A LESSON ON HOW NOT TO REPENT

Passage: Numbers 14:26-45

Key verse: 14:41

NIV

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites.(A) 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live,(B) declares the Lord, I will do to you(C) the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall(D)—every one of you twenty years old or more(E) who was counted in the census(F) and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land(G) I swore with uplifted hand(H) to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh(I) and Joshua son of Nun.(J) 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected.(K) 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall(L) in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years,(M) suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years(N)—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land(O)—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things(P) to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.(Q)”

36 So the men Moses had sent(R) to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble(S) against him by spreading a bad report(T) about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report(U) about the land were struck down and died of a plague(V) before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land,(W) only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.(X)

39 When Moses reported this(Y) to all the Israelites, they mourned(Z) bitterly. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country,(AA) saying, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!(AB)”

41 But Moses said, “Why are you disobeying the Lord’s command? This will not succeed!(AC) 42 Do not go up, because the Lord is not with you. You will be defeated by your enemies,(AD) 43 for the Amalekites(AE) and the Canaanites(AF) will face you there. Because you have turned away from the Lord, he will not be with you(AG) and you will fall by the sword.”

44 Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up(AH) toward the highest point in the hill country, though neither Moses nor the ark of the Lord’s covenant moved from the camp.(AI) 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites(AJ) who lived in that hill country(AK) came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah.(AL)

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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ESV

26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall (A)this wicked congregation grumble against me? (B)I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, (C)‘As I live, declares the Lord, (D)what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 (E)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and (F)of all your number, listed in the census (G)from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I (H)swore that I would make you dwell, (I)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 (J)But your little ones, who you said would become a prey, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that (K)you have rejected. 32 But as for you, (L)your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children (M)shall be shepherds in the wilderness (N)forty years and shall (O)suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 (P)According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, (Q)forty days, a year for each day, you shall bear your iniquity forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.’ 35 (R)I, the Lord, have spoken. Surely this will I do to all (S)this wicked congregation who are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.”

36 (T)And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought up a bad report of the land—(U)died by plague before the Lord. 38 Of those men who went to spy out the land, (V)only Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive.

Israel Defeated in Battle

39 When Moses told these words to all the people of Israel, the people (W)mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, (X)“Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 (Y)But Moses said, “Why now are you transgressing the command of the Lord, when that will not succeed? 42 (Z)Do not go up, (AA)for the Lord is not among you, lest you be struck down before your enemies. 43 For there (AB)the Amalekites and the Canaanites are facing you, and you shall fall by the sword. Because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.” 44 (AC)But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither (AD)the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp. 45 Then (AE)the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to (AF)Hormah.

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

First, God's punishment was firm and just (26-35) God made it very clear that he was upset with the people's grumbling. None of the people who treated the Lord with contempt would enter the Promised Land. Instead they would wander around the desert until the whole generation died, all of them except for Caleb and Joshua. Their children would also suffer for forty years because of their sin. Second, the people tried to repent in their own way (36-45) When the Israelites heard of the plague that fell upon the people who spread a bad report, they were afraid and mourned deeply. They were moving towards repentance, expressing a desire to return to God. But after mourning, they made some false presumptions about how to make things right with the Lord. The felt that God would accept any gesture of repentance they offered. Their plan to enter the land was another act of rebellion. Their mourning did not lead them to true repentance but to a frantic act to avoid punishment. God tried to help them through Moses, but they would not listen. God must have grieved over this.

Prayer: Lord, when you reveal to me my sin, I mourn over it. Teach me the way of repentance.

One Word: Repent in God's way