Book in Proccess
Bible History: Old Testament
CHAPTER 19
The Thirty-Eight Years In The Wilderness — The Sabbath-Breaker — The Gainsaying Of Korah And Of His Associates — Murmuring Of The People; The Plague, & How It Was Stayed — Aakon's Rod Budding, Blossoming, And Bearing Fruit
(Numbers 33:19-37; 16, 17; Deuteronomy 1:46-11:15)
MORE than thirty-seven years of "wanderings" were now to be passed in "the wilderness of Paran," until a new generation had risen to enter on possession of the Land of Promise. Of that long period scarcely more than one single record is left us in Scripture. As a German writer observes, The host of Israel, being doomed to judgment, ceased to be the subject of sacred history, while the rising generation, in whom the life and hope of Israel vow centered, had, as yet, no history of its own. And so we mark all this period rather by the death of the old than by the life of the new, and the wanderings of Israel by the graves which they left behind, as their carcasses fell in the wilderness.
Still, we may profitably gather together the various notices scattered in Scripture. First, then, we learn that Israel "abode in Kadesh many days," (Deuteronomy 1:46) and that thence their direction was "towards the Red Sea." (Deuteronomy 2:1) Their farthest halting-place from Kadesh seems to have been Ezion-gaber, which, as we know, lay on the so-called Elanitic Gulf of the Red Sea. Thence they returned, at the end of the forty years wanderings, once more to "the wilderness of Zin, which is Kadesh." (Numbers 33:36) The "stations" on their wanderings from Kadesh to Ezion-geber are marked in Numbers 33:18-35. There are just seventeen of them, after leaving Rithmah—a name derived from retem, a broom-bush, and which may therefore signify the valley of the broom-bushes. If we rightly understand it, this was the original place of the encampment of Israel near Kadesh. In point of fact, there is a plain close to 'Ain Gadis or Kadesh which to this day bears the name of Abu Retemet. As for Kadesh itself—or the Holy Place, the place of "sanctifying"—which originally bore the name En-Mishpat, "well of judgment," (Genesis 14:7) we imagine that it derived its peculiar name from the events that there took place, the additional designation of Barnea—Kadesh Barnea—either marking a former name of the place, or more probably meaning "the land of moving to and fro."
We presume that the encampment in "the broom-valley" was in all probability determined by the existence and promise of vegetation there, which, no doubt, was due to the presence of watercourses. Indeed, an examination of the names of the seventeen stations occupied by Israel during their wanderings shows, that all the encampments were similarly selected in the neighborhood of water and vegetation. Thus we have Rimmon-parez, "the pomegranate breach"—perhaps the place where Korah's rebellion brought such terrible punishment; Libnah, "whiteness," probably from the white poplar trees growing there; Rissah, "dew;" Mount Shapher, "the mount of beauty," or "of goodliness;" Mithcah, "sweetness," in reference to the water; Hashmonah, "fatness," "fruitfulness," where to this day there is a pool full of sweet living water, with abundant vegetation around; Bene-jaakan, or, as in Deuteronomy 10:6, Beeroth Bene-jaakan, "the wells of the children of Jaakan," probably the wells which the Jaakanites had dug on their expulsion by the Edomites from their original homes; (Genesis 36:27; 1 Chronicles 1:42) Jotbathah, "goodness;" and Ebronah, probably "fords." The other names are either derived from peculiarities of scenery, or else from special events, as Kehelathah, "assembling;" Makheloth, "assemblies;" Haradah, "place of terror," etc.
The first impression which we derive, alike from the fewness of these stations, and from their situation, is, that the encampments were successively occupied for lengthened periods. More than that, we infer from the peculiar wording of some expressions in the original, that, during these thirty-eight years, the people were scattered up and down, the Tabernacle with the Levites forming, as it were, a kind of central camp and rallying-place. It is also quite certain that, at that period, the district in which the wanderings of Israel lay was capable of supporting such a nomadic population with their flocks and herds. Indeed, the presence of water, if turned to account, would always transform any part of that wilderness into a fruitful garden. In this respect the knowledge of irrigation, which the Israelites had acquired in Egypt, must have been of special use. Lastly, the people were not quite isolated. Not only were they near what we might call the direct highway between the East and Egypt, but they were in contact with other tribes, such as the Bene-jaakan. Deuteronomy 2:26-29 seems to imply that at times it was possible to purchase provisions and water, while Deuteronomy 2:7 shows that Israel had not only "lacked nothing" during "these forty years," but that they had greatly increased in substance and wealth. Such passages as Deuteronomy 8:14, etc.; 29:5; and Nehemiah 9:21 prove in what remarkable manner God had cared for all the wants of His people during that period; and there can be no doubt that in the prophetic imagery of the future, especially by Isaiah, there is frequent retrospect to God's gracious dealings with Israel in the wilderness.
Brief as is the record of these thirty-eight years, it contains a notice of two events, both in rebellion against the Lord. The first gives an account of a man who had openly violated the Divine law by gathering "sticks upon the Sabbath day." (Numbers 15:32-36) Although the punishment of death had been awarded to such a "presumptuous sin," (Exodus 31:14; 35:2) the offender was, in the first place, "put in ward," partly to own the Lord by specially asking His direction, since only the punishment itself but not its mode had been previously indicated, and partly perhaps to impress all Israel with the solemnity of the matter. Due observance of the Lord's day was, indeed, from every point of view, a question of deepest importance to Israel, and the offender was, by Divine direction, "brought without the camp, and stoned with stones, and he died." We are not told at what particular period of the wanderings of Israel this event had occurred. It is apparently inserted as an instance and illustration, immediately after the warning against" presumptuous sins" (literally, "sins with a hand uplifted," viz., against Jehovah). These sins in open contempt of God's word involved the punishment of being "cut off" from the people of the Lord.
Nor have we any precise date by which to fix the other and far more serious instance of rebellion on the part of Korah and of his associates, (Numbers 16) in which afterwards the people, as a whole, were implicated. (Numbers 16:41-50) There is, however, reason to suppose that it occurred at an early period of "the wanderings"—perhaps, as already suggested, at Rimmon-parez. The leaders of this rebellion were Korah, a Levite -descendant of Izhar, the brother of Amram, (Exodus 6:18) and therefore a near relative of Aaron—and three Reubenites, Dathan, Abiram, and On. But as the latter is not further mentioned, we may suppose that he early withdrew from the conspiracy. These men gained over to their side no fewer than two hundred and fifty princes from among the other tribes, all of them members of the national representative council, and "men of renown," or, as we should express ilk well-known leading men. Thus the movement assumed very large proportions, and evidenced wide-spread disaffection and dissatisfaction.
