“But the men that went up with him said, we be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And all the congregations lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night…And the whole congregation said unto them, would God that we died in this wilderness” (Numbers 13:31; 14:1-2).
I’ve preached through this text dozens of times. I have taught it numerous times. The wonderful thing about God’s Word is that it is a book like none other. Probably you have thought about this principle many times. But this morning in my devotions this thought really struck me: they got what they prayed for. This is sobering to me. It is chilling. In Numbers 14:2 they screamed, “WOULD TO GOD THAT WE WOULD DIE IN THIS WILDERNESS.” The Lord responded to Moses, “Say unto them, as truly as I live, saith the LORD, as you have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness” (Numbers 14:28-29). This really struck me this morning. How it must have grieved the heart of the Lord God. He so wanted to bless them, and yet they consistently and persistently rebelled against Him. Defiantly they believed the worst and refused to trust His good purpose. “Would to God we would die in this wilderness” rather than face the enemy that they believed was too big! Let me share a modern illustration of this with you tomorrow.
For today: We need to trust that our biggest obstacles are no match for our awesome Lord. I need to guard my attitude. How about you?