The good LORD pardon every one.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 15:1–21, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, And will make an offering by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock: Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the LORD bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil. And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb. Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third part of an hin of oil. And for a drink offering thou shalt offer the third part of an hin of wine, for a sweet savour unto the LORD. And when thou preparest a bullock for a burnt offering, or for a sacrifice in performing a vow, or peace offerings unto the LORD: Then shall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of flour mingled with half an hin of oil. And thou shalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, for an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. Thus shall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, or for a lamb, or a kid. According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD. Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.”

Israel sinned because the refused to go into the Land when the Lord had promised it to them. However, those who sinned were punished and the sin was dealt with. After that the ceremonial rituals were reestablished and the people continued in their way, following the system of worship that the Lord had given to them. This is always the way with the Lord. “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:10–12) Once our sin has been dealt with the Lord will act with justice and integrity and restore us to a proper relationship with Him. Sometimes it is impossible for us to do anything about our sin because we have sinned to much. Then the Lord will intervene and deal with our sin Himself (compare 2 Chron 30:18, “For a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one.”)

Made them murmur

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 14:36–45, “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. 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. 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. 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. Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.”

The men who discouraged Israel from going to take possession of the Promised Land, at that time, died in a plague. The Lord dealt with them because they tried to lead Israel astray and they refused to accept that the Lord was the only true God. These men persuaded Israel that there were other gods that they should fear. However, both Caleb and Joshua refused to recognise that these other gods were real or that they should be afraid of these gods so they were not punished. The people were still struggling with accepting that the Lord was their God in every sense of the word. When they realised that they had chosen to reject the Lord and refused to go into the Promised Land they Lord gave them what they chose and condemned them to remain in the desert until all that generation had died and their children would be able to go into the Land. They decided that they wouldn’t accept the Lord’s verdict and go to take the Promised Land instead. Moses warned them against taking this course of action. Never the less, they went towards the Promised Land. They didn’t take the ark because the Lord’s Presence didn’t go with them. Moses remained behind as well so they were not led by the godly man whom the Lord had chosen. When they approached the Promised Land the inhabitants came and defeated these people in a battle. They made a choice and the Lord gave them what they had chosen.

Shall fall in this wilderness

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 14:20–35, “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. 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.”

Actions always have consequences even though we may sometimes be able to dodge a bullet when we do something silly. However, “to whom much has been given much shall be required. “But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48) Much had been given to Israel when the Lord took them away from their slavery, gave them great riches and their own nation. The Lord was also determined to give them a Land of their own as well. They had seen what the Lord could do to mighty armies but they were scared of a few giants and walled cities. Israel kept testing the Lord by complaining and refusing to do what He told them to do. They would now be forced to experience the consequences of their unbelief. These people would all die in the wilderness and their children would go into the Promised Land. The Lord understood that a nation of slaves was not ready to take possession of their own Land so he allowed Israel forty years in the wilderness so that all those with the slave mindset would die and there would be a new nation of warriors to take possession of the Land.

How long?

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 14:11–19, “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 shewed among them? I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. 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.”

The Lord was angry with the people because they were unfaithful. He brought them out of Egypt to bring them in to the Promised Land (Deut 6: 23, “And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.”) but now they had been brought out of the land of slavery they were unwilling to go into the Promised Land. They deserved to be punished and the Lord explained that to Moses. He said that He would destroy these people and make a new nation from Moses’ descendants. However, Moses was concerned for the Lord’s reputation and pointed out the Lord that everyone would despise Him, saying that He was unable to bring them into the Land. The Lord put Moses in a position where he would have to decide where his own loyalties lay. The Lord didn’t change His mind, at that stage, but gave Moses a chance to express his opinion and his loyalty to the Lord. Moses asked the Lord to save the people because He is longsuffering and and merciful.

They fell on their faces

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 14:5–10, “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. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.”

Moses must have felt as though he was banging his head against a brick wall at times. He did everything he could to make sure that Israel prospered while the Lord helped them. Even though he was like them at first and tried to persuade the Lord not to use him to deliver Israel, he soon learned what the Lord could do and gave himself completely to the Lord’s task.In this case, Moses knew what the Lord had done to Egypt and was afraid that the Lord might destroy Israel as well. In order to forestall the Lord’s anger both Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the rebellious congregation and begged them not to fight against the Lord. Joshua and Caleb fought hard to stop this problem as well. The people were angry and threatened to kill their leader by stoning them to death. The Lord appeared in His majesty to stop the people from carrying out their threats to kill their leaders.

The people wept all night

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 14:1–4, “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.”

These people had a tendency to complain, they had been doing since a few weeks after the first Passover (see Ex 14:10–12, “And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD. And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.”) They had spent many years as slaves and were not emotionally prepared to face any hardship. They didn’t know how to make decisions on their own. As soon as they faced any hardship they immediately looked back to the relative security of Egypt where they didn’t have to make any decisions and everything was provided for them. Of course they forgot about the hardships of Egypt (compare Ex 3:7–8, “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”) These people grumbled again when they heard that the Land was defended and there were giants in the Land. They didn’t remember that the Lord had already defeated the Egyptian armies and all they had to do was stand still (Ex 14:13–14, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”) They just wanted to go back to Egypt instead of trusting the Lord and doing what He told them to do.

We were as grasshoppers

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

Sinking Sand

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Numbers 13:26–33, “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 shewed 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. 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.”

The men had done the job that they were asked to do. All that was required, at that stage, was that they give a report of everything that they had seen and done. The Land flowed with milk an honey. Milk, indicated something very special and reserved for people who were above average on the social scale (See Gen 18:8, “And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.”) and honey was for people who deserved the very best (See Gen 43:11, “And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:”). Even though the Israelis had been slaves and were thought of a less than a normal person, the Lord loved them and gave them the very best that could be offered. However, those people were afraid. They forgot that the Lord had already taken them from slavery in the land of Egypt and He had destroyed the armies of the greatest super power on earth at that time. The just saw the large cities and the fact that there were giants living in the Land. Not only were they afraid but the encouraged the rest of the people to be afraid as well.