??Have you ever known a boy or girl who was so stubborn that they only wanted THEIR way all the time？Do you want that kind of person for a friend？Do YOU ever act stubborn and want your own way？Poor Moses, he had the job of leading an entire nation of very stubborn people! Even after they were set free from slavery in Egypt, the people of Israel were still continually grumbling, disobeying, and not believing God.
??Let’s pretend we are out there in the wilderness with the Israelites, packing up our tents and things. We’re leaving the wilderness around Mount Sinai, because we see the pillar of cloud is moving on! Now the cloud led north to Kadesh on the border of Canaan, the Promised Land! It had been about 15 months and 400 miles ago that they left Egypt and a life of cruel slavery. From this point in the wilderness, they could probably see the hills of Canaan, their new home!
??Numbers 13 begins, And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Send men that they may search the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel. Actually the Lord was giving them their own request, for they were fearful of what lay ahead. He instructed Moses to choose a man from every tribe, that would be 12 men. Shhh! They were to go on a secret mission as spies! Boys, does that sound exciting？Moses told them to check out the people, to see if they were weak or strong, if they lived in tents or in strongholds.
??They were to check out the land, to see if it was a rich fertile land or bare.
??Do you ever pretend that you are a spy？A real spy would have to be very careful, wouldn’t they! Soon the 12 spies left on their secret mission. They obeyed Moses’ orders, and after 40 days of searching the land, they returned to the camp. They had their report ready and they also brought back some of the delicious fruit of the land! In one area called the brook Eshcol, they found ripe grapes in such huge clusters that it took two men to carry one cluster of grapes! When they gathered around to tell Moses and the people of Israel, I’m sure the people were amazed to see such giant fruit!
??“Surely this is a rich and fruitful land, ” some of the spies began to say, “BUT! The people who live there are strong, and some are giants, and their cities are surrounded by very thick, high walls.”
??Caleb, one of the 12 spies, saw the dismay on the faces of the people of Israel. Giants？Walled cities？This sounded very discouraging! But with great boldness and confidence, Caleb spoke up, “Let’s go immediately and take the land! We are well able to overcome it!” Caleb remembered God’s many miracles of delivering and saving the people, and he knew God’s promise in Exodus 23：27：“I will send my fear before you, and will destroy all the people to whom you shall come.” But not all the spies believed God. Joshua and Caleb found themselves suddenly divided from the other 10 spies. The ten cried out, “We are NOT able to go up against the people, they are too strong for us! All the people we saw there were so big, we were like grasshoppers in their sight!”
??Numbers 14：1 says, And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people cried that night. And here they go again, boys and girls! They all complained and blamed Moses and Aaron for bringing them out of Egypt. We wish we had died in the land of Egypt! Did the Lord bring us out here to kill our wives and children with the sword？Then they said, Let us make a captain and go back to Egypt.
??The Bible says Moses and Aaron were so grieved and upset, they fell on their faces before all the people. How could these people still be so stubborn and rebellious？Why must they always insist on having their way？Would they never believe and follow the God Who loved and cared for them？??Weren’t the Israelites acting like spoiled children, crying and wanting their own way？They had turned not only against their leaders, but against God. Not only Moses and Aaron were upset, but also Joshua and Caleb. They tore their clothes, and cried out to the people：The land which we searched is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delights in us, He will bring us into this land and give it to us. Only we must not rebel against the LORD. And you don’t need to be afraid of the people, they are bread for us：their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us：don’t be afraid.!
??Still the rebellious people would not believe. They were about to start throwing big stones at them to kill Joshua and Caleb, when suddenly the LORD Himself interrupted.
??God’s Word says the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle, or tent church, and the LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people provoke Me？How long will it be before they believe Me for all the miracles I have showed them？I will strike them with terrible disease, and put them away. I will take you, Moses, and make a greater and mightier nation than they.”
??God was so displeased with Israel, He was about to destroy them. But Moses again pleaded with God for Israel, asking for their forgiveness. God in His great patience did forgive them, but still, they would suffer for their unbelief. God said that instead of going right on into the land of Canaan, they would wander here and there in the wilderness for 40 more years...one year for every day they had explored Canaan.
??All the adults would die within that 40 years, all but Joshua and Caleb. And the next generation of Israelites would be the ones to go to the Promised Land.
??The ten spies who had discouraged the people were struck with disease and died at that time. Then the very next day, many of the people died, for they decided they weren’t going to wander around for 40 years! They were going to go into Canaan. With Moses warning them “Do not go! The Lord is not with you!” they stubbornly went on, and many were killed by the people of Canaan.. Their lives were cut short, they missed seeing God’s wonderful victories in the land of Canaan, and they would never get to enjoy being with their people there...all because of their evil heart of unbelief.
