Supporting Those Who Do Wrong

 God had punished the rebellious followers of Korah by sending and earthquake to destroy the ringleaders, and sending a fire which destroyed the two hundred fifty men who were attempting to take over the priesthood.  Unfortunately, many people refuse to admit they have been misled.  Rather than admitting it was God who had done this, Korah’s followers accused Moses of murdering his opposition, as Numbers 16:41 tells us.  “But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD.”

 

God had threatened to wipe out the entire congregation as a result of their rebellion, in Numbers 16:21. When they organized a protest against Moses and Aaron, God intervened, showing his glory, and ordering Moses and Aaron to get out of the way so he could destroy the rebels, in Numbers 16:42-45.  “And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared.  And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.”

 

In an effort to save as many of the people as he could, Moses ordered Aaron to offer a sacrifice for their sin, and God honored his efforts, as Numbers 16:46-49 describes.  “And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.  And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people.  And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.  Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah.”

 

As a result of their rebellion, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram and their families were all killed during the earthquake, and two hundred would be priests were burned to death in the fire that followed, leading to a protest which resulted in another fourteen thousand seven hundred dying.  I am sure Korah never thought trying to fulfil his ambition would lead to the deaths of fifteen thousand people.  At the same time we have to realize the last fourteen thousand seven hundred died as a result of their own rebellion against God in supporting Korah.  Proverbs 17:15 warns, “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.”  These people were going against God in supporting Korah, Dathan and Abiram.  They compounded their sin by attacking Moses and Aaron and accusing them of wrong doing.   

 

God had clearly designated Aaron and his sons to be the priests, with Aaron himself as the High Priest, but Korah and the two hundred fifty Levites had tried to take over those positions.  After their deaths, God gave a visible sign to remind them who God had chosen in the future, in Numbers 16:50-17:7.  “And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Speak unto the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of their fathers twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his rod.  And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers.  And thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the testimony, where I will meet with you.  And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.  And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers' houses, even twelve rods: and the rod of Aaron was among their rods.  And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tabernacle of witness.”

 

In the spring fruit trees bud out and several days or even weeks later blossom.  When the blossoms disappear, they leaf out, and months later the fruit appears, but these were sticks they had been using as walking sticks.  They were not freshly cut branches, and would not naturally produce buds or blossoms.  Miraculously, Aarons staff or walking stick produced buds, blossoms, leaves, and fruit all at one time, according to Numbers 17:8.  “And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.”

 

Only God could have made such a thing happen, and the people were forced to acknowledge it.  The stick was placed in the Ark of the Covenant, as a reminder to future generations that God had chosen Aaron’s family as priests, as Numbers 17:9-11 describes.  “And Moses brought out all the rods from before the LORD unto all the children of Israel: and they looked, and took every man his rod.  And the LORD said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.  And Moses did so: as the LORD commanded him, so did he.”

 

Finally, the Israelites began to realize their relationship with God was not to be taken lightly, as Numbers 17:12-13 tells us.  “And the children of Israel spake unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.  Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?”  Unfortunately many Christians today do not take their relationship with God seriously, and when things don’t go the way they want, they get upset and rebel, bringing God’s ire on themselves instead of living by faith. 

The Rebels Executed

The people were going along with Korah and his followers’ demands to serve as priests, without considering God’s plan.  God had threatened to start over with Moses’ family when they refused to follow his plan, determined to have their own way, and a few weeks later, here they are doing almost the same thing.   Moses and Aaron had to intervene on the people’s behalf again, as  Numbers 16:20-22 describes.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.  And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?”

 

A holy God was frustrated by such stubborn selfishness.  Had it not been for Moses and Aaron’s intervention he might well have destroyed them.  Knowing his perfectionism, God has chosen to use human priests to intervene for people’s sin, as Hebrews 5:1-2 tells us.  “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.”  Moses and Aaron were chosen because they would consider both God’s and the peoples’ sides of the conflict.  This is why it is so important that Jesus Christ was both God and man, so that he could fully understand both sides, as Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us.  “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

 

In their demands to be priests, Korah and his followers were demonstrating a total disregard for God.  God ordered the people who were nto actively involved in the rebellion to separate from those who were in Numbers 16:23-27.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.  And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him.  And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.  So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.” 

