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All right, you can turn to Numbers 
chapter 14. Numbers chapter 14, as we continue 
to work our way through the Pentateuch as a whole, specifically in the 
book of Numbers, which records the wilderness wanderings of 
the children of Israel. So God had made a promise to 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give them a land. the 
land of Canaan, the promised land. Of course, we know that 
in the Exodus, the children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt, 
and then God delivered them. And so now they've departed from 
Egypt, they're on their way to the promised land. The idealized 
version is that God's guidance would be there. It's indicated 
at the end of Exodus 40. And then as well, in Numbers 
chapter 9, through pillar and cloud, the Lord's presence would 
be manifest with them. He would guide and He would lead 
them. The realistic version is, is that they continued to sin 
and rebel against God. In chapter 11, we know that they 
had intense craving for meat, and it wasn't because they were 
starving. They were certainly fed. They had manna. They had 
lots of manna. Lots of ways to prepare that 
manna, but nevertheless they were craving meat. But God identifies 
the specific issue. They have despised God and His 
provision, and they long to go back to Egypt. And then in chapter 
12, there's a challenge to Moses' leadership, specifically by Miriam 
and Aaron. And then in chapters 13 and 14, 
essentially what we have is a reconnaissance mission. If you look at chapter 
13 at verse 1, The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Send men to 
spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of 
Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, 
every one a leader among them." So it's framed with that reference 
that God is giving them the land. So it's a matter of the promise 
of God And what we'll see in the midst of this is faithlessness 
on the part of ten spies and then the congregation that followed 
them. And remember, these spies were tribes, leaders of the tribes 
of the particular portion of Israel that they found themselves 
in. So they weren't just, you know, 
foot soldiers. They were men that carried a 
lot of sway. Remember that when they go, they spy out the land. 
They're supposed to survey it, make sure it's good fruit, make 
sure it's got the ability and capability to sustain the children 
of Israel, assess the threat level in terms of the inhabitants. 
And so the initial report by the 10 spies in verses 26 to 
29 in chapter 13 is that it's a good land, but there are some 
big people that are concerned. Caleb then stands up in verse 
30 and says, it's a good land, there's big people, but we serve 
a bigger God, so let's go up at once. The ten spies then revise 
their message and they say bad land, big people, and no chance. They basically say the land itself 
is a land that devours its inhabitants in chapter 13 at verse 32. So 
the Ten Spies are functioning as anti-prophets. They are not 
consistent with the promise of God. They are not consistent 
with what they had observed themselves. So of course they then converge 
upon the congregation of Israel. And of course the congregation 
listens to the 10 faithless spies and rejects the two faithful 
spies, Caleb and Joshua. So that's the scene. We've already 
looked at verses one to 10, so we'll take up verses 11 to 45 
tonight, but I do wanna begin reading in verse one just by 
way of reminder. So all the congregation lifted 
up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. And 
all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. And 
the whole congregation said to them, if only we had died in 
the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness, 
why has the Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, 
that our wives and children should become victims? Would it not 
be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, 
let us select a leader and return to Egypt. And Moses and Aaron 
fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation 
of the children of Israel. But Joshua the son of Nun and 
Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied 
out the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to all the congregation 
of the children of Israel, saying, The land we pass through to spy 
out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then 
He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which 
flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the 
Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has departed 
from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them." And all 
the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory 
of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children 
of Israel. Then the Lord said to Moses, How long will these 
people reject me, and how long will they not believe me, with 
all the signs which I have performed among them? I will strike them 
with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you 
a nation greater and mightier than they. And Moses said to 
the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by your might 
you brought these people up from among them, and they will tell 
it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, 
Lord, are among these people, that you, Lord, are seen face 
to face, and your cloud stands above them, and you go before 
them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by 
night. Now if you kill these people as one man, then the nations 
which have heard of your fame will speak, saying, Because the 
Lord was not able to bring those people to the land which He swore 
to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness. And now 
I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have spoken, 
saying, The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving 
iniquity and transgression. But he by no means clears the 
guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children 
to the third and fourth generation. Pardon the iniquity of this people, 
I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have 
forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. And the Lord 
said, I have pardoned according to your word, but truly as I 
live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the 
Lord. 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 10 times, and have not heeded my voice, 
they certainly shall not see the land of which I swore to 
their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected me see 
it. 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. Now the Amalekites 
and the Canaanites dwell in the valley. Tomorrow turn and move 
out into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea. And the Lord 
spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this 
evil congregation who complain against me? I have heard the 
complaints which the children of Israel make against me. Say 
to them, As I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken 
in my hearing, so I will do to you. The carcasses "'Of you who 
have complained against me "'shall fall in this wilderness. "'All 
of you who are numbered, "'according to your entire number, "'from 
20 years old and above, "'except for Caleb the son of Jephnah, 
"'and Joshua the son of Nun, "'you shall by no means enter 
the land "'which I swore I would make you dwell in. "'But your 
little ones, whom you said would be victims, "'I will bring in, 
and they shall know "'the land which you have despised. But 
as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness, and 
your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, 
and bear the brunt of your infidelity until your carcasses are consumed 
in the wilderness, according to the number of the days in 
which you spied out the land, forty days. For each day you 
shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall 
know my rejection. I, the Lord, have spoken this. 
