You turn to Numbers 14. While you're turning there, there's
an organization in Lexington that helps feed the homeless. I hesitate to use their name.
As a matter of fact, I'm not going to because I don't think
an organization ought to be called by that name. The name of the
Lord is holy, and I don't like that name annexed to some kind
of human organization. But at any rate, we've got a
big black barrel. And if you have some canned food
to bring, they're very low on food to help the homeless. So
I hope everybody can bring something and it's in the kitchen and just
stick the food in it and they'll come and pick it up. I'll make
another announcement about it Sunday. Numbers chapter 13 and 14, I'm sorry. I've entitled
this message The day of provocation. The day of provocation at this
event that we're going to look at tonight is referred to by
the psalmist in Psalm 95 and the writer to the Hebrews in
Hebrews chapter three and chapter four as the day of provocation. The day the children of Israel
provoked God. to the extent that he would not
let them enter the promised land. And they were made to sojourn
in that howling wilderness for 40 years because of this event,
and everybody over 20 years old died. and was not allowed to enter
the promised land. The day of provocation. Here's
what took place. Look in Numbers 14, verse 26. And the Lord spake unto Moses
and to Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation
which murmur against me. I have heard the murmurings of
the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto
them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as you have spoken
in mine ears, so will I do to you. Your carcasses shall fall
in this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according
to your whole from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured
against me, doubtless you shall not come into the land concerning
which I swear to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of
Jephthah, and Joshua the son of Nun. Those were the only two
adults to make it into the promised land. But your little ones, which
you said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall
know the land which you have despised. But as for you, Your
carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness, and your children
shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms
until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness after the number
of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days each
day for a year, and you shall bear your iniquities even forty
years." And here's a scary statement. He says, you shall know my breach
of promise. I the Lord have said, I will
surely do it unto all this evil congregation that are gathered
together against me. In this wilderness they shall
be consumed, and there they shall die. And the men which Moses
sent to search the land, who returned and made all the congregation
to murmur against him, to bring up a slander upon the land, even
those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died
by the plague before the Lord." Now, the psalmist tells us that
they did not enter into his rest. Hebrews 3.18 says he swears that
they wouldn't enter into his rest, and the reason they couldn't
enter in is because of unbelief. Now, if the Lord is pleased,
and I sure hope he is pleased to be our teacher, we'll learn
from this passage of scripture something about unbelief, what
it is. and something about faith, what
it really is. Now, wouldn't that be a blessing
if we're enabled to learn what the Word of God has to say about
these two things, faith and unbelief? Now, the setting of this story
is just a couple of months after the Exodus. You can remember what took place
two months ago. No more than 60 days. Now think what these
people had experienced during this time. They had experienced
the 10 plagues that God sent upon Egypt. They had experienced
the Passover, where the firstborn of Egypt died and all the firstborn
of Israel was spared. They had seen the parting of
the Red Sea and walked right through it. They, that very day,
had eaten manna that came down from heaven, and they drank from
the water that came out of that rock. They had seen the giving
of the law on Mount Sinai, and they had witnessed what happened
to the people who worshipped the golden calf. And they still
had that pillar of cloud leading them by day and the pillar of
fire leading them by night. They had experienced all this
in the last 60 days. And now they're getting ready
to enter into the land of Canaan that God had promised them. The
land that flowed with milk and honey. And look in Numbers chapter
13. with all this fresh in their
memory. Verse one, and the Lord spake
unto Moses, saying, Send down men that they may search the
land of Canaan, which I give notice that which I give unto
the children of Israel. It was already theirs. They didn't
have anything to worry about it. If God says, I give it to
you, it's yours. They didn't need to worry. Which
I give unto the children of Israel, of every tribe of their fathers
shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them. And Moses,
by the commandment of the Lord, sent them from the wilderness
of Paran. All those men were heads of the children of Israel.
