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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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The Israelites wandered for a year for disobedience and grumbling against God. They didn’t believe God for his promise or for his character.
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Because of their fear of the giants was greater then their belief and trust in God. They chose fear over faith.
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In the book of Numbers, we learn that the Israelites wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for a generation. Why?
After leaving Sinai the Israelites traveled to the southern entrance of Canaan. They sent 12 spies into the Land of Promise to survey the land and determine if it was safe to enter. When the spies returned, 10 of the spies determined the people should not enter the land due to their perceived inability to conquer the Canaanites. Out of fear the Israelites refused to move forward into the land God had promised. feared the giants in Canaan more than they trusted God.
Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua (two of the spies) reminded Israel of who they were; God’s Chosen People. If God brought them to the land He promised them, God would make a way for them to claim it. In the patterned behavior of the Hebrew nation rebellion fueled by fear they asked God to not make them go into the land where there were giant enemies. The Israelites not only disobeyed God, but they refused His good blessing of the Promised land.
God did not remove the blessing, but God delayed the receiving of the blessing. In an act of loving discipline, the nation of Israel was forced to wander the wilderness for the next 40 years. In this 40-year wandering all of the generation that walked out of Egypt died. In the death of this generation God, through the teachings of Aaron and Moses, taught the Hebrew folks how to worship one God and drove from their lives slave mentality. As the number 40 appears throughout all of scripture it is a number representing a time of preparation. God prepared His Chosen People through obedience and to receive His blessing of promise.
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Their wandering was a consequence of their sin of not believing who God was and that God could do what He said He would do.
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Because they have to learn to trust God. They always rebellious towards God start with complaining even though God’s presence is there with them day and night. So they were wanderings until they learn to trust God.
