Numbers 13 – 15
Moses sent spies into the Promised Land and in verses 13:27 – 28 they give their report:
27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
Basically, the land God promised us is real, but it has big scary guys. Here the people have seen plagues, amazing miracles, the Red Sea parted and the most powerful nation brought to their knees, yet they hear of some big scary people and they are ready quit. It almost seems like I have more faith in God with only experiencing nudges that experiencing what they have. At the same time maybe their experiences have made they more like a spoiled child than people without faith.
Verse 14:8 says it in a nutshell:
If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.
They have faith in God, just that He will make life easy. Through every story in the Bible, the people have never experienced “easy” and God. Leaving Egypt had hardships of food and water, yet God provided. David was anointed king at a young age, yet he did not take the throne until he was 30, during which he was not living the good life. Jesus was not risen to heaven, but crucified. Paul was in jail and beaten for his “ministry”. Here the people just expect God to give them the “lottery” without working one bit for it, just like a spoiled child.
Verse 14:33 God finally has had enough:
And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness.
When you read, you find out the 40 years was not how long it would take to eradicate a generation, but rather a year for each day they spied in the Promised Land. Also, if it was a “natural” life expectancy thing that Jacob and Caleb would not have survived. No God was making a point that the people needed to trust him more and to work for what He is offering them, not just whine and expect it handed to them!
Chapter 15 goes back into the nuts and bolts of the Law. Verse 15:35 is the point where Jesus got in trouble often with the Pharisees:
And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”
I often read this and wonder if the “Word” came from God or Moses. I know it says “the Lord said to Moses” but did God really intend for death to be the penalty for doing any kind of work? I know the Christian explanation is God gave us the Law to show us we could not live up to His expectations, but what was the real intention. Was this “man” emphasizing that on the 7th day God rested or did God want to ensure we rested and if not we would eternally! Jesus pushed that Law where it needed to be pushed and the Sabbath was on point where that was the case. I think we have blown by making society 24/7, but even there it’s OUR responsibility to rest as God intended.