Week 52, Day 4: Rebellion
Today’s Reading: Numbers 14:1-38
Some thoughts from today’s reading…
After the bad report is brought back by 10 of the 12 spies, the people begin to rebel. They speak of replacing Moses as their leader and going back to Egypt. Despite Caleb’s efforts to convince them that God will give them the land they speak of stoning Aaron, Moses and Caleb (vs 9-10). What stops them from doing this? Not reason or rational thought but rather it was God intervening. The glory of the Lord appears in the tent of meeting.
God decides to punish the people for their rebellion by making them wander in the wilderness until all those 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” died in the wilderness (vs. 22). God would not permit these men to see the promised land. Only Caleb and Joshua would be allowed to survive because they had a “different spirit and followed God fully” (vs 24). Rather than permitting these people to enter into the land God would give it to their children whom the people had said would become prey to their enemies (vs. 31).
Question: What kind of attitude is reflected by the people going ahead and trying to go into the land (vs 39-45)? How hard do you think it was for Caleb to speak up when they returned from spying out the land and when the people were lifting up their voices?
Popularity: unranked [?]