Numbers 14 – Study

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each passage has a four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Numbers 14:1-10

1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?’ 4 And they said to each other, ‘We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, ‘The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.’ 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites.

A. Find Out:

1. What was the people’s response to the report of the leaders? v.1
2. What was their fear? v.2,3
3. What did they think about doing? v.4
4. What was Moses’ & Aaron’s response to all this? v.5
5. What did Joshua & Caleb affirm? v.6-8
6. What did they plead with the people? v.9

B. Think:

1. What was the belief of the people?
2. What was the belief of Joshua & Caleb?
3. How does Moses appear to be responding to all this?

C. Comment:

     When we observe the response of the people to the report of most of the spies, we realize the responsibility of vision makers. The ‘vision’ the leaders presented is a badly presented one. They focus on the difficulties and not the solution. As a result the people are in despair. As they see it they are doomed. There is no faith around at all. They take on board the negatives of the spies and assume the worst – we’re going to be killed! Hullo? Just a minute, what about the Exodus? Why should God do that only to give you up to destruction now? They don’t think like that though, they do what we so often do, just let their minds get filled with the worst case scenario with no room for faith.

     The response of the ‘faith men’ is interesting. Moses and Aaron simply fall on their faces in prayer. This is so terrible that only the Lord can help, so let’s plead with Him. Joshua and Caleb who have seen the land plead with the people. All four ARE men of faith. Two speak out to God and two speak out the truth to the people. It’s a good combination, but unfortunately the words to the people fall on deaf, unbelieving ears, ears that have committed themselves to believing the worst, and they will not be moved by the faith of Joshua and Caleb. They may be misguided and they may have let themselves be swayed by the bad report of the unbelieving spies, but they are still responsible. See next!

D. Application:

1. It’s easy to be swayed by others’ unbelief. Resist it!
2. It’s easy to forget the Lord. Don’t!

Passage: Numbers 14:10-25

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.’

13 Moses said to the Lord, ‘Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 “The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.”

17 ‘Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.’

20 The Lord replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times – 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out towards the desert along the route to the Red Sea.’

A. Find Out:

1. What did the people talk of doing? v.10
2. So what did the Lord talk of doing? v.11,12
3. What argument did Moses use against that? v.13-16
4. What principle did he reiterate & what request did he make? v.18,19
5. How did the Lord respond to that? v.20-23
6. Who did He say would be an exception? v.24
7. What did he say now to do? v.25

B. Think:

1. Why do you think the Lord said what He did in v.11,12?
2. What argument did Moses present?
3. What was the outcome?

C. Comment:

      This is a crucial point in Israel ‘s desert history. They have allowed their spirits to flag and have fallen into a place of rebellion where they are essentially rejecting the Lord and rejecting Moses and Aaron. The Lord speaks to Moses at the Tent and declares His intention to wipe them all out by a plague and start again with Moses. What a temptation for Moses – what a test! Moses passes the test, for he is more concerned for the name of the Lord than with his own future glory!

      Moses ‘argues’ with the Lord that the Egyptians from whom they escaped will deride the name of the Lord if His purposes for Israel are not fulfilled. The argument, “What will people think?” is a good one to use because the Lord IS concerned to maintain His good name so that people will come to Him. That is His desire. He doesn’t need persuading and so He agrees that He will not destroy them outright, but what He will do, for they must learn this, is stop all those of accountable age (we’ll see that tomorrow) who came out of Egypt from entering the Promised Land. Key features of this covenant-people are to be faith and obedience (Ex 19:5) and if they don’t have those they forfeit the covenant and forfeit the blessings that God has for them. Very well, says the Lord, turn around, the enemy before you is too much for you!

D. Application:

1. A child of God is called to obedience to receive their blessing.
2. Faith is a prerequisite to receive the blessing of God.

Passage: Numbers 14:26-35

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 ‘How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, “As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 in this wilderness your bodies will fall – every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you – your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years – one year for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.” 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.’

A. Find Out:

1. What was the Lord holding against Israel ? v.27,35b
2. So what would happen to them? v.28,29a,30a,32,35c
3. Who would not die there? v.29b,30b,31
4. How long would this go on for? v.33,34

B. Think:

1. What would happen to the older generation of Israel ?
2. Who would not die there?
3. And what was the cause of all this?

C. Comment:

      These verses are God’s indictment of Israel and as such they lay down what would happen to them for the next thirty-eight years. It is quite a remarkable thing that is going to happen here. Later on, Moses would be able to testify to the remaining younger generation that their clothes or shoes had not worn out throughout their desert wandering (Deut 8:4 & 29:5) so for the younger generation there would be an amazing provision. However, for the older generation, all those over twenty years old at this time, they would be consigned to a life of wandering in that area until every last one of them (except Joshua and Caleb) had died. This must have been a terrible experience for young and old alike.

    For the old it was the knowledge that their lives now had no purpose or meaning except to die sometime in the next thirty-eight years, and until they did, life was just one long drag in the wilderness looking after their families and their flocks. For the younger generation there must have been the frustration of their lives being on standby until that period had passed and their parents had died. While their parents were still there, they could not enter into their inheritance. They might have been forgiven if they rejoiced over every death, thinking, “One more death nearer my inheritance!” A truly terrible judgement! Perhaps we take for granted this period in Israel ‘s history but it must have been like being stuck in a time warp (to use modern sci-fi language) where nothing can change, and all this because they rejected God.

D. Application:

1. Sin does have consequences. We accept sin at our peril.
2. God is patient; He can wait for a faithful generation.

Passage: Numbers 14:36-45

36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it – 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

39 When Moses reported this to all the Israelites, they mourned bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, ‘Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!’

41 But Moses said, ‘Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies, 43 for the Amalekites and the Canaanites will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you and you will fall by the sword.’

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up towards the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.

A. Find Out:

1. What happened to who and who survived? v.36-38
2. What was Israel ‘s response to this? v.39,40
3. What did Moses warn? v.41-43
4. Yet what did Israel do? v.44
5. With what result? v.45

B. Think:

1. What was the sign of the Lord’s displeasure at what happened?
2. How did Israel try to make amends?
3. How was that wrong?

C. Comment:

     The first thing to note here is the Lord’s judgement on the ten men who had led Israel astray, who had come back and, despite the Lord having declared His will, basically said, it’s not possible! They die. It’s as simple as that. There is a level of accountability with the Lord that is sometimes downright frightening. Their deaths shake Israel who now decide that they must enter the land. If you didn’t think about this, that might appear a good thing, but the truth is that the Lord has declared His will and they, yet again, fly right in the face of that and decide they will go in. It’s now too late.

    At this point we might speculate: what might have happened if Israel has repented and sought the Lord? Might the Lord have relented if he saw whole-hearted repentance? But He didn’t; they are still determined to do their own thing and leave the Lord out of it. The chilling words are found in v.44, “Nevertheless in their presumption…” They presumed they could do it without the Lord. How stupid! They have yet to learn. It continues, “they went up…. though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.” Moses stayed still and the Lord stayed still, and the people moved which meant they were now on their own without leadership and without the Lord, and the result is that they are soundly beaten by the enemy. There is no way they are going to enter the Land like this. God has declared His will and it WILL be fulfilled!

D. Application:

1. Wholehearted repentance is the only thing to change God’s mind.
2. Never try to go against God’s declared will. It invites disaster.