HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 505
NUM B ER S 14
page 135
in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they
complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this
country only to have us die in battle? Our wives
and our little ones will be carried off as plunder!
Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”
4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s
choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the
ground before the whole community of Israel.
6 Two of the men who had explored the land,
Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh,
tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people
of Israel, “The land we traveled through and
explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord
is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into
that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against
the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of
the land. They are only helpless prey to us!
They have no protection, but the Lord is with
us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
10 But the whole community began to talk
about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the
Israelites at the Tabernacle.* 11 And the Lord
said to Moses, “How long will these people
treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I
have done among them? 12 I will disown them
and destroy them with a plague. Then I will
make you into a nation greater and mightier
than they are!”
Moses Intercedes for the People
13 But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians
think when they hear about it?” he asked the
Lord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt.
14 Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will
send a report to the inhabitants of this land,
who have already heard that you live among
your people. They know, Lord, that you have
appeared to your people face to face and that
your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They
know that you go before them in the pillar of
cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.
15 Now if you slaughter all these people with a
single blow, the nations that have heard of your
fame will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring
them into the land he swore to give them, so he
killed them in the wilderness.’
17 “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as
great as you have claimed. For you said, 18 ‘The
Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing
love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion.
But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the
sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third
and fourth generations.’ 19 In keeping with your
magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the
14:10 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting. 14:25 Hebrew sea of reeds.
sins of this people, just as you have forgiven
them ever since they left Egypt.”
20 Then the Lord said, “I will pardon them as
you have requested. 21 But as surely as I live, and
as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s
glory, 22 not one of these people will ever enter
that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both
in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and
again they have tested me by refusing to listen
to my voice. 23 They will never even see the land
I swore to give their ancestors. None of those
who have treated me with contempt will ever
see it. 24 But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained
loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he
explored. His descendants will possess their
full share of that land. 25 Now turn around, and
don’t go on toward the land where the Amalekites and Canaanites live. Tomorrow you must
set out for the wilderness in the direction of the
Red Sea.*”
The LORD Punishes the Israelites
26 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How
long must I put up with this wicked community
and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard
the complaints the Israelites are making against
me. 28 Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things
I heard you say. 29 You will all drop dead in this
wilderness! Because you complained against
• Quitting
N U M B E R S 14:3
Is there ever a time to just give up?
Sometimes it is wise to give up and
quit, particularly when you are doing
something wrong or you realize your
actions are futile or hurting someone.
But when God has called us to a task
and we give up, we not only miss the
great blessings of reaching our goal, but
we also might incur discipline for not
trusting God to help us get there. After
all the preparation to reach the Promised
Land, the Israelites now had to turn back,
doomed to live in the desert for forty
years. Just because God is in something
doesn’t make it easy. In fact, the harder
the road, the stronger we become. If you
know God is leading you and opening
doors in a certain direction, don’t give
up just because the going gets tough.
If anything, that should tell you that you
are headed in the right direction. Keep
moving forward boldly and with faith.