Part 2:

The Lord promised to spare Israel from immediate destruction, but because of their unbelief and cowardice, He could not manifest His power to subdue their enemies. In His mercy, He commanded them to turn back toward the Red Sea, as this was the only path of safety.

In their rebellion, the people had cried out, “If only we had died in this wilderness!” Numbers 14:2. Now, this very plea would be fulfilled. The Lord declared, “As you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above.” “But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.” Numbers 14:28-31.

And of Caleb, the Lord said, “But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.” Numbers 14:24.

As the spies had spent forty days exploring the land, so Israel would now wander in the wilderness for forty years. When Moses made known to the people the divine decision, their rage was turned to mourning. They understood that their punishment was just. The ten unfaithful spies, struck by the plague, perished before the eyes of all Israel, and in their fate, the people saw their own doom reflected. The sight of the spies’ death, marked by God’s judgment, brought a sobering realization to the congregation.

Now, they seemed to sincerely repent for their sinful conduct, but their sorrow was not based on a deep recognition of their own ingratitude and disobedience. Instead, they sorrowed because of the consequences they were now facing, not out of genuine remorse for their actions. When they found that the Lord did not relent in His decree, their self-will quickly resurfaced, and they declared that they would not return to the wilderness. In commanding them to turn back from the land of their enemies, God tested their apparent submission, proving that their willingness to obey was not sincere. While they knew they had deeply sinned—allowing their rash feelings to control them and attempting to harm the faithful spies who had urged them to obey God—they were more terrified of the disastrous consequences of their mistakes than truly repentant for their actions. Their hearts were unchanged, and they only needed an excuse to provoke another outburst of disobedience. This excuse came when Moses, by the authority of God, commanded them to return to the wilderness.

The decree that Israel was not to enter Canaan for forty years was a bitter disappointment to Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua, yet they accepted the divine decision without complaint. Their faith in God’s justice and mercy remained firm. But those who had been complaining about God’s dealings with them, and had voiced their desire to return to Egypt, now wept and mourned greatly when the blessings they had despised were taken from them. They had complained about their circumstances, and now, when their disobedience resulted in the loss of the promised blessings, they found themselves in sorrow. Had they mourned for their sin when it was laid before them in a faithful rebuke, this judgment would not have been necessary. But instead, their sorrow was not born from genuine repentance for their actions, but from the consequences they were now facing. Their sorrow was not true repentance, and therefore, it could not reverse their sentence.

The night was spent in lamentation, but with the morning came a sense of renewed hope. The people resolved to redeem their earlier cowardice. When God had commanded them to go up and take the land, they had refused in fear and unbelief; now, when He directed them to retreat, they were equally rebellious, unwilling to accept His guidance. Their hearts were still hardened, and they were unwilling to trust God’s wisdom, no matter the direction He gave. They determined to seize the land and possess it, hoping that God might accept their actions and change His purpose toward them.

God had made it their privilege and duty to enter the land at the time of His appointment, but through their willful disobedience, that permission had been withdrawn. Satan had succeeded in preventing them from entering Canaan, and now he urged them to do the very thing that God had forbidden, leading them into rebellion once again. The great deceiver gained victory by enticing them into rebellion for a second time. They had distrusted the power of God to work with them in gaining possession of Canaan; yet now, they presumed upon their own strength, thinking they could accomplish the task without divine aid. “We have sinned against the Lord,” they cried. “We will go up and fight, as the Lord our God commanded us.” Deuteronomy 1:41. So terribly blinded had they become by their transgression. The Lord had never commanded them to “go up and fight.” It was never His intention that they should take the land by warfare, but rather by strict obedience to His commands.

Though their hearts remained unchanged, the people were brought to confess the sinfulness and foolishness of their rebellion after hearing the report of the spies. They now saw the value of the blessing they had so rashly cast aside. They confessed that it was their own unbelief that had kept them from entering Canaan. “We have sinned,” they admitted, acknowledging that the fault lay with them, not with God, whom they had so wickedly accused of failing to fulfill His promises to them. While their confession did not come from true repentance, it did serve to vindicate the justice of God in His dealings with them.

The Lord still works in a similar manner today, bringing people to acknowledge His justice. When those who profess to love Him complain about His providence, despise His promises, and, yielding to temptation, align themselves with evil, God often overrules circumstances to bring these individuals to a point where, though they may not truly repent, they will be convicted of their sin. They will be forced to admit the wickedness of their actions and recognize the justice and goodness of God in His dealings with them. In this way, God sets in motion counteracting forces to reveal the works of darkness. Even though the spirit that prompted the evil course may not be radically changed, confessions are made that vindicate the honor of God and justify His faithful reprovers, who have been opposed and misrepresented.

Thus, it will be when the wrath of God is finally poured out. When, “the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Jude 14, 15. Every sinner will be made to see and acknowledge the justice of their condemnation.

Despite the divine sentence, the Israelites prepared to conquer Canaan. Armed with weapons and armor, they believed they were fully ready for battle. However, in the eyes of God and His grieving servants, they were woefully unprepared. Nearly forty years later, when the Lord commanded Israel to march on Jericho, He promised His presence with them. The ark, which contained His law, went before their armies, and their appointed leaders were to guide them under God’s direction. With such divine leadership, they could not fail. But now, in defiance of God’s command and the firm prohibition of their leaders, they set out to face the enemy without the ark and without Moses.

The trumpet sounded, and Moses rushed after them, warning, “Why do you now transgress the commandment of the Lord? It will not succeed. Do not go up, for the Lord is not with you, and you will fall before your enemies. The Amalekites and Canaanites are there before you, and you will be defeated by the sword.” Numbers 14:41-43.

The Canaanites had heard of the divine power protecting the Israelites and the miracles God had performed on their behalf. They quickly gathered a strong force to push back the invaders. Meanwhile, the Israelites had no leader, and no prayers were offered for God’s help in battle. They marched forward with the determination to either change their fate or die trying. Though they were untrained in warfare, they were a large, armed group, hoping that a sudden and fierce assault would overwhelm the enemy. They boldly challenged those who had never dared to attack them.

The Canaanites had positioned themselves on a rocky tableland, accessible only through narrow, treacherous paths and a steep, perilous climb. The massive number of Hebrews only made their defeat all the more catastrophic. They made their way slowly up the mountain trails, exposed to the deadly missiles raining down from their enemies above. Huge rocks thundered down, marking the path with the blood of the fallen. Those who reached the summit, weary from the climb, were met with fierce resistance and driven back, suffering heavy losses. The battlefield was littered with the bodies of the dead. Israel’s army was completely vanquished. The result of their rebellious attempt was destruction and death.

Finally, forced into submission, the survivors “returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.” Deuteronomy 1:45. The enemies of Israel, who had once trembled at the approach of that mighty host, were now emboldened by their victory. They dismissed all reports of the marvelous works God had performed for Israel as false and no longer feared them. That first defeat of Israel, which had given the Canaanites newfound courage, greatly heightened the challenges of the conquest. Israel had no choice but to retreat, falling back into the wilderness, knowing that it would become the grave of an entire generation.