Deuteronomy 1:34 – 46 “When the LORD heard your words, He grew angry and swore an oath, saying, “Not one of the men of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land on which he has set foot, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”
The LORD was also angry with me on your account, and He said, “Not even you shall enter the land. Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit the land. And the little ones you said would become captives—your children who on that day did not know good from evil—will enter the land that I will give them, and they will possess it. But you are to turn back and head for the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea. ”
Defeat at Hormah (First told in Numbers 14:40-45)
“We have sinned against the LORD,” you replied. “We will go up and fight, as the LORD our God has commanded us.” Then each of you put on his weapons of war, thinking it easy to go up into the hill country. But the LORD said to me, “Tell them not to go up and fight, for I am not with you to keep you from defeat by your enemies.” So I spoke to you, but you would not listen. You rebelled against the command of the LORD and presumptuously went up into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in the hills came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees. They routed you from Seir all the way to Hormah. And you returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not listen to your voice or give ear to you. For this reason you stayed in Kadesh for a long time—a very long time.”
The Israelites have gotten themselves into a really deep hole with only one way out: repentance. Unfortunately, repentance does not appear to be in their vocabulary. God has already told the Israelites that nobody in this present generation of adults, including Moses, will enter the Promised Land and that they need to go back to the wilderness along the same route they have taken from the Red Sea. Suddenly, these same people who totally refused to obey God now want to do their will in God’s Name, despite the fact that He is warning them that it will be a disaster.
The Israelites try to take on the Amorites without God’s protection and suffer a resounding defeat. Once defeated, the Israelites return and weep before the Lord, but He is not listening. Why not?
APPLICATION: There’s a country Gospel song that says, “Too much thunder, and no enough rain. Too many programs and not enough praying.” The story of the first generation of Israelites to escape from Egypt is really a sad one. After a miraculous deliverance and continued miracles along the way, these people are poised to enter the Promised Land… until they listen to a bunch of frightening reports. Suddenly, they forget everything God has done and the way God has protected them. Then when it’s too late to salvage the situation, they sit down and weep buckets of tears. At no point is there any indication that these Israelites are actually repenting, only that they are hoping that if they cry long enough, they will get their own way. Why doesn’t God listen to all these lamentations?
1. If the Israelites are seriously repenting, there should be a record of their leaders going to Moses and begging him to intercede with God on their behalf. No such intercession has been made.
2. God has already laid down regulations regarding offerings for sin and for repentance. The Tabernacle and the Levitical priesthood are already in place; however, there is no record of any such offerings being made, despite the fact that the Israelites have grieved God their Protector.
3. There is no record of the Israelites fasting or giving up any of the small idols that they may still have been hauling around as spiritual insurance. The Israelites seem to feel that they are clean enough, not realizing that disobedience and rebellion are two of the biggest sins of all.
We read these accounts and feel a bit smug. After all, we have never behaved like this. But have we? Have there been times in our lives when we have truly blown it and failed to follow God’s will for our lives? At that point, have we truly repented or have we merely felt sorry for ourselves as we have been stuck with the results of our own disobedience?
Whether or not we choose to accept it, God’s ways are still righteous and just. Truth is not relative and God’s Will is the only safe guide for our lives. God has promised in Psalm 32:8, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
The first rule of holes is: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging! If you will stop and look up, God will be there to help you. But as long as you try to do it yourself, the hole will only get deeper!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Help us to constantly look to You for guidance, being assured that You will graciously give it. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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