The Penalty For Israels Rebellion

Deuteronomy 1:32–46
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God makes it clear to the Israelites that the whole generation which came up to Kadesh-Barnea and turned back in unbelief will die (vv. 32-35). Only two men of the old generation will be permitted to enter the promised land. They are Joshua and Caleb (vv. 36-38). They were different than the other spies because they believed God and brought back an accurate and good report. Caleb walked up and down the land and claimed the land where the giants lived. “This is what I want,” he said, and God gave it to him for an inheritance. We should be asking our self what we want of God. If we think we can sit on the sidelines and get it, we are wrong. There is a great deal said in the Scriptures about the Christian’s walk and very little said about the Christian’s sitting down. God also said that Joshua would also go in (v. 38). Joshua became the leader to succeed Moses because he was a man of experience and a man who wholly followed God. Faith was the essential thing.

Some of these folk who entered the land were teenagers at Kadesh-Barnea. God set the age at 20, and all from twenty years old and upward died in the wilderness. The older generation did not want to enter the land because they feared for their children’s safety (v. 39). They were really insulting God by saying that He didn’t care for their children. Now, it is that generation of young people who have come to the border of the land and are ready to enter. It is to them that Moses is speaking. Finally, those over 20 realized they had sinned and if they turned back they would face the wilderness, so they decide to go into the Promised Land after all (vv. 40-41). God warned them not to do this because they were motivated by fear and not by faith, but they went ahead anyway and were defeated vv. 42-43). They wept not because they disobeyed God but because the Amorites chased them (vv. 44-46).

Application

If I want God’s blessing, I must step out in faith for Him, not because I have to but because I want to. I think there is a very fine line between true faith and presumption like the Israelites had.