Numbers 14:22–25

They gained nothing from a testimony passed on to them by their fathers, nor from miracles worked before their own eyes. They tempted God by speaking against Him. God had provided streams to quench their thirst in a miraculous way. Even so their unbelief said, "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" They admit that God had worked wonders for them, but they said, in effect, "He has given us water — can He give us bread?" Men speak against God when there are no miracles, and ask, "Why does He not step in?" They forget that when God did work miracles before the eyes of men, they spoke against God. Miracles and signs do not change the heart of man. Miracles or no miracles, the natural man is unbelieving.

To tempt was to doubt His presence and action on their behalf, as Israel did, not only "ten times" (Num. 14), but also just before the Lord sent fiery serpents to cut them off.

It shows how serious the sin of murmuring and complaining about the trials of the wilderness is. At the same time it teaches us that the heart of all such complaint is doubting whether the Lord is with us. These are common traps of Satan. He often entangles the feet of the Lord's people with them and robs them of their peace and joy, even when he does not bring about their fall. The antidote to all these tendencies is a firm, unwavering grip on the truth that the Lord is among us.

The complaint God makes in this verse is striking: they "have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice." God punished the grumbling people again and again, but none of it seemed to do any good. The people died a miserable death in the desert. So a new generation entered the land of promise, apart from Joshua and Caleb. Man in the flesh, tested by the law, could not please God and had to be born again.

But there is such a thing as government, as well as grace. This must never be forgotten, and these things must never be confused. The whole book of God shows the difference between grace and government. Perhaps no part of it shows this more strongly than the section now open before us. Grace will pardon. Grace will fill the earth with the blessed beams of divine glory. But notice the terrible movement of the wheels of government in these burning words.

It is this warning that stops the living in their tracks. The dead — those whose consciences are not touched, who do not say, "To whom shall we go? you have the words of eternal life" — treat the warning with contempt and perish. This is what happened to Israel in the wilderness, and God swore to them that they should not enter into His rest (Num. 14:21-23). And why? They had given up their confidence in Him. They had heard reports of the beauty and excellence of the land. Even so, their unbelief robbed them of the promised rest.

But there is such a thing as government, as well as grace. This must never be forgotten, and the two must never be confused. The whole book of God shows the difference between grace and government. Perhaps no part of it shows this more strongly than the section now open before us. Grace will pardon, and grace will fill the earth with the blessed beams of divine glory. But notice the terrible movement of the wheels of government in these burning words.

It is very important to notice that unbelief kept Israel out of Canaan here. The inspired commentary in Hebrews 3 settles the question: "So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief." It might be said that the time for Israel to enter Canaan had not come, since the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached its peak. But that is not the reason Israel refused to cross the Jordan. They knew nothing and thought nothing about the sin of the Amorites... They ought to have entered. They were responsible to do so, and they were judged for not doing so. The way was open.

Here at the border of the land there is nothing riotous or openly shameful — no idol, no feasting and playing. On the contrary, the respectable world condemns the filth of idol worship, yet approves the wisdom that guided Israel then. Before entering a hostile country, was it not praiseworthy caution to weigh the chances of victory and the enemy's power to resist? The sin here is independence from God. They would test the fruitfulness of the land and the strength of its inhabitants. Little did they think that God was testing them... Hebrews 3 refers to this very time... and the Holy Spirit uses another word — provocation — to show how exceedingly wicked their sin was... This despising of the land was the provocation.

"But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD... none of those who despised me shall see it." That, of course, is judgment; and the filling of the earth with God's glory here has nothing to do with the gospel. The Lord will have the whole earth full of His glory, but He does not use the gospel for that purpose. He does send the gospel, and He presses it on men with endless patience and goodness. But they reject it, and then judgment comes.

This is the decisive point in the history of the wilderness: the people refused to enter the land when they were brought right to its borders. For this they pay the penalty of forty years of wandering, and the whole generation dies, except two people... They are not pilgrims any more, but wanderers; not aimless, but with self-preservation as their only aim for these forty years... Progress stopped does not stop decline; on the contrary, it ripens into the rebellion of Korah and his company, the crowning sin of all... Circumcision stops too, so they lose the very sign of their covenant with the LORD. Grace alone carries them at last through the Jordan, and gives them the land they turn back from here.

We are all dull and slow to understand, even as such a favour is set before us. But a dull heart and a slow mind will not stop us sharing in it in the coming day. What will hinder — and hinder fatally and finally, if it is left to work out its bitter results — is the sin of unbelief... Unbelief lost their fathers the land. Their dead bodies fell in the wilderness. Unbelief would keep anyone who keeps giving way to it from ever being a companion of Christ, and from entering the rest that remains.