The motives of this conspiracy seem plain enough. They were simply jealous and disappointed ambition, though the rebels assumed the language of a higher spirituality. As descended from a brother of Aaron, Korah disliked, and perhaps coveted, what seemed to him the supremacy of Aaron, for which he could see no valid reason. He had also a special grievance of his own. True, he was one of that family of the Kohathites to whom the chief Levitical charge in the sanctuary had been committed; but then the Kohathites numbered four families, (Numbers 3:27) and the leadership of the whole was entrusted not to any of the older branches, but to the youngest, the Uzzielites (Numbers 3:30). Was there not manifest wrong and injustice in this, probably affecting Korah personally? It speaks well for the Levites as a whole, that, notwithstanding all this, Korah was unable to inveigle any of them in his conspiracy. But close to the tents of the Kohathites and of Korah was the encampment of the tribe of Reuben, who held command of the division on the south side of the camp. Possibly—and indeed the narrative of their punishment seems to imply this—the tent of Korah and those of the Reubenitic princes, Dathan, Abiram, and On, were contiguous. And Reuben also had a grievance; for was not Reuben Jacob's first-born, who should therefore have held the leadership among the tribes? It was not difficult to kindle the flame of jealousy in an Eastern breast. What claim or right had Moses, or rather the tribe of Levi whom he represented, to supremacy in Israel? Assuredly this was a grievous wrong and an intolerable usurpation, primarily as it affected Reuben, and secondarily all the other tribes. This explains the ready participation of so many of the princes in the conspiracy, the expostulation of Moses with Korah (16:8-11), and his indignant appeal to God against the implied charges of the Reubenites (ver. 15). Indeed, the conspirators expressly stated these views as follows (ver. 3), "Sufficient for you!"—that is, You, Moses and Aaron, have long enough held the priesthood and the government; "for the whole congregation, all are holy, and in the midst of them Jehovah. And why exalt ye yourselves over the convocation of Jehovah?" It will be observed that the pretense which they put forward to cover their selfish, ambitious motives was that of a higher spirituality, which recognized none other than the spiritual priesthood of all Israel. But, as we shall presently show, their claim to it was not founded on the typical mediatorship of the high-priest, but on their standing as Israel after the flesh.
The whole of this history is so sad, the judgment which followed it so terrible—finding no other parallel than that which in the New Testament Church overtook Ananias and Sapphira—and the rebellion itself is so frequently referred to in scripture, that it requires more special consideration. The rebellion of Korah, as it is generally called, from its prime mover, was, of course, an act of direct opposition to the appointment of God. But this was not all. The principle expressed in their gainsaying (ver. 3) ran directly counter to the whole design of the old covenant, and would, if carried out, have entirely subverted its typical character. It was, indeed, quite true that all Israel were holy and priests, yet not in virtue of their birth or national standing, but through the typical priesthood of Aaron, who "brought them nigh" and was their intermediary with God. Again, this priesthood of Aaron, as indeed all similar selections—such as those of the place where, and the seasons when God would be worshipped, of the composition of the incense, or of the sacrifices -although there may have been secondary and subordinate reasons for them, depended in the first place and mainly upon God's appointment.
"Him whom the Lord hath chosen will He cause to come near unto Him" (6:5); "whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy" (ver. 7).
Every other service, fire, or place than that which God had chosen, would, however well and earnestly intended, be "strange" service, "strange" fire, and a "strange" place. This was essential for the typical bearing of all these arrangements. It was God's appointment, and not the natural fitness of a person or thing which here came into consideration. If otherwise, they would have been natural sequences, not types—constituting a rational rather than a Divine service. It was of the nature of a type that God should appoint the earthly emblem with which He would connect the spiritual reality. The moment Israel deviated in any detail, however small, they not only rebelled against God's appointment, but destroyed the meaning of the whole by substituting the human and natural for the Divine. The types were, so to speak, mirrors of God's own fitting, which exhibited, as already present, future spiritual realities with all their blessings. In Christ all such types have ceased, because the reality to which they pointed has come.
This digression seemed necessary, alike for the proper understanding of the history of Korah and for that of the typical arrangements of the Old Testament. But to return. On the morning following the outbreak of the rebellion, Korah and his two hundred and fifty associates presented themselves, as Moses had proposed, at the door of the Tabernacle. Here "they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon." Indeed, Korah had gained such influence, that he was now able to gather there "all the congregation" as against Moses and Aaron. Almost had the wrath of God, whose glory visibly appeared before all, consumed "this congregation" in a moment, when the intercession of Moses and Aaron once more prevailed. In these words: "O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation?" (as Calvin remarks) Moses made his appeal "to the general grace of creation," praying that, "as God was the Creator and Maker of the world, He would not destroy man whom He had created, but rather have pity on the work of His hands." And so there is a plea for mercy, and an unspeakable privilege even in the fact of being the creatures of such a God!
Leaving the rebels with their censers at the door of the Tabernacle -perhaps panic-struck—Moses next repaired to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, accompanied by the elders, and followed by the congregation. On the previous day the two Reubenites had refused to meet Moses, and sent him a taunting reply, suggesting that he only intended to blind the people.
And now when Dathan and Abiram, with their wives and children, came out and stood at the door of their tents, as it were, to challenge what Moses could do, the people were first solemnly warned away from them. Then a judgment, new and unheard of, was announced, and immediately executed. The earth opened her mouth and swallowed up these rebels and their families, with all that appertained to them, that is, with such as had taken part in their crime. As for Korah, the same fate seems to have overtaken him. But it is an emphatic testimony alike to the truth of God's declaration, that He punisheth not men for the sins of their fathers, (Jeremiah 31:30; Ezekiel 18:19, 20) and to the piety of the Levites, that the sons of Korah did not share in the rebellion of their father, and consequently died not with him. (Numbers 26:11) More than this, not only were Samuel and afterwards Heman descendants of Korah, (1 Samuel 1:1; 1 Chronicles 6:33-38) but among them were some of those "sweet singers of Israel," whose hymns, Divinely inspired, were intended for the Church at all times. And all the Psalms "of the sons of Korah" have this common characteristic, which sounds like an echo of the lesson learned from the solemn judgment upon their house, that their burden is praise of the King Who is enthroned at Jerusalem, and longing after the services of God's sanctuary. But as for "the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense," "there came out a fire from the Lord and consumed" them, as, on a former occasion, it had destroyed Nadab and Abihu. (Leviticus 10:2) Their censers, which had been "hallowed," by being presented before the Lord, (Numbers 16:37) were converted into plates for covering the altar of burnt offering, that so they might be a continual "memorial unto the children of Israel" of the event and its teaching.
This signal judgment of God upon the rebels had indeed struck the people who witnessed it with sudden awe, but it led not to that repentance (Psalm 4:4) which results from a change of heart. The impression passed away, and "on the morrow" nothing remained but the thought that so many princes of tribes, who had sought to vindicate tribal independence, had been cut off for the sake of Moses! It was in their cause, the people would argue, that these men had died; and the mourning in the tents of the princes, the desolateness which marked what had but yesterday been the habitations of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, would only give poignancy to the feeling that with this event a yoke of bondage had been for ever riveted upon the nation. For they recognized not the purpose and meaning of God; this would have implied spiritual discernment; only that, if judgment had proceeded from Jehovah, it had come, if not at the instigation of, yet in order to vindicate Moses and Aaron. In their ingratitude they even forgot that, but for the intercession of these two, the whole congregation would have perished in the gainsaying of Korah. So truly did that generation prove the justice of the Divine sentence that none of their number should enter into the land of Canaan, and so entirely unfit did their conduct (as of old that of Esau) show them for inheriting the promises!
But as for Moses and Aaron, when the congregation was once more gathered against them with this cruel and unjust charge on their lips, "Ye have killed the people of Jehovah," they almost instinctively "faced towards the tent of meeting," as the place whence their help came and to which their appeal was now made. Nor did they look in vain.
Denser and more closely than before did the cloud cover the tabernacle, and from out of it burst visibly the luminous glory of Jehovah. And as Moses and Aaron entered the court of the tabernacle, "Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Get you up from among this congregation, and I will consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces." But what was Moses to plead? He knew that "already" was "wrath gone forth from Jehovah," and "the plague" had "begun." What could he now say? In the rebellion at Mount Horeb, (Exodus 32:31) again at Kadesh, (Numbers 14:13, etc.) and but the day before at the gainsaying of Korah, he had exhausted every argument. No similar plea, nor indeed any plea, remained. Then it was, in the hour of deepest need, when every argument that even faith could suggest had been taken away, and Israel was, so to speak, lost, that the all-sufficiency of the Divine provision in its vicarious and mediatorial character appeared. Although as yet only typical, it proved all sufficient.