 

Moses informed them that God would show a miracle to clearly designate who he had chosen as his priests, in Numbers 16:28-30.  “And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind.  If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me.  But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.”  They would die as a result of a miraculous action by God.

 

Numbers 16:31-34 35 describes two miraculous events.  “And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods.  They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.  And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.  And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.”

 

It was pretty obvious this was not a normal earthquake as the epicenter was exactly where the ringleaders of the rebellion had set up their tents, killing them and their families, and sending panic among the other people.  Along with the earthquake, God sent a burst of fire which killed the two hundred fifty men who had decided to be priests.  None of them died of old age or natural disease.  It was pretty obvious God had caused their deaths. 

 

God directed that the censers they had used be attached to the brazen altar as a constant reminder of the results of rebellion, in Numbers 16:36-40.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed.  The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

 

And Eleazar the priest took the brazen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.”  It was to be a warning that only God had the authority to choose who would serve as priests.  Real faith and respect for God requires we recognize his authority as God.  

Rebelling Against Moses’ Leadership

 It had been over two years since the Israelites had left Egypt with the intention of going to the Promised Land.  While they had seen God’s power demonstrated repeatedly, they still hadn’t arrived.  Some of the people were jealous of Moses authority, and blamed him for their still being in the wilderness.  They were convinced they could do a better job of leading the people.  It was the same attitude Aaron and Miriam had taken in Numbers 12, but in that case it had been a private conflict with Aaron and Miriam opposing Moses and most of the people were not involved.  This time it was a public rebellion against Moses and Aaron causing a serious conflict among the people. 

 

Numbers 16:1-3 describes the rebellion.  “Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?”

 

This rebellion was carefully planned, involving some of the best known leaders among the various tribes.  They accused Moses and Aaron of doing exactly what they were doing themselves, seizing power over the people.  Moses had resisted taking that leadership, but had directed by God to take it,  Hearing their accusations, he prayed first of all.  After praying about it, he asked the rebels to appear before God, prepared to offer sacrifices like Aaron did and let God demonstrate who he had chosen, in Numbers 16:4-7.  “And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will show who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him.  This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi.” 

 

Korah was a Kohath Levite, one of the people charged with transporting and taking care of the Ark of the Covenant and the various items used in worship of God.  It was a vital role in their religion, and as Moses pointed out, the he and the other Levites had been chosen by God for that duty.   Their demanding more implied a disdain for the responsibility God had given them, as he said, in Numbers 16:8-11.  “And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them?  And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also?  For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?”

 

There is an old saying that if you are too big and important to do the little jobs, you aren’t qualified to do the bigger jobs.  Quite simply, if you don’t consider the basic jobs worth doing, you’ll never be able to handle the bigger things that depend on them.  If they didn’t think getting the Ark of the Covenant, the table of shew bread, and the altar ready mattered, they clearly wouldn’t worry about offering the sacrifices properly. 

 

When Moses called the other rebels who were not seeking Aaron’s job, they refused to even talk to him, accusing him of lying to them and trying to make a king, in Numbers 16:12-14.  “And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?  Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.”

 

Deeply hurt and angry, Moses asked God to ignore their complaints knowing he was innocent of their charges, in Numbers 16:15.   “And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.” 

 

 

Rather than responding to the charges, Moses instructed Korah and his followers as to what they should do to meet with God so he could show who he had chosen, in Numbers 16:16-17.  “And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer.”

 

Korah and his followers complied with Moses’ instructions, bringing out the entire congregation to watch as they took over, in Numbers 16:18-19.  “And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron.  And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.”  They were looking forward to discrediting and embarrassing Moses.    

 

Sometimes people blame God for not making things happen as fast as they expected, but other times they blame the leadership and try to replace them in the belief someone else could do a better job and make things happen.   Such an attitude is the result of a lack of faith in God to do things in the best way at the proper time, and as we have pointed out repeatedly, “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin…,” according to Romans 14:23. 

Trusting God Even When His Commands Are Not Popular

 If we are to live by faith, it is critical that we understand God does not change the rules or his attitude toward us.  Without that assurance, we can never be sure what to expect from him.  Fortunately, we have verses like Malachi 3:6 , which says, “For I am the LORD, I change not…”, or Hebrews 13:8, which says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”  As a result, we can always be sure what will please him and what will not.

