May 30, 2010 (Numbers 14-17)

In Numbers 13, God sent out twelve men to go into the promised land to explore it and bring back a report to the people. Of the twelve, ten came back and focused on all the bad - the 'giants' in the land, the fortified cities, etc. etc. But two came back and focused on the good - the bounty and beauty of the land. Them mentioned the bad, but in the same breath, focused on the promises of God to give them the land. And what happened? Here we go again....

^14:1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. ² Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. ³ “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

Then Moses, Joshua and Caleb (the two that came back with the 'good report') addressed the people:

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. ⁶ Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. ⁷ They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! ⁸ And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

So, after hearing that, the people repented and believed, right?

¹⁰ But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle. ¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? ¹² I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”

Now here's where I don't get Moses' response. At this point, I would have been tempted to say, "Yep, I agree. They'll never change." But instead Moses convinced God to spare them. And He did spare them, but He also said they would never enter into the promised land. So maybe God doesn't kill us when we complain. But who knows what blessing we may never experience because of our complaints.

In chapter 15 God instructed Moses to make tassels for the hem of their garments, and that the tassels were to remind them of the Lord's commands and that they should obey them rather than "follow their own desires and go their own ways, as they are prone to do". Maybe that's where the WWJD bracelet idea came from.