The incense kindled on the coals taken from the altar of burnt-offering, where the sacrifices had been brought, typified the accepted mediatorial intercession of our great High Priest. And now, when there was absolutely no plea upon earth, this typical pleading of His perfect righteousness and intercession prevailed. Never before or after was the Gospel so preached under the Old Testament as when Aaron, at Moses' direction, took the censer, and, having filled it from the altar, "ran into the midst of the congregation," "and put on incense, and made an atonement for the people" (16:47).
And as he stood with that censer "between the dead and the living," "the plague," which had already swept away not less than 14,700 men, "was stayed." Thus if Korah's assumption of the priestly functions had caused, the exercise of the typical priesthood now removed, the plague.
But the truth which God now taught the people was not to be exhibited only in judgment. After the storm and the earthquake came the "still, small voice," and the typical import of the Aaronic priesthood was presented under a beautiful symbol. By direction of God, "a rod" for each of the twelve tribes, bearing the respective names of their princes, was laid up in the Most Holy Place, before the Ark of the Covenant.
And on the morrow, when Moses entered the sanctuary, "behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." The symbolical teaching of this was plain. Each of these "rods" was a ruler's staff, the emblem of a tribe and its government. This was the natural position of all these princes of Israel. But theirs as well as Aaron's were rods cut off from the parent-stem, and therefore incapable of putting forth verdure, bearing blossom, or yielding fruit in the sanctuary of God. By nature, then, there was absolutely no difference between Aaron and the other princes; all were equally incapable of the new life of fruitfulness. What distinguished Aaron's rod was the selection of God and the miraculous gift bestowed upon it. And then, typically in the old, but really in the new dispensation, that rod burst at the same time into branches, into blossom, and even into fruit—all these three combined, and all appearing at the same time. And so these princes "took every man his rod," but Aaron's rod was again brought before the Ark of the Covenant, and kept there "for a token." Nor was even the choice of the almond, which blossoms first of trees, without its deep meaning. For the almond, which bursts earliest into flower and fruit, is called in Hebrew "the waker" (shaked, comp. Jeremiah 1:11,12). Thus, as the "early waker," the Aaronic priesthood, with its buds, blossoms, and fruit, was typical of the better priesthood, when the Sun of Righteousness would rise "with healing in His wings."
—Bible History: Old Testament Key Word Commentary
Key Word Commentary
Deuteronomy chapter 1
1. Following chapter
Chapter 2: Wandering in the desert for thirty-eight years
2. Analysis of chapter
The words Moses spoke to Israel in the plains of Moab, and the promise of Canaan. (vv. 1-8)
Judges provided for the people. (vv. 9-18)
The spies are sent. God's anger over their unbelief and disobedience. (vv. 19-46)
3. Key verse
Verse 1: "These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab."
4. Key word / key phrase
Verse 22, "spy."
5. Key event / key person / key theme
Spies sent out
6. Key thought
Caleb's devotion to God is most instructive, verse 36.
7. Key thing to look out for
Even a great leader like Moses had clay feet.
8. Key Bible cross-reference
Verse 31. See Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:11-16.
9. Key "by way of explanation"
Verse 10. God is the prime mover in Israel's history.
10. Key "Quotable Quote"
"It is very difficult to be humble if you are always successful, so God chastises us with failure at times in order to humble us, to keep us in a state of humility."
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
—Key Word Commentary
Bible Background Commentary
Deuteronomy 1:1-8
Introduction
1:1-2. geography.
1:3. chronology.
1:4. history.
1:6. Horeb.
1:7. geography.
1:1-2. geography. The Arabah is the area of the Jordan rift, sometimes limited to the section between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The list of locations looks more like an itinerary than a description of the Israelites' present location (thus the comment concerning the trip along the Mount Seir road). The sites are difficult to identify with any certainty. Mount Seir is another name for Edom, and the Mount Seir road takes one from the Sinai peninsula into Edom. For details on Kadesh Barnea see the comment on •Numbers 13:26, and the for location of Sinai/Horeb see the comment on •Exodus 19:1-2. The eleven-day journey (140 miles) mentioned here is consistent with a southern location for Mount Sinai.
1:3. chronology. The eleventh month is Tebet, and it spans our December-January. In Israel it is the middle of the rainy season, but in the southern region where the Israelites still are there is very little rainfall (an average of two inches per year), and though it is winter, the average daytime temperature would still be about sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. It is difficult to assign a number to this fortieth year since the text has offered us no anchor to absolute chronology. In the ancient world chronology was only noted in relative terms ("the fifth year of king X"), and the biblical text does the same (here, the fortieth year since the exodus). There was no absolute chronology system ("the year 1385"). See "The Date of the Exodus."
1:4. history. The account of these battles is found in Numbers 21:21-35. Of the three sites mentioned here, only Heshbon has been excavated, and it has been controversial (see comment on •Numbers 21:25-28). Ashtaroth is identified here as the capital city of Bashan. It is mentioned in Egyptian and Assyrian texts and the Amarna letters, and some think it occurs in a text from Ugarit as a place where the god El reigns. It is known today as Tell `Ashtarah and is located on the Yarmuk River about twenty-five miles east of the Sea of Galilee. Neither Sihon nor Og is known from any extrabiblical records.
1:6. Horeb. Horeb is another name for Mount Sinai, most likely located in the southern section of the Sinai peninsula. For more detailed discussion see the comment on •Exodus 19:1-2.
1:7. geography. The description in this verse is largely by topographical areas. The hill country of the Amorites may refer to the entire southern region, in contrast to the land of the Canaanites, which would be the northern region. The Arabah refers to the Jordan rift valley from the Gulf of Aqaba north, while the hill country extends north and south along the west side of the Jordan River, interrupted by the valley of Jezreel. The Shephelah (NIV: "western foothills") descend from the mountains to the coast in the southern section. The Negev is the wilderness in the triangle formed by the Dead Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. The Lebanon is the northern mountain range, and the northwestern spur of the Euphrates marks the northeastern border.
Deuteronomy 1:9-18
Judiciary System
1:16. judicial structures in the ancient Near East. Egyptian and Hittite records of this general period likewise evidence a judicial system set up in tiers, and the Hittite Instructions to Officers and Commanders even has military leaders in the position of judge, as Deut. 1:13 here does. This suggests the close relationship between military activity and the activity of judging that the book of Judges implies. In most other systems difficult cases were referred to the king, whereas here Moses serves as the final adjudicator. Thus in the ancient Near East, leaders, whether tribal, military, city, provincial or national, had the obligation of judging the cases under their jurisdiction. There was no trial by jury, though at times a group of elders may have been involved in judging a case together. When only one individual judge was involved, the danger of favoring the powerful or the wealthy was very real. In both ancient Near Eastern documents and the Bible impartiality is valued, along with discernment. There were no lawyers, so most people represented themselves in court. Witnesses could be called, and oaths played a very significant role since most of our scientific means of gathering evidence were not available.
Deuteronomy 1:19-25
The Commission and Report of the Spies
1:19. Amorites.
1:24. the valley of Eshcol.
1:19. Amorites. The Amorites were also known as the Amurru (in Akkadian) and the Martu (in Sumerian). The term Amorites ("westerners"), like the term Canaanites, can be used to describe the general population of the land of Canaan. As an ethnic group, Amorites are known from written sources as early as the middle third millennium b.c. Most scholars think that their homeland was in Syria, from where they came to occupy many areas in the Near East.