 

In Modern America, there is a tendency to hold different people to different standards, whether based on personal wealth or culture.  God was very specific that the same standards were to apply to everyone, in Numbers 15:29-31.  “Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.  But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.  Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.” 

 

While they could cut a person who didn’t know better a little slack, a person who deliberately did wrong was to be held fully accountable, regardless of his background or financial state.  It is the same principle stated By Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17.  “Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.”  While God may overlook unintentional sin, deliberate sin exhibits a disdain for him that will not be ignored. 

 

While they were camped at Mount Sinai, God had given the Israelites specific commands that they were not to do any work on the Sabbath.  Numbers 35:2-3 are quite explicit.  “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death.  Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.” 

 

About a year later, after repeated efforts to make sure everyone knew what the law said, a man violated that command, in Numbers 15:32-34.  “And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.  And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.  And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.”

 

There was no question about whether he knew the law and the law was quite clear that he was to be executed, but they were not sure how he was to be killed.  God answered that question, in Numbers 15:35-36.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.  And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.”  It was to be carried out publicly by the entire nation so that there was no question of this being just one person’s opinion.  If they believed God, they had to perform the execution, distasteful though it might be.  If we really trust God, we will obey him even when his commands are unpopular or unpleasant. 

Rebelling Against The Consequences Of Their Actions

 The Israelites had left Egypt with the idea of coming into a land of their own.  When it didn’t happen instantly, some of them began to complain, even before they crossed the Red Sea, wanting to return to Egypt.  When Moses was not right there for a few days, they made the golden calf and worshipped it, and were constantly complaining about something.  When they came to the edge of the promised land, they refused to go in, because they didn’t trust god to give them the victory, despite all the times he had given them what they needed.  Frustrated at their refusal to trust him, God said he would not take any of those who had refused to go into the land.  Instead they were to spend the next forty years in the wilderness, until all those who refused to go died. 

 

Hearing that, and having seen the ten spies who refused to go killed, the people decided that if the4y couldn’t go back to Egypt, they would go now and claim his promise for themselves.  God was taking too long and they weren’t going to wait any longer, as Numbers 14:39-40 tells us.  “And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.  And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.”

 

Moses warned them that to go after God said they couldn’t would just be another act of disobedience and that it wouldn’t succeed, in Numbers  14:41-43.  “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.  For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.”   God would not bless their disobedience, and they were already in land claimed by the Amalekites and Canaanites.  The way they were planning to go would lead directly through Amalekite and Canaanite cities and would be seen as an invasion.  The Amalekites and Canaanites would surely fight to protect their cities, and without God’s help, the Israelites would be defeated. 

 

Determined not to wait on God, the people ignored Moses’ warnings, in Numbers 14:44.  “But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.”  God didn’t cause the pillar of cloud to rise as a signal they were to move, so Moses and Aaron and the Levites stayed in the camp. 

 

As long as the Israelites stayed in the unoccupied parts of their territory and stayed on the caravan routes, the Edomites,  Amalekites, and Canaanites were not too worried about them, but when they invaded the communities it was obvious they were not just passing through.  The Amalekites and Canaanites had no choice but to defend their homes property, as Numbers 14:45 describes.  Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.”  With no real plan of action, or experienced leaders, the Israelites were easy prey.  The Amalekites and Canaanites chased them for miles.   

 

Forty years later, fearing a similar attack, the Edomites refused to allow Israel to follow the caravan routes across their lands. 

Facing The Consequences Of Disobedience

Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb recognized that the people were rebelling against God in refusing to go because of their fear.  As Romans 14:23 tells us, “…for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”  They tried to stop the people but they threatened to kill them.   God had already punished them for similar rebellions, and this time would be no different, as we see in Numbers 14:10b-12 describes.  “...And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.  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 showed among them?  I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.”

 

Their lack of faith led to their refusal to obey God, and God was frustrated by their refusal to believe him.  Any person who has experienced people refusing to believe them knows how frustrating that can be.   God threatened to destroy them and start over with Moses’ family.  Please understand that God knew beforehand what they would do, and was not surprised.  He knew that they were going to continue to rebel for the next thirty nine years, but Moses did not.  I suspect he was preparing Moses for that future rebellion by making him think about what their destruction would mean. 

 

The strategy worked, as Moses’ response in Numbers 14:13-19 describes.  “And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.  Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.

