Slices
Prepare
It isn’t easy to read Bible passages about God’s judgement. Spend a few moments focusing on the cross of Christ, and give thanks that Jesus died in our place, taking the punishment we deserve.
Bible passage
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 ‘How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, “As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 in this wilderness your bodies will fall – every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you – your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years – one year for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” 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.’
36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it – 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.
39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, ‘Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!’
41 But Moses said, ‘Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.’
44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up towards the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.
Explore
I was in my car, whining because I was stuck in a queue, late for a meeting, and in a foul mood. I honked my horn, twice. Imagine my horror when I turned the corner and saw the reason for the queue: a hearse bringing a coffin to church for a funeral!
The consequence of those angry honks hit me immediately, like the faithless spies’ punishment (v 37). But sometimes the consequences of our actions take time to be worked out, like the people’s punishment of forty years’ wandering in the wilderness (v 34).
The people ‘mourned bitterly’ that night (v 39), but had learned the wrong lesson; it wasn’t ‘you can win’, but ‘listen to the Lord your God’. Moses begged them not to go (v 41) – why? Because the people of the land were too strong for the Israelites (see 13:31) so they would lose without God fighting for them – and so they did (v 44,45). To listen to God and do what he says is a hard lesson to learn for proud people. That doesn’t include us though, does it?
Respond
Hebrews encourages us to heed the warning of the rebellion of these people (Hebrews 3,4). Ask God to help you see if and how you have been ignoring something he’s been telling you to do or to stop.
Deeper Bible study
Confess your generation’s failures in following Christ and pray for your children to be faithful.
It is hard to imagine what it must have been like for the Israelites to wander in the wilderness, waiting to die. The judgement on their sin was that there would be no entrance to the land of promise until each one who had come out of Egypt had died. Each death would produce the dual reaction of sorrow and hope that the end of wanderings was one person nearer. Each birth would have the hope of their own flesh and blood realising the promise. We may not be under the judgement of God in the same way as the Israelites, but we can pray for the next generation to be more faithful and effective in the service of God than we have been ourselves.
The ten men who had brought back the discouraging report met swift judgement, as they died of plague. Leaders who fail in the tasks committed to them and lead other people into sin are rightly held more responsible than others and meet harsher judgement. The people now repent of their decision and want to return to obedience by advancing into the land – but the die is cast. Their change of heart comes too late. They have been commanded to turn back along the route to the Red Sea. To advance into battle now is as much a rebellion against God as their previous attitude. There may have been forgiveness, but the effects of their sin cannot be so easily undone.
Sin has consequences. We know that we have a forgiving God; that in Christ Jesus the eternal punishment for our sins has been borne; we know that we have been adopted into God’s family. Yet there are some sins that cause lasting damage. The challenge to us is to live in obedience to God’s current commands to us.
Pray for those who struggle to recover from previous sins.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 21,22; Psalm 17
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for our team in the Central region, as they make plans for summer activities hoping they can restore those precious face-to-face relationships after a two-year gap and for opportunities to connect with new children and young people from the 95 through Faith Guides.