1:24. the valley of Eshcol. There are many wadis in this general area, and there is no way of telling which one may be referred to here. Around Hebron today, Ramet el-'Amleh is known for its grape production and is near a wadi.
Deuteronomy 1:26-46
The Rebellion of the People
1:28. Anakites.
1:44. Seir to Hormah.
1:46. Kadesh Barnea.
1:28. Anakites. The descendants of Anak are specifically mentioned in Numbers 13:22, 28. When names are given, they are Hurrian (biblical Horites; see comment on •Deut. 2). The descendants of Anak are generally considered "giants" (Numbers 13:33; Deut. 2:10-11; 2 Samuel 21:18-22), though the description "gigantic" may be more appropriate. There is no mention of the Anakites in other sources, but the Egyptian letter on Papyrus Anastasi I (thirteenth century b.c.) describes fierce warriors in Canaan that are seven to nine feet tall. Two female skeletons about seven feet tall from the twelfth century have been found at Tell es-Sa'ideyeh in Transjordan.
1:44. Seir to Hormah. Seir is generally considered the mountainous central region of Edom (with elevations generally over five thousand feet) between Wadi al-Ghuwayr on the north and Ras en-Naqb on the south. Hormah is a site seven and a half miles east of Beersheba, tentatively identified with Tell Masos (Khirbet el-Meshash). Seir to Hormah is about fifty miles along a route to the northwest.
1:46. Kadesh Barnea. Kadesh Barnea is usually identified as `Ain el-Qudeirat, about fifty miles south of Beersheba, which has the most plentiful water supply in the region. There are no archaeological remains on this site from this period, but the site has long been a stopping place for nomads and Bedouin, and the abundance of "Negev" ware (pottery dated to this period) suggests that was true during the time of the Israelite wanderings as well.
—Bible Background Commentary
Wesley's Commentary
Deuteronomy
Chapter 1
Chapter Outline
The preface, fixing the time and place, ver. 1-5.
Israel commanded to march, ver. 6-8.
Judges provided, ver. 9-13
They come to Kadesh barnea, ver. 19-21.
Spies sent, their report, the people's murmuring, ver. 22-33.
The sentence passed upon them, ver. 34-40.
They are smitten by the Amorites, and remain at Kadesh, ver. 41-46.
Notes On Chapter
Notes for Verse 1
Verse 1. All Israel - Namely, by the heads or elders of the several tribes, who were to communicate these discourses to all the people.
In the wilderness - In the plain of Moab, as may appear by comparing this with Deuteronomy 1:5, and Numbers 22:1, and Deuteronomy 34:8. The word Suph here used does not signify the Red Sea, which is commonly called jam suph, and which was at too great a distance, but some oiher place now unknown to us, (as also most of the following places are) so called from the reeds or flags, or rushes (which that word signifies) that grew in or near it.
Paran - Not that Numbers 10:12, which there and elsewhere is called the Wilderness of Paran, and which was too remote, but some other place called by the same name. Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab - These places seem to be the several bounds, not of the whole country of Moab, but of the plain of Moab, where Moses now was.
Notes for Verse 2
Verse 2. There are eleven days journey - This is added to shew that the reason why the Israelites, in so many years were advanced no farther from Horeb, than to these plains, was not the distance of the places but because of their rebellions.
Kadesh barnea - Which was not far from the borders of Canaan.
Notes for Verse 3
Verse 3. The eleventh month - Which was but a little before his death.
All that the Lord had given him in commandment - Which shews not only that what he now delivered was in substance the same with what had formerly been commanded, but that God now commanded him to repeat it. He gave this rehearsal and exhortation by divine direction: God appointed him to leave this legacy to the church.
Notes for Verse 4
Verse 4. Og - His palace or mansion-house was at Astaroth, and he was slain at Edrei.
Notes for Verse 7
Verse 7. To the mount of the Amorites - That is, to the mountainous country where the Amorites dwelt, which is opposed to the plain, where others of them dwelt. And this is the first mentioned, because it was in the borders of the land.
Notes for Verse 8
Verse 8. Before you - Hebrews. Before your faces; it is open to your view, and to your possession; there is no impediment in the way.
Notes for Verse 9
Verse 9. At that time - That is, about that time, namely, a little before their coming to Horeb.
Notes for Verse 12
Verse 12. Your burden - The trouble of ruling and managing so perverse a people.
Your strife - Your contentions among yourselves, for the determnination whereof the elders were appointed.
Notes for Verse 15
Verse 15. Officers - Inferior officers, that were to attend upon the superior magistrates, and to execute their decrees.
Notes for Verse 16
Verse 16. The stranger - That converseth or dealeth with himn. To Such God would have justice equally adtninistred as to his own people, partly for the honor of religion, and partly for the interest which every man hath in matters of common right.
Notes for Verse 17
Verse 17. Respect persons - Hebrews. Not know, or acknowledge faces, that is, not give sentence according to the outward qualities of the person, as he is poor or rich, your friend or enemy, but purely according to the merit of the cause. For which reason some of the Grecian lawgivers ordered that the judges should give sentence in the dark where they could not see mens faces.
The judgment is God's - It is passed in the name of God, and by commission from him, by you as representing his person, and doing his work; who therefore will defend you therein against all your enemies, amid to whom you must give an exact account.
Notes for Verse 18
Verse 18. All the things which ye shall do - I delivered unto you, and especially unto your judges, all the laws, statutes, and judgments revealed unto me by the Lord in Horeb.
Notes for Verse 24
Verse 24. Eshcol - That is, of grapes, so called from the goodly cluster of grapes which they brought from thence.
Notes for Verse 28
Verse 28. Greater - In number and strength and valour.
Notes for Verse 31
Verse 31. Bare thee - Or, carried thee, as a father carries his weak and tender child in his arms, through difficulties and dangers, gently leading you according as you are able to go, and sustaining you by his power and goodness.
Notes for Verse 32
Verse 32. Ye did not believe the Lord - So they could not enter in, because of unbelief. It was not any other sin shut them out of Canaan, but their disbelief of that promise, which was typical of gospel grace: to signify that no sin will ruin us but unbelief, which is a sin against the remedy; and therefore without remedy.
Notes for Verse 33
Verse 33. Your words - That is to say, your murmurings, your unthankful, impatient, distrustful and rebellious speeches.
Notes for Verse 36
Verse 36. Save Caleb - Under whom Joshua is comprehended, though not here expressed, because he was not now to be one of the people, but to be set over them as a chief governor.
Notes for Verse 37
Verse 37. For your sakes - Upon occasion of your wickedness and perverseness, by which you provoked me to speak unadvisedly.
Notes for Verse 38
Verse 38. Who standeth - Who is now thy servant.
Notes for Verse 44
Verse 44. As bees - As bees which being provoked come out of their hives in great numbers, and with great fury pursue their adversary and disturber.
—Wesley's Commentary
J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible
Chapter 1
THEME: Israel's failure at Kadesh-barnea
Moses is reviewing the journeys of the children of Israel and interpreting a great deal of what had taken place. All of that generation is now dead, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. He is preparing the new generation to enter the land, and rehearsing the experiences of their fathers so that they might profit from them rather than repeat the failures.
These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab [Deut. 1:1].
In that same area I stood on Mount Nebo -- I have pictures which I made there -- and I actually could see the city of Jerusalem from that elevation. What I saw did not look like a promised land at all. It looked like a total waste, and this reveals what has happened to that land down through the centuries. When Moses looked at it, I think he was seeing a green and a good land. Today it is a desert. It looks like the desert area of California and Arizona.
(There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadesh-barnea.) [Deut. 1:2].
