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Texts -- Numbers 14:1-44 (NET)

Context
The Israelites Respond in Unbelief
14:1 Then all the community raised a loud cry , and the people wept that night . 14:2 And all the Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron , and the whole congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt , or if only we had perished in this wilderness ! 14:3 Why has the Lord brought us into this land only to be killed by the sword , that our wives and our children should become plunder ? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt ?” 14:4 So they said to one another , “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt .” 14:5 Then Moses and Aaron fell down with their faces to the ground before the whole assembled community of the Israelites . 14:6 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh , two of those who had investigated the land , tore their garments . 14:7 They said to the whole community of the Israelites , “The land we passed through to investigate is an exceedingly good land . 14:8 If the Lord delights in us, then he will bring us into this land and give it to us– a land that is flowing with milk and honey . 14:9 Only do not rebel against the Lord , and do not fear the people of the land , for they are bread for us. Their protection has turned aside from them, but the Lord is with us. Do not fear them!” 14:10 However, the whole community threatened to stone them. But the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting .
The Punishment from God
14:11 The Lord said to Moses , “How long will this people despise me, and how long will they not believe in me, in spite of the signs that I have done among them? 14:12 I will strike them with the pestilence , and I will disinherit them; I will make you into a nation that is greater and mightier than they!” 14:13 Moses said to the Lord , “When the Egyptians hear it– for you brought up this people by your power from among them– 14:14 then they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land . They have heard that you , Lord , are among this people , that you , Lord , are seen face to face , that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in a pillar of fire by night . 14:15 If you kill this entire people at once , then the nations that have heard of your fame will say , 14:16 ‘Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to them, he killed them in the wilderness .’ 14:17 So now , let the power of my Lord be great , just as you have said , 14:18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love , forgiving iniquity and transgression , but by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.’ 14:19 Please forgive the iniquity of this people according to your great loyal love , just as you have forgiven this people from Egypt even until now .” 14:20 Then the Lord said , “I have forgiven them as you asked . 14:21 But truly , as I live , all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord . 14:22 For all the people have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness , and yet have tempted me now these ten times , and have not obeyed me , 14:23 they will by no means see the land that I swore to their fathers , nor will any of them who despised me see it. 14:24 Only my servant Caleb , because he had a different spirit and has followed me fully – I will bring him into the land where he had gone , and his descendants will possess it. 14:25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites were living in the valleys .) Tomorrow , turn and journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea .” 14:26 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron : 14:27 “How long must I bear with this evil congregation that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me. 14:28 Say to them, ‘As I live , says the Lord , I will surely do to you just what you have spoken in my hearing . 14:29 Your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness – all those of you who were numbered , according to your full number , from twenty years old and upward , who have murmured against me. 14:30 You will by no means enter into the land where I swore to settle you. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun . 14:31 But I will bring in your little ones , whom you said would become victims of war , and they will enjoy the land that you have despised . 14:32 But as for you , your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness , 14:33 and your children will wander in the wilderness forty years and suffer for your unfaithfulness , until your dead bodies lie finished in the wilderness . 14:34 According to the number of the days you have investigated this land , forty days – one day for a year – you will suffer for your iniquities , forty years , and you will know what it means to thwart me. 14:35 I , the Lord , have said , “I will surely do so to all this evil congregation that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished , and there they will die !”’” 14:36 The men whom Moses sent to investigate the land , who returned and made the whole community murmur against him by producing an evil report about the land , 14:37 those men who produced the evil report about the land , died by the plague before the Lord . 14:38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh , who were among the men who went to investigate the land , lived. 14:39 When Moses told these things to all the Israelites , the people mourned greatly . 14:40 And early in the morning they went up to the crest of the hill country , saying , “Here we are, and we will go up to the place that the Lord commanded , for we have sinned .” 14:41 But Moses said , “Why are you now transgressing the commandment of the Lord ? It will not succeed ! 14:42 Do not go up , for the Lord is not among you, and you will be defeated before your enemies . 14:43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you will fall by the sword . Because you have turned away from the Lord , the Lord will not be with you.” 14:44 But they dared to go up to the crest of the hill , although neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp .

