Numbers 14
(1) Israel Scared of Canaan
Then the Israeli population gave a loud moan and spent the night crying. All of Israel’s descendants complained about Moses and Aaron, telling them,
“We wish we would have just died in Egypt or the wilderness! Why is the Existing One brining us all the way out here just so we can die in combat? Our wives and children are gonna be taken as loot. Wouldn’t it be better if we just went back to Egypt?”
They said to each other,
“Come on, let’s appoint a leader for ourselves and go back to Egypt.”
(5) Only 2 Scouts Want to Invade Canaan
After hearing that, Moses and Aaron fell face-down on the the ground in front of the entire population. Two of the scouts, Joshua (Nun’s son) and Caleb (Jephunneh’s son), ripped their shirts and addressed the population, saying,
“Guys! The region we scouted had amazing land! If the Existing One is happy with us, then He’ll bring us there and give it to us. This land is gushing with honey and milk. Whatever you do, just don’t rebel against the Existing One, and don’t be scared of the locals. They’ll be our prey. The shadow of their protection has been removed from them, and the Existing One is with us. Don’t be scared of them!”
But the rest of the population wanted to kill them by throwing rocks at them.
(10b) God Ready to Wipe Out Israel
Then the Existing One’s splendor appeared to all of Israel’s descendants in God’s meeting tent, and the Existing One asked Moses,
“How long will these people despise Me? And how long will they refuse to believe in Me despite all the miracles I’ve given them while I’ve been living with them? I’m gonna wipe them out with a disease and stop calling them ‘Mine.’
“I’ll take you, Moses, and turn you into a people group even bigger and stronger than they are.”
(13) Moses Begs God to Spare Israel
But Moses told the Existing One,
“But then the Egyptians will hear about this, and they know that Your power is what brought the Israelites out of Egypt. The Egyptians will communicate with the locals here, and they’ve both heard about how You, the Existing One, allow the Israelites to look You in the eyes while your cloud hovers above them. Everyone knows about how You lead the way ahead of Israel in a cloud column during the day, and a fire column at night.
“If you kill the Israeli population now, then all the other countries will hear about it and say,
‘The Existing One wasn’t able to bring that population to the land He promised them with an oath, so He just slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
“Please… use this opportunity to magnify the Existing One’s power. After all, You said that You don’t angry easily and that You are super loving, good, and faithful. You said that You forgive people’s shortcomings and rebellious actions, (even though you don’t let criminals go unpunished because You account for a father’s shortcomings by carrying them over to his children to the 3rd and 4th generations). Please pardon the twisted nature of this population in a way that’s proportionate to the size of Your goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. Continue forgiving them like You have been from Egypt all the way up til now.”
(20) God Forgives Israel, but Doesn’t Let them Enter Canaan
So the Existing One said,
“Okay. I’ve forgiven them like you asked.
“But as surely as I live, the entire earth will be filled with My splendor. Whoever has witnessed My splendor, My miracles from Egypt, and My miracles in the wilderness—yet they still put me to the test these past ten times without listening to My voice—those people won’t end up seeing the land I swore to their patriarchs. And whoever has despised Me won’t see it either.
“But My servant Caleb has had a different spirit and has followed Me completely, so I’ll bring him into the land, and his descendants will take possession of it.
“The Amalekites [who descended from Esau’s grandson, Amalek] and the Canaanites [whose name means “zealous”] live in the valleys. Head that way tomorrow and set out to the wilderness near the Reed Sea [location unknown].”
(26) A Generation of Israelites will Die without Entering Canaan
The Existing One spoke to Moses and Aaron again, saying,
“How long will I endure this corrupt population that complains about Me? I’ve heard the complaints that Israel’s descendants are making about Me. Tell them this message:
‘As surely as I live, I will talk about you within earshot—the same way you talked about me within earshot. Your corpses will fall in this wilderness—even all your men who are registered in the military. Yes, all your registered people who are at least 20 years old and have complained about Me. You most definitely won’t set foot in the land I swore to settle you in.
‘The only exceptions will be Caleb (Jephunneh’s son) and Joshua (Nun’s son). But your children—the ones you said would become loot—I will bring them into the region, and they will become acquainted with the land you rejected.
‘But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness. Your sons will be shepherds for 40 years in the wilderness, and they will bear the burden of your infidelity until your corpses have finished piling up in the wilderness. You spent 40 days scouting out the land, so now you’ll bear your corruption 1 year for each of those days. You will learn what it means to oppose Me.
‘I, the Existing One, have spoken. I will carry this out for this entire population which is corrupt and has banded against Me. They’ll be finished off in this wilderness, where they will die.’”
All the scouts who brought back a bad report ended up dying from disease. But Joshua (Nun’s son) and Caleb (Jephunneh’s son) were the only ones in that group who didn’t die.
(39) Israel Tries to Invade Canaan but Fails
After Moses relayed God’s message to Israel’s descendants, there was a lot of crying that night. But the next morning, they woke up early and went to the top of the hilly region and said,
“Here we are. We did the wrong thing, but we’re going to the land the Existing One promised us.”
Moses said,
“Why are you crossing the line when the Existing One said not do? You know that’s not gonna work, right? Don’t go, or you’ll be wiped out by your enemies since the Existing One isn’t with you. The Amalekites and Canaanites will be there, and you’ll die by their swords for not following the Existing One. The Existing One won’t be with you.”
But they didn’t listen and went up to the top of the hilly area anyways. The chest containing the Existing One’s commitment with the Israelites stayed behind in the camp, and so did Moses. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hilly region came down and beat them back all the way to Hormah [another town in the south].
Related:
God is like our military commander. We need to follow him like that. If he’s not the one leading our next strategic move, we shouldn’t make it.