May 3, 2011
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The Victorious Life of Joshua Part 9
Deu 1:29 Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
Deu 1:30 The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
Deu 1:31 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.So Moses attempts to reason with those who are beyond reasoning with. They had already made up their minds. This is why I suspected that the spying expedition was agreed upon simply as a stalling tactic.
Its like the mentality I have heard from some African Americans that say they can’t live in certain neighborhoods. Its not because they can’t afford it, but because the neighborhood is predominantly white, and/or “too nice.” These particular people have a set mentality, and no amount of abundance will give them the inclination to truly do better because their own slave mindset traps them. They would just turn into the prodigal son, and waste it.
Deu 32:10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.
Deu 1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,
Deu 1:33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents [in], in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.
Deu 1:34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
Deu 1:35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,
Deu 1:36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.Jer 2:9 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the LORD, and with your children’s children will I plead.
Now, look at Moses’ explanation of why he doesn’t get to go in. Its so typical of what I see with most leaders. They never accept responsibility, or if they do, they never admit it to the congregation.
Deu 1:37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
What really happened?
Num 20:8 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
Num 20:9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Num 20:10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
Num 20:11 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].Yet according to Moses’ version of this, it was the fault of the people of Israel. His own attitude had nothing to do with it. His own disobedience and disrespect for the Lord before the people, was not a factor, according to Moses’ account in Deuteronomy, but God spoke to him about the real reason.
Num 20:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.
Because of this disobedience on all levels, from the leadership on down to the congregation, all the millions of people of the children of Israel, from that generation were denied entry into God’s promise, except two. It was these faithful two that would lead their children into the promise.
Deu 1:38 [But] Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
Deu 1:39 Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.Look at the change in tone here.
Deu 1:40 But [as for] you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Deu 1:41 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.Hesitation to follow God’s will results in rejection and a change of God’s plan for you.
Deu 1:42 And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I [am] not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.
Deu 1:43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.This speaks of pride. Here they are, refusing to obey again, but again, they refuse to listen. I believe that this is because, they were reminded of God’s great care for them previously, and they figure that God will just be there for them no matter what.
It’s like they believe they have a free ticket for a ride. The ticket has an expiration date, but they dismiss the expiration date, and show up after the date expired; expecting that, because they were selected to receive the ticket, it would still be honored despite their failure to act within the allotted timeframe specified on the ticket.
They failed to recognize the fact that they had missed the opportunity for the ride. They were in denial as to the fact that their free pass had run out. It was all about ego; it was the pride of who they were, and whose they were, a trap to be wary of. “How can this be? Don’t you know who we are? Of course our ticket is good!”
Deu 1:44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, [even] unto Hormah.
Deu 1:45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
Deu 1:46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode [there].