But then there is such a thing as government, as well as grace. This must never be forgotten, and we must never confuse the two. The whole book of God shows the difference between grace and government. Perhaps no part of it shows that difference more powerfully than the section now open before us. Grace will pardon, and grace will fill the earth with the blessed beams of divine glory. But look at the terrible movement of the wheels of government.

This is how faith always reasons. Faith reasons from God to the difficulties: it begins with Him. Unbelief, on the contrary, reasons from the difficulties to God: it begins with them. This makes all the difference... Faith looks the difficulties straight in the face. It is not ignorant — not indifferent — not reckless; but what? IT BRINGS IN THE LIVING GOD... Caleb showed this precious faith when he said, "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

Caleb's faith lifted him out of the murmurs of Israel, their cowardice and their reproaches of the Lord. He trusted in God, held on to Him and left in His hands difficulties and giants; one thing only he sought — the Lord's delight in him.

Caleb's soul rested entirely on the grace and power of God. That same grace and power had made them triumph at the Red Sea, and had kept the spies while they searched the land... The very same principle of fully following the Lord made him encourage the people to go up. But it would also stop him from trying once the Lord had said, "Tomorrow turn back toward the Red Sea." This was because the Lord had no delight in the people.

This reveals how welcome to the Lord's heart Caleb's faithful testimony had been... He also showed the spirit of devoted discipleship in an evil day. He followed fully, and this became his distinguishing mark — a mark Caleb himself delighted to accept and recall.

Do you know what Caleb said? "I wholly followed the LORD my God" (Joshua 14:8). Oh, you say, he was conceited. No, no, he was consecrated, not conceited.

But the forty years of desert life still lie ahead. He walks them with courage right to the end, because he carries in his heart the memory of the riches and the treasure of Canaan. To him the difficulties of the desert are nothing. He pays no attention to the burning sands, the scorching sun, weariness, or thirst... A hope keeps his courage alive. And the believer's hope is not just Canaan, that is, heaven in a general way. It is Christ.

These males of twenty years and over numbered just over 600,000. Not one of them was left alive from the earlier census, except Caleb and Joshua... we see with what absolute exactness God fulfils the word He has spoken. A solemn fact for the unbeliever, but one in which we who believe can heartily rejoice.

Verse 25 reminds them that the Amalekites and Canaanites dwelt in the valley. They were formidable enemies indeed if God was not leading Israel against them. Israel had lost all claim to God's support. So God told them to turn back into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea. They had more to learn from wilderness experience.

So the people had to turn back into the wilderness and wander there for forty years. There was nothing else for it. They would not go up into the land with God, in simple faith. And He would not go up with them in their self-will and self-confidence. So they simply had to accept the consequence of their disobedience. If they would not enter the land, they must fall in the wilderness.

From Kadesh-barnea Israel had to almost retrace their steps, going back toward the Red Sea. Believers today find similar experiences because of lack of faith. Instead of moving forward in obedience to God, we must go back and learn again what the Red Sea deliverance means. It speaks of the judgment of sin in the flesh through the cross of Christ. If we do not learn it well as we begin our wilderness history, we will have to backtrack to understand it better. That is wandering instead of going steadily forward. Too many believers take almost their whole life to learn this lesson.

We now come to the decisive point in the history of the wilderness. The people refused to enter the land when God brought them to its very borders. By this they incur the penalty of forty years of wandering, and the death of the whole generation in the wilderness, except two people. For these, therefore, the whole character of their life is altered. They are not pilgrims any more, but wanderers. They do not wander without aim, yet their only aim for these forty years is to keep themselves alive.

Jehovah refused to go with Israel into the mountain of the Amorites. But He was ready to turn round, in patient grace, and go with them through all their desert wanderings. If Israel would not enter Canaan with Jehovah, He would go back into the wilderness with Israel. Nothing can exceed the grace that shines in this. If God had dealt with them as they deserved, He might at least have left them to wander alone through the desert.

Notice how beautiful this is. At the very moment God sent them back from the land for their unbelief, He gives directions about what to do in the land. His promise and purpose are as sure as His word and His nature, despite man's folly and failure.

We are just like wayward children. How well we can understand Israel's reply, "Here we are. We will go up," to the announcement that they must turn and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea. They could not bear to lose so much ground, and to cross the wilderness afresh. They would go up from where they were, but it cannot prosper; it was not the Lord's way, nor was He with them. Their attempt failed, and ended in defeat and deeper disgrace. The Lord will have us back to the cross so that we may start afresh with Him. We allow that we have sinned, but desire to go on as though we had not. This is not obedience but presumption.