In this desert 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. 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. As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But you—your bodies will fall in this desert. (Numbers 14:29-32, NIV 1984).
My Musings – The land that God first promised to Abraham and then to Isaac and Jacob after him, this land was rejected by the very people that God had delivered from slavery and oppression by the Egyptians. A promise passed down and eagerly expected from generation to generation. What had brought them to this point?
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.'” (Numbers 13:1-2, NIV 1984). To which Moses added, “See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not?” (Numbers 13:18-20, NIV 1984). So, for forty days they explored the land.
The Majority Report – Ten of the twelve brought back this report. “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:27-28, 31, 33, NIV 1984).
The Minority Report – The other two? “Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, ‘The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.'” (Numbers 14:6-9, NIV 1984).
That Generation Speaks – They people had seen what happens when the Lord was with them. Despite all that, they rejected the promised land. “That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.'” (Numbers 14:1-4, NIV 1984).
A Later Generation Speaks – They had carried the promise with them through many generations. The blessing. The promised Messiah. But they rejected Him too. “‘Here is your king,’ Pilate said to the Jews. But they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Shall I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked. ‘We have no king but Caesar,’ the chief priests answered. Finally, Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.” (John 19:14-16, NIV 1984).
My Advice – “The community raised their voices.” “They shouted.” Be very careful in following the crowd, for wisdom does not always come from great numbers. Talking louder does not make the argument less false. “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations.” (2 Timothy 4:3-5, NIV 1984).
Be careful in what you accept as true and in what you reject as false. Scratching the itch is not a cure. And many are selling “snake oil.” The snake continues to deceive with deadly consequences. Just as it did in the garden.
The Brew Is A Musing 