Disobeying the Lord is DISASTROUS!

THE SPIES GIVE A BAD REPORT

Last week we saw that FOLLOWING THE LORD IS FUN!!!

It is fun when we obey the commands of God and follow Him.

This week we will see that DISOBEYING THE LORD IS DISASTROUS!!!

The tribes of Israel are out camping and following the LORD wherever he leads and they are all facing the Tent of Meeting which is where God is among His people, He is in the center of the camp.

Today we are going to see something really cool that God tells the people, but the response from the people is not very good and because of their response, it does not turn out well for them.

Lets see what the beginning of Numbers 13 says…

Numbers 13:1–3 (ESV)

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.

What does God say He is giving the people of Israel?

The land of Canaan. This is the promised land that he has been promising them. They are so close and all they need to do is continue to trust and obey God.

Numbers 13:17–21 (ESV)

17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan…Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.”

21 So they went up and spied out the land…

There are several things that Moses wants to know about the land of Canaan. He wants to know:

About the people, are they…

Strong or weak

Few or many

Live in camps or strongholds

About the land, is it…

Good or bad

Rich or poor

Trees or not

Bring back some fruit from the land

Moses also tells them to have courage. Why would he tell them that?

They should have courage because God is with them and said He will give them the land.

So the people who were sent to spy out the land did so for forty days and this is what it says after they returned.

Numbers 13:25–28 (ESV)

25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. 26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel… They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large.

Was the report about the land good? What good things did they say about the land?

Yes, it was very good. They showed the fruit that was from the land.

It is flowing with milk and honey! What does that mean?

What was the report about the people of land? Was it good?

No. They said the people are big and strong.

The cities are fortified and strong, not just tents.

Caleb was one of the spies and look at what he had to say…

Numbers 13:30 (ESV)

30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Did Caleb have courage? Why?

Caleb had the courage because he knew that God was with them and already told them that he would give them the land.

This is what the rest of the rest of the spies had to say about the people.

31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height… and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers…

Was that a good report? Do they have courage? Why not?

No, they are afraid of the size of the people.

They don’t have courage because they are not trusting in the words of God.

Chapter 14 goes on and says that …

Numbers 14:1–11 (ESV)

2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron…“Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword…Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

They are scared and not trusting in God and are even wanting to go far from where God is telling them to go.

Remember, following the Lord is fun but you must obey what God says.

The people are disobeying God and it is disastrous.

Its like when your parents tell you to do something but you don’t do it, you must face the consequences.

This is what God says

Numbers 14:11 (ESV)

11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them…none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness… shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.

All the older people who were in Egypt wont get to see the promised land.

The younger people in Israel will but the older will not.

They even go and fight the people in the land of Canaan and lose because they did not trust and obey God.

Disobeying the Lord is DISASTROUS!!! So we must listen to the promises of God and obey His commands.