God’s People Tested

GOLDEN TEXT: “Wherefore (as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” —Hebrews 3:7,8,12

NUMBERS 13:30 – 14:3, 19-24

IN HEBREWS 11:6 we read that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Faith in God and in his promises and abilities is esteemed very highly by him. This is understandable. The whole world is alienated from God through sin. Few in any generation have had genuine faith in him. True, many have professed to believe, but millions have been inclined to doubt his very existence. So, when an individual displays actual faith in him by acting in keeping with his promises and assurances, God is pleased.

Abraham was one who did this, and we read that his faith was counted to’ him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3) Abraham had many imperfections, but the Lord counted his faith as covering these, and accepted this “father of the faithful” as a friend. (Rom. 4:11,16; Jas. 2:23; II Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8) On the other hand, the righteousness of the noblest member of the adamic race who ever lived would be but as filthy rags in God’s sight, if he had no faith in him.

God’s viewpoint in this is understandable. Those who have absolute confidence in him will do his will. Adam would not have followed Eve into disobedience if he had possessed full confidence in his Creator; for he would have known that regardless of Eve’s sin, the Lord could and would have worked matters out for their own highest welfare. So God accepts faith as an evidence that if one were free from inherited weakness he would render perfect obedience, thus faith is counted as righteousness. So says the Lord himself through his inspired servants.

Beginning in Egypt, God’s dealings with the Israelites should have given them a strong faith in him and in his ability to overcome their enemies. He had given them many manifestations of his miracle-working power and of his loving care. Now that they had reached the place where they could enter the Promised Land, he looked for some evidence of a faith on their part which would make them worthy to possess it.

Twelve spies, one from each of the tribes, were sent into the land to learn what they could about it, and about the people who lived therein. God did not need this information, for he already knew.

All twelve spies brought back glowing reports, and some specimens of the land and its productivity. It was a land, they said, flowing “with milk and honey.” (Num. 13:26,27; 14:8; Deut. 6:3) But ten of the spies had been over-impressed with the size and strength of the people who dwelt in the Land. From what they saw, they concluded that the Israelites could not possibly conquer the land.

Two of the spies—Caleb and Joshua—brought back a different report. They believed that with the Lord’s help they could conquer the land. But the people refused to heed this report. They murmured. “Would God,” they said, “that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!”—Num. 14:2

This manifest lack of faith on the part of the majority of the Israelites is described in our Golden Text as the “provocation,” from a Greek word meaning “irritation.” God was greatly irritated by this lack of faith on the part of his people.

We are not to suppose that all the Israelites were equally faithless. There may have been some among them that would have agreed with Caleb and Joshua. But the majority ruled; and since God was dealing with them as a nation, they all suffered together; they all had to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Caleb and Joshua were the only males past twenty years of age who did not die in the wilderness, God’s special blessing being upon them because of their faith and courage in giving a favorable report. Even so, God showed great mercy toward Israel. He said to Moses, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” (Exod. 14:12) Then Moses said to the Lord, “If thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land, … therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness.”—Exod. 14:15,16

It is refreshing to note that Moses was more concerned over the glory of the Lord than he was over the Lord’s offer to make of him a nation.

QUESTIONS

What does faith accomplish in our relationship with God?

In what manner was the faith of the Israelites tested in connection with entering the Promised Land?

Relate the details of this incident.

What did the Lord propose to Moses, and how did Moses react to the suggestion?

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