Lessons Learned from Numbers 14 by Brenna Covelens
While starting my journey reading the Old Testament, I’ve seen that Numbers chapter fourteen is an underrated part of the Bible that I’ve really grown to appreciate. Most movies I’ve seen that involve Moses take place at the beginning of Exodus and go until the Israelites were freed from Egypt. That’s when the credits start. Though Moses rescuing the people with the Lord’s aid is a pretty awesome part of the Bible, I think the takeaway from the after is often overlooked.
To give a brief summary, the people rebel against Moses and Aaron. They are untrusting with the Lord’s plans for them. After exploring the land of Negev for forty days, men return to the wilderness of Paran with their reports. Caleb insisted that they conquer the lands because it was bountiful. Yet, the men who explored it stated that they were occupied by powerful people and that their lands were huge and well-guarded. Because of this, the Israelites let their fear outweigh God’s commands. This is what started the rebellion and disrespect towards God.
I’m sure you’re shaking your head saying that the Israelites should’ve known better. I did, too, before God spoke to my heart that I do the same thing also. These people have similar experiences as we do, even if we aren’t the ones running from an evil Pharaoh who’s enslaved us. Yet, we do run from something. We do rebel. We are stubborn human beings who need to be taught by God. With having open hearts, open ears, and receiving spirits, I’m sure we can fully take in what the Lord says. The hard lessons of the Israelite people are lessons for us, too. Here is what I learned.
1. Don’t go back to what made you sick.
Numbers 14:1-4: “Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!’ they complained. ‘Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?’ Then they plotted among themselves, ‘Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!’”
This lesson could be for anyone with any bad habit. It could be going back to drugs, alcohol, bad relationships, cursing, or whatever our bad habits are. The Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt because they didn’t see what they wanted to see. They were scared so they turned against God. How many times do we tell God “Not today, Lord. I don’t want to do that.” “Maybe another day.” “How about I do this instead?” God’s good health for us will surely disappear if we turn back to old addictions and habits that never brought us life in the first place. We will surely be held captive in that sickness.
2. Don’t be afraid of man.
Numbers 14:9: “Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”
It’s tricky to not fear man. If we turn on the television, we see portraits of men and women who have killed other people. We watch the news, and we’re suddenly afraid to speak up in fear of being jailed, killed, and rejected. We see news stations talking about killings both in this country and others, others imprisoned, missing, or sold. How can we not fear when these tragedies are thrown at our faces? Like I said in the beginning of this article, the Israelites were afraid of the sinister Pharaoh. We can relate to fearing man, yet the Lord calls us to remember his promise: that he was with us then and he is with us now.
The lesson here is that man is not powerful like God is powerful. We have to remind ourselves who made us. Yes, you came from your mother’s womb, but surely is it God who formed us in that womb. Man’s power is only temporary while God’s power is eternal.
3. Our sins will affect our kin.
Numbers 14:18-19: “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations. In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”
How often do we think about our sins affecting future generations? If we know that our good deeds carry over into heaven, who’s to say that our sins won’t carry to our future family members here on earth? A friend said to me that it was because of a parent’s misdeeds that brewed anger and resentment in her. She said she felt cursed more by her parents than she felt blessed. Like a mother who drank and did drugs while pregnant, her baby had health issues in the early stages of childhood. Like the father who spent all his money in his youth, he left nothing for his children. A son could be jailed for possession of something toxic and illegal, affecting his parents' daily lives with worry and financial struggles. Our parents’ sins can affect us just like our sins can affect our future children. It may not even be genetics, a family curse, but a sin that affected our kin.
4. The Lord is both merciful and vengeful.
Numbers 14:20-24: “Then the Lord said, ‘I will pardon them as you have requested. But as surely as I live, and as surely as the earth is filled with the Lord’s glory, not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again, they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. They will never even see the land I swore to give their ancestors. None of those who have treated me with contempt will ever see it. But my servant Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to me, so I will bring him into the land he explored. His descendants will possess their full share of that land.”
The lesson here is that God is both merciful and vengeful. He allows faults on our end. He allows himself to be rejected, his heart and patience tested daily by us. Yet, he loves us like crazy. He is the father who will forgive and discipline. He is everything we need, and he knows when he should be merciful to us and when he should challenge us.
He is not more one quality than the other, or else he would not be who he says he is.
His parenting style is mixed. He won’t be afraid to discipline us, yet when we need it, he talks calmly to us.
Caleb was blessed because he remained loyal to God. Those who treated the Lord with contempt and disregard allowed themselves to lose God’s blessings for them. They wanted the blessing right then and there. A good parent makes their child work for the blessing, not the other way around. There was love in discipline. A parent is not afraid to correct their child for acting out.
5. We will be crushed by our enemies without God’s direction in our lives.
Numbers 14:39-45: “When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. ‘Let’s go,’ they said. ‘We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.’ But Moses said, ‘Why are you now disobeying the Lord’s orders to return to the wilderness? It won’t work. Do not go up into the land now. You will only be crushed by your enemies because the Lord is not with you. When you face the Amalekites and Canaanites in battle, you will be slaughtered. The Lord will abandon you because you have abandoned the Lord.’ But the people defiantly pushed ahead toward the hill country, even though neither Moses nor the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant left the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in those hills came down and attacked them and chased them back as far as Hormah.”
If we are not being led by God, we are being led by the world which will ultimately result in our defeat. Going anywhere without the Lord is dangerous. He is our shield, our protection, and we must keep him close to us! In the verse, the Israelites ignored the instruction of the Lord and ended in literal death. With any decision, we must consult God for the answer. If it does not match up with his character or discernment, we must not follow through with it. It doesn’t even have to result in actual death; it could result in losing something precious, hurting ourselves or someone else, or having to face the consequences we could’ve avoided.
Overall, the takeaway is that we are no better than the Israelite people when we’re tested. Though we may want to be argumentative and/or resist, God is the one in control. What we need to do is heed his voice and stick with the path he has set us on.
My name is Brenna Covelens. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania where I love to hike and enjoy my time outside. When hiking isn't an option, I like to read a fictional book or dive into my Bible. As a writer, I hope to express who I am while also sharing the love and truth of Jesus.