I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered 
together against me. In this wilderness they shall 
be consumed, and there they shall die. Now the men whom Moses sent 
to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation 
complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those 
very men who brought the evil report about the land died by 
the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and 
Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to 
spy out the land. Then Moses told these words to 
all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. And 
they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the 
mountain, saying, Here we are, and we will go up to the place 
which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned. And Moses 
said, now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For 
this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated 
by your enemies. For the Lord is not among you. 
For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you. And you 
shall fall by the sword, because you have turned away from the 
Lord. The Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go 
up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark 
of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 
Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came 
down and attacked them and drove them back as far as Hormath. 
Amen. Well, last week, as I said, or 
two weeks ago, we saw the rebellion of Israel in verses 1 to 10. 
So they received the report. from the 12 spies, but they certainly 
sided with the 10 faithless spies and the cowardice that those 
men had exhibited. We see as well that they had 
said, or they had wanted to select another leader, according to 
verse 4, and return to Egypt. So they were done, as far as 
they were concerned. They were going to turn this 
a massive amount of people around and head back to Egypt and of 
course Egypt would not be too kind in receiving them after 
God had killed the firstborn among them so the whole idea 
the whole thought was absolutely wretched we see that once again 
Joshua and Caleb appeal to them in verses six to nine but in 
verse ten we see that all the congregation said to stone them 
with stones so they are committed they are all in they are opposed 
to God and his leadership. So that brings us then to the 
intercession of Moses in verses 11 to 25, and then we'll notice 
the judgment of God in verses 26 to 38, and then finally the 
folly of Israel in verses 39 to 45. But let's look at the intercession of Moses. We looked at this a bit two weeks 
ago in verses 11 and 12. Remember that what we have here 
is not God actually seeking out information. God knows all things 
all the time. There's never a lack of any knowledge 
with God. This is written in the manner 
of men. It is to underscore the drama 
involved in terms of the rebellion of God's people against his faithfulness. And it does show us his disapproval 
and his hatred for their particular sin. So God knows all things. He's not seeking information 
when he says, how long will these people reject me? and how long 
will they not believe me?" Again, it's a rhetorical thing. It's 
what's called an analogical predication. It's using human language applied 
to God so that we can learn something true about God. And the something 
true about God and Israel in these questions is that it illustrates 
or highlights the faithlessness of the congregation. How long 
will these people reject me, and how long will they not believe 
me? It underscores the exacerbates 
how their faithlessness is so evident when it goes on to say, 
with all the signs which I have performed among them. They had 
witnessed the ten plagues, they had witnessed the division of 
the Red Sea, they had witnessed the death of Pharaoh and the 
entirety of his armies. It shows as well the specific 
nature of their sin. Just like in chapter 11, the 
issue wasn't really that they just had a hankering for some 
meat alongside of their manna. It is clear, according to 1120, 
that they had rejected God. They had despised God. You have 
despised the Lord who is among you. In 1104, they ask the question, 
who will give us meat to eat? They want a particular who that 
is going to provide particularly what they want. They're not content 
with the provision of God in that wilderness setting vis-à-vis 
the manna, so they want a god or gods, the gods that they had 
in the nation of Egypt, that will provide for them. Remember, 
they even have the gall to say, we ate freely in the land of 
Egypt. You didn't eat freely, you were 
slaves. You were compelled to work. You were subject to another 
government. You were treated very poorly. 
And so that theme is carried along in chapter 14 to show us 
that God is a righteous God. He is a just God. So notice again 
in verse 11, they reject me, and how long will they not believe 
me? Notice in 14.23. 1423, those who rejected me see it. Again, 1427, how long shall I 
bear with this evil congregation who complain against me? And 
then once again in verse 35, it says, this evil congregation 
who are gathered together against me. So their faithless cowardice 
is the symptom of their rejection of the living and true God. Their 
faithless cowardice and their desire to go back to Egypt shows 
a lack of allegiance to Yahweh and a desire to be subject to 
the gods of Egypt, to the Pharaoh in Egypt. Notice as well in 1433, 
"...and your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years, 
and bear the brunt of your infidelity." I quite like the King James Version. It says, "...your whoredoms." 
And when you move on in the Bible to the prophets, you'll see that 
the prophets prosecute the nation of Israel for their whoredoms, 
for their adultery. And basically what they're saying 
is that they have gone after other gods. So the issue that 
we're dealing with in this section of rebellion isn't simply a desire 
for meat or simply a desire for comfort. It is a desire to flee 
from the living and true God and go back to the gods of Egypt. 
