26The 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. - P120
29In 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.
30Not 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. - P130
33Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness.
34For 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.’
35I, 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." - P121
36So 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—
37these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord.
38Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived. - P121
The Israelites receive punishment for their grumbling: with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the current generation of adults will die in the wilderness. The Israelites had not merely wrestled with their concerns and doubts after hearing the spies’ report. Their hearts were hardened, and they fell into rebellion. - P122
When we go through trials and tribulations, it is natural to wonder about God’s plans for us. However, we must guard against cynicism and refuse to grumble, even quietly in our hearts. Grumbling will lead us astray and cause us to wander unnecessarily in our walk with the Lord. - P122
Let us instead wrestle with our questions heartily, holding on to the promises of God and asking Him to protect our hearts and inspire greater faith. - P122
The ten spies who spread the bad report are killed by a plague, calling to mind the plagues in Egypt. The plague is the severe consequence of their extreme faithlessness. What a tragedy! These men were in authority and possessed the opportunity to encourage their people with testimonies of what they had seen in the promised land. Instead, they function like a deadly poison, turning the whole community against God and against their leader Moses. - P122
Our words can build up and encourage greater faith or sow destruction and foster faithlessness. - P122
Let us seek to remain close to the Lord so that our words may reflect His perspective, offering refreshment and encouragement to those around us. - P122
Heavenly Father, I am humbled when I see how the Israelites grumbled because I have been tempted to participate in similar behavior. - P123
Use me instead to proclaim Your goodness and build up my community. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. - P123
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