 

And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my LORD be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.  Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”

 

If God destroyed them as they deserved, the people around them would receive the impression tht God had only limited power, and that he, like their gods, was a vindictive and selfish being.   Moses asked God to reveal himself as the powerful and forgiving God he knew him to be instead of lowering himself to the level of the idols of the people around them.

 

God had no intention of destroying them. he had already forgiven them, but they were going to have to live with the consequences of their sin, as Numbers 14:20-25 describes.  “And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.  Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.  (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.”

 

The area where they were was occupied by the Amalekites and Canaanites, and to stay would only result in their being attacked.  God directed them to go back south along the border of the Gulf of Aqaba toward the desert around Mt. Sinai because none of the people who had refused to obey would be allowed to go into the land.  He directed Moses to explain why they were not going to be allowed to go into the land, in Numbers 14:25-35.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.

 

Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.  But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.  But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

 

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.  After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.  I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.”

 

They had accused God of just bringing them out there to die, and now God was going to let it happen.  They would spend a year in the wilderness for each day they had spent scouting the land and everyone over twenty years of age except Joshua and Caleb would die.  They had worried that their children would die in the wilderness, but God promised they would survive.   God punished the men who had encouraged the rebellion immediately, as Numbers 14:36-38 tells us.  “And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.  But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.” 

Letting Their Imagination Run Wild

 About a year and a half before, Israel had come out of Egypt.  They had seen the plagues God had sent, had walked across the Red Sea on dry land, and had seen the Egyptian army drown in the very place they had walked across.  God had miraculously given them water from the rock and daily food.  When they complained he had allowed thousands to die, and just a few weeks before Miriam had gotten leprosy as a result of her complaining.  Now they had come into the wilderness of Paran, a large desert area extending from the river of Egypt, or El Arish eastward  into present day Saudi Arabia and from the tip of the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dead sea. 

 

God was prepared to lead them into the land of Canaan as he had promised them.  They were going into an area they had only heard about.  They had already been complaining about missing things they had had in Egypt.  God directed them to send some scouts to go ahead of them and see what was there to give them some encouragement, as Numbers 13:1-3 describes.  “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.  And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.”

 

The scouts were to bring back information so that the people could know what to expect, as Moses directed them, in Numbers 13:17-20.  “And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.”

 

The scouts went out early in the harvest season and spent forty days traveling around viewing what the crops and land looked like, as Numbers 13:21-25 describes.  “So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.  And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)  And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.  The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.  And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.”

 

One of the first cities they came to was the ancient city of Hebron, the home of the Anakims.  As they worked their way north, they spread from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Coast seeing as much as they could, and collecting some samples of the produce.  Numbers 13:26-29 describes their initial report.  “And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.  And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.  The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.“

 

They had already had one battle with the Amalekites, and had defeated them, but the Anakims were noted for having giants which concerned the people.   As it turned out there were only three of the giants, but most of the scouts could not get over how big they were.  When Caleb stated they could easily overcome them, the other scouts insisted it couldn’t be done, as Numbers 13:30-33 describes.  “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

 

But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  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.”

 

When we focus on our fears, our imagination takes over and distort our thinking.  Instead of three giants they described all the people as being huge and the giants were so big they felt like grasshoppers by comparison.  To top it all off the land itself ate up the people, whatever that meant.  Their imaginations had run away with them and they were exaggerating the danger. 

 

Unfortunately fear is contagious, as we have seen repeatedly during the Covid-19 Virus pandemic.    The people believed the exaggerations and turned on Moses and Aaron, blaming them for the problems, as Numbers 14:1-4 describes.  “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!  And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?  And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.”

 

Panicked, the people decided to go back to slavery in Egypt, ignoring everything that had happened and how God had protected them.  Moses and Aaron and Joshua and Caleb believed God would protect them, and did everything they could to convince them to trust od.  Unfortunately, once people give in to fear, it is very difficult to get their attention off of what they are afraid of, as Numbers 14:5-10 describes.  “Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 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. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones…”

 

Caleb and Joshua were doing everything they could to help the people, but the people turned against them, intending to kill them if they kept trying to get them to face their fears.    Had the spies stopped with what they were supposed to do, there would have no panic in Israel.  In much the same way, if the media had stopped with just reporting what was happening with Covid-19, much of the panic could have been avoided.   Because they didn’t, they spread fear around the world.    As Christians, we need to stop with what God shows us and trust him with what happens next instead of letting our imagination run away with us.