Sometimes I like to imagine what it was like to be a 19-year old Israelite when the spies were sent in to explore the Promised Land. If you read the account you will see that only 2 of the 12 spies came back with good reports. Everyone else was afraid and refused to go in and claim God's promise. So God brings judgment, which you can read in Numbers 14:26-35.
In a nutshell, everyone 20 years and older is going to die in the desert. Which brings me back to imagining life for those 19-year olds. I have to believe their first response is a brush of the hand against the forehead while breathing a sigh of relief. 'Whew, we just made the cut-off.' I imagine this was quickly followed with disdain for the 20 and older crowd.
After all, there was to be 40 years of wandering in the desert because of the rebellion. God said it would be 1 year of desert wandering for every day the spies explored the land. I think I might wish for God to smite them all so we could just get on with it. After all, if God wants to see faith exercised, let a 19-year old lead a pack of unruly teenagers in to take over the Promised Land. That will give the Hittites something to think about.
Alas, that was not the judgment. 40 years of wandering while waiting for all the 20-and-over crowd to die.
What was it like for that last soldier to die? You know, that last of the disobedient generation. That generation that should have been sipping on lemonade in their homes in the Promised Land by this time.
They had all heard God's judgment. They had wandered in the desert. And one by one they had seen peers die. What was it like for this last guy? Surely anticipation was building up. I imagine some of the younger generation keeping track. 'What, he had a cold? Oh, he got better?' They try and hide their disappointment, but let's face it, this last soldier is the one guy between them and the Promised Land. Anticipation was building as the 40 years came to a close.
Talk about being without hope. If you are this last soldier, the writing is on the wall. Without hope. That is a scary feeling. We've all been there.
The writer of Hebrews had some good advice on this topic.
In a nutshell, everyone 20 years and older is going to die in the desert. Which brings me back to imagining life for those 19-year olds. I have to believe their first response is a brush of the hand against the forehead while breathing a sigh of relief. 'Whew, we just made the cut-off.' I imagine this was quickly followed with disdain for the 20 and older crowd.
After all, there was to be 40 years of wandering in the desert because of the rebellion. God said it would be 1 year of desert wandering for every day the spies explored the land. I think I might wish for God to smite them all so we could just get on with it. After all, if God wants to see faith exercised, let a 19-year old lead a pack of unruly teenagers in to take over the Promised Land. That will give the Hittites something to think about.
Alas, that was not the judgment. 40 years of wandering while waiting for all the 20-and-over crowd to die.
What was it like for that last soldier to die? You know, that last of the disobedient generation. That generation that should have been sipping on lemonade in their homes in the Promised Land by this time.
They had all heard God's judgment. They had wandered in the desert. And one by one they had seen peers die. What was it like for this last guy? Surely anticipation was building up. I imagine some of the younger generation keeping track. 'What, he had a cold? Oh, he got better?' They try and hide their disappointment, but let's face it, this last soldier is the one guy between them and the Promised Land. Anticipation was building as the 40 years came to a close.
Talk about being without hope. If you are this last soldier, the writing is on the wall. Without hope. That is a scary feeling. We've all been there.
"Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." Ephesians 2:12-13It doesn't have to be that way. Rebellion can be something we leave to the last generation. Wandering is not something that has to continue. Taking advantage of all God's promises is something we can do today.
The writer of Hebrews had some good advice on this topic.
"See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first." Hebrews 3:12-14That is a hope worth holding on to.
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