) (Deuteronomy 1:35, 1 Corinthians 10:5, Hebrews 3:17-19) He pronounces judgment on them for their sin of unbelief. Caleb and Joshua, however, are spared judgment because of their faith and obedience. (v.24, 38) (Joshua 14:6, 8-9) God even refers to Caleb as “…My servant…” who has “…another spirit with him…” and who “…hath followed me fully…”. (v.24) (Numbers 32:12) This goes back to the heart of the issue and the true source of the Israelites’ disobedience: they did not wholly trust and follow God. We who are His children, who have surrendered completely to Him, and whom He has saved and called to follow Him, must follow and obey Him wholly! That means absolutely, completely, and without any shadow of doubt or lack of faith! That also means that we do not question God, but instead trust that He knows our needs as well as our failings and our shortcomings, and that He will never leave us nor forsake us! Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua demonstrate in this account what it means to wholly trust and obey God. For that they are spared judgment, and all but Moses – only because of his later transgression – are allowed to enter the promised land. For the rest of the nation, God orders them to turn back and begin marching towards the Red Sea. (v.25) (Numbers 21:4, Deuteronomy 1:40) Verses 26-35: God asks another rhetorical question: “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation…”. (v.27) He has heard “…murmurings of the children of Israel..”, and their desire will be granted. (v.28-29) (Exodus 16:12) “ ‘As surely as I live…’ is the language of the court as Yahweh, God of Israel, took an oath on His own honor and announced the verdict against the guilty spies. (Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary) The Israelites had promised to obey God when they agreed to His covenant with them at Mount Sinai. (Exodus 19:8, 24:3, 7) Their disobedience here at the border of the promised land is a violation of that covenant, hence the formal, legal language of the Lord their God. All of their number, from twenty years old and up, who are guilty of grumbling and complaining against God will perish in the wilderness. (v.29) (Numbers 1:45-46, 26:64, Joshua 5:6) Their children, whom they feared would be conquered and/or killed by the peoples of Canaan, will instead be the conquerors and will reap the LORD’s blessing that their parents have forfeited. (v.31) (Deuteronomy 1:39) Until that time, however, the children will be forced to wander for forty years, bearing their parents’ “whoredoms”, until the judgement against their parents is complete. (v.33) (Numbers 32:13, Psalm 107:40, Ezekiel 23:35) This is another aspect of that phrase that Moses used earlier, “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children…” (v.18) Because of their parents’ sin, the children must also suffer some of that consequence, even though they themselves have done nothing wrong. The number of years of wandering corresponds to the same number of days that the spies scouted the land. (v.34) (Psalm 95:10, Ezekiel 4:6) But it’s also so that the Israelites “…shall know My breach of promise.” (1 Kings 8:56, Hebrews 4:1) They will have four decades to contemplate their sin of disobedience and rebellion. As I noted earlier, they violated their covenant with God, and that kind of sin carries a heavy consequence. God closes His pronouncement of judgment with another oath: “I the Lord hath said…”. (v.35) (Numbers 23:19) This is an echo of the statement in verse 28 (…as truly as I live…), where God is again affirming His authority by swearing upon His own name. Because of who He is only He can take an oath in His own name, and He possesses the right and authority to pronounce this judgment upon His people because He is their LORD and ruler. Furthermore, what God decrees will come to pass. His word is eternal and binding, and there is nothing on earth or in the heavens that can break it. Verses 36-38: The ten spies that did not believe the word of the LORD and encouraged the nation’s rebellion suffer immediate judgment by dying of a plague within a few days of God’s pronouncement of punishment. (v.36-37) Only Joshua and Caleb are spared because of their obedience and demonstration of faith in God’s promise. (Joshua 14:6) It’s clear from this entire passage why the Lord selects Joshua to be the next leader of Israel. Verses 39-45: When Moses relays God’s judgement to the people, they are sorrowful, but this leads to another rash and foolish decision. (v.40) Perhaps because they now realize the gravity of their sin of disobedience, or in an effort to change God’s mind and will – or perhaps a combination of the two – the people decide to march forward into the promised land. But God has already commanded them to journey to another destination (v.25), and another act of disobedience doesn’t make right the previous sin. The Israelites recognize that they sinned (v.40), but they don’t truly understand or accept the source of it. They’re only sorrowful that they lost a great blessing. There’s no indication in these closing verses that they experienced true repentance, which will be seen in the later chapters of Numbers. During their forty years of wandering the Israelites will continue to grumble and complain and rebel against God. True repentance occurs when one acknowledges his/her true nature in light of God’s holiness and sovereignty. True repentance is a change of the heart from one of defiance and pride to genuine humility and a sincere desire to seek God’s face and will. The Israelites still do not grasp this. All they are mournful of is that they are facing forty years of wandering in the desert until they die. They regret the punishment, not the attitude that caused the sin that brought about that punishment from God. Like Pharaoh, the Israelites completely missed the point of God’s judgment against them, and this leads to their second act of rebellion wherein they attack the Amalekites. Even after Moses warns them they will fail because God is not with them (v.41-43), the Israelites insist on going anyway. (Deuteronomy 1:42, 31:17) But Moses and the Ark of the Covenant remain in the camp. (v.44) As predicted, The Amalekites defeat Israel, chasing them all the way back to Hormah. (v.45) (Numbers 21:3) The stubbornness and defiant will of the children of Israel caused them even more unnecessary pain and sorrow. They thought they could regain God’s blessing and favor by obeying after the punishment was meted out, but this only brought them more grief and discomfort. Even in our chastening from the LORD we must be mindful that we listen closely and obey His leading. We must take our eyes off the forfeited blessing, acknowledge that it was our disobedience and rebellion that cost us that blessing in the first place, humble ourselves before God, ask for forgiveness, and then seek His guidance for where to go next. When He clearly gives us a new direction, we must humbly obey without any grumbling or protest. Continuing to mourn for a lost blessing, and wondering what life would have been like on that other parallel course had we only obeyed the first time, will only plant the seed of bitterness that will rapidly take root and overcome our life. We must let it go, focus on the LORD, and move forward in the new direction that He leads us. We must also remember that God, our loving and gracious heavenly Father, will not fail to give us other blessings for our renewed obedience. Not only is He faithful and just to forgive us our sin once we confess it (1 John 1:9), but He also remembers it no more. When the fellowship is restored, there is also fresh opportunity for our loving Father to shower us with more blessings. He will also lead us to new callings where we can serve Him just as well as we would have served Him at Kadesh-barnea; or He might very well lead us back around to that original promised land by a different route once the prescribed time of chastening has passed. Either way, the lesson has – hopefully and prayerfully – been learned: trust, faith and cheerful obedience in the LORD should always be our immediate response to His leading, especially when the task ahead appears utterly impossible and hopeless!
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