??你有没有见过这样的小朋友：他们不肯听话，总是随着自己的喜好去做事情。你愿意与这样的人交朋友吗？还有你，你有没有不听话呢？可怜的摩西，他要带领的是一群非常顽固，不肯听话的人民！虽然神把他们从埃及为奴之地带出来，以色列人仍然在抱怨，不顺服，不相信神。
??让我们想象我们正在旷野里与以色列人在一起，收拾我们的东西和帐篷。我们要离开西乃山的旷野，因为云柱又在动了。云柱在向北方的加底斯移动，从那里过去，就是神应许给以色列人的迦南地。他们这时候已经离开埃及15个月了，这里离埃及有400英里远。从这地方的旷野，他们可以看见迦南地的山，那里就是他们的新家。 民数记第13章一开始，神对摩西说：“你打发人去窥探我所赐给以色列人的迦南地。”
??实际上，神是因为他们自己害怕，才吩咐他们去探听消息。神让摩西从每支派中打发一个人，一共12个。SHHH，这是一次秘密的行动，他们要去作探子！听起来很兴奋，是不是？摩西打发他们去窥探迦南地，看看那地到底是什么样子。住在那儿的人是强还是弱，他们住的地方是帐篷还是坚固的城墙。又要看看那里的土地是肥美还是贫瘠。
??小朋友，你有没有曾经把自己扮成是一个密探呢？一个很棒的密探是非常小心的。
??很快，这12个密探就开始行动了。他们按照摩西的吩咐，在迦南地窥探了40天，就回来了。他们带回来那地的消息，又背回来那地出产的好吃的果子。有个地方叫作以实各谷，他们发现了很大的葡萄，一挂葡萄就需要两个人用杠抬着！当他们讲给摩西和以色列人听的时候，他们肯定都睁大了眼睛！ “这当然是一块肥美的土地，”有的探子说，“可是，住在那里的人很强壮，还有巨人，他们的城墙也坚固宽大。”
??巨人？高大的城墙？以色列人听到这个消息都很沮丧。迦勒是12个探子之一，他又勇敢，又有信心地说：“我们立刻上去得那地吧！我们一定能得胜。”
??迦勒记得神在以色列人面前所行的神迹，他相信神在出埃及记第23章27节的应许：“凡你所到的地方，我要使那里的众民，在你面前惊骇、扰乱，又要使你一切仇敌转背逃跑。”但是，不是所有的探子都相信神，迦勒和约书亚发现他们与其他10个探子分成了两边。其他的10个探子叫起来：“我们不能上去攻击那民，因为他们比我们强壮。我们在那里所看见的人民都身量高大，在他们面前我们就如蚱蜢一样。”
??民数记第14章1节说：“当下全会众大声喧嚷；那夜百姓都哭号。”小朋友，他们又开始了。他们抱怨摩西和亚伦带他们出了埃及。他们说：“巴不得我们早死在埃及地。难道神把我们领到这里，使我们，我们的妻子和孩子倒在刀下吗？”众人彼此说：“我们不如立一个首领，回埃及去吧！”
??圣经上说摩西和亚伦非常难过，他们俯伏在以色列全会众面前。为什么这些人仍然这样顽固背逆呢？为什么他们总是要随自己的意思做事情呢？是不是他们就永远不能相信这位爱他们，看顾他们的神呢？ 以色列人就象被惯坏的小孩子，哭喊着要走他们自己的路。他们不但与他们的领袖作对，也在与神作对。
??不但摩西和亚伦难过，约书亚和迦勒也很难过。他们撕裂衣服，对以色列全会众说：“我们所窥探经过之地是极美的地方。神若喜悦我们，就必将我们领进那地，把地赐给我们。但我们不可背叛神，也不要怕那地的居民，因为他们是我们的食物，并且荫庇他们的已经离开他们。有神与我们同在，不要怕他们！”但背逆的会众仍然不相信。 他们还要拿石头打死约书亚和迦勒。
??忽然，神的荣光在会幕中向以色列众人显现。神对摩西说：“这百姓藐视我要到几时呢？我在他们中间行了这一切神迹，他们还不信我要到几时呢？我要用瘟疫击杀他们，使他们不得承受那地，叫你的后裔成为大国，比他们强胜。”民众违逆惹怒了神， 他要击杀以色列人。但是摩西为以色列人求情。于是，神照他的慈爱赦免了他们的的罪孽。但是，他们要为他们的不相信而受惩罚。
??神说：“他们必在旷野飘流四十年，而不得进迦南地。所有的成年人都要在这40年中死去，除了约书亚和迦勒。但是他们的下一代要进神的应许之地。那10个报恶信的探子都遭瘟疫而死。第二天，有许多人死了，他们不愿意在旷野飘流四十年！他们要去迦南地。虽然摩西警告他们说：“不要上去，因为神不在你们中间，恐怕你们被仇敌杀败了。”他们不肯听摩西的警告，有许多人被住在那地的人杀死了。因着他们不信的恶心，他们没有机会看见神在迦南地的胜利，他们也不能和他们的人民一起享受迦南地的美好。 |