Today’s passage: Numbers 14
- The people had been brought a report of a land flowing with milk and honey. They saw it’s fruits and heard about it’s beautiful regions. They had been given a promise by Almighty God to give them this very land. Yet, they wept. They didn’t believe they could take the land.
- In fact, in their emotional storm, they accused God of bringing them to the land to have them killed!
- To finish off their rebellion, the people of Israel set out to choose new leaders to take them back to Egypt and they sought to stone the spies who encouraged them to trust the Lord and take the land.
- Caleb and Joshua expressed their trust in God and their love for Israel when they spoke the truth to the people in verse 9, “Only do not rebel against the Lord.”
- The Lord’s immediate verbal response to the rebellion of the people was expressed in a desire to destroy the nation and start over with Moses (As if Moses would become the new Abraham).
- The judgment of God against the people turned the fear of the people on its head (Verses 28-35)!
- The things the people feared would happen, the Lord made it the opposite.
- Once the people realized their error, they impetuously sought to go take the land, and they suffered for it.
- The people conveyed a worldly grief (2 Corinthians 7:9-11). They thought all of this was about going in to conquer the land, when at it’s root level it was about believing and obeying God.
- They disobeyed God in order to try to “undo” their disobedience to God, on their own terms. This was not repentance.
Questions to consider:
- What was the nature of Moses’ appeal to the Lord not to destroy the nation? For whose glory and reputation was Moses concerned? Based on what information did Moses make his appeal (Verse 18)? How can the written Word of God fuel and inform our prayers?
- What did the death of the spies who rebelled against God communicate to the people? What must the people have known was true once the ten spies died and Caleb and Joshua remained alive and well in their sight? What is “safer,” pursuing the directive will of God or doing what looks easier in disobedience to Him?
- When we sin, are we supposed to “make it up to God?” Can we earn our good standing back? What had God provided for the people to be reconciled to Him in repentance? When we sin today, to whom are we to look for our rescue, hope, and forgiveness…to be made right with God? How has our sin been paid for? What does trusting and resting in Christ and subsequent repentance look like?
"Numeri 14 inaeleza hivi: ""Watu walipata habari ya nchi inayotiririka maziwa na asali." Waliona matunda yake na kusikia juu ya maeneo yake mazuri. Mungu Mweza Yote alikuwa amewaahidi kwamba atawapa nchi hii. Hata hivyo, walilia. Hawakuamini kwamba wangeweza kuchukua ardhi hiyo. - Kwa kweli, katika dhoruba yao ya kihisia-moyo, walimshtaki Mungu kuwa amewaleta katika nchi hiyo ili awaue! "Wakati wa uasi wao, Waisraeli waliamua kuchagua viongozi wapya wa kuwarudisha Misri, na wakajaribu kuwapiga mawe wale wapelelezi waliowachochea kumwamini BWANA na kuuteka nchi.""" "Kalebu na Yoshua walionyesha imani yao kwa Mungu na upendo wao kwa Israeli walipokuwa wakisema ukweli kwa watu katika mstari wa 9 ""Lakini usimwasi Bwana"" - Jibu la mara moja la neno la Bwana kwa uasi wa watu lilionyeshwa katika hamu ya kuharibu taifa na kuanza tena na Musa (kama kwamba Musa angekuwa Abrahamu mpya)." Hukumu ya Mungu dhidi ya watu iligeuza hofu ya watu juu ya kichwa chake (Mstari wa 28-35) Mambo ambayo watu waliogopa yatatokea, Bwana aliyafanya kuwa kinyume. Watu walipoona kosa lao, walijitahidi sana kuchukua nchi hiyo, nao wakateseka kwa sababu ya kosa hilo. - Watu walieleza huzuni ya kidunia (2 Wakorintho 7:9-11). Walifikiri yote haya yalikuwa juu ya kwenda kushinda nchi, wakati katika kiwango chake cha mizizi ilikuwa juu ya kuamini na kumtii Mungu. - Walimtii Mungu ili kujaribu "kuondoa" kutomtii kwao Mungu, kwa maneno yao wenyewe. Hilo halikuwa toba. Maswali ya Kuzingatia: - Ni nini kilichokuwa asili ya wito wa Musa kwa Bwana kutoangamiza taifa hilo? Musa alihangaikia utukufu na sifa ya nani? Ni nini kilichomfanya Musa atoe ombi lake? (mstari wa 18). Neno la Mungu lililoandikwa linawezaje kuchochea na kuelimisha sala zetu? Kifo cha wapelelezi hao waliomwasi Mungu kilikuwa na maana gani kwa watu wa Israeli? Ni nini ambacho watu walijua kuwa ni kweli baada ya wale wapelelezi kumi kufa na Kalebu na Yoshua wakaendelea kuwa hai na wenye afya? Ni nini kilicho "salama zaidi", kufuata mapenzi ya Mungu au kufanya kile kinachoonekana kuwa rahisi zaidi katika kutomtii? - Tunapotenda dhambi, je, tunapaswa "kumlipa Mungu?" Je, tunaweza kupata haki yetu ya kusimama? Mungu aliandaa nini ili watu wapatanishwe naye kwa toba? Tunapotenda dhambi leo, ni nani ambaye tunapaswa kumtafuta ili atupate wokovu, tumaini, na msamaha... ili tuwe na haki mbele za Mungu? Dhambi zetu zimelipwaje? Ni nini maana ya kumtumaini Kristo na kutubu?