So back to verse 12, God says to Moses, I will strike them 
with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you 
a nation greater and mightier than they. Again, it's not as 
if God is operating in the realm of contingencies. He's got one 
thought in his head, and if they don't respond properly, then 
he's going to inflict them with this stuff. It is analogical 
predication, it is spoken in the manner of man to underscore 
the drama of the particular narrative. It shows us the seriousness of 
Israel's rebellion when he says this, I will strike them with 
the pestilence and disinherit them. Similar to Genesis chapter 
6, when God relented that he had made man, when God was sorry 
that he had made man on the face of the earth. Again, the idea 
is not that God moves from a state of perfect blessedness and holiness 
to a state of sadness and depression and then comes out of it once 
again. It's spoken in a way that we can understand. The Bible 
does that because of the difference between God the creator and man 
the creature. So it shows the seriousness of 
Israel's rebellion. It shows the righteousness of 
God's judgment. And as well, it provides an occasion 
for us to see something again of Moses. Moses interceded on 
behalf of the nation of Israel. He does so in the golden calf 
incident in Exodus chapter 32, and then he does so as well in 
Numbers chapter 11. In verses 10 to 15, we see intercession 
on the part of Moses. And I think, as well, it highlights 
what we see in chapter 12, verse 3, concerning Moses. When his 
leadership was challenged, we have that parenthetical note, 
no doubt an editorial comment, because the most humble man in 
the world wouldn't write that he was the most humble man in 
the world. Verse 3, now the man Moses was very humble, more than 
all men who were on the face of the earth. So what we are 
seeing here illustrates Israel's sin, Moses' faithfulness, and 
God's justice, and God's righteousness, and that aversion to sin that 
he has or is by his very nature. So that brings us then properly 
to the intercession of Moses. And his arguments here are fantastic. And as we see in the narrative, 
it's this kind of arguing with God that God delights in. Back in chapter 11, let's just 
look back there for a moment. Chapter 11, Moses' intercession 
there. comes across a bit negatively. I'm not sure that any of us would 
feel as free to pray this way. Notice in 1110, then Moses heard 
the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the 
door of his tent, and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused. 
Moses also was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, why 
have you afflicted your servant? And why have I not found favor 
in your sight, that you have laid the burden of all these 
people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget 
them that you should say to me, Carry them in your bosom as a 
guardian carries a nursing child to the land which you swore to 
their fathers? Where am I to get meat to give to all these 
people? For they weep all over me, saying, Give us meat that 
we may eat. I am not able to bear all these 
people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If you treat 
me like this, please kill me here and now, if I have found 
favor in your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness. Again, 
probably not the kind of intercessory prayer that you and I engage 
in on a regular basis. And we might think that that's 
a bit cheeky on the part of Moses and God's going to be upset with 
that. But God answers his prayers very specifically. Notice in 
verse 14, I am not able to bear all these people alone. The next 
section, verses 16 and following, God says to find 70 elders that 
can function as a Sanhedrin that will assist you in carrying out 
the task so that you're not all alone. As far as the meat's concerned, 
I'll give them meat. I'm going to give them meat so 
much so it's going to come out of their nostrils, they're going 
to vomit it up. It's going to be a judgment because 
of their rebellion and their lawlessness and their wickedness. 
Remember when Samson dispatches those thousand Philistines with 
the jawbone of an ass, and then he basically says to God, I've 
done all this, and now you're going to let me die of thirst? 
Again, it sounds a bit impetuous, but God gives him water. When 
you read the psalmists, the psalmists argue with God. They speak concerning 
God's covenantal faithfulness. And God, if you do not follow 
through on this, then persons will mock you. So that's the 
kind of intercessory prayer that we see here on the part of Moses. 
Notice in the first place, he cites the reputation of God in 
verses 13 to 18. He says in verse 13, the Egyptians 
know your power. The Egyptians saw your power. 
