Had they only known what would follow as a result of this one terrible decision! Based on a report from 10 of the scouts, laced with paranoia, the Israelites are paralyzed with fear. They do not believe they can prevail over the people of the land, they plot to over-throw God's man (Moses) and set off on a course of their own choosing...straight back to slavery and oppression in Egypt! Despite the miraculous things they had seen God do, like parting the Red Sea, providing daily manna, and appearing in the form of a cloud and pillar of fire, they lack confidence in His ability to protect them. God is so frustrated that He again offers to destroy the nation and start over with Moses and his lineage. As a testament to his character, Moses does not jump on this fantastic offer, but instead begs for a pardon for the people. In response to Moses' intercession, God pronounces punishment that would see each member of the nation over 20 years of age (except Caleb and Joshua) fall dead in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. I wonder if the purpose of this tantalizing offer to be rid of this quarrelsome bunch of ingrates, was to solidify Moses' commitment to them. God certainly knew that they would be wandering in the desert for 40 years and Moses needed to endear himself to them in order to tolerate the dismal journey ahead. He had to reconcile his frustration and disappointment and what better way to do that than to intercede for them in heartfelt prayer. Fearing for their very lives would have instantly melted away any resentment that had built up.
Remember that the identical exchange between God and Moses took place after the golden calf incident, (Ex. 32:9-10). In both cases, Moses appeals to God's mercy on the basis of "what the Egyptians will think". Moses was concerned for God's reputation among the nations. Whether or not this is an example of God changing His mind, is debatable. This is certainly an example of God stating an intent to do something but later reversing His course. This is complicated theology, but as I understand it, God's will is sovereign, while we still have free will. If He wanted to evoke that protective response from Moses in order to recharge him for the task at hand (leading the nation through 39 more years of wandering in the desert), He could have made that "threat" to prompt the response, knowing full well that He would not have to follow through on it. Even though Moses had free will in His response, God knew what the response would be and could adjust His strategy accordingly. The whole encounter may have been more about Moses and what he needed spiritually, than about changing God's mind. Prayer is a mystery, but we know that the act of bringing our needs before God is of great benefit to our own spiritual growth and certainly impacts the way He responds to us.
Tomorrow's reading; Numbers 16-18
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Moses really gets the whole point of God's plan, doesn't he? Through both of these incidents where he pleads with the Lord to not destroy the Israelites, he reminds us that it's not about the Israelites themselves. It's about the Lord Himself! While God clearly loved them, His purpose for saving them, setting them apart and leading them was not about them. It was about God making them a light to the nations so the world would know Him.
ReplyDeleteWe can get so caught up in ourselves, even when it comes to our own Christian walk. Because Jesus died for me, I somehow think it's all about me. Our prayers, desires and actions would look much different if we walked through our days with God's reputation as our priority.
I think this is story (like much of the Israelites history) is a great example of the human struggle to trust God. We haven't seen God work in front of our eyes with miraculous signs and wonders, and I think sometimes we judge the Israelites for that. However, we have experienced the miracle of rebirth and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There's no greater miracle than a Holy God dwelling in the hearts of sinful man in order to draw others to Himself and bring Glory to His name. We have experienced this miraculous mystery and yet struggle to trust just as the Israelites did.