Mount Sinai is in Horeb. It was a journey of eleven days from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, which was the entrance point into the Land of Promise. Israel spent thirty-eight years wandering when it should have taken them only eleven days to get into the land. Why? Because of their unbelief. Their marching was turned to wandering, and they became just strangers and pilgrims in that desert. Because they were slow to learn, they wandered for thirty-eight years in that great and terrible wilderness.
We also are slow to learn, friends. I think we would characterize ourselves by saying we have low spiritual I.Q.'s. It seems as if the Lord must burn down the school in order to get some of us out of it!
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them [Deut. 1:3].
At the close of their time of wandering, Moses delivers his first oration to them. Obviously his words were first given orally and then were written down later. The critics formerly found fault with this, claiming there was no writing at the time of Moses. Of course, now it has been shown that writing was in existence long before Moses. Moses was the spokesman who gave the oration, yet he makes it clear that this was given him by the Lord.
In reviewing their history and in going over their journeys in detail, Moses mentions his great mistake.
And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you myself alone:
How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
Take you wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you [Deut. 1:9,12-13].
We find the account of this back in Exodus 18. Moses became provoked, burdened, and frustrated. He thought he alone carried the burden of Israel. The Lord permitted him to appoint elders; so a committee of seventy was appointed. This later became the Sanhedrin, the organization which committed Christ to death many years later.
Moses, in his frustration, lost sight of the fact that God was bearing Israel. Moses was God's appointed leader; he didn't need a board or a committee. Moses made a real mistake and he mentions it here. Very few people will mention their mistakes, but Moses does. He says it sounded so good, but it didn't work and it caused a great deal of difficulty.
This same thing can happen in a church. I think one of the worst things that can happen to a church is a board that will not follow the pastor. In that kind of conflict, either the board should go or the pastor should go. If the pastor is standing for the Word of God and is preaching it, then it is the duty of the board to support him. If they don't like the way the pastor parts his hair, they should get out. Unfortunately, usually they stay on, split the church, and try to crucify the preacher.
Do you want to know Moses' estimation of the wilderness they went through?
And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea [Deut. 1:19].
I'll take his word for it, because he was there. It was both great and terrible. The wilderness march was no nice daisy trail which they were following.
The second mistake which Moses records was the decision at Kadesh-barnea. This was a mistake of the people. Again, it was the problem of having a board or committee.
And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us.
Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.
And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe [Deut. 1:20-23].
Here we go again! We must have a board or a committee to go in and search out the land. God had already searched it out! God had said it was a land of milk and honey. Sure, there were giants in the land, but God had said that He would take care of them. The people wanted a board; Moses wanted a board. Look what happened. This was the reason they were turned back into that awful wilderness.
The basic problem is unbelief. God had said it was a good land. The spies looked it over and agreed that it was a good land. But they said there were giants in the land. God had said that He would take care of the giants because He would enable Israel. They did not believe God.
Many times the Christian today finds himself confronted by giants in his life. I'm sure that as a child of God you have found yourself in giant country. Believe me, it is difficult to know how to handle a giant when you are just a pygmy yourself. God has given us the same promise that He is able to handle the giants for us. It is wonderful to know that. It is not our circumstances on the outside which are our real problem. It is the circumstance on the inside of us, the unbelief in our hearts, which is the cause of our problems.
Now God makes it clear to them that the whole generation which came up to Kadesh-barnea and turned back in unbelief will die. Only two men of the old generation will be permitted to enter the land. They are Joshua and Caleb.
And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers.
Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.
Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.
But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it [Deut. 1:34-38].
Caleb and Joshua were different from the others. They were spies who believed God and had brought back an accurate report, a good report. The fact of the matter is that Caleb will lay hold of the land that he wanted. We will find later, in the Book of Joshua, that he was a remarkable man. He walked up and down the land, and he claimed the mountain where the giants lived! "This is what I want," he said, and God gave it to him for an inheritance.
By the way, what do you want of God, friend? Are you a parent? Are you a young person starting out in life? What do you want of God? Let me say this: If you think you can sit on the sidelines and get it, you are wrong. There are a great many folk who think they should just sit and pray and pray and pray. I certainly agree that we must pray and live in fellowship with Him, but, my friend, you are going to have to go out there and take it. Did you know that? God said He would give to Caleb the land that he had trodden upon. A great many of us today are not being blessed because we are spending too much time sitting down. That is the wrong place to be if we want the blessing of God. We are to walk. There is a great deal said in the Scriptures about the Christian's walk and very little said about the Christian's sitting down. We need to lay hold of God's promises.
Joshua is the man who is to become the leader to succeed Moses. Why was he chosen? Well, he is a man of experience, and he is a man who wholly followed God. He and Caleb brought back the good report because they believed God. Faith was the essential thing. They believed God and they were willing to step out in faith. Friend, you don't believe God by just sitting down and claiming great blessings. You have to step out in faith for Him.
Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it [Deut. 1:39].
There are some very important things here that we don't want to miss. First, the age of responsibility is older than we may think it is. Some of these folk who entered the land were teenagers at Kadesh-barnea. We know from Numbers 14:29 that God set the age at 20, and all from twenty years old and upward died in the wilderness.
Something else to note here is that children who die in infancy are saved. How do I know? God did not hold responsible those young folk who had not reached the age of accountability when their elders refused to enter the land. He permitted them to enter the land. You see, the older generation had said they did not want to enter the land because they feared for their children's safety -- they were thinking of their children. God made it very clear to them that this was not their real reason. They were insulting God; they were really saying that God didn't care for their children. In effect God says to them, "I do care for your children, and those little ones whom you thought would be in such danger are the very ones who are going to enter the land." Now it is that generation of young folk who have come to the border of the land and are ready to enter the Promised Land. It is to them that Moses is speaking.
But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.
Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill [Deut. 1:40-41].
After the children of Israel refuse to go into the land at Kadesh-barnea, they face a terrible dilemma. They face the wilderness if they turn back -- remember that Moses called it "that great and terrible wilderness." Realizing they have sinned, and realizing they face the wilderness if they turn back, they decide to go into the Promised Land after all.
And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies [Deut. 1:42].
May I say to you that such a type of fighting is no good. Do you know why? Because they were out of the will of God. The reason they were willing to fight at this time was not because they believed God but because they were afraid. Their motivation was fear, not faith! They were motivated by fear, not by faith in God.
So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill [Deut. 1:43].
This was not faith, you see. If they had gone up at the beginning because they believed God, that would have been one thing. This now is acting presumptuously and is altogether different.
I think there is a very fine distinction between faith and presumption. In the course of my ministry, I have counseled with many people. One man told me, "You know, Brother McGee, I believed God and I thought He would bless my business. I went into business believing He would bless me, but He didn't. In fact, I went bankrupt." Well, friend, was it faith in God or was it presumption? When we got down to the nitty-gritty, I learned that this man had heard another business man speak at a banquet. His message had been that he had taken as his motto, "God is my partner," and he had been very successful in business. He told about how he had taken God into partnership with him, and God had blessed and prospered him. Obviously, God led that man; I'm confident of that. However, I believe that my friend went home and presumptuously said, "Well, if God will make me prosperous, I'll take Him as my partner in business." God didn't lead him, you see. Believe me, friends, there is a difference between faith and presumption.
And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.
And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.
So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there [Deut. 1:44-46].
Notice this. They came before the Lord and they shed crocodile tears. They wept, and they repented. Yes, but what kind of a repentance was this? Listen to Paul in 2Corinthians 7:10: "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death."