The Egyptians meditated on your power as they were busy burying 
their firstborn whom you had killed among them. The Egyptians 
witnessed the frogs. They saw the lice. They knew 
the Nile had been turned into blood. They knew all this stuff. And so Moses pleads that in verse 
13. Then the Egyptians will hear 
it, for by your might you brought these people up from among them. And then notice, the Egyptians 
would communicate that glorious message concerning God, probably 
not happily. We communicate the glorious message 
of God with happiness and joy. But we're not busy burying the 
firstborn whom the Lord our God had killed. And so they probably 
said, you better watch out for these Israelites. Their God ain't 
like the rest of the gods. Their God is the God of the heavens 
and the earth. Their God is the God who can 
change the Nile into blood. Their God is the God who can 
put frogs into our pots. Their God is the God who can 
take our firstborn from us. So they would have communicated 
that to the nations around them. And that's Moses' argument in 
verse 14. But then notice specifically 
the glory or reputation of God is on the line according to Moses 
in verses 15 and 16. He says, verse 15, Now if you 
kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard 
of your fame will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not able 
to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, 
therefore He killed them in the wilderness. He's arguing based 
on God's glory and the demonstration of his power. If you do not see 
this project through, Lord, then the Egyptians, along with all 
these other heathen nations, they're going to conclude that 
he was strong enough for the exodus, but he wasn't strong 
enough to sustain them in the wilderness. He was strong enough 
to deliver them from that bondage, but he wasn't strong enough to 
deliver them safely to the land of Canaan. This is masterly pleading. And again, when we go through 
the passage, there is no indication whatsoever of God saying to Moses, 
well, how dare you argue that way? How dare you suggest such 
a thing like that? No, God hears the prayer. God answers the prayer. God definitely 
listens to that kind of prayer. Again, we don't want to be arrogant, 
we don't want to be presumptuous, we don't want to be haughty or 
proud in the presence of the Most High, but read your Bibles. You will see that men of God 
wrestle with God. As the prophet says in the prophet 
Isaiah, give him no rest till he makes Jerusalem a praise in 
all the earth. And so it's the nations around 
that would conclude that God is impotent versus omnipotent. And then notice then, he makes 
a petition for the demonstration of the power of God in verses 
17 and 18. He says, and now I pray, let the power of my Lord be great. And I take that in God's providence, 
the power of my Lord, the way that you have delivered your 
children, the way that you have sustained them, providence, including 
the very miracles and signs and wonders that God had demonstrated. 
So he says that specifically, don't let everybody die out here 
in the wilderness, but God use that power that we have witnessed 
with our own eyes to continue to deliver your people such that 
they make it safely to Canaan. So it's the demonstration of 
God's power in providence, but the revelation of God's power 
in grace. Notice in 17b, just as you have 
spoken, again masterly pleading, bring God's word back to God 
as an argument as to why God should hear and answer your prayer. 
This is the way that we are to pray, and so Moses invokes prior 
revelation as an argument with the Most High. So he wants to 
see that demonstration of power in Providence through miracles 
and through that great deliverance, but then God, act upon the word 
that you have revealed to us. Notice Notice again 17b, just 
as you have spoken saying, the Lord is long suffering and abundant 
in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he by 
no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on 
the children to the third and fourth generation. So Moses goes 
back in history to a similar situation. It's on the heels 
of the golden calf incident. And then after chapter 32, you've 
got chapter 33. And Moses says, if you don't 
go with us, we don't want to go. And then in chapter 34, Moses 
asks to see a revelation of God's glory. And so God puts him in 
the cleft of the rock, passes by. And this is the revelation 
of his glory, chapter 34, verses 6 and 7. It is what is restated 
here by Moses. So he brings the word of God 
to God as an argument for God to exercise mercy and grace, 
but notice as well the justice is still there. But he might 
by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the 
fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. 
We might just be tempted to leave that bit out if we were seeking 
only mercy and pity. But Moses reiterates the entirety 
because he trusts in the wisdom of God, in the manifold perfections 
of God, that he will indeed act according to his nature. And 
God does just that throughout the rest of the chapter. He exercises 
mercy. grace, forgiveness, and pity, 
but he also shows judgment and his righteousness and the demonstration 
of his power in terms of his wrath. So then notice as well 
what we have specifically in verse 19. Verse 19 is a specific 
petition for mercy. Pardon the iniquity of this people, 
I pray, according to the greatness of your mercy, just as you have 
forgiven this people from Egypt even until now. So the petition 
proper, very simple, pardon the iniquity of this people. That's 
the problem in Israel. They're sinners, they're transgressors, 
they're wanters of conformity to the law of God. And that's 
the immediate issue. That's what Moses fetches from 
the throne of grace. He wants mercy for the people, 
pardon their iniquity. Notice the reason for the petition, 
the ground of it, is verse 19, according to the greatness of 
your mercy. Paul says something similar in 
Ephesians 1 7, by whom or in him we have redemption through 
his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches 
of his grace. So it's the riches of God's grace 
that we bring before him to remind him. And again, in the manner 
of men, there's no God saying, oh yeah, I forgot about those 
riches of grace. but it is communicated thus so 
that Moses shows what is most important, but then it's not 
only a petition proper and a reason for it, but note the precedent, 
the end of verse 19, just as you have forgiven this people 
from Egypt even until now. This isn't a new thing with you, 
God. You have borne long with this 
people. We've needed your forgiveness every step of the way. Please 
don't shut it down now. You have riches of grace to be 
had. Please convey those to us now, 
such that we would enjoy that mercy. That brings us then, with 
reference still to the intercession of Moses, to the declaration 
by God in verses 20 to 25. Note the answer, verse 20. Then 
the Lord said, I have pardoned according to your word. See, 
that ought not to scare us or cause us to shy away. If you 
get that mindset that the Bible is communicated to us in a way 
that we can understand. Again, it's not the case that, 
wow, Moses, you made such a great prayer, so I feel constrained 
now to do it according to your word. But it shows and demonstrates 
to us that prayer is in fact a means, that God does hear, 
God does answer. The psalmist is able to say, 
I love the Lord. Why? Because he has heard the 
voice of my supplications. I'm not sure that's something 
we ever do either. It's almost a bit... That's a 
bit odd. I don't give reasons why I love 
the Lord. Why not? The psalmist did, and 
one of them was, because the Lord has heard the voice of my 
supplications. It's okay to do that. That is 
perfectly consistent with our biblical religion. So God answers, 
I have pardoned according to your word. Notice then this promise 
in verses 21 to 23. There would be a demonstration 
of the glory of God, and there would be a demonstration of the 
justice of God. Verse 21. But truly as I live, 
all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. I 
take that to mean when they are safely arrived at the land of 
Canaan, the message will be published throughout that God had indeed 
faithfully preserved his people and brought them to point Z. 
