The Missed Opportunity

I wanted to make another post about the story of how the Israelites didn’t believe God and didn’t go into the land of Canaan when they should have. But in this post I wanted to talk about what happened after God had already punished them for their lack of faith. Let’s check it out.

Surely all the men who have seen My glory and My signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me to the test these ten times and have not listened to My voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned Me see it. But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.

Numbers 14:22‭-‬24 NASB

So as we can see, the Lord punished those who did not believe in Him. And their punishment was that they would not enter into the Land. But only Caleb would see the land because he had faith in the Lord.

When Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people mourned greatly. In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Here we are; we have indeed sinned, but we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised.” But Moses said, “Why then are you transgressing the commandment of the Lord, when it will not succeed? Do not go up, or you will be struck down before your enemies, for the Lord is not among you.

Numbers 14:39‭-‬42 NASB

Now the children of Israel had realized their mistake and acknowledged their sin. And they had regret, so they decided to go up and try to take the land like they should have. But the Lord had already taken His favor off the Israelites. And even in this, they transgressed the commandment of the Lord, thinking that they could fight the people of the land.

But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses left the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.

Numbers 14:44‭-‬45 NASB

And so again, they didn’t heed the words of Moses. So they went up to fight the Amalekites and the Canaanites, only to be struck down and destroyed. And this is really a story about a stubborn and faithless people. They wouldn’t believe in God after all that He did for them. They would go into Canaan when told and they didn’t listen to Moses when told not to go into Canaan. Now I think a lesson that can be learned here is to not only listen to the Lord, but to trust Him. He is with us and will give us victory, if we are obedient.

Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:5 NKJV

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