Numbers Chapter 14
The people of Israel had a big problem; they had defied the living God. It is the same problem that many people have today in our world. Many think that they are wiser than God and that they do not need Him. They turn their back on God and tell God with their very words that they will be the god of their own life. Our words are so important because God hears them. And in this case, He certainly heard the words of the defiant Israelites who thought they knew better than God.
God had already told the people that He would be with them, and He would help them to possess the promised land. But they preferred to listen to the words of ten men who spoke discord and disbelief amongst the people. The people went so far in their defiance that they told God they didn’t want Him in their lives anymore and that they were going to pick a different leader (than Moses) to take them back to Egypt.
Let's Reflect
1. What men are named that were visibly upset by the behavior of the people?
2. Joshua and Caleb who had been on the team of spies that went into the promised land tried to convince the people that they should trust God. What did they plead with the people not to do in verse 9?
3. What was the reaction and the heart of the people who heard what Joshua and Caleb had said?
4. In verses 11 and 12 we read that God’s response to their rebellion was to strike them all dead, but Moses prayed and interceded on behalf of the people. The prayer of Moses may seem that he was trying to manipulate God. But then we must remember the many times that God had said that He would bring the people out of the hands of the Egyptians and then they will know that He is God. “They will know” was directed towards more than just the Israelite people. Moses had concern for the glory of God. What might the Egyptians say about God if they heard that the Israelites never made it to their promised land?
5. Moses was not telling God anything that He did not already know. But God wants us to intercede on the behalf of others; to pray for rebellious hearts that have not seen the truth of the gospel. One incredible way to pray, is to pray the words of Scripture back to God. Do you know someone who has rebelled against God?
6. Moses does exactly that in verse 18. He quoted God’s own words back to Him. What do you learn about God from verse 18?
7. The intercessory prayer of Moses heard the ears of God. God did not cause all the Israelites to die right then and there. They would live out their lifespans and die. But what punishment would they receive for their sin?
8. They did not like the answer they heard from Moses and so a group of the congregation decided to take matters into their own hands and march into the promised land on their own. What was the result of their actions?
