Num
14:5-10a (NIV) Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole
Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of
Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7
and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and
explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us
into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9
Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the
land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord
is with us. Do not be afraid of them."
10 But
the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
NOTE: From a human
perspective for Moses and the three, I'm not sure what was worse, being stoned
by the people or disobeying God. Obviously God could protect Moses, Aaron,
Joshua, and Caleb, so the threat of stoning was the least important issue. From
a human perspective for the people, they were more worried about the
"giants" than about displeasing God. In both cases, the bigger issue
really is obedience to God -- circumstances must take a second place to
obedience, and that is a hard concept to fathom.
Also, I believe the
concern of Moses was not for himself but rather for the people. Which creates
an interesting irony. Moses is afraid of how God will judge the people for
their disobedience. The people are afraid of obeying God in fear of what the "giants"
will do to them. The people make two mistakes. They feared the wrong thing.
And, they did not trust God's word and that God would protect them in the
conquest of the land of Caanan.
The application is
obvious, fear God and obey his commandments, even if circumstances might tempt
us to act differently.
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