Everything in the Old Testament is a picture of Christ and representative as instructions to guide us through this journey. How many years do we find ourselves in the desert of life? We battle the same sins, desires, fears, angers, and disappointments as did the people then. How quickly do we fail God in the same way they did? How are we to find hope in the desert despite the poison of sin penetrating our own hearts? If it were not for Jesus we could not and would not. Thanks be to God that our salvation does not depend on us keeping it. Yet, we must strive, learn and grow every day. As we will see even Moses as an old man, failed to follow God’s command and faced the consequences. Let us always be aware of our own frailties.
We left off last week just after the people had complained against God and were consumed by fire. As noted in the verse from I Corinthians 10, not all pleased God. Many did not trust God. Then, they began to complain about the manna and wanted meat, but in their greed a plague came and killed many who had to be buried before they moved on to the next stop along the way to Hazeroth and then on to the wilderness of Paran. There in the wilderness once more we see the weakness of Aaron’s faith. He had built the Golden calf and now he is the complainer. Although God had so used Aaron and Miriam; yet, they fail God in this point. We too must always be aware of how quickly we can fall.
NUMBERS 12:1-2,9-10
Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 9 So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper.
Aaron pleaded and Moses prayed. However, God ordered that Miriam remain shut out of the camp seven days and then be restored.
Finally, the Israeli tribes are all near to the promised land. Spies are sent out to view the land. Despite everything God had faithfully brought them through the desert. Such an act of grace! But wait, what happens then?
Report of the Spies
25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” Numbers 13:25-29 (ESV).
Hope in The Desert Despite the Poison of Sin
Faith spoke loudly through Caleb. God is with us. Regardless of how difficult it may look, God has shown us His strength repeatedly.
30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” Numbers 13:30-33 (ESV).
Yet, the people listened to the negative report. Weeping hysterically all night, they grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
“If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness!” Number 14:2 (NASB)
Sound familiar? I mean how often do you and I do the same thing? We forget all He has done. We only see the evil forces around us. The world looks too hard and too scary. When we take our eyes off of God, the poisons of sin infiltrate our minds and hearts pushing out the tiny bits of faith that were there to hold us. We cannot see God when we fall into the wilderness mindset of fear.
Because of their sin, they are condemned to wander in the wilderness 40 years until that generation dies.
Intercessory Prayer of Hope in The Desert Despite the Poison of Sin
Once more, Moses prays in intercessory prayer for the people.
Then the Lord said: “I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— 22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it. Numbers 14: 20-24 (NKJV)
God then lays out the laws for when they do enter Canaan. Again, a promise that it will happen! However, just not for those who rejected Him. In those laws he tells them to place a blue tassle on their robes to remind them of who GOD IS and to trust Him, humbly. What do you wear or hold dear to remind you?
No sooner did He complete this, but a group of dissenters rose up in rebellion. Korah who was a Levite, believed he and his people should be in a higher position. Therefore, a large number rose up against Moses and Aaron.
The Poison of Sin Invades the People
God told Moses to step aside so God could destroy the congregation.
26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, “Depart now from the tents of these wicked men! Touch nothing of theirs, lest you be consumed in all their sins.” 27 So they got away from around the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; and Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, with their wives, their sons, and their little children.
28 And Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. 29 If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.”
31 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. 33 So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly. Numbers 16: (NKJV)
After that you would think things might have changed, however, not so much.
Numbers 16:41-46 (NKJV)
41 On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” 42 Now it happened, when the congregation had gathered against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tabernacle of meeting; and suddenly the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of meeting.
44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.”
And Moses and Aaron fell on their faces.
46 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a censer and put fire in it from the altar, put incense on it, and take it quickly to the congregation and make [g]atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from the Lord. The plague has begun.” 47 Then Aaron took it as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the assembly; and already the plague had begun among the people. So, he put in the incense and made atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; so the plague was stopped.
Once more a picture of Christ and the grace that saved a people like us so undeserving of grace.
40 Years Later—a New Generation, Same poison of sin
Finally, they are marching forward toward the land and they once more come to Kadesh. Remember the place where their ancestors complained of having no water? Again we have the next generation with the same cry,
If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” Numbers 20: 4-5 (NKJV)
The first time, God had told Moses to strike the rock. This time He tells Him to speak to the rock. Moses instead strikes the rock and the water flows forth, but why was this so wrong?
Remember, the verses of Paul? The Rock was a symbol of Christ. He was struck down for our sins and now all we must do to obtain the living water is to speak His name.
Why did Moses fail? Perhaps all the years of bearing the weight of the grumbling, he had anger sitting just under neath the service and it boiled up suddenly. I do that. In fact, I did that this week unjustifiably. We are never too old or too far into this walk, but that we might fail. Thank God for His mercy and grace which covers it all and restores us in harmony with Him.
Moses could not go into the promised land. At least not now. But remember this, he stood on the mount of transfiguration with Jesus thousands of years later. Grace provided him the way and grace is what carries us home as well.
A Reminder for Hope in the Desert Despite the Poison of Sin
they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
I Corinthians 10:4-13 NKJV
DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD? He is our only Hope in Life and Death! Our Joy is found in Him.
Therefore if you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you today. Go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.
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DISCLOSURES
©Effie Darlene Barba, 2023
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
Credits
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
[1] New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995)New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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