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In the book of Numbers, we learn that the Israelites wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for a generation. Why?
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Disobedience to God.
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It was a punishment for their lack of faith and their disobedience. Looking at their enemies, they became afraid and did not believe God’s promise to bring them into the promised land. They even pleaded to God not to bring them into the land! Therefore they got their just desserts, and died in the wilderness without entering the promised land.
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Isreal’s wilderness wanderings happened as a result of their failure to trust God in realtion to their taking possession of the land He had promised them. An exploration of the land had taken place involving 12 men selected to go and see and report back on the condition of the land. On their return ten of these men brought an unfavourable report based on the perceived strength of the inhabitiants. 2 brought a favourable report. The people based their response to Gods instrction to posess the land on the report of the ten, which represented a gross sin as it constituted a failure to obey God. They rebelled against Moses and grumbled. Therefore God sentenced them to 40 years of wandering, until that whole generation had died off.
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Because the land that God instructed them to take, they chose not to for fear the Canannites would over take them, based on their size. Because of their disobedience, they we left to wonder in the wilderness until the last of that generation died.
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They disobeyed and refused to enter into the promise land out of fear of the giants and not trusting in the Lord