Hindrances to Victory: The Sin of Presumption

Intro

Text - Numbers 14.39-45

Numbers 14:39–45 NKJV

39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!” 41 And Moses said, “Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.

Title - Presumption

Series - Hindrances to Victory

Background

What happened

Israel suggested they send spies to the land

10 out of the 12 spies brought a bad report to discourage the people

Israel rebelled against God and Moses and attempted to go back to Egypt

God was angry and judged them to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness

Israel saw their error and decided to enter Canaan right there without the Lord’s leading and instructions

they failed

What is wrong with Presumption

Presumption

Presume means to act without permission; to take upon oneself

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8801 presumption

presumption

A form of self-confidence, which makes overconfident assumptions concerning one’s importance and rights. It is criticised as a form of arrogance that is unacceptable among believers, whose lives should be characterised by humility.

to presume is to act arrogantly, proud

Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV

4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

proud - same Hebrews word ‘pl (oppal)

To presume is to rebel against God

Deuteronomy 1:42–43 NKJV

42 “And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously went up into the mountain.

God looked as Israel’s action as rebellion against His commands

To presume is to despise the word fo the LORD

Numbers 15:30–31 NKJV

30 ‘But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.’ ”

Examples of presumption

Prophets who speaks in God’s name

Deuteronomy 18:20–22 NKJV

20 But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.

the prophet was presuming that God said it, when it was not

the prophet is putting words into the mouth of God

Haman’s presumption

he wanted to get rid of the Jews, especially Mordecai

he used the king’s power

he did not think anyone close to the king would be put in danger

Esther 7:5–6 NKJV

5 So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?” 6 And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!” So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

Disregard for the judgment of God’s servants

Deuteronomy 17:8–13 NKJV

8 “If a matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between degrees of guilt for bloodshed, between one judgment or another, or between one punishment or another, matters of controversy within your gates, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 9 And you shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge there in those days, and inquire of them; they shall pronounce upon you the sentence of judgment. 10 You shall do according to the sentence which they pronounce upon you in that place which the Lord chooses. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they order you. 11 According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. 12 Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall hear and fear, and no longer act presumptuously.

Cure for the sin of presumption

King David prayed against this sin

Psalm 19:13–14 NKJV

13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

the sin of pride begins in the heart and declared by the mouth

Humility is the cure for presumption

Think soberly

Romans 12:3 NKJV

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Think service

Luke 22:25–27 NKJV

25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

Think others first

Luke 14:10–11 NKJV

10 But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. 11 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Conclusion

Kadesh Barnea was apoint of no return for the Israelites that came out of Egypt

there they showed their colors - that they did not really believe God or Moses, or the promises.

Song - Point of No Return