“How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who complain against Me?”
— Numbers 14:27a
Here the Lord intervened. The people thought they were complaining against Moses, but in God’s eyes they were complaining against Him; it was He who appointed Moses as leader. I hope we all could learn how serious it is to complain against those who raised us up and served us. They are our life-source.
The Lord continued, “Just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above” (vv. 28–29).
That was a severe judgment. The Lord chose to raise up a new generation rather than allow that generation to enter into the good land. Only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter. The children of Israel were forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years until the rebellious generation died off.
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, page 33.
Tomorrow: “Standing Firmly for the Vision”