WHAT UNBELIEF CAN DO--NUMBERS 14:1-24

WHAT UNBELIEF CAN DO

NUMBERS 14:1-24

Introduction:

Israel was in the area of Kadesh Barnea just south of the Promised Land. They had sent out 12 spies and they had returned. Ten of the spies had returned with a bad report and suggested that Israel was not capable of conquering the land. Only Caleb and Joshua had returned with a good report saying that they should go up right away to possess the land.

Israel refused to go and God had pronounced the death sentence on that generation with the exception of Caleb and Joshua. All of this was because of UNBELIEF.

I. THROUGH UNBELIEF, ISRAEL CONTESTED THE WORD OF GOD AS IF HE WAS A MAN THAT WOULD LIE.

A. God has promised to give them the land, Genesis 13:14-18.

1. God had promised to make Abraham, the father of the Hebrews, a great nation, Genesis 12:1-3.

2. He promised that Abraham’s seed would be a blessing to all of the families of the earth, Genesis 12:3, “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

3. He promise a goodly land, Exodus 3:8, “And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

B. He had had taken care of their needs.

1. Manna for bread, Exodus 16:15, “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.”

2. Quail for meat, Exodus 16:13, “And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.”

II. THEY OPPOSE GOD’S POWER AS THOUGH SEVEN NATIONS WOULD TAX HIS STRENGTH.

A. Unbelief in the face of God’s miracles.

1. They all had seen God work through the Ten Plagues in Egypt, Exodus 5-12.

2. They had seen how God had opened the Red Sea before their eyes, Exodus 14:16, 21, “But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 21-And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.”

3. They had seen the Egyptian army try to cross that same sea only to be destroyed, Exodus 14:26-28, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. 27-And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28-And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.

B. God’s patience wears thin, Numbers 14:11, “And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?”

1. The Lord threatens to destroy them, v. 12.

2. Moses intercedes for the people, vs. 13-19.

III. THEY INVALIDATED GOD’S GOODNESS AS IF HE WAS WORKING FOR THEIR DESTRUCTION.

A. Their father Abraham, had greater faith, Romans 4:20, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”

B. Because of UNBELIEF Israel was broken off, Romans 11:20, 23, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 23-And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graff them in again.”

C. The Gentiles have obtained mercy because of Israel’s unbelief, Romans 11:30, “For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:”

D. These disobedient Hebrews entered not into the Promised Land because of UNBELIEF, Hebrews 3:19, “So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”

CONCLUSION

An entire generation died needlessly because they refused to believe God. They all went to Hell for lack of faith in the Lord. Don’t let that be your destination.