But, because of the sin that is in chapters 13 and 14, there 
are some immediate consequences or conclusions as a result of 
that. So the demonstration of the justice 
of God in verses 22 and 23. And again, this chapter illustrates 
for us God's covenant faithfulness. He doesn't renege on his promise. 
He doesn't ever stop progress. He doesn't ever say, okay, that's 
it. Plan B. I'm going to disinherit 
you now and turn to this other group of Gentiles and try to 
get them going. No, he judges the first generation 
and he paves the way for the second generation. His faithfulness 
is there, and they knew this. If you sin, if you transgress, 
you reap the consequences associated with covenant breaking. This 
wasn't new information. They had Leviticus 26. They'll 
have Numbers 28, which is basically Leviticus 26, so they already 
had it. If you go into land or in the midst of the wilderness, 
you sin against God, you can expect some judgment. So notice 
the demonstration of the justice of God in verses 22 and 23. 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, they certainly 
shall not see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor 
shall any of those who rejected me see it. So the bottom line 
is is that the same God in that same covenant arrangement is 
able to dole out mercy and pardon and forgiveness and justice and 
condemnation and wrath. And that's precisely what he 
is doing in this particular instance. But then note the exception, 
and you should already know this exception, Caleb and Joshua. 
Joshua is not always mentioned every time Caleb is, but just 
think of Caleb and Joshua. Just because Joshua is not mentioned 
doesn't mean he second fiddled Caleb. Joshua was usually in 
close proximity to Moses. Moses and Aaron were safe, Joshua 
was safe, Caleb was safe because of his faith, and Joshua sided 
with Caleb to be sure. But note specifically what God 
says concerning Caleb. Remember just the other night 
we read in Joshua 14, and Caleb says that, I've wholly followed 
the Lord. And that's not boastful, arrogant pride. It's matter of 
fact, I wholly followed the Lord. While the other ten spies were 
whining and grumbling about Anakim and Nephilim and all of the problem 
of the land that devours its people or its inhabitants, Caleb 
was faithful. It's good land, good fruit. Some obstacles, but bigger God 
will be able to overcome them. So note the qualification there 
in verse 24. But my servant Caleb, because 
he has a different spirit in him and has followed me fully, 
So when Joshua, or Caleb rather, in Joshua says, I've wholly followed 
the Lord, he's absolutely positively right. But notice that because 
he has a different spirit in him and has followed me fully. What differentiates Caleb from 
the ten spies? What indicates a different spirit? I would suggest it's faith in 
the living and true God, specifically the revealed promises of God 
that I'm going to give you this land. But I would suggest as 
well that faithfulness in a man produces courage in that man 
as well. So it wasn't that Caleb was 10 
feet tall and ready to take on the Nephilim one-handed. It was 
because he believed God and that faith in God produced in him 
courage consistent with a man who fears God. So the courage 
based on his belief in the nature and promises of God. Matthew 
Poole says, was a man of another temper and carriage, faithful 
and courageous, not acted by that evil spirit of cowardice, 
unbelief, unthankfulness, disobedience, which ruled in his brethren, 
but by the Spirit of God. You've probably heard of testosterone 
boosters. I listen to a podcast and the 
guy always advertises chalk and it's a testosterone promoter 
or booster for men. You know what the real chalk 
is? Faith in God. Courage. That's a great testosterone booster 
and something sadly lacking today in the church. Obviously in the 
world as well amongst politicians, but we see it in the church. 
Faithfulness to God leads to courage as a man. It wasn't that 
Caleb was, you know, strapped to the hilt with all kinds of 
weaponry and military savvy. He believed the promises of God. Faith in the promises of God 
promote courage in the man of God. And that's the lesson that 
I think we get from Caleb in spades in this section. So they 
then depart, according to verse 25, and that brings us then to 
the judgment of God, verses 26 to 38. You've got the first generation, 
and then you've got the faithless spies. The first generation, 
and then the faithless spies. Note with reference to the complaints, 
verses 26 to 28. Again. God is speaking here in 
a way that we can understand. He's not actually having some 
sort of a crisis, some sort of a movement, some sort of a depressed 
moment or melancholic moment. It is highlighting the drama 
of the scene. It is indicating the righteousness 
of God. It is underscoring the unrighteousness 
of Israel. So verse 26, and the Lord spoke 
to Moses and Aaron saying, how long shall I bear with this evil 
congregation who complain against me? I have heard the complaints 
which the children of Israel make against me. Say to them, 
as I live, says the Lord, just as you have spoken in my hearing, 
so I will do to you." And he promises the particular judgment 
that is going to befall the first generation. In fact, it starts 
to befall the first generation at the end of the chapter. We 
see when they try this lame attempt to go and take the land without 
God, they get driven back by the Amalekites and the Canaanites. 