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  • [Num 14:9] We Are Well Able

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • This chapter records how Abram, though threatened with major conflict with Lot because of their herdsmen's strife, magnanimously gave his nephew his choice of what land he wanted. Lot took an area that was very fertile, thoug...
  • Moses included this relatively short genealogy (toledot) in the sacred record to show God's faithfulness in multiplying Abraham's seed as He had promised. He also did so to provide connections with the descendants of Esau ref...
  • Moses, who lived from about 1525 to 1405 B.C., wrote Exodus. He could have written it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit any time after the events recorded (after about 1444 B.C.). He may have written it during the year...
  • 14:1-4 Scholars have not been able to locate definitely the sites referred to in verse 2."An Egyptian papyrus associates Baal Zephon with Tahpahnes . . . a known site near Lake Menzaleh in the northeastern delta region."235Ho...
  • Again the Israelites complained because there was no water to drink when they camped at Rephidim (cf. 15:24). At Marah there was bad water, but now there was none.". . . the supreme calamity of desert travellers befell them--...
  • Whereas the Israelites had feared the possibility of having to battle the Egyptians (14:10) they now did engage in battle with the Amalekites."The primary function of this section in its present location is the demonstration ...
  • God's recounting the news of the golden calf to Moses gives the reader the divine perspective on Israel's sin. Moses stressed three points in this pericope."These three points--idolatry of the golden calf, Israel's stiff-neck...
  • To make atonement (v. 30) means to obtain a covering for sin.We see Moses' great love for the Israelites as their mediator in his willingness to die for them (cf. Rom. 9:3). Being blotted out of God's book may refer to physic...
  • God dealt with 21 different cases of skin diseases in this pericope. Some of these may have included measles, smallpox, scarlet fever, and other diseases characterized by skin rash.141Some authorities believe that exact ident...
  • To formulate a statement that summarizes the teaching of this book it will be helpful to identify some of the major revelations in Numbers. These constitute the unique values of the book.The first major value of Numbers is th...
  • I. Experiences of the older generation in the wilderness chs. 1-25A. Preparations for entering the Promised Land from the south chs. 1-101. The first census and the organization of the people chs. 1-42. Commands and rituals t...
  • The end of chapter 10 is the high point of the Book of Numbers spiritually. The beginning of chapter 11 records the beginning of the spiritual decline of Israel that resulted in God's judging the nation. He postponed the fulf...
  • The events recorded in chapters 13 and 14 took place while Israel was at Kadesh.
  • 14:1-4 God had just proved His supernatural power to the Israelites three times since the nation had left Sinai (chs. 11-12). There was no excuse for this failure to trust Him to lead them victoriously into Canaan.14:5-9 Mose...
  • Moses interceded again much as he had done at Sinai (cf. Exod. 32:11-13). Moses based his appeal on God's reputation among the Egyptians (vv. 13-14) and the other nations (vv. 15-16). He also cited God's promise that He would...
  • The fact that God granted the people pardon in response to Moses' intercession is another indication of His grace (vv. 20-21).The failure of the Israelites would not frustrate God's purpose to manifest His glory throughout th...
  • Having received their sentence from the Lord, the people then presumptuously proceeded to go up on their own to take the land (vv. 40-42)."They are like children who had broken a valuable vase and decided to make it better' b...
  • "Chapter 15 is another collection of texts designed to prepare the people for their life in the land. Hence this chapter is one of promise. Though a great deal has happened, and the results are overwhelming for the adult popu...
  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • Here begins the fourth and last leg of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.1. From Egypt to Sinai (Exod. 12-19)2. From Sinai to Kadesh (Num. 11-12)3. From Kadesh back to Kadesh--38 years of wilderness wand...
  • At the end of 37 years the Israelites returned to the wilderness of Zin and Kadesh. Kadesh was a large area of desert located on the edge of the wilderness of Zin. God had previously judged the older generation of Israelites ...
