Liberty University
Interpretative Paper I
Numbers 14:28-32
Hebrews 3:12-19
Craig Hardin
GBST 103
Chronological Survey of the Old Testament I
November 10, 2014
When we begin to look at the verses of Numbers 14:26-35, we see that God has decided that
it is time that his people were to be punished for not believing all that they had accomplished not
because of themselves, but because of Yahweh. When looking back at early text in the Book of
Numbers we see that in the very first verse the chosen people of God were complaining that they
would have been better off to be slaves of Egypt rather than be in the wilderness and free. God
had graciously brought Israel out of captivity through ten mighty plagues only to have them turn
against his grace ten times.1 In reading the passage leading up to verse twenty six, Moses had
many times had to be the spokesman for the people. Moses had been able to ask God to spare his
people from God’s wrath. Ten plagues were needed to soften Pharaoh sufficiently that he agreed
to release the Israelites.2 Think of things in our everyday life, could you ever see yourself
refuting the word of God or a commandment given to you after seeing all the miracles and the
way that God had saved you from the oppression you and your people had lived for many
centuries. This is a scary thought today. How many times have we felt the need or desire to do
one thing, but then we somehow turn around and do the exact opposite that we should do. How
would we react if God decided that he had had enough and it was time to punish us for or
failures? When the Israelites failed to obey God, He did not desert them, but He disciplined them
in love.3
One of the things that must be taken from this passage is how we must be careful of what we
ask God for. In the book of Numbers, we see how God’s people have asked that they just be able
to die in the wilderness. God granted their wishes by making them roam through the desert for
1 Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible, Dr. Harold L. Wilmington, page 54
2 Walton and Hill, Old Testament Today, page 94
3 Notes on Numbers, Dr. Thomas L. Constable, page 5.
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forty years until all those over the age of twenty had passed away. The only exception by God
was given to Joshua and Caleb, the two courageous spies, would live in the Promised Land.4
When reading the passage in Hebrews 3:12-19, we see where the writer is telling the
members of church to make sure that they do not make the same mistake that the people of
Moses did when they did not believe that God was going to take care of them as he had already
done since they escaped from Egypt. They had personally witnessed many of God’s mighty
miracles yet in spite of this, they had responded in disobedience and unbelief.5 We are being told
how it is our responsibility to be a believer and to be prepared for whatever we are asked to do
by God. It seems that in this day and time we as a people are struggling to see that God is indeed
still here for us and with us. In the new social media society, why is it that we must find the
quick or easy fix, when all along all we need to do is look to God and his word for our answers.
As we look at the way God has been there through the history of the world and the church,
why must we as humans always make things so much harder for ourselves? In our churches
today, how many could better serve the congregation if we started to preach and teach the way it
was done in the first century. The early Christians were, to borrow a phrase from a TobyMac
song, on fire for God! What would the world be like tomorrow if the church was to be on fire for
God again? What would we as a people and society be if we were to begin to love God and our
neighbors as ourselves?
We must be thankful for all that God has done for us and not be so forgetful of the many
blessings that have been given to us. I think the main points to be taken from these verses are that
4 The Bible for Blockheads, Douglas Connelly, page 62.
5 The ESV Study Bible, Crossway, page 2595.
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first we must be careful of what we ask of God and we must be willing to do what is asked of us
by God!
Bibliography
Wilmington, Harold. "Israel at Kadesh-Barnea." In Wilmington Guide to the Bible, 54. 30th ed.
2011.
Hill, Walton. "The Pentateuch." In Old Testament Today, 94. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2013.
Constable, Thomas. Notes on Numbers. 2014 ed. Sonic Light, 2014. 5.
Connelly, Douglas. The Bible for Blockheads: A User-friendly Look at the Good Book. Grand
Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Pub. House, 1999. 62.
ESV: Study Bible: English Standard Version. ESV Text ed. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles,
2007. 2595.
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