Editor’s note: This Sunday School Lesson originally was published Sept. 27, 2019.

Numbers 14:10-23

Ten of the twelve men sent to spy out the Promised Land brought negative news to the children of Israel, “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept the night.”

Only Joshua and Caleb trusted God, and they pleaded with the Jews to not rebel against the Lord.

“The Lord is with us: fear them not,” said the two men. The people were so angry that they were going to stone the two spies who trusted God, but “the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.” God showed His approval of these men to discourage the people from causing harm to Joshua and Caleb, and to encourage the men because they did not rebel against Him.

“How long will this people provoke me?” the Lord asked Moses. “How long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs I have shewed among them?” It was amazing that they would not trust God after all He had done in bringing them to this point. He delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and brought them safely through the Red Sea. The Lord led them and showed He was present in the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud. He fed them manna, their daily bread.

No matter what the Lord did, the Jews still complained and wished they were back in Egypt. The Lord said He would destroy them, but He would make Moses and his descendants mightier than the Jews.

The Egyptians, Moses said, will hear about the deaths of the Jews and they will see the Lord as weak and unable to keep His promises. In fact, said Moses, all the nations would become aware of this and say the Lord was not able to keep His promise to give them the Promised Land. Moses knew the Lord would keep the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Moses said the Lord is long-suffering, forgiving sins but not removing the consequences of sin. The Lord had been merciful to the Jews, forgiving the people more than once since they came out of Egypt.

The Lord heard the prayer of Moses, and 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.”

It is true that the Lord does forgive our sins, but He does not always prevent the consequences resulting from sin. In Israel’s case, He prevented the adult generation from entering the land, with the exceptions of Joshua and Caleb. The Jews would spend a total of forty years in the wilderness, one year for each day the spies were in the Promised Land.

In speaking with Moses the Lord said of Caleb, “he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully.” What was that spirit? Caleb and Joshua said, “the Lord is with us,” and they never wavered. May we have that same spirit of trust.

The Sunday School Lesson is written by Ed Wilcox, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church. He can be reached at [email protected].