Week 10
Numbers 10-30
Remember getting disciplined as a kid? Asking for something or to do something but if you misbehaved, that would be the very thing parents would take away. I vividly remember telling my mom- in my childhood innocence- when you pop me, it hurts for a minute or so but when you take my Barbies, that really hurts. I don’t think I ever got popped again, but my Barbies sure did get taken away anytime I needed to be disciplined after that. Fast forward 30 years and I do that to my own kids- they occasionally get popped but when they use potty language or hit each other- that dump truck is mine for the next day or two depending on the “offense.”
So as a mom, it almost makes me giggle a little bit to think of God doing the same thing to the Israelites here. He has given them the promised land. He has led them out of Egypt and time after time He has protected them, cared for them, led them this whole way, yet they STILL act up! They go explore the land, see the people, find the fruit and come back say- NOPE, that looks hard, and I don’t want to do it.
I mean, come on people!! They were slaves, they gained their freedom, they were literally given food that fell from the sky, water that came from rocks, their needs have been met but nah, don’t wanna do this anymore.
To me, this is almost the kid- has EVERYTHING. Has never gone without. Parents promise a trip to Disney. They get to Disney. Didn’t get to fly first class but they got there, safely and nourished. And when they get almost to the gates, the kid says “wait, wait wait wait! I have to walk, in the sun?! No- I might get a blister from walking! I might get a sunburn!! I might get bumped into by someone else already inside the park!” So what would most any parent do? “Fine! Then we just won’t go.”
Except- the Israelites weren’t just promised a trip to Disney. They were promised the whole thing- own it, live there, enjoy it, pass it down to your kids, IT’S YOURS.
So basically they get almost there, journey is almost over, they complain about having to take over and don’t believe that they can take the people currently living there so God “turns this van around” and is basically saying “FINE! Fine then! None of you get to go to the promised land, wander around in the desert for 40 years, THEN once all of y’all are dead, your kids can go to the promised land!”
Are any of y’all out there nodding your heads saying yep, been there, done that! One time my kids did……so I had to turn my van around! But hold on- let’s put ourselves back in the kid shoes. How many times have WE done that? God I know you’ve always provided for me! God I see how much you’ve blessed me! But UGH I don’t want to do this one possibly inconvenient or uncomfortable thing you’re asking me to do. Nope, not gonna do it. Is He leading you to your WHERE and instead of faithfully following and trusting Him, you’re digging your heels in the desert sand? 😳😬