A Doubting and Disobedient People

Numbers 14:1-11

FAITH in the presence of an invisible God and in his willingness and ability to care for those who serve him faithfully has always been rare even among those who profess to be his people, and this was certainly true of the children of Israel who followed the leadership of their divinely provided lawgiver, Moses. This is the more difficult to understand in the light of all the miraculous ways in which the Lord demonstrated his ability to provide for and protect them. Seemingly the majority of them had short memories; or else despite their former oppression they really preferred to return to Egypt and to slavery.

It has always been true, however, that among the great mass of nominal believers there are a few who really put their trust in the Lord, and upon the basis of their faith are glad to obey him and follow his leadership. So it was in the case of ancient Israel. Of the twelve spies who were sent across Jordan to secure information concerning the inhabitants of Canaan and to find out what sort of country it was, only two—Caleb and Joshua—brought back a favorable report and recommended that the Israelites enter in and possess the land. The other ten advised against the undertaking.

The ten spies who urged against proceeding into Canaan saw giants in the land, in comparison with which they said that the Israelites were but as grasshoppers. The two faithful spies also saw these giants, but they saw something else as well. By the eye of faith they recognized the ability of God to help them defeat the giants, so they urged that the Israelites go forward. The people accepted the majority report, for, like the ten spies, they lacked faith in their God and in his ability to fight for them.

The vast majority who profess to believe in God and in his promises have always been like these ten spies. And it is true of the nominal Christian world today. They have faith in God in proportion to their confidence in them selves. Today these nominal believers would gladly help to establish a more righteous social order in the earth, and indeed, are doing all they can along this line, but seemingly they have no notion whatever of believing that God will ever fulfill his promises to establish a kingdom. To them the promise that “the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established” is mere fantasy—just nice words to quote at a political rally to give the campaign a religious aspect.

It has also often been true that the professed people of God who lack a living faith in his promises have been persecutors of those who did have a vital faith in him and have believed that he would accomplish all he has promised to do! This was the disposition of the Israelites toward Moses and Aaron and the two spies who recommended entry into Canaan and the possession of the Promised Land. They wanted to stone the two faithful spies, the only reason being that they believed God and had confidence that he was able to fulfill his promises and give them the land.

In Hebrews 3:8-19 Paul draws a very practical lesson from the failure of the Israelites to enter into the land because of their unbelief, showing that the sin of unbelief is a very serious one in God’s sight. Certainly God cannot be pleased with those who do not have confidence in him. Lack of faith destroys the basis of our fellowship with the Father and with his Son—and indeed, with one another. Abraham became the friend of God because of his absolute faith in him and in his promises.

Confidence is the basis of all friendships, and is no less so in our relationship to God. We must have faith in him, a faith that leads to obedience: When we do have such a faith, then he can have confidence in us, and upon the basis of that confidence will bestow the richest of his blessings upon us.

The Israelites who failed to believe God and rebelled against Moses’ leadership, died in the wilderness, thus failing to attain the great objective for which they left Egypt. Let us not cast away our confidence, but, by continuing to believe and to obey, may we, as Paul put it, “apprehend” that for which also we have been apprehended of God.—Phil. 3:12

QUESTIONS

What was one of the great tests upon the Israelites who followed Moses’ leadership out of Egypt?

What is often the attitude of the faithless toward those who really do have confidence in God and in his promises?

What practical lessons may Christians take from Israel’s lack of faith and their disobedience in the wilderness?

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