He sent twelve different men from each tribe into the land
of Canaan to see what was there. Verse 17. And Moses sent them
to spy out the land of Canaan. and said unto them, Get ye up
this way southward, and go up into the mountain, and see the
land, what it is. And the people that dwelleth
therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many, And what
the land is that they dwell in, where it be good, whether it
be good or bad, and what cities they be that dwell in, whether
in tents or in strongholds, and what the land is, whether it
be fad or lean, whether they be wood therein or not. And be
ye of good courage. Don't be afraid. God has already
given you this land. It's yours. You have nothing
to fear. Now, they'd seen the power of
God. They'd seen the power of God expel them out of the land
of Egypt and destroy Egypt, they've seen the power of God feed them
and provide for them. They've seen all this. They've
experienced it. Can you imagine experiencing these things? What
if you had manna for breakfast this morning? What if you had
manna for dinner before you came to the service tonight? What
if you had water that came out of a rock? They've experienced
all these things. Verse. So he says, be ye of good
courage and bring the fruit of the land. Now, the time of the
time was the time of the first ripe grapes. So they went up,
verse 21, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zion unto
Rehob, as men came to Hamath. And they ascended by the south,
and came unto Hebron, where Ahabon, Shishai, and Telmai, the children
of Anak, were. Anak, the children of Anak, were
the giants. Now Hebron was built seven years before Zohar in Egypt. And as they came unto the brook
of Eshcol, and cut down from them to branch with one cluster
of grapes, and they bared between two upon a staff, and they brought
up the pomegranates and of the figs." Now you consider what
a cluster, I had a cluster of grapes in my lap while I was
driving this weekend. It wasn't that big. was good,
but this was so big that they put it on a big stack, two men
carrying it. How big was this cluster of grapes
to show the fruit of this land? Indeed, a land that flows with
milk and honey. Verse 24, the place was called
the Book of Eshcol, the Book of Eshcol, because of the cluster
of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from this.
And they returned from searching the land after forty days, and
they come back with their report, these 12 men that God sent in.
And they went and came to Moses and to Aaron and to all the congregation
of the children of Israel and to the wilderness of Paran, to
Kadesh, and brought back word unto them and to all the congregation
and showed them the fruit of the land. And they told him and
said, we came unto the land where thou sendest us, and surely,
just like God said, it floweth with milk and honey, and this
is the fruit of it. It's exactly as God said it would
be. And they're bringing back proof
that it was. Now, here's where the provocation
begins. It begins with the word, nevertheless. Everything is as God said it
was. Never. The less. Now that word can be a good word.
Nevertheless, there's a several times in scriptures. I'm so thankful
for that word. Nevertheless, he saved him for his namesake. I love that word. Nevertheless,
I'm not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded
that he's able to keep that which I've committed to him against
that day. It's a good word, but here it's a bad word. Nevertheless,
and they begin to walk by sight and not by faith. They begin to speak of the things
which they saw. Verse 28, and here we find the
components, as it were, of unbelief. Nevertheless, in spite of all
that God has said, in spite of all that God has done for us,
in spite of all we've experienced, nevertheless, the people be strong
that dwell in the land. Now, wherever you have unbelief,
here's what else you have, the fear of man. They go hand in
hand, the fear of man. And whenever you have A high
view of man. These people are strong. You're
having a low view of God, aren't you? When man is big, your view
of God is small. The people are strong. We're no match for them. The
fear of man bringeth a snare. Being more concerned about what
men can do to you than what God can do. The fear of man. They be strong that dwell in
the land. And the cities are walled. We
can't get over these cities. We can't jump these walls. We
can't bring them down. They're very great. We can't
get over these walls. And moreover, we saw the children
of Anak there, the children of the giants. That's who these
were. Anak, look down in verse 7. But the men that went up with
him said, we'd be not able to go up against the people, for
they're stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report
of the land, which they'd searched into the children of Israel,
saying the land which we've gone to search it is a land that eats
up the inhabitants thereof. And the people that we saw are
men of great stature. They're bigger than us. And there
we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants.
And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And so we were
in their sight. We can't stand before these giants. And then in verse 29, he names
the five different peoples that are in the land that we have
to deal with. First, he mentions the Amalekites. The Amalekites
are there. Now, who were these Amalekites?
They were the descendants of Esau. And do you remember the
story in Exodus chapter 17? They were the first people to
attack the children of Israel after they left Egypt. And do
you remember what took place? Moses would lift up his hands,
and when he lifted up his hands, the children of Israel would
win. And when his hands would grow
tired and he put his hands down, the children of Israel would
lose. And what that represents, when I look to Christ, I win. When I fail to look to Christ,
I lose. And do you remember how God declared
perpetual war against Amalekites from generation to generation?
