Numbers | Reading Plan + Study QuestionsSample

NUMBERS 14

THE ISRAELITES REBEL, BUT CALEB + JOSHUA TRUST GOD

After hearing the alarming report from the spies, the Israelites complain about being in the wilderness. They complain that heading towards the Promised Land is a waste of energy and think they’d be better off dead, or even back as slaves in Egypt, than wasting away in the wilderness.

Caleb and Joshua try to convince the Israelites that God will bring them into the land that He promised, but this angers the people and they want to stone Caleb and Joshua.

God is angry with the Israelites and considers killing them, but instead decides to prevent the current generation from ever entering the Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua are the exceptions to this rule because of their belief in God’s provision.

Instead of entering the Promised Land, the Israelites will wander in the wilderness for forty years, one year for each day the spies were in Canaan. During this time, the entire generation who doubted God would be killed by old age, battle, or plague. The first deaths occurred quickly, as Israel was defeated in battle by the Canaanites and Amalekites.

STUDY QUESTIONS

In Numbers 14, the Israelites complained that they would have been better off as slaves (or even dead) than wandering in the wilderness. Have you ever romanticized the past instead of hoping for what God has ahead?