June 29, 2024
Read Numbers 13:16-33
V16-20 What land was like?
- People there strong or weak – few or many.
- Cities – walled or unwalled
- Soil – fertile or poor
- Trees/bring back fruit
V23-25 Valley of Eshcol – They cut a single branch with a cluster of grapes. Carried on a pole between 2 men.
- They also cut some pomegranates and figs.
V26-29 Gave their report after 40 days spying the land.
- Showed the land’s fruit.
- Indeed, land flowing with milk and honey.
- People living in land are powerful
- Cities are large and fortified.
V31-33 We cannot attack these people, they are stronger.
- They spread a bad report
- They devour their residents.
- Men of great size. Sons of Anak were the Nephilim.
- We seemed like grasshoppers in our eyes as well as theirs.
14:20-25 God forgives them as Moses has spoken.
- Certainly not one who saw God’s glory and miraculous signs performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but yet tested God.
- Ones who did not obey His voice.
- Not one of them will see the Promised Land as was promised to their forefathers.
- Not one who trusted Me with contempt.
V24, V30 Only Caleb and Joshua because a different spirit is with them.
What made this different? Why this severe judgement?
- They grumbled during the plaques.
- They grumbled for water.
- They grumbled for food and meat.
- They even had Aaron melt their gold into a golden calf and God still lead them towards the Promised Land by His cloud by day and fire my night.
1. God’s promise to Abraham
Genesis 13:14-17
- God told Abram to look north, south, east, west.
- “All the land you are looking at I will give to you and your seed.”
- “get up, walk about the land – for I will give it to you.”
Genesis 15:13
- Know for certain that your seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and they be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years.
- They will return in the fourth generation.
This was a promise from God.
- 2 Cor 1:20 God’s promises are yes and amen. Do we really believe that?
- Has God promised you? Do you believe He will follow through on it?
2. It was God’s inheritance.
- God had told Abraham and his seed that this land would be their inheritance.
- Abraham died only owning cave at Machpela as a burial place for the Patriarchs.
- Esau as the first born (representing the world) sold his birthright which would have ¾ of the inheritance. The Word says he had contempt of his inheritance.
Jacob and Family
They leave the land given to them as an inheritance to go down to Egypt to be rescued from the famine and end up being redeemed from bondage.
- Now 400 years later 4th generation are coming back. They should have been coming to claim their inheritance.
3. They broke covenant with God.
- Went beyond the complaining.
- Wishing back in Egypt.
- They did not have faith. They were walking by sight.
- No matter how fertile the land was, how nice the fruit, how abundant the trees were.
Read Deut 6:10-19
They did not trust God’s promise.
They despised their inheritance.
They broke covenant with God.
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