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  • GiGi on Numbers 14 - 10 months ago
    NUMBERS CHAPTER 14

    This chapter is a continuation of what occurred in chapter 13.

    It begins with the people mourning and weeping all night long after hearing the report of the 10 leaders who went into the land as spies and returned with a faithless negative report. They were downhearted because they had come to the edge of the land promised and feared what lay ahead of them in this land-giants/fortified cities/strong armies. They disbelieved God's power and willingness to fight for them in the battles. On top of this faithlessness, they began to murmur AGAIN against Moses and Aaron. They grumbled about being brought all this way only to die at the hands of the inhabitants of the land ahead of them. They remarked that it would be better for them to go back to Egypt or for God to have them die in the wilderness instead of going into the land to possess it only to be slaughtered. They spoke to one another about choosing a new leader to take them back to Egypt.

    These adult Israelites could not trust God, even after all of the miraculous ways He delivered them already and the miraculous ways He provided for them-manna and quail and water. They could not look at what God had done for them and believe that He would continue to deliver them from their enemies. But it seems that in their case, they themselves were their own worst enemy. Instead of believing in God's power and love like Joshua, Caleb, Moses and Aaron did, they murmured so much that they convinced most of their fellow Israelites to disbelieve and grumble, too. They, as a whole, were convinced that Moses and Aaron were not the best leaders for them anymore, even though God had chosen these two men to be their leaders. Their distrust, unbelief, and badmouthing of God's chosen leaders fomented widespread rebellion throughout the camp (of several million).

    Moses and Aaron prostrated themselves before the people and entreated them to repent and seek God's mercy. Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes. ...cont.



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