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That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."
This chapter recounts the most decisive event since the exodus from Egypt. The Israelites are poised on the very border of the promised land. If they simply trust God, they can leave the torturous desert and walk into a land abundant with food and water. Military scouts are in the process of delivering their final report on what they have seen.
Yet despite the miracles God has already performed on their behalf, the Israelites distrust once more. They cower at the spies' report of Canaan and loudly bemoan the original decision to leave Egypt. Fear leads to open rebellion, and the nation plots mutiny, even conspiring to stone Moses and his brother, Aaron. At the edge of the promised land, they lose faith and turn away.
God, the real object of their revolt, feels spurned. Convinced at last that this band of renegades is unprepared for conquest of the promised land, God postpones all plans. In the face of such rebellion, God decides to wait for a whole new generation of Israelites. The original slaves will not cross into the promised land. Out of the many thousands who left Egypt, only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, will survive to enter the promised land. All the rest over the age of 20 are destined to die in the desert.
When the Israelites heard how God would punish them for disobeying, they suddenly found the courage to go up and fight the Amalekites and Canaanites. God sought obedience, though, not courage, and obedience meant following directions immediately. Though Moses warned the Israelites that their courage came too late and that God would not support them, they went anyway- and were soundly beaten.
Life Question: Back in chapter 12, even Moses' brother Aaron failed at being a team player in God's plan, as he openly carped about Moses' foreign-born wife and conspired to challenge his brother's leadership. On what "teams" do you participate? What role do you usually play- leader or supporting cast?
I really think our praise band- in conjunction with the orchestra and choir- is an awesome example of team play. Although we have definite leaders for the group- talented ones at that- I truly believe that everyone involved is prompted by God's love, and because of that, blend together extremely well to simply make beautiful music.
1 comment:
I agree Rob. I am thankful for the tone that is set by the loving leadership in Green. When all of the parts of the organization understand that we use each individual to accomplish ultimate tasks; then a leader is no more or less than anyone else with a servant task to do.
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