Now, the Amalekites represent the flesh. the flesh, what a
formidable enemy he is. And then the Hittites are mentioned. And that word Hittites means
terror. Now remember, we're looking at
what causes unbelief. Well, the fear of man, the flesh,
terror, the fear of circumstances, the fear of circumstances over
which I have no control. Well, what circumstances do you
have control over? Absolutely none. You know, it's
such a blessing when I realize I have no control and God has
all control. But when you're thinking of circumstances,
you're terrified by him. Oh, what? What should we eat?
What should we drink? Whether with all should we be
clothed? How are we going to stand before this? And then he
mentions the Jebusites and the word Jebusites comes from the
word polluted. That's what's behind unbelief,
polluting the word of God, mixing the word of God. And then he
mentions the Amorites, which is taken from the word boasting.
Boasting. That's always an unbelief, boasting
in the flesh, human glory in the flesh. And then he mentioned
the Canaanites, which means the merchants or the peddlers buying
and selling salvation by works. That is who is in the city. Now. Verse 30. And Caleb, you remember Caleb
and what his name means? faithful dog. I love the way
Joshua and Caleb are the only ones who enter the promised land
of this bunch. The Savior and a faithful dog. That's who gets in. The Savior
and a faithful dog. May you and I be faithful dogs
just like him. Caleb had another spirit in him.
He followed the Lord fully. Now, look what he says after
they come up with this evil report to these these enemies that we
cannot possibly defeat. We're scared to death. And Caleb
stilled the people before Moses and said, let us go up at once
and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it. These people are talking about
these giants and these Canaanites and Jebusites and Hittites and
Amorites and all these enemies that we can't defeat, the walled
cities, the flesh. Caleb says we're well able to
overcome it. Now, Caleb, how? How are you
well able to overcome it? They were outnumbered and their
enemies were stronger. How are we well able to overcome
these foes? Now, what came to my mind when
I thought about this passage of scripture where he said we
are well able, we're equipped for this, we're well able to
overcome. What came to my mind with Matthew chapter 20, hold
your finger there and turn with me to Matthew chapter 20. Verse 20. Matthew chapter 20, verse 20. Then came to him the mother of
Zebedee's children, with her sons worshipping him, and desiring
a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt
thou? She saith unto him, Grant that
these my two sons may sit the one on thy right hand, and the
other on the left in thy kingdom. about what any mother would do.
I know my mom would do it. I have no doubt about it. But
Jesus answered and said, You know not what you ask. Are you
able? Now remember, it said we be well
able. Don't forget that. He said, Are
you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of? And to
be baptized with the baptism that I'm baptized with? Now how
would you answer that question? If he said, are you able to drink
of the cup that I drink of and to be baptized with the baptism
that I'm baptized with? How would you answer that? I
know I'd say, no way. I'm not up to that. I couldn't
do that. Now listen to what they say.
They say unto him, we're able. We're up to the task. We can
do it. Now, I would expect a harsh rebuke. But look how the Lord answers.
And he saith unto them. You shall drink indeed of my
cup. And you will be baptized with
the baptism that I am baptized with. Now, how Now here's where
our ability is. Remember, Cain said, we be well
able. When Christ drank of that cup,
you know who else did it? Every single one of his elect. Yes, you're able because if he
does it, you yourself do it. What this is talking about is
being united to Christ so that when he does something, I do
it. When he drank of that cup, I drink of that cup. When he
was baptized under the wrath of God and immersed under the
wrath of God, I was too. When he was raised from the dead,
I was too. Yes, I'm able. If he's able,
I'm able. You see, the essence of faith
is believing his ability. being one with Christ, I want
to ask you a question. I'm asking myself this question.
Is he able to save me? Do you believe he is? Is he able to be my surety? Is he able to bear all my responsibilities. Is he able to be my substitute? Does he have the authority to
take my sin to himself? And does he have the authority
to give his righteousness to me? Is he able to put away my
sin? Do you believe he is? Is he able
to save me to the uttermost? As the scripture says, wherefore,
he is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by
him. And I tell you what, that's the
only way I come to God by him. When he comes, that's when I
come. I don't come beside him. I don't come behind him. When
he comes, I come because I'm in him. And he's able to save
me to the uttermost. Is he able? to satisfy the law
and justice of God. Is he able to present me faultless
before his presence with exceeding joy? Is he able? Darius said to Daniel, when Daniel
was in that lion's den, and he said it with such a pitiful voice, Is thy God, whom thou servest
continually, is He able to deliver thee? That's the issue. Is He able? You see, this is faith in its
simplicity. Let us go up at once. and possess
the land, for we are well able to overtake it, because our ability
is in His ability. Paul said, I know whom I have
believed, and I'm persuaded that He is able. And I'm persuaded of that, too.
