So there they were.
Thousands upon thousands stopped dead in their tracks and began walking backwards into the wilderness again all because of their great unfaithfulness to God.
What a very sad day for Israel.
It appeared that they needed more time to become a great and godly nation.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU ASK FOR
The LORD continued to express his anger about this fact to Moses and Aaron.
He addresses all of the people’s many complaints by telling them they can have exactly what they requested.
Do you remember what they asked for in their grumbling and complaining?
They had asked to die in a familiar place, either in the wilderness or back in Egypt.
In their cowardly fear they had asked that their children would not be killed by the sword of their enemies because of the request for them to be going forward into the land of promise.
Be careful what you pray for.
God always answers prayers.
GOD GAVE THEM OVER TO THEIR OWN WAYS
For a little while God was going to turn his back away and give these wayward people over to their own ways.
Are you a parent?
Have you ever done this to your own child in order to teach them a lesson? Sometimes that is the only way that humans can learn.
Our Father knows us so well.
MANY WOULD FALL IN THE WILDERNESS
God tells Moses and Aaron that they will have just what they requested; their bodies will fall – (every one who is twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against God) – right there in the wilderness.
Because of their unfaithfulness; not one of them would ever enter the promised land; except for Caleb and Joshua who had shown faith toward God and expressed a desire to go there.
THE FAITHFUL ARE REWARDED AND THE UNFAITHFUL ARE PUNISHED
God had heard the people complain that their children would be taken as plunder. He had seen their lack of trust in His ability to deliver them from harm.
These children had not participated in the groaning and complaining, and they had not expressed their lack of faith in God; so God says that He will bring them into the land to enjoy what their parents had rejected.
This would not happen until after their parent’s bodies had fallen in the wilderness.
Can you imagine living with this thought for almost forty years? There must surely have been tears of sorrow and hopefully; some repented before they died.
This is why the people wondered in the wilderness for forty years; it wasn’t because they didn’t know the shorter route.
SINS ALWAYS MAKE THE JOURNEY HARDER
God tells Moses and Aaron that the children of these guilty people would become shepherds in the wilderness for forty years. They too would suffer from their parent’s lack of faith. Their time for entering the land would be delayed.
Their childhood would be totally different than originally planned by God. They had the bad judgement of their parents to blame for this.
Parents; are you making righteous judgments concerning the children of today?
Will more than one generation suffer from lack of faith and godliness?
The sins of the fathers can be passed on to the children simply because of the circumstances that the children are surrounded by when the parents aren’t following God’s instructions.
FOR THE SAKE OF THE CHILDREN
If you are a parent and you do not care enough to seek God’s guidance for yourself; at least think of your love for your children.
Seek God’s guidance for their sake.
Don’t be a stuborn Israelite wondering through sin and wrong actions; turn to God and see what an abundant life He will bring forth to the next generation after you.
As for this next generation of Israelites; the second of the Nation of God; this time would be a learning experience for them; and not a time of abundant blessings.
The school in the wilderness had opened its doors and the classes were now in session.
A YEAR FOR A DAY
For each of the forty days that the leaders of Israel had explored the new land; their children along with them would suffer another year in the wilderness.
The words of closing in God’s conversation about this punishment were interesting. We can read them in Numbers 14:35:
“I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”
Notice those words “whole wicked community which has banded together against me.”
Could that ever happen again?
Do you know of any “whole wicked communities” living today?
OFTEN HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF
If so; God will punish such communities.
He will not stand for their selfish wickedness.
They will die in the wilderness of this world and never see the promises of God for the people who are faithful to him.
This is a word for the world living today just as surely as it was for those ancient Israelites.
A WORD FOR OUR GENERATION
Turn away from God and He will turn away from you.
Move closer to God and He will move closer to you.
Moses had to take this bitter report back to the people.
I pray that Our Savior, Jesus Christ, The Living Son of God never has to deliver such a message from God to the people of today.