Rebellion and Its Results, Part 2

Turn with me in your Bible to Numbers chapter 14. And as you're turning, I want to read to you a verse of Scripture out of the book of Proverbs that will set the tone for our time together this morning. Proverbs 29, verse number 18. reads as follows. Where there is no vision, the people per. The literal translation is that where there is no revelation, the people are un. You see, vision, the ability to see, comes from the revelation of God. Without the revelation of God, our vision is marred. That's why it's imperative for us as parents, as leaders, to know the Word of God.

So our children are restrained. They're not out of control. They know what they're supposed to do. They know who their authority is. So, where there is no revelation, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law. That's the end of Proverbs 29, verse number 18. There's something about keeping the law that determines a man's happiness. We need to be the kind of people that understand the revelation of God and that believe in that revelation. And follow it. Joshua and Caleb were two men who believed in the revelation of God.

This is your land, this is the promised land, and I've given it to you and to your descendants. This is your land. Those who refuse to believe in what God says do not see very well.

And that was the other ten spies. They refused to believe what God had said. And in Numbers chapter 13, Israel was about to receive. That great promise. They were encamped at Kad Barnea just about to enter the land of Canaan. And Joshua and Caleb had victory because they were loyal to the revelation of God. But the other 10 didn't. So that leads us to Numbers chapter 14. And let me read to you the first 20 verses because that's what we're going to cover this morning.

We're going to talk about their rebellion and then the reconciliation. Numbers chapter 14, verse number 1. Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people. People wept that night, and all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. And the whole congregation said to them, Would that We had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in this wilderness? And why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder.

Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another: Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephun, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes. And they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, The land which we pass through to spy out is an exceedingly good land, if the Lord is pleased with us.

Then he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel. We'll stop right there for now.

Let's look at their rebellion. And four things I want to point out to you. Number one is they cried. The Bible says they cried all night, they mourned all night.

And mark it down. Whenever you refuse to believe what God has said, you will weep. You will weep. You'll mourn. For fear of what might happen to you. Joshua and Caleb didn't cry all night, but these people, these Israelites, would begin to mourn their existence. And they would begin to cry because they refused to accept the minority report. They accepted the majority report. They accepted the fact that the land was desirable, but yet the land was also difficult. And because it was, they could not overcome the land and the people in it.

They refused to believe. What Joshua and Caleb had told them. And therefore, they cried. And that cry led to point number two: their criticism.

They would begin now to criticize. Number one, their leaders. They would criticize the fact that Moses and Aaron had led them to this place. It's interesting to note that when people don't believe, they have to criticize someone. They have to be able to complain about someone. And so, quite naturally, they'll complain and criticize the leadership. It's Moses' fault. It's Aaron's fault. And you will note that Aaron doesn't join in with the nation, he sides with Moses. Because Aaron knows better not to complain about the leadership from Numbers chapter 12.

He knows better. He's made that mistake before. So, you know, give him credit. He's not going to make the same mistake again. He's going to side with Moses this time. He's going to stand right next to him because he knew about Miriam and the leprosy she contacted because she led the way in the criticism of the leadership of Moses. So, Aaron, having learned his lesson. Now is one of those who is criticized along with Moses because the people begin to rebel against The authority. Not only did they criticize their leaders, they criticized their living conditions.

Look what it says. Would we had died in the land of Egypt, or would that we had died in the wilderness? Now, what kind of statement is that? It would be better for us instead of living and being right here and trusting God and believing in God and seeing the opportunity before us to see the hand of God move once again. It would have been better for us to die in Egypt, or better yet, to die in the wilderness. You see, the unbeliever makes the most ridiculous statement. That doesn't make any sense at all.

You mean to tell me you'd rather die in the wilderness than stand for God in the promised land? But that's their statement. And you will note that once again. God will give them the des of their heart. Would it be that we would die in the wilderness? Guess what? They're all going to die in the wilderness. I mean, that's what you wanted, right? Well, that's what you're going to get. Be careful what you say and be careful who you say it to. So they criticized the leaders, they criticized their living conditions.

And they criticized their Lord. The text tells us in chapter 14: And why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the? The sword. Why has the Lord done this? This must be God's fault. And you know, when we begin to criticize and we begin to complain, it truly is our desire to blame God. God did this. If he's our God, then he has brought us here. And maybe you're at that point in your life today, you're saying, you know, why has God done this? Why has God put me in this situation, or God put me in this marriage, or God put me in this workplace, or God brought me to this point physically?

Why has God done this? And we tend to blame the Lord. As if God has brought us to a place that He's no longer in control of. Or if God has brought us to a place where He is incapable of taking us through turmoil. We love to blame God for what he's done. And these people, really, truly, in the depths of their hearts, were rebelling against their God. And you need to understand this from Numbers chapter 14: that whenever you refuse to listen to God and obey His voice, it's really the heart of rebellion.

And therefore, we need to understand Israel's rebellion. It began with their cry, it really began earlier than that. It began with when they wanted to send out the spies. That truly was the first evidence of their unbelief and their rebellion.