He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him against
that day. Faith is a belief in His ability. Caleb, verse 30, stilled the
people before Moses and said, Let us go up at once and possess
it, for we are well able to overcome it. But, verse 31, the men that
went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the
people, for they are stronger than we. Whoever said it, they
were. But are they stronger than God?
Remember all the things that they'd seen. And they brought
up, verse 32, an evil report of the land which they had searched
unto the children of Israel, saying, The land through which
we have gone to search, it's a land that eateth up the inhabitants
thereof. And all the people that we saw
are men of great stature. And there we saw the giants,
the sons of Anak, which come of the giants. And we were on
our own side as grasshoppers. And so we were. in their sight. Verse chapter 14, and all the
congregation lifted up their voice and cried. And the people wept that night,
and the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron,
and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we
died in the land of Egypt. Or would God we died in the wilderness? And wherefore hath the Lord brought
us into this land to fall by the sword that our wives and
our children should be a prey? Were it not better for us to
return to Egypt?" Now think about what they're saying. They meant
this. Let's go back to Egypt. Verse 4, and they said one to
another, let us make a captain and let us return unto Egypt. They actually want to go back
to Egypt. Now, before we get too hard on
them. How much does this speak of me
and you? How could they do this? After
what God had done for them, after what they'd seen, how could they
do this? But you know what occurred to
me? When men are involved, nothing surprises me. Really, nothing. I don't care
what it is. If flesh is involved, it doesn't
surprise me. They want to go back to Egypt.
Are you shocked? I'm not, because I see that in myself. How far
we can sink in unbelief is seen right here. Verse 5, then Moses
and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the
congregation of the children of Israel. And Joshua, now he
speaks up, the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh,
which were of them that searched the land, they rent their clothes
and they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying,
The land which we pass through to search it is an exceeding
good land, just like God said. Now listen to this. If the Lord
delight in us. Then he will bring us into this
land and give it to us, a land which floweth with milk and honey. If the Lord delight in us, if the Lord is pleased with us,
If the Lord finds pleasure in us. Now, when I use words like
that, I know what comes to my mind. How could He be pleased
with me? How could He find pleasure in
me? How? Now, this same word, if
the Lord delight in us, is the same word that's translated in
Ezekiel. Remember that passage of Scripture
where God says, I have no pleasure? in the death of the wicked, but
rather that he should turn from his evil way, I have no satisfaction
in his death. My justice is not satisfied. I find no satisfaction. It's
the same verse of Scripture that says, it pleased the Lord to
bruise him. It was his purpose. He was completely
satisfied by the death of his son. It's the same word that's
translated whatsoever the Lord pleased That did he. If the Lord delight in us, if
he's pleased with us, if he finds pleasure in us. Here's another
way to say it. If God be for us, who could be against us? Same
thing. If God be for us, And we know
that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow. Now, if he's foreknowledge, if
he knew you beforehand, who can be against you? Whom he did foreknow,
them he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son. Now, if God predetermined that
you're going to be just like Christ, what can prevent it? If God before you in predestination,
who can be against you? Moreover, whom He did predestinate,
then He also called, called by invincible, irresistible grace. Now, if God before you in calling,
who can prevent it? Moreover, whom He called, then
He also justified. That means you're not guilty.
If God justified you, you're justified. That means you're
without guilt. That means you're without sin
right now before the throne of God. Now, if God's for you in
justification, who can be against you? Moreover, whom he justified,
then he also glorified. I'm so saved that I'm already
glorified. Now, if God's for me in glorification,
you say, you don't look glorified. Well, God says I am, so I am.
