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The Grasshopper Complex - Number 14-15
The Grasshopper Complex - Number 14-15
With the return of the spies, the people despair. "We are grasshoppers in their sight". With these words they discouraged the people with a negative attitude.
While 'we are grasshoppers in THEIR sight', they are (less than) grasshoppers in HIS sight. Remember how He raised up Moses, showed His power over the gods of Egypt, destroyed the Egyptian army in the sea, provided food and water in the desert? Is anything too hard for the LORD?
These spies 'believed in God', that He exists, that He had brought them into the wilderness, that He was leading them; yet they did not trust Him to take them into and give them the land. They doubted that God would keep His word to them.
The result was that the whole nation 'rebelled against the LORD" (14:9). Only by the intercession and pleading of Moses was the wrath of God turned away from immediately destroying them: "I have pardoned them according to your word" (vs. 20).
Even being forgiven did not erase all consequences, it never does; notice the difference between 'unintentional' (15:22, 24,27, 28, 29) and 'defiant' (15:30). Because of their rebellion, they would NOT go into the land, but would die in the desert. 40 years, a year for each day the spies were in the land, they would wander in the desert until all those who were 'of age' and had rebelled against the LORD had died.
From this, the LORD gave warning against such intentional rebellion against His word. God had given many different laws, how hard it would be for an individual, or even the whole nation, to remember and do all of them. God made provision for their unintentional failures.
I find it sobering to realize however that God made no such provision for open rebellion and intentional sin against Him.
God makes provision for our failure, but NOT for blatant rebellion and defiance.
"... if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7–9).
Such forgiveness and mercy cannot be a license to be carefree and frivolous with the Lord's commands. Along with the offer of forgiveness came the oft repeated admonitions to 'remember', 'hear', 'do', 'keep', 'obey'. To begin thinking that it doesn't matter how one lives as long as he offers the right sacrifice is to be in open rebellion to the LORD.
Hence, yet once again we see the goodness and the severity of our God. "The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.’ (14:18). How seriously do you take the LORD's Word? How completely to you trust Him?
Hugh DeLong