So God tells them there will be death in the wilderness. And 
this would be comprehensive, except again, Joshua, the son 
of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, but it would be comprehensive. And again, the book of numbers 
starts in chapter one with numbers. That's why it's called numbers. 
It's numbers of a census. And it was a census of able-bodied 
men ready to go to war, men 20 and above that had testosterone. Well, not all of them did. And 
they were supposed to go to the land of Canaan. Remember, when 
they get to Canaan, they're not going to Facebook and invite 
the inhabitants to depart. They're going to go into Canaan, 
and it's called the conquest for a reason. The rules are very 
specifically laid out in Exodus 23 and Deuteronomy 7. When you 
go into the land, kill them. Utterly dispossess the land of 
all the Canaanites. So it would be very important 
to have a census of the able-bodied troops that are able to go in 
and do that particular task of holy war. So that's why numbers 
starts off with a census. Well, there's another census 
in Numbers 26. That's the second generation. After the first generation is 
decimated, you've got the numbering of the second generation, that 
period of 40 years, and then they come into the land of promise. So the deaths in the wilderness, 
the exceptions among the first generation, again, verse 30, 
Caleb and Joshua, not going to let us forget that. Caleb and 
Joshua are faithful. Caleb and Joshua have courage. Caleb and Joshua are the kinds 
of men that you need to follow, not these ten faithless spies 
who whined and converged upon the congregation such that they 
provoke them to complain against God. As well, note the qualification. God's faithfulness is not impinged. God's promise to Abraham, Isaac, 
and Jacob is not going to be reneged. Verse 31 tells us the 
divine plan. But your little ones, whom you 
said would be victims, I will bring in. Just by way of reminder, 
go back to verses 2 and 3 in the chapter. And all the children 
of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron. And the whole 
congregation said to them, If only we had died in the land 
of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness, why has the 
Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our 
wives and children should become victims? Would it not be better 
for us to return to Egypt? So that's why God says what He 
says, "...but your little ones, whom you said would be victims, 
I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have 
despised." And then notice the specific judgment in verse 32, 
"...but as for you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness." 
Notice the particular sin. And your son shall be shepherds 
in the wilderness forty years, and bear the brunt of your whoredoms 
until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness." He specifies 
the time period. He gives them the clock. He gives 
them the calendar. He tells them why, the rationale. according to the number of the 
days in which you spied out the land, 40 days. For each day you 
shall bear your guilt one year, namely 40 years, and you shall 
know my rejection." And then the promise of God again is maintained 
in verse 35. I, the Lord, have spoken this. 
I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered 
together against me. In this wilderness they shall 
be consumed, and there they shall die. The expression, or the demonstration, 
or the conveyance of God's grace upholds His faithfulness. But 
so does His wrath, His judgment, and His fury. That is absolutely 
crucial as well. God promises covenant breakers 
are going to be judged, and that's absolutely crucial, and that's 
precisely what He says. Now, notice the judgment upon 
the faithless spies there in verses 36 to 38. We just reminded 
ourselves of the complaint of the congregation in verses 2 
and 3. Notice the exact judgment by God in verses 36 to 38. Verse 
36, now the men who Moses sent to spy out the land returned 
and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing 
a bad report of the land. That's why these anti-prophets 
are bad dudes. They're terrible. They're functioning 
in a leadership capacity. They're tribal heads. They hold 
sway. You're going to follow your tribal 
head, usually. Now, not to say that the congregation 
was off the hook. If a blind man follows a blind 
man, then they both fall into a pit. But with reference to 
this particularly, these 10 spies that functioned as antiprophets, 
that called into question the nature of God, that called into 
question the promise of God, that basically balked at the 
revelation of God, they were going to get judged. They were 
going to reap the consequences. Notice in verse 37, the death 
of the 10 antiprophets. Those very men who brought the 
evil report about the land died by the plague before the Lord. But again, the preservation of 
Caleb and Joshua, the true prophets of God, the men who uphold the 
word of God, the men who tried to converge upon the people in 
a positive way saying, let's go at once and take the land. God's promised it. That's the 
kind of man that you follow into battle, the Caleb's and the Joshua's 
that understand who God is and operate consistently with his 
promises. And then that brings us finally 
to the folly of Israel in verses 39 to 45. These people just aren't 
bright. And saying that, I know that 
these people are representative of me, of us people. Right? There's lessons here for 
all of us. These things are written for 
our admonition. They're written for our encouragement. They're written so that we don't 
go thou and do likewise. We go thou and do likewise with 
a Caleb, but we don't go and do thou likewise with the ten 
antiprophets or with the congregation of Israel. So note their plan. First, they mourn, which I think 
is appropriate. I mean, you can't fault them 
for verse 39. Then Moses told these words to 
all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly." 