That's all I need is a word from God. I don't understand all that,
but in the person of my Redeemer, I'm already in heaven, already
glorified. Now, if God is for me in glorification,
who can be against me? If the Lord delight in us, he'll
bring us into the land and he will give it to us. Now, how can I know? And this is the clicker. How
can I know if God delights in me? How can I know that the living
God actually finds pleasure and is pleased with me? There's only
one way to answer that, and it's so simple. Do you believe the gospel? Are you, right now, while I'm
talking to you, are you relying upon Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, as everything in your salvation? Are you relying on His righteousness
as your righteousness before God? Are you relying, is the
only hope you have that you're going to be without sin is the
fact that His blood was enough to wash away your sin, and you're
relying on Him to represent you on Judgment Day? Now, are you
relying on Him? Then, beloved, if you are, and you know if you
are, are you looking to Him or yourself? Are you trusting Him
only or your works? Are you trusting Him only or
some experience you had? Are you trusting Him only or
something you intend to do one of these days? No, I'm looking
to Him only. And because of that, I have this
assurance. He delights in me. Now if God delights in us, he'll
bring us into the land and give it to us freely. A land that
flows with milk and honey. Verse 9, only, rebel not ye against
the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they
are bred for us. Their defense is departed from them, and the
Lord is with us. If God be for us, who can be
against us? The Lord's with us. Fear them
not. But all the congregation, not the
majority, every single one of them, here was their response. But all the congregation baits
stone them with stones. Put them to death. And the glory of the Lord appeared
in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke
me? There's where it's called the
day of provocation. And how long will it be ere they
believe me? There's the issue. There's the
issue. They don't believe me. And that's what unbelief is.
It's a failure to believe God. How long will it be? Ere they
believe me for all the signs which I showed among them, I
will smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them and will
make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they." Now,
was God going to do that? No. Why does He speak that way? Because He's going to have Moses
pray for these people. He's going to have Moses intercede
for these people. And we're given another fresh
view of the Gospel through this. Now, let's go on reading. And
Moses said unto the Lord, Now, if that's what takes place, if
you disinherit them, smite them with the pestilence and make
a greater nation, here's what's going to happen. The Egyptians
shall hear it. For thou broughtest up this people
in thy might from among them, and they will tell it to the
inhabitants of this land. For they have heard that thou,
Lord, art among this people. that thou, Lord, art seen face
to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest
before them by the daytime in a pillar of cloud, and in a pillar
of fire by night. Now, if thou shalt kill all this
people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of
thee will speak, saying, Because the Lord was not what? Able." There's the issue. He wasn't
able. You're all so sinful. You're
all so evil. You're all so unbelieving. You're
all so weak and powerless and wicked. He wasn't able to save
them. Moses has some spiritual sense,
doesn't he? Look at the argument he uses.
If you kill us all, the Egyptians will say the Lord wasn't able
to save them. Now would it ever be, bless God,
would it ever be that the Lord would have to say, he's not able
to save me. I'm too bad. I'm too simple. I'm too weak. No, his honor is
engaged in saving the most unable. That's the person he saves. Now, if you have any ability,
go on, he'll let you go. But if you have no ability, None
whatsoever. Would that be you? When we were
yet without strength in due time, Christ died for the ungodly.
If you have no ability, that's the one he's pledged to save. He's not going to let that one
go. Because the Lord, verse 16, because
the Lord was not able to bring His people into the land which
He sware unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness.
And now I beseech thee, let the power, the ability of my Lord
be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is longsuffering
and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgressions,
and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers of the children to the third and fourth generation.
There's the mercy of God. There's the justice of God. He
said he's saved by mercy, and he'll by no means clear the guilty.
That can only be understood in light of the gospel. He's not
going to let any sin go by. He's going to punish it all. Verse 19, Pardon, I beseech thee,
the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of
thy mercy, as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even until
now. And the Lord said, I have pardoned. according to thy word. But as truly as I live, all the
earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord. Because all those men which have
seen my glory and my miracles which I did in Egypt and in the
wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have
not hearkened to my voice, surely They shall not see the land which
I swear unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoke
me see it, but my servant Caleb." Now, here's the person who believes,
and here's why he believes. My servant Caleb, because he
had another spirit with him. Here's the person who believes.
If you believe, it's because you have another spirit, one
you weren't born with, one he placed within you. Do you believe
the gospel? You have another spirit within
you. He hath followed me fully, him
will I bring into the land whereunto he went, and his seed shall possess
it. The psalmist said today, If you
will hear his voice. Harden not your hearts. As in the day of provocation. Tomorrow's over. Forget it. I mean, yesterday's over. Forget tomorrow might well be
over when it comes right down to it, but. Yesterday's over. Forgive it. Tomorrow, you're not promised
tomorrow. And as far as that goes, anything
you intend to do tomorrow is salvation by works, isn't it?
In the strength and energy of the flesh, all you've got is
right now. Now, believe the gospel. Right now. May God enable each
one of us to believe the gospel. Let's pray.