And now the whole nation begins to cry aloud and mourn all might. Because of what might happen to them if they were to embark on this land of promise. And so they cried and then they criticized their leaders, they criticized their living conditions and they criticized the Lord Himself. And then. I want you to notice they conspired.

They conspired because they wanted a different leader. The text tells us in chapter 14, verse number 4. So they said to one another, Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt. That's a profound statement. You know, it's important who you listen to. Folks, we tend to listen to the majority. And we've told you before that just because it's in the majority doesn't make it right. If big was best, Miss America would weigh 500 pounds. So we know that the biggest isn't always best. Right? So we must understand the truth.

But Israel was like the common American. We think that because the majority are going this direction, We get on the bandwagon and we follow them in that direction. But they were wrong. They were de wrong. And they conspired. To return to Egypt. Let's go back to slavery. They sought to replace the leadership. Nehemiah 9: says, In their rebellion, they appointed a captain to return to their bondage. So, not only did they desire to do it in Numbers chapter 14, Nehemiah 9 says that they did appoint somebody.

There was a leader they were going to have take them back to Egypt. And so the response to that was that Moses and Aaron and Joshua and Caleb would begin to tear their clothes. The Bible says very clearly in Numbers 14.

Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of Jephuna, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes. There was this outward action of mourning over the sins of Israel. And everybody would see them, rip their clothes, fall on their faces before the people, and begin to plead. Their cause. You know, it's important to recognize that when the people sin, you need to be able to demonstrate your defiance of their sin.

And stand against it. So many times we just kind of sit back and, well, they sinned. I guess it's okay. It's never okay to sin. And the rebelliousness of these people had become so great. That these men would fall on their faces and tear their clothes out of a sign of remorse because of the sins of the people. And they would give them wise counsel. Moses would speak first.

Listen to Deuteronomy chapter 1, verse 29. Then I said to you, Do not be shocked. Do not fear them. The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes and in the wilderness where you Saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place. Moses speaks and counsels them concerning the capability of the Lord their God to carry them. And so Moses would appeal to them based on the capability of their God to accomplish.

She has purposes in their lives. And they would hear what Moses said. Moses said, God carried you. Who took care of you? God did. Who protected you? God did. Every single step of the way. Now he's brought you here. Do not fear. Do not be shocked. God will handle the situation. And Joshua and Caleb, well, Numbers 14 tells us what they said. They said very clearly: the land which we pass through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. And he gave us the land exactly as he said it would be. And we need to believe in what he has said.

And then they said, do not rebel against. The Lord. Do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be, listen, our prey. They'll be our prey. And then listen to what they say. Their protection has been removed from them. And the Lord is with us. Do not fear them. Now, let me ask you a question.

How did Joshua and Caleb know that the people in the land, their protection, had been removed from them? Turn all the way back to Genesis chapter 15. When God told Abraham about how the nation of Israel would be in bondage for 400 years. And that in the fourth generation, verse number 16, they shall return here. Listen, for the iniquity of the Amor is not yet complete. God told Abraham that the iniquity of the Amorites who lived in that land is not yet complete. In other words, their sin hasn't run its course.

But when sin has finally run its course among the Amorites, in other words, that their opportunity, listen, that their opportunity to respond to the truth of who I am is over.

Then I will send you in, and then you will defeat them. Then you will utterly wipe them out because there is no possibility of them ever repenting again. Now, this is important. Why? Because turn to Joshua chapter 2. Joshua chapter 2, you had the story of the spies and Rah. Remember Rah the harlot? Remember her faith? The important thing is, is when did Rahab believe? And how is it Rah believed? And what is it? Rah believed. Joshua chapter 2, verse 8. Now, before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to the men, I know that the Lord has given you the land.

How did she know that? And that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. How did she know that? For we have heard, she heard something. How the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites. Who were beyond the Jordan to Sah and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And when we heard it, our hearts melted, and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you.

For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. How did Rahab, listen, the harlot? The prostitute believed that the God of Israel was the God of heaven and earth. She believed because she heard. What did she hear? She heard from all those men. Who would frequent her about the sovereign God in what he did? That's how she heard. All those men that would come and request her services. Would speak to her about the great God Jehovah. And she believed and understood that that land that she occupied.

Was their land, and that their God was the God of heaven and earth. You see, that's all important to understand. Why? Because when they come to the brink of the promised land, Caleb and Joshua both know. That the times of iniquity have come to an end for the Amorites, and the time of their sin has been full. And Joshua and Caleb listened intently. To the words of God years earlier and believed them. That gave them courage. And that erased all their fears. Their protection had been removed, they said.

What protection is that? The protection that God allows all people to be under the umbrella of, that they might hear the truth and believe the truth. And when they refuse to believe it, he then removed. Moves that protection, and there is no opportunity of repentance. And that's where they were. Now, you'd think that Israel would say, Wow, let's go, let's do it. But instead, instead. They were cruel. The text tells us, but all the congregation said to stone them with stones. I guess if it wasn't so true and so serious, it'd be humorous.

