Timing Is Everything

Numbers 13:2ff "(The Lord said to the Israelites) 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites' . . . . But the men who had gone up with him (Caleb)said, 'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' And so they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored . . . All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword?' . . . . And the whole assembly talked about stoning Joshua and Caleb (for their word of admonishment to be obedient to God) . . . . The Lord said to Moses, 'How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them . . . . Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times - not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers . . . . In this desert your bodies will fall . . . . Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home . . . . You will suffer for your sins, and know what it is like to have me against you.'"


This story is a tragic account of a people who were given the opportunity of dwelling in the blessedness of God's Chosen Land that He had promised to Abraham hundreds of years before (see Genesis 15) through a covenant agreement. This land was a bountiful harvest of livestock and vegetation (milk and honey) just waiting to be received by these descendants of Abraham; still, the Israelites had to take the step of faith of entering into the land itself. Moses had sent out 12 spies to survey the land and report back to him what they had found. After 40 days, ten of the spies returned to confirm the richness of the land in providing choice food for the people; however, they also reported that the land was inhabited by huge and powerful pagans who would likely destroy them. Only the remaining two spies, Joshua and Caleb, advised Moses that the Israelites SHOULD take the land, for these two knew that the LORD would be with them.


Once the ten spies were able to convince the people that it was not a good idea to enter God's Promised Land, the people's fears overtook their faith in the Lord. They began to grumble against the leaders, Moses and Aaron, and they decided that it would be better to appoint a new leader who would take them back to bondage in Egypt. These Israelites in effect called God a liar by saying that He would not give them what He had promised, but was "bringing them into the land only to fall by the sword" (14:3). They would rather have the pain of enslavement to a hostile people over God's chosen best for them. These Israelites put their faith in what they physically observed; they were not willing to trust God through the apparent obstacles.


Joshua and Caleb knew that the people were rebelling against the Lord, so they tore their clothes as a demonstrative act of mourning for the sacrilege of the people. So depraved had the thinking of the people become that they sought ways to stone Joshua and Caleb for calling their sin of rebellion to account. They wanted to silence the two who were identifying their behavior as rebellious against the Lord. God quickly responded with His own words of reprimand. He told Moses that the people were treating His Holiness with contempt for not trusting in His Word. In the end, God judged these recalcitrant Israelites by barring any entrance for the adults to enter His Promised Land. These faithless Israelites would have to wander in the barren wilderness for 40 years until each of them died, never having tasted the blessing of God's promised, abundant provision. For these people who were so worried about the giants warring against them, God now wanted them to know what it was like to have the Sovereign Almighty Lord as their enemy(14:34).


The people mourned for not having trusted in the Lord. After God's declaration of judgment that they would never enter the land, they decided that now they wanted to proceed ahead. They now wanted to take what God had once promised them, but it was now too late. Their late timing in response to God's provision would prove to be their utter downfall.


Moses warned the people that this act of entering the land was an act of further disobedience against the Lord and would result in their utter defeat. Still, the people decided to move forward and were defeated soundly by the Amalekites and Canaanites, who sent the Israelites running back into the desert.


As promised by the Lord, they would wander for 40 years (a year for each day that the scouts were surveying the land) until everyone over the age of 20 who had grumbled against the Lord had died.

There is great imagery for each of us as we contemplate the parallel for our lives. To each of us, God has afforded the opportunity of dwelling in His eternal Promised Land, heaven; however, to step onto its hallowed ground, we must all come to a point that we understand that God is providing this grace to us . . . it is not attainable by our own efforts. In fact, if we were to look at the requirements of entrance (i.e. complete holiness) we would turn away in utter defeat. This is why the timing of this opportunity is so important. Today is the day of our choosing; today is the day of our salvation. Today is the opportunity for each of us to enter into salvation SOLELY through the power of God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It was His death and resurrection that will defeat the "giant sins" that stand in the way of His Divine blessedness for us.

For some, the time of opportunity to respond to God's provision of grace will pass. With their physical deaths, these people will be declined entrance into heaven, and will experience eternal spiritual death in the barrenness of God's judgment in hell.

We must all take time to reflect upon this story as a word of direction and conviction. Do we have faith in God? Do we desire His eternal provision of blessing in heaven? Are we willing to step forward, knowing that it is He alone who provides deliverance? We must decide now, for tomorrow may be too late. Remember, timing is everything.