The Life of Moses (20)

The Israelites had been greatly privileged by the Lord. He gave them a solemn promise, “Behold, I make a covenant,” or as it were, I renew the covenant. Israel was to avoid all idolatry and not make covenants with the idolatrous nations or have fellowship with them. How good and faithful the Lord was for an often rebellious people. Two years had passed since the Israelites had left Egypt. They had, at this time, come to the border of Canaan in the south near Beersheba. It had been about four hundred years ago that the Lord had promised this land to them. We read in Deuteronomy 1:21, “Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.”

An evil report

Before they would enter the promised land, the people wanted to search out the land. The people requested this, and God commanded it, but it was in His displeasure. Some of the most qualified men of the people were sent out. They searched the country from south to north, from west to east.

Finally, they returned. No one was missing. They walked slowly, for they were carrying big clusters of grapes on a staff and also pomegranates and figs. The Israelites were very anxious to hear their report. They said, yes, indeed, it was a very fruitful land; however, the inhabitants of it were mighty, and their cities had big walls and many nations dwelt there. What really was frightening was that there were giants, children of Anak, in the land. No, it was not an encouraging message that they brought. It was as if God had spoken a half-truth and had concealed from them the impossibilities. The people were confused… Is that true, Moses?

However, they were stilled by Caleb, one of the twelve spies. He did not deny that there were mighty enemies, but he encouraged them, “Let us go up at once, and possess it.” Caleb could speak this by faith. All the rest of the spies, except Joshua, brought an ill report and said it was impossible to conquer the enemies. Some may have said, “Caleb speaks too lightly about the mountains of impossibility before us.”

The evil report believed

The message had been brought to Israel, however, with a great and essential difference between Caleb’s message and that of the others. We may compare it to two different kinds of preaching:

A) That which is like the message of the ten spies. This points to man, what he must do, can do, and what the circumstances are. That is the preaching of unbelief.

B) That which is like the preaching of Caleb, which points to God and who He is: faithful, almighty, unchangeable, and what He is able to do.

The ten spies spoke the truth, yet they lied, for they did not say everything that could be mentioned. There is a kind of preaching that expects something from man and ascribes abilities to him which are not there, but there is also a preaching that, as with Pentecost, proclaims the mighty works of God. Caleb believed nothing is impossible with God, and even Balaam said: “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). Had not the Lord shown His almighty power to these people?

Yes, but how quickly they forgot and also listened to the wrong report in unbelief. This also is a picture of our own hearts. The people were very sad and discouraged, and soon they became bitter and angry. They believed the ten spies, and they reproached Moses. They said, “We wish we had stayed in Egypt. Tomorrow we will choose a new leader, and then we will go back.”

“Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.” They were in utmost distress because of it. Perhaps they supplicated the Lord to convince the people of their folly. Caleb and Joshua rent their clothes. They tried again to persuade the people: “If the Lord delights in us and if He will be gracious, though we do not deserve it, He will give us this land. Fear not the people of the land, for they are as bread for us and will be consumed and destroyed.”

Caleb and Joshua pointed to the faithfulness and power of God, but the people refused to listen. They took up stones in anger and rebellion. Then the Lord revealed Himself in His majesty because the Israelites wanted to touch His faithful servants.

The punishment

The message of God’s faithfulness was not believed. God spoke to the people, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.” This must have been a test also for Moses. He knew that the people deserved this. They were so unthankful. The manna was there also that morning, but they did not see God’s goodness. They had forgotten His deeds, the deliverance He gave by the Red Sea, and Marah, and against Amalek. However, if the Lord would destroy them, then there would be no Messiah. He would come from Judah, not from Levi, which was the tribe of Moses and Aaron. Moses pleaded that God’s name would be dishonored and the enemies would mock the Lord. Moses knew what the Lord had shown to him in the cleft of the rock, which is that He is plenteous in mercy and ready to forgive.

God’s sentence was that all the people of twenty years and older would die in the wilderness. Only Caleb, Joshua, and the Levites would be spared. The Lord had determined to show His displeasure and severe punishment. The people said, “We have sinned; lo, we are here; now we will go up to the land.” That seemed to be a good confession, but their repentance was not true, for they did not accept their punishment, did not really own their guilt, and did not bow under God’s righteous judgment. They expected that the single acknowledgment of guilt would be adequate, but that was not true. When they set out on their own, unaccompanied by Moses and the ark of the Lord, they were defeated near Hormah, a village on the southern border of Canaan.

Without the Ark of God, we cannot enter into heaven. Not a last confession on a deathbed will bring us there, if the Ark, if Christ, is missing. What a solemn history! Likewise, we may come close, yet still be outside and never enter into the heavenly Canaan. What kept Israel outside of Canaan? No, it was not because of their sins or their many murmurings, for then there would still have been the possibility of forgiveness and reconciliation. It was the fact that they did not believe the preaching of Joshua and Caleb. If we perish, it is not because we are too guilty, too unclean. How terrible it will be to have rejected that great salvation proclaimed to us.

By nature, we believe the devil and the ill report of Canaan, as if the service of the Lord is slavery. The devil says to some that you are too young for that, and there will be so many things that you will not be allowed to do anymore. However, the truth is that the service of God is a blessed service, a service of love. Did we already believe the good report, that there is salvation for the worst of sinners in that only name under heaven? There is yet room, a place by Him. People of God, speak well of your King in the midst of the strife and say wherever you have an opportunity that He is worthy to be followed and to be obeyed. He will receive the honor from a people that have been taught by the Lord that salvation is in Him only.

(To be continued)

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