I mean, you've got to be kidding me, right? We're going to kill them. We don't want to hear the truth anymore. And then the glory of the Lord app. God is not going to leave his people. People defenseless. God's not going to leave you all out there by your little lonesome. God's going to come down. And how many times have we told you when God comes down, He comes down for two reasons: redemption or retribution, to deliver you. And to defeat your foes. The glory of the Lord comes down to the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.

And you can imagine, they got their stones ready to go and, oh, Jesus. Here he comes again. The glory of the Lord comes down and everything stop. And that leads us to point number four of our outline. And that is a reconciliation. And I want you to notice, first of all, the prompting of that reconciliation.

What prompted Moses to seek reconciliation? Reconciliation for the people of God. It was God. God comes down. Let's look at it together.

Verse number 11. And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people spurn me? How long will they not believe in me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst? How long I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them? And I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they. God says to Moses, how long?

It tells me that God keeps really accurate records. And keeps track of all our rebellious acts. How long? Now, God is long-suffering, right? But his patience at sometimes wears out. And that would prompt Moses. To pray. Listen to verse number 13. But Moses said to the Lord, Then the Egyptians will hear of it. For by thy strength thou didst bring up the This people from their midst, and they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that thou, O Lord, art in the midst of this people, for thou, O Lord, art seen.

Eye to eye, while thy cloud stands over them, and thou dost go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. Now, if thou dost slay this people as one. One man, then the nations who have heard of thy fame will say, Because the Lord could not bring this people into the land which he promised them by oath, therefore he slaughtered them in the wilderness. But now I pray, let the power of the Lord be great, just as thou hast declared. The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in loving kind, forgiving the iniqu.

And transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth gener.

Generations, pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy loving kind, just as thou also hast forgiven this people. From Egypt, even until now.

The first thing that strikes me about this is the attitude of Moses. He prayed for his perseverance. Persecutors. I don't know about you. I'd say, let them have it. Get rid of them. Who needs them? But Moses, he prays for his persecutors. You know why he does? Because he believes in the revelation of God. He believes in what God said to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He knows what he said, he believes in. And when Moses goes to prayer, he beseeches God based on his glory and his word. He beseeches God, Lord, your glory is at stake here.

Your fame, your name. You got to bring him in. Your glory's at stake here. Lord, it's about you, it's about your glory. And that's the way every prayer should be, right? You see, when you pray for your persecutors and when you're not interested in your own self, you can pray for the glory of God. And that's what Moses did. He prayed for the glory of God. To be put on display. And he prayed according to the word of God. He beseeched God based on his word. Forgive them again because, Lord, I plead.

Based on your loving kind, your mercy. Not on their merit, Lord, they deserve to die. This is not about their merit, it's about your mercy. Moses would exemplify what Jesus would say in Matthew 5: Pray for those who persecute you. That's what he did. He prays in great wisdom in his prayer. He says, God, I know, I know that there must be punishment for their sin. I know that. There must be consequences for their sin and their rebellion against you. I know that, but I ask, Lord, that you'd forgive them of their sin.

This prayer speaks volumes to us because it tells us that there is forgiveness. But forgiveness never negates the consequences of sin. For listen to how God provides the provision of that prayer in verse number 20. Then the Lord said, I have pardoned them according to your word. I have forgiven them. Wow. God forgave them. But that does not negate the consequences for them. Sin. And Moses knew that. And Moses listened to what God said way back on Mount Sinai. God said, I am a merciful God. I am a kind God.

I am a good God. I am a gracious God. But I will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. I won't. So Moses doesn't just leave that part out of his prayer. He understand that God must punish sin. That 's what makes our redemption so great. Great, right? God must punish sin. He must punish your sin. He must punish my sin. So, what did He do? He sent His Son to bear in His body your sins and mine. He bore your punishment, your penalty. For the wage of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.

He bore in his body your sin so you could live his life, so you could be free from that punishment. And Moses knows that there must be some consequence for their sin, or how would they know the seriousness of their sin, right? I just can't imp upon you enough that we need to be people of the word so we know how to pray. Some of you out there say, you know, I pray, and when I pray, it seems like nothing happens. Folks, you need to pray, know what God says, so you know how to pray.

Intelligently, right? So that the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man does avail much for you. What has God already said? And that's what you begin to pray. You pray the words of God. That's what Moses prayed. And Joshua and King. They believed what God said. And they would have reiterated to the people of God that they would understand: look, this is what God has already promised us. This is ours. And they could live a life without fear. Fear. If you learn anything from last week, this week, and then the Lord willing next week, learn to listen to what God says and obey what God says.

We walk by faith and not by sight. We walk based on what God has already. Said, not based on what we see before us. And that's the way you and I should walk out of here today. Don't walk out of here believing what you see, only walk out of here believing in what God has already. Already said, and that will cause you to live at ease from the fear of evil. It'll cause you to live securely in the arms of God because just as God carried Israel. Through the wilderness, so God wants to take you through your wilderness experiences, through your desert experiences, through your trials in life.

And God says, Will you trust me? Will you believe in me? Or will you be like Israel? And say, you what, God, we just don't believe. God says, Trust me, trust my word, because I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

He's our God. Let's pray.