And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
Numbers 14:1 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.1.KJV
Yeah I understand their weeping, now they were stuck in the wilderness
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.1.KJV
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?
Numbers 14:3 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.3.KJV
Wait right there, something doesn’t add up.
Was not the sword upon them when Pharaoh came against them whilst hedged between the sea 🌊.
Yes the lord delivered them mightily.
They had so soon forgotten. The problem with Israel 🇮🇱 was remembrance and faithlessnesss.
Was it something in the culture or the slave mentality.
They had been so used to oppression that they thought 💭 they wanted freedom butt were not ready for it.
Something was wrong and this affected the entire nation save a handful of people
Is it not interesting that they who saw the miracles were unbelieving yet their children 🧒 who never saw or those who did were young rather could trust God enough to enter the promised land.
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.3.KJV
And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
Numbers 14:4 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.4.KJV
What was wrong with them, something was wrong with, mightily wrong with them.
No wonder God knew that even if they entered the promised land he would not take it nor conquer what was rightfully theirs.
Moses had already won the appeal not to destroy them all ans start afresh with him.
So God did the same thing in a substituted way.
He made them stay outside the promised land and ccut short their life span.
Same thing if he had killed them as earlier planned and Moses hadn’t interrupted, then God would have had to wait Till Moses and that generation grew and matured enough to be a matching army to conquer canaan.
God executed the Same plan but in a more merciful fashion.
Just like he swapped the first borns of Israel 🇮🇱 for the levites and lambs
It’s all about substitution. Substitution is an act of mercy ans an acceptable form of appeasement of God https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.4.KJV
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.
Numbers 14:7 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.7.KJV
These Israelites were messing up this long awaited dream of Joshua and Caleb.
Here they were, with an opportunity of a life time to make a name for themselves and their children.
Etching their names forever in the sands of time.
Inheriting whole lands and territories and these people just couldn’t see it and where hindering joshua and Caleb.
Because joshua and Caleb were subject a system. A system set up by God, the delay of the system was the delay of all including Caleb and joshua.
The system delayed by a further 38 years and thus Joshua and Caleb also delayed by 38 years.
Imagine that, that because of human flaws and the sluggishness others are delayed terribly.
But God is faithful who cannot he mocked, he catches the wicked in their schemes.
He helped these young Hebrew men (in their forties actually) and kept them young in strength 💪.
So though it seemed they were delayed, their strength 💪 remained in tact for war, both for going out and coming in.
Joshua 14:11 KJV
As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
So it doesn’t matter the system you are subject to.
God is faithful who also will do it and fulfill his promise
1 Thessalonians 5:24 KJV
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.7.KJV
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.
Numbers 14:10 commentary KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.10.KJV
Hwo did it appear, I thought it was always there or did it suddenly glow brighter or it came ever so often that it almost seem it was permanently stations there.
Either ways it appeared out of nowhere
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.10.KJV
I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
Numbers 14:12 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.12.KJV
This is the second time God had made this statement…
The first being when they made the golden calf after the lord had given them the ten commandments himself by speaking audibly from the mountain ⛰
For God to have made this statement at this point Shoes how hurt he was by them.
How could they turn back at this crucial stage.
Of all times to be complaining and faithless,
Thus was not the time, not when they were this close.
They really hurt God.
And now his mind was made up, he was going to disinherit them.
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.12.KJV
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.
Numbers 14:16 KJV commentary https https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.16.KJV
The situation was terrible 😰 but it had to be managed.
Moses reminded God of what the other nations had heard of.
How that the lord was visibly in the midst of his people by day and by night 🌃.
If he killed them as he wanted to, they people would not blame The Israelite but would say he God was incapable. And very painful untruth.
But who was God going to explain it to.
Who would believe it, that it was the people who were incapable and not their God.
In that light though painful, God had to ensure the people again.
He had to feed this faithless people with bread 🥪 of angels.
They were not worthy but to save face he had to.
Oh my, the things that are happening in the corridors of Power and in leadership just to save face.
Only God knows. This feels like living with an unfaithful spouse, who continues to scorn you by lewdness and fornication yet to keep the marriage and the children etc you stay.
It was like rape, Israel enjoying pleasure and the blessings and the cloud 🌥 cover and the glory of the lord and in that pleasure they inflict pain,
terrible pain on the lord.
Oh our God is indeed very humble, how that he could destroy these folks and start afresh yet he chose to keep the system working ⚒ and live and relate with man as a father and son in unfathomable.
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.16.KJV
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;
Numbers 14:22 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.22.KJV
Eiiii God was taking count and disinherited the people.
According to Moses own words if he killed them all as once man vs 15… he would be doubted so he killed them over a 30 year son https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.22.KJV
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.
Numbers 14:24 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.24.KJV
So this is how we possess the land, fully following the lord
https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.24.KJV
(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.
Numbers 14:25 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.25.KJV
Kai, back to the red sea 🌊 🤯. The journey was over. The quest was done.
God was done with them. He had decided and would not relent, they will not inherit canaan.
Yes though he would not kill them immediately as he thought to because his mercy is great yet they would not inherit the land.
Both mercy and judgements was meted to Israel 🇮🇱 at this point. https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.25.KJV
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.
Numbers 14:34 KJV commentary https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.34.KJV
🙁 Hm… Ye shall know my breach of promise. God is not machine or senseless idol.
He is real. He does not get up and swear 🤬 senslessly without conditions.
He reveals another aspect of him.
The God who breaches his promise. Though it really took a lot of provoking for him to get to that point https://bible.com/bible/1/num.14.34.KJV