  • The cloudy pillar led the Israelites, but apparently Moses had reason to believe that God was directing them eastward into the territory of Edom and from there north to Transjordan. Consequently he sent messengers to the King...
  • "Chapters 23 and 24 are two of the brightest chapters in the book of Numbers. Scores of wonderful things are said about Israel, mainly prophetical. The dark sins of the past were forgotten; only happy deliverance from Egypt w...
  • This chapter contains one of the great failures of Israel that followed one of its great blessings.238As God was preparing to bless His people they were preparing to disobey Him."So now we come to the ultimate rebellion of Is...
  • The Book of Numbers is a lesson in the importance of trust and obedience. The Israelites frequently failed to trust and obey God in the hours of their trials, and consequently God postponed His blessing. Most of them never en...
  • "A testament is of force only after the death of the testator [cf. Heb. 9:16-17]. So the Deuteronomic Covenant in it testamentary aspect . . . would not become operative until after the death of Moses. Only then would Joshua ...
  • As I have explained previously, the date of the Exodus was about 1446 B.C. (cf. 1 Kings 6:1).7Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness (Exod. 16:35; Num. 14:33-34). Thus Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the land abo...
  • "This chapter [five] records four experiences which God brought to Joshua and the people, each one centered about a token, or symbol . . . The Token of Circumcision: Restoration to covenant favor (5:2-9) . . . The Token of Bl...
  • At Jericho, Israel learned God's strength. At Ai, she learned her own weakness. She could only conquer her enemies as she remained faithful to God's covenant."We are never in greater danger than right after we have won a grea...
  • Before the casting of lots began Caleb came to Joshua with his fellow tribesmen from Judah to request the inheritance that Moses had promised him (v. 9; Deut. 1:36; cf. Num. 14:26-38). Moses had promised Caleb land in Canaan ...
  • As Caleb, Joshua received a city, Timnath-serah (called Timnath-heres in Judg. 2:9), within his tribal allotment of Ephraim for being faithful to God."Caleb and Joshua were the two faithful spies who believed God was able to ...
  • The events of this pericope tie in directly with those of the previous one. Israel's failure recorded there led to the discipline announced here."The narrator moves from chap. 1 to chap. 2 like a modern preacher moves from te...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
  • 106:6 The psalmist confessed that Israel had been unfaithful to God. This was true of his own generation as it had been true of former generations. This confession introduced a review of specific iniquities and wickedness.106...
  • The national defeat pictured in this lament was a serious one. It may have been the first Babylonian invasion of Judah in 597 B.C., which resulted in severe destruction and exile for some Judeans.14:17 Jeremiah was to tell th...
  • This passage probably dates from the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588-586 B.C. (vv. 2, 4; cf. 2 Kings 25). King Zedekiah sought advice from Jeremiah more than once (cf. 37:3-10, 17-21; 38:14-28). This passage consists of ...
  • 31:2 When the Israelites would seek rest from the attacks of their enemies (cf. 6:16; Exod. 33:14; Deut. 3:20; Josh. 1:13, 15; 22:4; Isa. 63:14), they would find it in the wilderness (cf. 2:2; Rev. 12:14-16).401They will find...
  • This pericope contains 10 commands, and it is the center of the chiasm in chapters 1-3."The Lord's charge to Ezekiel emphasized the absolute necessity of hearing, understanding, and assimilating God's message prior to going f...
  • 20:10-12 So the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness. At Mount Sinai He gave them statutes and ordinances that would result in their welfare if they obeyed them, namely, the Mosaic Law. He also gave th...
  • 24:15-16 The Lord told Ezekiel that He was about to take the life of his beloved wife. The English word "blow"(v. 16) implies a sudden, unexpected death. The Hebrew word, magephoh, does not demand a sudden death, but it somet...
  • "The next verses in the chapter are among the most glorious in the entire range of revealed truth on the subject of Israel's restoration to the Lord and national conversion."46536:22-23 Ezekiel was to tell the Israelites that...
  • Having given His essential response to the people's repentance, the Lord now explained what He would do in more detail. This section is chiastic with the focus of emphasis on verses 21-24. Verses 19 and 26-27 promise a restor...