Did they weep because they disobeyed God? No. They wept because the Amorites had chased them. Their defeat was the reason for their weeping. You know of incidents when a thief is caught, and he begins to shed tears and repent. But wait a minute. What kind of tears are they? Does he weep because he is a thief? No, he weeps because he has been caught. There is a world of difference in that. This is exactly the case with these people.
As a result of all this, they apparently spent a lot of time at Kadesh.
—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible
Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament
Deuteronomy
Chapter One.
Catching Up on the Past
Deuteronomy 1-3
Our journalism instructor taught us that the first paragraph of every news article had to inform the reader of the "who, what, where, when, and why" of the event being reported. Deuteronomy 1:1-5 isn't a news article, but it does just that. The people of Israel are at Kadesh-Barnea in the fortieth year after their deliverance from Egypt, and their leader Moses is about to expound God's law and prepare the new generation to enter Canaan. Although Moses himself wouldn't enter the land, he would explain to the people what they had to do to conquer the enemy, claim their promised inheritance, and live successfully in their new home to the glory of God.
God was giving His people a second chance and Moses didn't want the new generation to fail as their fathers had failed before them. Israel should have entered Canaan thirty-eight years before (2:14), but in their unbelief they rebelled against God. The Lord condemned them to wander in the wilderness until the older generation had died, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Num. 13-14). Philosopher George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," so the first thing Moses did in his farewell discourse was to review Israel's past and remind the new generation who they were and how they got where they were (Deut. 1-5). Knowing their past, the new generation in Israel could avoid repeating the sins of their fathers.
Israel marching (Deut. 1:6-18)
A grasp of history is important to every generation because it gives a sense of identity. If you know who you are and where you came from, you will have an easier time discovering what you should be doing. A generation without identity is like a person without a birth certificate, a name, an address, or a family. If we don't know our historic roots, we may become like tumbleweeds that are blown here and there and never arriving at our destination.
A father took his young son to the local museum to help him better understand what life was like before he was born. After looking rather glumly at some of the exhibits, the boy finally said, "Dad, let's go someplace where the people are real."
Like that bored little boy, many people have the idea that the past is unreal and unimportant and has no bearing on life today; and like that little boy, they are wrong. The cynic claims that all we learn from history is that we don't learn from history, but the mature Christian believer knows that A.T. Pierson was right when he said, "History is His story." The Bible isn't a boring museum where everything's dead. It's a living drama that teaches us about God and encourages us to obey Him and enjoy His blessings (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:1-12). No book is more contemporary than the Bible, and each new generation has to learn this important lesson.
Israel at Sinai (vv. 6-8; see Num. 1:1-10:10). After the nation left Egypt, they marched to Mount Sinai, arriving on the fifteenth day of the third month (Ex. 19:1); and there the Lord revealed Himself in power and great glory. He delivered the law to Moses who declared it to the people, and they accepted the terms of the covenant. The Jews left Sinai on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year after the Exodus (Num. 10:11), which means they were at Sinai not quite a year. While the nation was camped at Sinai, the tabernacle was constructed and the priests and Levites were set apart to serve the Lord.
Why did the Lord have the Jews tarry so long at Sinai? He wanted to give them His law and teach them how to worship. The Lord didn't give Israel His law to save them from their sins, because "by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Under the Old Covenant, people were saved by faith just as sinners are today (Rom. 4:1-12; Gal. 3:22; Heb. 11). The law reveals the sinfulness of man and the holy character of God. It explained what God required of His people if they were to please Him and enjoy His blessing. The civil law allowed Israel to have an orderly and just society, and the religious laws enabled them to live as the people of God, set apart from the other nations to glorify His name. The Law also prepared the way for the coming of Israel's Messiah (Gal. 4:1-7), and the various tabernacle furnishings and ceremonies pointed to Jesus.
Knowing that wars and dangers lay before them, many of the people might have been satisfied to stay at Mount Sinai, but the Lord ordered them to move. Not only did the Lord command them but He also encouraged them: "See, I have given you this land" (Deut. 1:8, niv). He promised to keep the covenant He had made with the patriarchs to whom He had graciously promised the land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14-18; 15:7-21; 17:8; 28:12-15; Ex. 3:8). All the army of Israel had to do was follow God's orders and the Lord would give them victory over their enemies in Canaan.
Israel on the way to Kadesh-Barnea (vv. 9-18; Num. 10:11-12:16). It wasn't easy for Moses to lead this great nation because he frequently had to solve new problems and listen to new complaints. Accustomed to the comfort of their camp at Sinai, the people resented the hardships of their journey to the Promised Land. They forgot the distress of their years of slavery in Egypt and even wanted to turn around and go back! They got accustomed to the manna that God sent them from heaven each morning and soon took it for granted, and they longed for the savory meat and vegetables they had enjoyed eating in Egypt. No wonder Moses got discouraged and cried out to the Lord! He wanted to quit and he even asked God to take his life! (Num. 11:15)
God's answer to Moses' prayer was to give him seventy elders to assist him in managing the affairs of the camp. Moses was a great leader and a spiritual giant, but even he could do only so much. He and the elders organized the nation by thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, with competent leaders in charge of each division. This created a chain of command between Moses and the people so that he didn't have to get involved in every minor dispute. He could devote himself to talking with the Lord and helping to settle the most important problems in the camp.
The charge Moses gave to the newly appointed leaders is one that ought to be heeded by everybody who serves in a place of authority, whether religious or civil (Deut. 1:16-18). The emphasis is on character and justice and the realization that God is the judge and the final authority. If all officials made their decisions on basis of nationality, race, social position, or wealth, they would sin against God and pervert justice. Throughout the Law of Moses, there's an emphasis on justice and showing kindness and fairness to the poor, especially widows, orphans, and aliens in the land (Ex. 22:21-24; Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 14:28-29; 16:9-12; 24:17-21). Frequently the prophets thundered against the wealthy landowners because they were abusing the poor and the helpless in the land (Isa. 1:23-25; 10:1-3; Jer. 7:1-6; 22:3; Amos 2:6-7; 5:11; Zech. 7:8). "He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker" (Prov. 14:31, nkjv).
Israel rebelling (Deut. 1:19-46; Num. 13-14)
Kadesh-Barnea was the gateway into the Promised Land, but Israel failed to enter the land because of fear and unbelief. They walked by sight and not by faith in God's promises. "See, the Lord your God has given you the land," Moses told them. "Go up and take possession of it. ... Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged" (Deut. 1:21, niv). It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that's superstition—but obeying in spite of circumstances and consequences. How much more evidence did the people need that their God was able to defeat the enemy and give them their land? Hadn't He defeated and disgraced all the false gods of Egypt, protected Israel, and provided for them on their pilgrim journey? God's commandment is always God's enablement, and to win the victory, His people need only trust and obey.
Searching out the land (vv. 22-25; Num. 13). The first indication that the nation was wavering in faith was their request that Moses appoint a committee to search out the land. Israel would then know the state of the land and be better able to prepare their plan of attack. This is the approach any army would use—it's called "reconnaissance"—but Israel wasn't just "any army." They were God's army and the Lord had already done the "reconnaissance" for them. From the very beginning, God had told Moses that Canaan was a good land flowing with milk and honey, and He even gave the names of the nations living in the land (Ex. 3:7-8; see Gen. 15:19-21). Surely the people knew that the will of God would not lead them where the grace and power of God could not keep them.
When Moses spoke to God about the people's suggestion, the Lord graciously gave him permission to grant their request (Num. 13:1). God knows how weak we are, so He sometimes accommodates Himself to our condition (Ps. 103:13-14; Judges 6:36-40). However, doing God's permissive will isn't quite the same as obeying His "good, acceptable and perfect will" (Rom. 12:2). When God lets us have our own way, it's a concession on His part that should make us walk in fear and humility. Why? Because there's always the danger that we'll become proud and self-confident and start telling God what to do! Doing God's express will is the safest course because God never makes a mistake. Sometimes our desires and God's concessions combine to produce painful disciplines.
