Daily Scripture Reading Numbers 14:26-45

Mark had been saved for three years and treated his salvation like a blank check signed by God Himself. He had walked the aisle at a men’s conference after a powerful message on grace. The preacher had said, “Jesus paid it all. Once you’re in, you’re in forever.” Mark had wept, prayed the prayer, and walked out believing something had fundamentally changed: God would never judge him again.

From that day forward, Mark lived like a man who had been issued permanent immunity. He started an affair with his coworker, Jenna. When guilt tried to rise in his chest, he pushed it down with the same thought he used for everything else: “I’m saved. God doesn’t see my sin anymore. He sees Jesus.”

He began lying on sales reports at work, inflating numbers to hit bonuses. He grew cold and short with his wife, Sarah, and sharp with their two daughters. When Sarah asked why he was coming home so late, he looked her in the eye and lied without hesitation.

He still went to church every Sunday and sang the songs. He even raised his hands during worship. When the pastor preached about repentance or the fear of the Lord, Mark mentally checked out. “That’s for people who don’t understand grace. I’m secure.”

One Thursday night, Sarah found the messages. She didn’t scream. She simply packed two suitcases, woke the girls, and told Mark she was taking them to her mother’s house. Before she walked out the door, she looked at him with something worse than anger — disappointment mixed with pity. “I thought you actually believed in Jesus,” she said quietly. “Turns out you just believed in a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

God is a merciful and gracious God. However, that doesn’t mean His followers can do anything they want. Nor does it mean there are no consequences for disobeying God. The 14th chapter of Numbers contains an example of God’s people being punished because they failed to obey Yahweh.

Moses sent 12 leaders to spy out the land of Canaan. When they returned, they described a land flowing with milk and honey and inhabited by strong people who lived in well-fortified cities. Two of the spies believed they could go in and conquer the land. The other ten spies, and the entire congregation, were pessimistic and accused Yahweh of bringing them to a land where they would be killed and their wives and children would become plunder (see Numbers 14:3).

Num. 14:26 ¶ Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

Num. 14:27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me.

Notice the question “How long?” Yahweh had performed many miracles to bring the Israelites out of slavery and provide for them, and yet they did not believe He would perform a miracle in order to give them the promised land. Yahweh understandably asked how long He should put up with a congregation that simply did not trust Him no matter how many times He proved His power.

Num. 14:28 Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares Yahweh, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;

Look at the phrase “so I will surely do to you”. The Israelites had accused Yahweh of bringing them out of Egypt so that He put them to death. Since they made that accusation, He decided to do that very thing.

Num. 14:29 your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.

Since the Israelites doubted God’s ability to give them the promised land, Yahweh decided to let that entire generation die in the wilderness.

Num. 14:30 Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

Caleb and Joshua were the two spies who believed in Yahweh and His ability to give them the land; therefore, they would enter the promised land. However, everyone else would not.

Num. 14:31 Your little ones, however, who you said would become plunder—I will bring them in, so that they will know the land which you have rejected.

Take note of the words “which you have rejected”. The Israelites had no one to blame except themselves because they had rejected the land.

Num. 14:32 But as for you, your corpses will fall in this wilderness.

Num. 14:33 And your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness, until your corpses come to an end in the wilderness.

Ponder the words “they will suffer for your unfaithfulness”. The Israelites who rebelled against Yahweh brought consequences upon their children.

Num. 14:34 According to the number of days which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day you shall bear your guilt a year, even forty years, and you will know My opposition.

Num. 14:35 I, Yahweh, have spoken, surely this I will do to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall come to an end, and there they will die.’”

Num. 14:36 ¶ As for the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land and who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing out a bad report concerning the land,

Num. 14:37 even those men who brought out the very bad report of the land died by a plague before Yahweh.

The ten leaders who served as spies and brought a bad report about the land died right away.

Num. 14:38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive out of those men who went to spy out the land.

Num. 14:39 ¶ Then Moses spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.

Num. 14:40 In the morning, however, they rose up early and went up to the ridge of the hill country, saying, “Here we are; we will go up to the place which Yahweh has promised because we have indeed sinned.”

Num. 14:41 But Moses said, “Why then do you trespass against the command of Yahweh, when it will not succeed?

Num. 14:42 Do not go up, for Yahweh is not among you, so that you are not defeated before your enemies.

Num. 14:43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will be there in front of you, and you will fall by the sword, inasmuch as you have turned back from following Yahweh. And Yahweh will not be with you.”

Num. 14:44 But they went up heedlessly to the ridge of the hill country; neither the ark of the covenant of Yahweh nor Moses moved from the camp.

Num. 14:45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down, and struck them and beat them down as far as Hormah.

It is fashionable today to believe that God is all grace and mercy and will not punish people. Some people reject the idea that God will send people to hell.

When the Israelites rebelled against Yahweh, He punished them. Their children also suffered consequences for the rebellion. This reminds us that, while God is loving and merciful, He is also a God of justice. There are consequences for disobeying Him.

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”