Numbers 1:19
As the LORD commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
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If you were to count everyone in your family tree “from twenty years old and above – all who are able to go to war,” how many would that be? Ten, fifty, a hundred, a thousand? The Lord commanded Moses to count the Israelites just a year after they had crossed the Red Sea, while there were still in Sinai, and they numbered 603,550. What only God knew at that point, of course, is that out of those thousands of men, only TWO would survive to make it into the Promised Land. Of all that great host, only Joshua and Caleb believed enough in the power of the Lord God to defeat their enemies in Canaan.
As recounted in Numbers chapter 13, when twelve men were sent to spy on the land of Canaan and assess its riches and dangers, ten men returned and said “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” (Numbers 13:31) But Joshua and Caleb had a different opinion:
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Numbers 14:6-9
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”
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Of the “great host” of your own family, how many believe in the true power of the Lord, the living God? How many are willing to lead their brothers and sisters into a place that seems to be dangerous, relying wholly upon the protection of God? In the book of Numbers, we see how God punished the unbelievers, winnowing the tribes of Israel and rebuilding them with a body of believing men. In just under forty years, that generation of unbelievers was wiped out and a new generation took its place, so that when the tribes were numbered again at Moab, there were 601,730 – just 1820 men less than those numbered in Sinai. (Numbers 26:51) And as the masses of Israel crossed the Jordan, whenever they relied on God, they drove out their enemies before them. And when they did not trust in God, they failed.
There are two things to note here:
1) God wants only TRUE BELIEVERS to inherit His blessings, not just anyone. One does not inherit the Promised Land simply by being part of a family, a church, a nation. One inherits by benefit of their belief in Christ Jesus. (John 3:16-17)
2) Where God does not find believers, He will raise them up from the next generation or the next. Asaph spoke of this in the Psalms:
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Psalms 78:1-8
1 A Contemplation Of Asaph.
Give ear, O my people, to my law;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children,
Telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
5 For He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;
6 That the generation to come might know them,
The children who would be born,
That they may arise and declare them to their children,
7 That they may set their hope in God,
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments;
8 And may not be like their fathers,
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not set its heart aright,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.
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Let us be a generation that IS faithful to God, so that we may be numbered among those whose names are found in the Book of Life. Trust in the Lord God, keep His commandments, believe in His might and majesty, and in His Name be ready to face danger and cross from the wilderness into “a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Lord of heaven and earth, great Savior of Israel and all men, I trust in You. Today and each day, Lord God, lead me through the wilderness to Your promises. Protect and strengthen me when I face the enemy. And teach me, Father, to train my children right, that they may set their hope in You. Amen.
- written July 7, 2009
Tags: Devotional, God, Israel, Moses