The twelve men explored the land for forty days and returned to the camp with the enthusiastic unanimous report that everything God had said about the land was true. The report shouldn't have surprised anybody because God's Word can always be trusted.
Rejecting the land (vv. 26-40). But then ten of the spies gave their opinion that Israel wasn't able to conquer the land because the cities were protected by high walls and there were giants in the land. The minority (Joshua and Caleb) boldly affirmed that the Lord was able to give His people victory because He was greater than any enemy. Unfortunately, the nation sided with the majority and became discouraged and even more afraid. Twice Moses told them not to be afraid (Deut. 1:21, 29), but his words fell on deaf ears. Instead of the leaders singing their victory song and marching forward by faith (Num. 10:35), they and the people sat in their tents complaining, weeping, and plotting to return to Egypt. With the exception of four men—Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb (14:5-6)—the entire nation rebelled against the Lord and failed to claim the land He had promised them. The Lord could bring them out of Egypt but He couldn't take them into Canaan!
What was the cause of Israel's failure at Kadesh-Barnea? "They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.... They did not remember his power" (Ps. 78:11, 42, niv). God had demonstrated His great power by sending the plagues on Egypt and by opening the Red Sea so Israel could escape, and yet none of these wonders had really registered in the minds and hearts of His people. Even the miraculous provision of bread, meat, and water didn't increase their faith. They gladly received the gifts but failed to take to heart the goodness and grace of the Giver. Instead, they hardened their hearts against the Lord and developed "an evil heart of unbelief (Heb. 3:7-19). If God's blessings don't humble our hearts and make us trust Him more, then they will harden our hearts and weaken our faith. Unless we receive His Word in our hearts and give thanks to God for His blessings, we become proud and selfish and begin to take the Lord's blessings for granted.
There's a difference between unbelief and doubt. Unbelief is a matter of the will; it causes people to rebel against God and say, "No matter what the Lord says or does, I will not believe and obey!" Doubt, however, is a matter of the heart and the emotions; it's what people experience when they waver between fear and faith (Matt. 14:31; James 1:5-8). The doubter says, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" God seeks to encourage doubters and help them believe, but all He can do with rebels is bring judgment. At Kadesh, He decreed that the nation would wander for the next thirty-eight years (they had already been in the wilderness two years) until all the people twenty years and older had died. Then He would take the new generation—the children and teenagers whom the leaders said would be devoured by the enemy—and lead them into the land where they would conquer the enemy and claim their inheritance.
Attacking the enemy (vv. 40-46; Num. 14:40-45). When the Jews heard God's judgment declared, they tried to undo their sin in their own way, but they only made matters worse. "We have sinned!" they said, but it was a shallow confession that really meant, "We're sorry for the consequences of our sin." It wasn't true repentance; it was only regret. Then they tried to attack some of the people in the land, but their efforts failed and God brought about a humiliating defeat (Deut. 1:41-46). After all, the Lord wasn't with them and hadn't ordered them to fight. The whole enterprise was a feeble attempt on the part of the men of Israel to accomplish in their own strength what God would have accomplished for them had they only trusted Him. The only thing the sinful nation could do was submit to the discipline of God. They came home and wept, but their tears didn't change the mind of God. The nation wouldn't listen to God's voice, so He didn't listen to their voices.
Caleb and Joshua believed God, so God decreed that they would live through the wilderness wanderings and enter the Promised Land. But later, even Aaron and Moses rebelled against God and were kept out of the land (v. 37; Num. 20:1-13, 24). When God instructed Moses to provide water by speaking to the rock, he struck the rock and said, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" (v. 10, nkjv) Because he didn't believe God and glorify Him, Moses forfeited the privilege of leading Israel into the land. His sin wasn't that of the doubter but of the rebel: he deliberately disobeyed God and exalted himself.
When Moses said that God was angry with him "for your sakes" (Deut. 1:37; "because of you," niv), he wasn't excusing himself by blaming the Israelites. What this means is that the rebellious attitude of the people had provoked him into doing what he did and saying what he said. Moses had been grieved so often by the people complaining and disobeying that it all finally came to a head and he lost the meekness for which he was so well known. Even the greatest spiritual leaders are but frail human beings apart from the grace of God, and many of them failed in their strongest points. Moses' greatest strength was his meekness, but he lost his temper. Abraham is known for his great faith, yet in a time of testing he fled to Egypt and lied about his wife. David's great strength was his integrity (Ps. 78:72), but he failed miserably and became a liar and a hypocrite; and Peter's great strength was his courage, yet three times he became afraid and denied his Lord. "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12).
Israel conquering (Deut. 2:1-3:20)
This is a summary of the record given in Numbers 20:14-31:54, describing the people of Israel defeating nations and kings in their march to the Promised Land. In this speech, Moses gave no details of what Israel experienced while wandering thirty-eight years in the wilderness. During those years, Israel was out of God's covenant favor, and there's no record that they observed the Passover or even circumcised their sons. After Joshua led the nation across the Jordan River, he took care of those responsibilities and Israel was back in God's covenant blessing (Josh. 5). The people in Moses' congregation who were nineteen years old when the wanderings began were now fifty-seven (19 + 38) and certainly would remember those difficult years and tell their children and grandchildren about them.
Avoiding the Edomites (vv. 1-8; Num. 20:14-21). Moses was commanded by God not to declare war on the people of Edom and try to take their land. The Edomites were descended from Jacob's brother, Esau, and therefore were related to the Jews (Gen. 36). Moses at first tried a friendly approach, but the Edomites wouldn't accept their brothers on any terms; so Moses led the people by another route that bypassed Mount Seir. The Edomites should have shown Israel brotherly love, but instead they preferred to perpetuate the ancient feud between Jacob and Esau (Gen. 27; 32-33). Centuries later, Edom was still angry with Israel and rejoiced when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (Ps. 137:7; Ezek. 25:12-14; Amos 1:11; Obad. 10-13).
Of all problems we face in life, family disagreements are probably the most painful and the hardest to solve, and yet the Bible records so many of them. Cain killed his brother Abel (Gen. 4); Jacob and Esau were rivals; Jacob's wives competed with one another (Gen. 29-30); Jacob favored Joseph and therefore Joseph's brothers hated their youngest brother (Gen. 37); and David's father-in-law King Saul hounded him and tried to kill him (1 Sam. 19-20). Even in the Christian family, brothers and sisters in the local church don't always love each other. The Corinthian church was divided four ways (1 Cor. 1:12); the Galatian believers were biting and devouring each other (Gal. 5:15); the saints in Ephesus needed to be kind and forgive each other (Eph. 4:31-32); and in the Philippian church two women were at odds with each other (Phil. 4:2-3). Family feuds and church disagreements are at least somewhat confined, but when entire nations cultivate and sustain hatred for one another and wage war, many innocent people are hurt.
Moses did the right thing by obeying God's command and deliberately avoiding a costly and unprofitable confrontation. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God" (Matt. 5:9). "Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for peace" (Rom. 14:19). There are times when avoiding conflict is cowardly, but there are other times when it's a mark of courage and wisdom (James 3:13-18; Matt. 5:21-26). Like James and John, we might feel like calling down fire from heaven on people who reject us, but it's better to follow the examples of Moses and Jesus and take another route (Luke 9:51-56).
