39 When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. 40 Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. “Let’s go,” they said. “We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.” 41 But Moses said, “Why are you now disobeying the Lord’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work. 42 Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the Lord is not with you. 43 When you face the Amalekites and Canaanites in battle, you will be slaughtered. The Lord will abandon you because you have abandoned the Lord.” 44 But the people defiantly pushed ahead toward the hill country, even though neither Moses nor the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah. Numbers 14:39-45 NLT
I can’t even begin to tell you how this last section of Numbers 14 just blows my mind and humbles me! Moses had just spoken the words of Numbers 14:28-35, where God told him to say that the Children of Israel will not enter the promise land. They will turn back to the Wilderness, be there for 40 years (the number of days the spies went out), and their bodies would die in the wilderness, while their children, who they said would die, would enter the promise land. Verse 39 says, “When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites…”. Something in them thought, “OK, we take that back. We will do as the LORD says now. We will go up and enter the Promised Land and take it.” Again they just didn’t listen and heed the word of the LORD. They continued to disobey. God in his great mercy has not wiped them out, but he said there would be consequences. They, of course, did not like the consequences, so they thought “take backs”. We take back what we said. We trust you now and we’ll go up. Which of course goes in direct disobedience to what God just said. The wheel just continues to roll, with no change in direction.
A key word in this section is in verse 44, “But the people defiantly pushed ahead” In the ESV, this word is “Presumed” and in the NAS the word is “Heedlessly”. In their own pride and self-reliance they chose again to usurp God’s authority and his spoken word, and “change” their situation. As I write this I am shaking my head at them. Why? Immediately after God gives them their discipline, they rebel again! Their hearts were not humble! Their trust was in themselves to change their situation! They could not, nor would not except their consequences! I shake my head, but then I am reminded, I do this too! Instead of repenting of my wrongs, and humbly asking for forgiveness, I seek to circumvent my guilt and figure out a “better” way. This behavior is indeed not only a children of Israel problem, it is a human problem. And that is why God in ALL his mercy, eventually, “When the fullness of time had come” (Gal 4:4), sent his one and only Son to die in our place. Our human condition, brought on by Adam and Eve’s original sin, was/is incapable of circumventing our situation on our own. It requires the perfect sacrifice of Christ!
But, the people pressed on into their own decision, “even though neither Moses nor the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant left the camp”. And disaster came upon them by the hands of the Amalekites and Canaanites. They were chased back to the town of Hormah, which in the Hebrew means “to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate” (See Numbers 21:3). When we go forward without the LORD’s presence, and in our foolish pride, we actively destroy our lives. If only we would learn and understand that obedience to the LORD brings blessings in abundance, but our pride leads to our ruin (Prov. 16:18).
LORD, may we learn from the examples you’ve set before us in your Word, that obedience is so far better then going our own way! Help us to trust you and your faithfulness, which is clearly shown to us in ALL scripture! You waste nothing. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice, and for your redemption! In your holy and righteous name I pray. AMEN!