The response of the Israelite congregation to Moses' and Aaron's leadership after the report of the spies regarding the land of Promise was pathetic (Nm. 14). Listen to them lift up their voices, crying for despair and weeping all night!
(Vs. 1) And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. They cannot contain their emptiness.
Listen to their ridiculous, ungodly, unreasonable reasoning.
(Vss. 2-3) And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto 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 into Egypt? Would they really prefer Egypt? Can the melodrama, please!
Listen to their unrest, murmuring and plotting to rid themselves of God's appointed, ordained leader.
(Vs. 4) And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.
It must be remembered that at this point in time, they had been out of Egypt for over 2 years; they had personally experienced things which no one has ever experienced, and in so varied a number of ways. The Lord declares:
(Vss. 22-23) Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me see it: but My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Two of the great blessings they daily had in their very midst were the Manna and Pillar of cloud and fire. And as they were shouting and crying and plotting and uncontrollably weeping and defying God Himself to the face — the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar by fire at night was visible before them while they spoke! Every one of them had eaten manna that morning, and had some stored at home for the day, and maybe even had some on their persons as they complained! What wretches! What ingrates! What unbelief! — blind, unheeding, disbelieving, rebelliousness.
They were disbelieving God's promises while His manna was in their mouths! So, too often, do we!
We daily have unmistakable evidences of God's goodness, provision, grace, mercy and care all around us; and while we are partaking of it, are regularly guilty of ignoring, abusing or taking it for granted; disbelieving His promises! Unbelievers are surrounded with the common goodness of God every moment and never acknowledge it, being by nature unthankful (Romans 1:21) — not unthankful for what they have, but unthankful to the One who provides it to them. Let believers not be as unbelievers. Rather, let every moment be lived in the recognition of God's boundless goodness and the reliability of His promises.
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