Second Chances

Introduction:

Introduction: Background is often important in understanding the scene we are looking at today.

We are going to start in Numbers 13:1-3 “1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. 3 And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel.”

These are the instructions that Moses gave them:

Number 13:17-20 “17 And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: 18 And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; 19 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; 20 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.”

Go down to verse 21,

Numbers 13.21 “21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.”

Then go down to verse 25, How long were they there?

Numbers 13.25 “25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.”

The earth is flooded for forty days

Turn to Gen 7:4 “4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.”

Look at Gen 7:17 “17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.”

Christ is Tested for forty days

Turn to Luke 4:2 “2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”

So forty is seen throughout the Bible and is seen as a time of testing or a time of trials. These twelve men were sent to spy the land for 40 days and to come back and give the report.

They give Report

Numbers 13:26-30 “26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.”

Only two men were willing to fight for the land.

Turn to:

Numbers 14:6-12 “6 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a gre…”

So Moses fights for the people and the Lord allows them to continue, but there is a penalty.

Turn to

Numbers 14:26-29 “26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,”

Go to verse 31

Numbers 14:31 “31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised.”

What were they guilty of? Was it just that they lacked courage.

Go back to verse 22 in chapter 14

Numbers 14:22 “22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;”

Heb 3:16-18 “16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.” “16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. 17 But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?” “16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.”

Go down to verse 24

Numbers 14:24 “24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.”

The people had a spirit of fear, but Caleb and Joshua a spirit of courage

The people had a spirit of doubt, but Caleb and Joshua a spirit of faith

The people were quick to murmur, but Caleb and Joshua glorified the LORD.

What we are witnessing here is a generational failure. Why? They were not prepared and they did not understand what was being asked of them.

They probably did not even realize there was a spiritual battle being waged. The battle was whether or not they would trust in the Lord.

What is the battle today? Well, it is between the children of light and the children of darkness. Just as it was back then. At that time, Israel represented the light of the world. It was not the true light which was Jesus Christ, but they were a type of Jesus Christ bringing the light of God into the world.

Turn to 1 Thess 5.5 “5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.”

We have the same problem the Jewish people did. We see the enemy, the thousands of unsaved people in the world who are the children of the dark. Turn to

Col 3:6-10 “6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: 7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. 8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

Turn to Matt 9:35-38 “35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”

I. Demoralizing the enemy

A. Gilgal and the importance of location, the importance of the Geography

Gilgal represent entry to a new life.

It is a place of preparation for battle

It represents in the promise land where their is death to the flesh

Look at 1 Sam 15:21 “21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.”

It is also a source of where the nation began to apostacise

Amos 4:4-5 “4 Come to Beth-el, and transgress; At Gilgal multiply transgression; And bring your sacrifices every morning, And your tithes after three years: 5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, And proclaim and publish the free offerings: For this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord God.”

Kings were annointed in Gilgal

1 Sam 11:15 “15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.”

A. The first rule of warfare is to defeat the enemy mentally and create fear and uncertainty.

1. We read in Joshua 5:1 “. . . and all the kings . . . heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over...”

2. God was displaying his power and that he was with the Israelites, in verse 1“. . . their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more...”

B. Allow God to fight your battles!

1. Romans 8:32 “…if God is for us, who can be against us?”

2. We have all seen professional sports teams fall apart once they lost morale. Once you are mentally defeated, it’s all over, regardless of how good you might be.

3. Christian - don’t be on the wrong side of the LORD!

4. God is preparing battles that you are destined to win.

II. Spiritual Battles!

A. Our first thought is that we ought to prepare for war physically, but it is not. We must be prepared spiritually first!

1. Christian, the reality is that most of our battles are fought spiritually, not physically.

2. In verse 2, we read, “…the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.”

B. Learning from the mistakes of our fathers.

1. The fathers of Joshua’s generation failed. Note, God says, in verse 4 “…All the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way.”

2. Numbers 14:29, that all men twenty years and older were be consumed.

3. Christian realize that we reap what we sow.

C. The wilderness as a place of testing. The number is a period of time to be tested.

1.When you go out to the world, to do battle spiritually, you will be tested.

Turn to Acts 17:16 “16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.”

III. Sanctification – getting right with the Lord!

A. Christian, the LORD wants a sanctified life.

1. Look at verse 8, “And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.”

2. Notice that in verse

B. The LORD finally says in verse 9, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of the Egypt from off you.”

1. Notice, the LORD then addresses Joshua as the leader.

2. This day, the LORD rolled the reproach of Egypt from you, and by rolling the away the reproach of Egypt from Joshua – by order of leadership, the reproach is removed from all the people as well.

3. Christian if you are in a leadership position, you must be made whole for other to be made whole.

4. Just as Christ makes all Christians whole, the pastor and to a lesser degree, but just as importantly the church leadership, are responsible for making sure the congregation is whole, and the fathers responsible for making sure the family is whole.