That's a legit response. The ten antiprophets have just 
been cut down, slaughtered by God for their false report, their 
deceptive report, and now the congregation realizes that we've 
probably made a big mistake in yearning to go back to Egypt. 
But their plan is ill-advised. Notice in verse 40, And they 
rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, 
saying, Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the 
Lord has promised, for we have sinned. Again, mourning, recognition 
of sin, good things. But the presumption that now 
we're going to just go do this, that now we're gonna just show 
ourselves faithful before God and go vanquish the land and 
do everything that we should have done under His guidance 
of pillar and cloud. So note the warning in verses 
41 to 43. Moses is a real downer. He basically 
tells them, you're gonna fail. You're just gonna fail, verse 
41. Now, why do you transgress the 
command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. that 
they continue unabated is absolute folly. When Moses is telling 
you, you shouldn't do this, this is not a good plan, you're going 
to fail, this is not going to succeed, you really should pay 
attention to that. Notice the reminder of God's 
absence. And again, speaking in the manner 
of men, God is omnipresent. He is immense. That means He 
fills all of creation. But His special presence in terms 
of blessing is not theirs right now. And Moses understands that 
all too well. And he says as much in verse 
42, Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for 
the Lord is not among you. Again, if you keep going after 
this, you're going to walk right off that cliff having been warned. Then he mentions their enemies. So it's not going to succeed. 
God is not with you. And remember that there's hostile 
enemies in that land. You didn't learn a lot about 
military combat as, you know, slaves in Egypt. You haven't 
been out in the wilderness, you know, that long and had that 
many skirmishes and that many battles to become battle ready 
for the Amalekites and the Canaanites to live, breathe, and die on 
the battlefield. So he says in verse 43, for the 
Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you 
shall fall by the sword. But then notice, because you 
have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you. 
So their presumption, according to verse 44, leads them onward. So the first half of the chapter, 
they won't listen to a faithful Caleb. In the latter half of 
the chapter, for different reasons but the same, they won't listen 
to faithful Moses. So in verse 44 it says, But they 
presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark 
of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 
The fact that the ark and Moses did not go with them does not 
bode well. If you're in the camp of the 
covenant people of Israel, and you're thinking to go out to 
battle apart from the presence of the Ark of the Covenant, which 
visibly represents God's presence, and if Moses isn't leading the 
charge, you probably should sit this one out. I thought Michael 
Morales really captured the sum and substance of what we see 
here at the end of the chapter and what we see previous in the 
chapter. He says, this new rebellion, 
because that's what it is, this new rebellion forms the mirror 
image of the first. To believe they can ascend and 
conquer without Yahweh is as perverse as believing they cannot 
ascend and conquer with Him. It's the exact same thing, but 
just opposite. He says, both scenarios were 
contrary to his word. Whereas before Yahweh's promised 
presence with them against the Canaanites was irrelevant for 
possessing the land due to their unbelief, now Yahweh's declared 
absence from them is irrelevant. They neither heed his word nor 
trust in the power of his presence. So again, I think there's a lesson 
there. Even when we're faced with the 
judgment of God, even when we see the power of God, even when 
we see our fellows, or perhaps those who led us, slaughtered 
in the wilderness, It doesn't naturally change our heart or 
incline it toward obedience. We are always dependent upon 
the Holy Spirit. We are prone to wander, and we 
are prone to leave the God that we love, even after having witnessed 
the most powerful displays of his presence among us. So of 
course then they go out, verse 45, and then they get bested. 
Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came 
down and attacked them and drove them back as far as Horma. Gil 
says how many were destroyed is not certain. The judgment 
threatened them of God soon began to take place, that their carcasses 
should fall in that wilderness. So the chapter ends underscoring 
the faithfulness of God to the very things that God had promised. 
