The Wilderness #2
“But Moses said, ‘Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed! Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.’” (Numbers 14:41, 42)
Why do we disobey? Rebellion against doing the right thing seems to come easy. Maybe it is because we feel that our ways are better than God’s. Maybe we feel that God doesn’t have enough information to make the right call. Maybe we feel that the task is too large for God to handle. Whatever the reason, it comes down to a matter of trust. The people of Israel had a heart problem…they didn’t trust God. After arriving at the edge of the promised land they were unwilling to go in as God commanded. They were afraid. For over a year God had revealed Himself as the Almighty God who was able to deliver them. He was One who could be trusted. They were there. They heard His voice. They had witnessed His power and majesty but…it just didn’t sink in. How do we know? They didn’t obey. You see, disobedience is always a symptom of a deeper problem. Their refusal to go into the land revealed their heart.
Now, in these verses today it becomes obvious that they still do not trust. God told them through Moses that they would be going back to the wilderness to wander for 40 years. Why? It would be a time of discipline for them. Of course, they would rather avoid the consequences of their mistake (like all of us when caught) and they decide to correct themselves and go into the promised land. Correction made. Discipline unnecessary…wrong.
This just reveals that they still did not trust God. This time they wanted to let by-gones be by-gones. But God had another plan. Now, according to Moses, it would be disobedient to go into the promised land. He warned them that God would not go with them if they went in. They went anyway. Somewhere in their minds they had come to the conclusion that they would rather be in the promised land without God than in the wilderness with Him.
To trust God is to follow Him wherever He leads. Sometimes He leads us into the wilderness. It may be to discipline us. It may be to teach you something new about Him. You may never know the reason but He will be with you. And know this today…it is better to live in the wilderness WITH God than in the promised land WITHOUT Him.
Blessings!