  • The reader might assume that the Lord's deliverance of the Ninevites from imminent doom is the climax of the story. This is not the case. The most important lesson of the book deals with God's people and specifically God's in...
  • "The opening verses of Nahum form a prologue dominated by the revelation of God's eternal power and divine nature in creation (cf. Rom 1:20). As in Romans 1:18-32, this revelation is characterized preeminently by God's justic...
  • This section is a lament and is similar to many psalms of lament (e.g., Ps. 6:3; 10:1-13; 13:1-4; 22:1-21; 74:1-11; 80:4; 88; 89:46; cf. Jer. 12:4; Zech. 1:12).1:2 In prayer the prophet asked Yahweh "how long"would he have to...
  • 2:12 The Babylonians could expect distress because they had built their cities at the expense of the lives of their enemies. We speak of "blood money"as money obtained by making others suffer, even shedding their blood. Babyl...
  • Jesus' genealogy and virgin birth prove His legal human qualification as Israel's King. His baptism was the occasion of His divine approval. His temptation demonstrated His moral fitness to reign. The natural question a thoug...
  • 23:29-30 By building monuments to the prophets and other righteous people that their forefathers had martyred, the Pharisees were saying that they would not have killed them if they had been alive then. These construction pro...
  • Luke stressed how the Spirit who had come upon Jesus at His baptism guided and empowered Him in His temptation and how Jesus, God's approved Son, pleased His Father by His obedience. Jesus overcame the devil who opposed God's...
  • Jesus often used a grapevine to describe the nation of Israel (cf. Matt. 20:1-16; 21:23-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 13:6-9; 20:9-16). The vine as a symbol of Israel appears on coins of the Maccabees.474Here Jesus used the vine meta...
  • Stephen continued dealing with the Mosaic period of Israel's history, but focused more particularly now on Moses' teaching, the Mosaic Law. This is what the Jews of his day professed to venerate and follow exactly, but Stephe...
  • Paul continued dealing with the subject of going to idol temples to participate in pagan feasts in this section. In it he gave a warning to the believer who considered himself strong, the one who knew there were really no god...
  • "The detailed attention just given to the Christ-hymn must not obscure the fact that vv 12-18 are part of a larger parenetic section--1:27-2:18. Exhortation is resumed again through the frequent use of the imperative mood, or...
  • "The comparison between Christ and Moses leads to one between their followers. The writer uses the conduct of the Israelites as a means of challenging his readers to a closer walk with God."109The writer next reminded his rea...
  • The writer pointed out the consequences of not pressing on to maturity to motivate his readers to pursue spiritual growth diligently.Christians have interpreted this passage in many different ways. Some believe that those who...
  • The writer now focused on the issue of sacrifice."The argument moves a stage further as the author turns specifically to what Christ has done. The sacrifices of the old covenant were ineffectual. But in strong contrast Christ...
  • Next Peter outlined what will surely happen so his readers would understand what will take place.3:7 God has given orders that the present heavens and earth (vv. 5-6) will experience another judgment yet future. Then God will...
  • Jude's introductory words were polite (cf. 2 Peter 1:12) but also a reminder that what he now said was fact beyond dispute. His readers knew these things "once for all"because God had delivered them "once for all"in Scripture...
  • These persecuted Christians did not need to fear their adversaries or death since they would live forever with Jesus Christ. "Behold"signals an oracular declaration (cf. 2:22; 3:8, 9, 20).96The devil would incite their foes t...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The explorers are received in a full assembly of the people, and begin their story with an object-lesson, producing the great grape cluster and the other spoils. But while honesty compelled the acknowledgment of the fertility...
  • And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that ...
  • The gravity of the revolt here is partly in its universality, which is emphasised in the narrative at every turn: all the congregation' (Num. 14:1), all the children of Israel,' the whole congregation' (Num. 14:2), all the as...
  • Pardon, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of Thy mercy, and as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.'--Num. 14:19.SEE how in this story a divine threat is averted an...
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