You're going to die in the wilderness. Not because I'm mean, not because 
I'm petty, but because you're rebels, because you break the 
covenant, because you have idolatry in your heart, because you'd 
rather go back to Egypt and eat three hots and have a cot, even 
though you're subject to Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt. That was 
the problem. They despised God. They rejected 
God. And the language of Stephen, 
I mentioned his temple sermon in Acts chapter 7 on Sunday. And Stephen is dealing specifically 
with the calf incident in Exodus 32. But we see that the calf 
incident in Exodus 32 perpetuates itself along the way, even into 
the wilderness. Remember, they said, you're anti-Moses, 
Stephen. Stephen says, no, you guys are 
the ones that are anti-Moses. Notice in verse 38, this is he 
who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel 
who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one 
who received the living oracles to give us. Begin about Moses, 
whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts, 
they turned back to Egypt. They always had that idolatry 
in their hearts. They always had that longing 
for the garlic and the melons. They always wanted to go back 
to the who that provided everything that they wanted. That's the 
issue in the wilderness. God cuts off the unfaithful because 
they're unfaithful, because they reject and despise the God of 
heaven and earth. So I think the chapter teaches 
us the blessing of intercessory prayer Dare to be a Moses, pray 
like Moses. The condemnation of faithless 
cowardess. Who would you rather be remembered 
as? Caleb, who said, let's go up 
at once, or those 10 faithless spies? I mean, their names are 
mentioned. I don't remember any of them. I probably should. That's kind 
of bad on my part. But we don't remember them. Why? They're horrible people. They're faithless spies. They 
gave a deceptive report. It's a bad land that devours 
its inhabitants. They converged upon the congregation 
and turned their hearts back to Egypt. We don't remember that, 
so it condemns the faithless cowardice. It's kind of like 
that scene when David comes to the Valley of Elah, or he's gonna 
go to the Valley of Elah, and we see that Saul and his armies 
are hiding in fear from Goliath. I've thought this. Women, do 
you want to marry Saul, who's hiding from Goliath, or David, 
who says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine to taunt the armies 
of the living God? Men, do we want to be Saul hiding 
from Goliath, or do we want to be David? Dare to be a David. I mean, and again, it's not the 
eight-foot-tall, bulletproof individual. Caleb was probably 
a regular, ordinary, normal-looking fellow. I think they were shorter 
back then even, right? So he wasn't 6' 5", or 10' 8", 
ready to take on the Nephilim. But he had faith in God. It's 
faith that promotes courage. If we have no faith, or we have 
little faith, we're going to have no courage or little courage. 
Obviously, the commendation of faithful courage How many times 
is Caleb mentioned in that brief section? It's like, God will 
not let you forget this. 10 faithless spies, bad. Slaughtered, dead in the wilderness, 
but not Caleb. And then you get to a Joshua 
14 and Caleb's like, give me that land that's got the Anakim. 
I'm ready to go. And then the warning built in 
concerning idolatry. That's not just an Old Covenant 
concept. Jesus cautions us in the Sermon 
on the Mount about God and mammon. He's not saying all money is 
always bad, never have money, but if mammon or anything else 
is your God, you'll lack allegiance to the true and living God. John 
ends his first epistle on a pretty downer note. Little children, 
keep yourselves from idols. Hm? I thought you were the apostle 
of love. I thought you were just encouraging 
us and giving us those things. He is encouraging us. Little 
children, keep yourselves from idols. And then the revelation 
of God in a chapter like this. We learn so much good stuff in 
terms of theology proper. We see his mercy, we see his 
grace, we see his long suffering, we see his pardoning of iniquity, 
and we see his justice and his condemnation of godlessness and 
rejection, rebellion, and idolatry. Well, let's close in a word of 
prayer. Our Father in Heaven, thank You for Your Word. Thank 
You that it's given by inspiration of God, that it's profitable 
to us. I pray that we would receive these things and think through 
these things, and that You would help us to grow in our faith, 
as well to grow in courage in terms of our function in this 
present evil age, to shine as lights and to hold forth that 
word of truth. We pray for your grace to be 
upon us all. We ask that you would bless the 
proclamation of your gospel all throughout this world, that that 
word would run swiftly and be glorified, and that many would 
come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And we pray in 
his most blessed name. Amen. Well, any questions or 
comments? And it says, how long will they 
not believe me with all the signs which I have formed among them? 
And I just can't help but think of the gospel, you know, Lord, 
Oh yeah, same thing. Yeah, Matthew 11, when he upbraids 
the cities of his day and he says that it's going to be better 
for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for you, 
because they saw his mighty miracles and they did not repent. Yeah, 
absolutely. Same thing. and you hear it, 
and you should hear it this way. How long? I mean, look at what 
I've done. It's kind of like what Cam was 
preaching on Sunday night. You know, the proximity of the 
letter of Galatians to the first missionary journey. So soon? They're like, so soon? It's incredulous. That's kind 
of how this is. Why? It's like I've multiplied 
these signs and wonders and demonstrated my power. And you're just turning 
away from that? Yeah, it really is very similar 
to that. The gospel goes forth, the declaration 
concerning Christ and His power, and yet people just shrug it 
off. Yeah, good observation. Yeah, pillar and cloud. He promises 
his guidance all throughout the wilderness. They're not going 
to go it alone. They're not going to be on their 
own. I am giving it. And just a little sample of chapter 
15. It's kind of, you know, reiteration 
of some cultic legislation. But I love the way 15 starts. 
And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to the children of Israel 
and say to them, when you have come into the land, you are to 
inhabit, which I am giving to you. I mean, 11 to 14 is a hiccup. It's a big hiccup, but it's a 
hiccup. God will see them to their destination. That there is a cult to legislate 
is good. That's a blessing. So God, even 
there, builds in that faithful promise that he is going to sustain 
them.