One more factor in this "peacemaking" should be noticed: God had graciously cared for Israel and blessed His people even during their years of wandering, so there was no need for them to attack their brothers and exploit them (Deut. 2:7). God would give Israel all the land they needed without their having to go to war. If more individuals, families, and nations were content with the blessings God has given them, there would be less fighting among them.
Avoiding the Moabites and Ammonites (vv. 9-23). Just as the Edomites were not attacked and conquered because they were related to Jacob, so the Moabites and Ammonites were spared because they were the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham (Gen. 19:30-38). God is supreme over all nations and assigns their territories according to His sovereign will (Acts 17:26-28; 2 Chron. 20:6). In fact, the Lord even helped these other nations defeat their enemies and take their land (Deut. 2:20-23). God is on His throne and deals with the nations according to His perfect will (Dan. 4:35). Neither the Moabites nor the Ammonites deserved this kindness, but the Lord sometimes blesses people because of their relationship to other people. Israel was certainly blessed because of God's covenants with Abraham and David, and the church is blessed today because of the Father's eternal covenant with Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:20).
It was a turning point in their history when the Jews crossed into the Zered Valley, for now the older generation was gone except for Moses, Caleb, and Joshua (Deut. 2:13-16). With their time of divine discipline ended, Israel could now look forward to defeating their enemies and moving into the land which the Lord had promised to them.
Defeating the Amorites (v. 24-3:11). Sihon and Og were powerful kings in the region of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, and the Lord had determined to destroy them and their people. God's orders in 2:24-25 and 31 summarize the pattern Israel would follow in their conquest of the Promised Land. God would tell Joshua which city or people to attack; He would assure them of victory; and He would go with them to help them win the battle. Israel's defeat of Sihon and Og was especially important because it would send a message ahead to the nations in Canaan and bring fear to their hearts (11:25). By the time Joshua was ready to enter the land, the news of Israel's invincible march had already gone before them (Josh. 2:8-11; see Ex. 15:14-16).
As he did with the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, Moses first made Sihon an offer of goodwill, promising to pass through the land peacefully and pay for whatever food and water the people consumed. However, the Lord wanted Israel to defeat Sihon and seize all his land, so he hardened the king's heart as He had hardened the heart of Pharaoh in Egypt. When Sihon led his army out to attack Israel, God gave Moses a great victory and all the people of the land were slaughtered. This victory over Sihon gave the Israelites encouragement to confront Og, and they won that battle as well and took over all the land. The fact that the cities had high walls (Deut. 3:5) and that Og was a giant (v. 11) didn't seem to create any of the problems that the older generation had feared (Num. 13:28). God is bigger than the walls and greater than the giants!
Liberal critics of the Bible express concern at the way Israel destroyed entire nations, killed "innocent people," and confiscated their cities and their lands. But how "innocent" were these people? The critics of Scripture (and God) may not realize that the nations Israel encountered east of the Jordan and in Canaan itself were indescribably wicked. They were brutal people who sacrificed their own children to the false gods that they worshiped. Male and female prostitutes served in their temples and sexual intercourse was an important part of the Canaanite religion.
These people were not left without a witness from God in creation (Rom. 1:18ff) as well as through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had lived in Canaan. Furthermore, the news of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, and Israel's deliverance through the Red Sea (Josh. 2:8-11) came to the ears of these people and bore witness that Jehovah alone is the true God. God had been long-suffering with these wicked nations even in Abraham's day, but now their time had run out and their judgment had come (Gen. 15:16). If these evil civilizations had not been exterminated, Israel would have been in constant danger of being tempted by pagan idolatry. In fact, that's what did happen during the Period of the Judges, and God had to chasten His people to bring them back to the true God. Israel had important work to do on earth in producing the written Scriptures and bringing the Savior into the world, and imitating the pagan nations would have polluted Israel and threatened God's great plan of salvation for mankind.
Israel preparing (Deut. 3:12-29)
The victories over Sihon and Og, the two mighty kings of the lands east of the Jordan, were themselves preparation for the battles Israel would fight when they arrived in Canaan. The new generation was getting its first real taste of warfare and was quickly discovering that Jehovah could be trusted to overcome every enemy. All that the army had to do was obey God's orders, trust His promises, and courageously confront the enemy.
A second step of preparation for conquest was the settling of the two-and-a-half tribes in the territory that had been captured on the east side of the Jordan. This land was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh. They especially wanted this land because they were herdsmen and the territory was suitable for their livestock (Num. 32). The two-and-a-half tribes were allowed to fortify the cities for their families to live in and also to build pens for their flocks and herds. But it was understood that the men of war in the tribes would cross the Jordan with the other tribes and help their brothers conquer the land. Once that was done and all the tribes had been assigned to their inheritance, the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh could return home to their families (Josh. 22). The fact that Moses gave them the land and that the men were willing to leave their loved ones behind was evidence of their faith that God would give Israel the victory in Canaan.
Moses described this victory as "the Lord giving rest" (Deut. 3:20), a phrase that is used again in 12:10 and 25:19 and frequently in Joshua (1:13-15; 11:23; 14:15; 21:44; 22:4; 23:1). The Book of Hebrews picks up the phrase and applies it to the spiritual rest we have in Christ because we have trusted His finished work on the cross (Heb. 3:11, 18; 4:1-11). Israel at Kadesh-Barnea wanted to go back to Egypt, and the Jewish believers to whom Hebrews was written wanted to go back to the old life and the old religion. But there could be no rest in the Jewish religion that was about to pass off the scene, so the writer urged the people to go ahead by faith into the rest that only Christ can give (Matt. 11:28-30). Canaan isn't a picture of heaven; it's a picture of our spiritual riches in Christ, the inheritance that we have in Him.
A third step of preparation for conquest was the appointment of Joshua to succeed Moses and lead the nation into Canaan (Num. 27:18-23). At the command of the Lord, Moses publicly laid hands on Joshua and with the help of Eleazar the high priest consecrated him to his new office. Moses also began to hand over some of his authority to Joshua (Num. 27:20, niv) so that by the time Moses left the scene, Joshua was ready to take charge. However, Joshua was a man of great faith and experience and was fully qualified to lead God's people. He had served as Moses' servant (Ex. 33:11) and as leader of the army (17:8-16), and he had been on Sinai with Moses (24:13). At Kadesh-Barnea he proved his faith and obedience by standing with Moses and Caleb against the ten spies and the whole unbelieving nation.
The only cloud over all this celebration of victory was that Moses wasn't permitted to enter the Promised Land because of his impetuous sin of striking the rock (Num. 20:1-13; 27:12-14). But even this sad note brought with it a trumpet call of encouragement in what Moses said: "O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand" (Deut. 3:24, niv). As wonderful as Israel's victories had been so far, they were just a small expression of the greatness and power of God; and Moses didn't want to miss any of the magnificent things God was going to do in Canaan. The Lord wouldn't permit Moses to enter the land, but before Moses died, he was allowed to see the land from the top of Mount Pisgah (Nebo; see 32:48-52; 34:1-6). Centuries later, Moses stood in the Holy Land in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah (Matt. 17:1-3).
All that Moses said in the first part of his farewell address prepared the way for his exposition and application of God's law, for history and responsibility go together. God had done mighty things for the people, both in blessing them and in chastening them, and the people of Israel had a responsibility to love God and obey His Word. Throughout this address, Moses will frequently remind the Jews that they were a privileged people, the people of God, separated unto the Lord from all the nations of the earth. It's when we forget our high calling that we descend into low living.
The church today needs to catch up on the past and be reminded of all that the Lord has done for His people—and all that His people have done and not done in return for His blessings. If a new generation of believers is to march into the future in victory, they need to get back to their roots and learn again the basics of what it means to be the people of God.
—Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament
