Numbers 13 and 14
In the Bible, we are told that the carnal mind is enmity against God in Romans 8:7. This means that unless and until a sinner’s mind is changed toward to God, God’s grace and faithfulness will be never appreciated by that sinner. As in these two chapters of Israel’s history, they may spy the beautiful land but really see it. They may hear of its goodness and glory, but its all gibberish. Until the heart is right with God, all is wrong. The inability to believe God naturally flows out of the carnal heart like water down a hill. Water always flows down, it never flows up. The sinful man won’t believe because he cannot. No amount of proof or evidence will change the human mind. The Israelites had abundant proof and look at them. John 6:63 makes it clear: it is the Spirit Himself that gives life.
So then, unbelief—
1. Sees human ingenuity as the solution to every problem.
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”—Numbers 13:31
“We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”—Numbers 13:33
People who think they can succeed without God are deluding themselves. Many believers are attempting obtain the blessings of God without faith in God. How can a person—a helpless sinner or a child of God—overcome the giants of evil from within and from without? How can people get over the walls of habitual sin they have built around them? How can anybody climb out of the rut of depression, fear and anxiety? Measure your trials and tribulations against your own abilities, and you may well say, “I am not able!”
It is good when a sinner makes this confession for it is the first step toward their salvation. But for the believer to make this confession it is just plain sad. There are blessings—high blessings—in God’s Word promised to His people: perpetual peace, joy, strength and victory. Like Nehemiah, we must measure all our problems with his attitude: Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us.—Nehemiah 2:20
2. Makes void the Word of God.
“The land we explored devours those living in it.”—Numbers 13:32
So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.—Exodus 3:8
Here we see puny man daring to contradict an Almighty God. Unbelief will always contradict God because unbelief can only make judgments based on appearance.
Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar.—1 John 5:10
God’s Word promises pardon, peace and paradise to all who believe on Jesus Christ, yet the unbelieving heart thinks Christianity devours up its followers because worldly pleasures are no longer sought after. God says, “Look and live.” Unbelief says “Work and live.” God’s Word says Christ’s ways are wisdom; they are ways that lead to peace. Unbelief says we would have to give up all pleasure to walk in His way. Hebrews 4:2 says—
For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.
3. Despises God’s provision
So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it.—Numbers 14:36
Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.—Psalm 106:24
God had provided and good and fruitful land for His people, yet they saw no beauty in it and had no desire to possess it. In fact, they made excuses against it!
Christ and His precious promises are God’s provision to the sinner, yet how often are they are despised and He is slandered. But you know, Christ is also slandered and His promises despised in His own house! You bring slander upon the land when you profess to be a Christian, yet live like you aren’t. You despise God’s provision when you trust your own goodness and your own abilities at the expense of living by faith in Christ. You despise God’s provision when you pray to be excused:
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’—Luke 14:18
4. Dishonors God Himself
The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?—Numbers 14:11
In the Garden of Eden when Eve chose to believe Satan, she discredited the Lord. When we chose to believe to do our own will and go our own way we disbelieve God and discredit Him.
God brought these people out of Egypt, He had forgiven them all their sins, yet they doubted Him and didn’t trust Him. Has God not been gracious to you? Have you not seen God’s Hand on your life? How often have you rebelled against Him? You may wonder how bad is it to occasionally go your own way? It was unbelief that drove the nails into Christ’s hands and feet. It was unbelief that pierced His side. If you are choosing to not listen to God’s Word, you are crucifying Him all over again.
5. Is the source of sin and sorrow
How easy it is to believe a bad report! Those who chose to disbelieve God and believe something or someone else will weep and wail. Unbelief excludes God and prefers darkness to light, sorrow and misery to peach and joy. It is faith in God and hope in God that wipes your tears away.
Unbelief shuts out the Holy Spirit’s still, small voice of guidance and cries out, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt,” (verse 4b). How foolish is the person who refused to accept the blessings of God!
Remember when the disciples met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and they didn’t recognize Him? The account is in Luke 24:13—27. His friends didn’t recognize even though they were discussing Scriptures about Him! They didn’t believe what they were reading. Why is there so much sadness in the world? Because people don’t believe Him.
6. Presumes to succeed without God
Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the high hill country.
The foolish virgins came knocking at the door after it was shut and locked. Samson had fallen so far from God, he didn’t even know when God had left him (Judges 16:20).
This is the sad presumption of every sinner: that God will bless them even though they don’t believe God’s Word. Believers are the same; they expect God to bless them when they don’t obey God’s Word. Many believers are like the children of Israel in Exodus 16:27—
Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none.
They were a day late and a dollar short. Like many Christians.
7. Incurs the sentence of death
In this desert your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
Talk about solemn! Unbelief will keep a person out of heaven. God is merciful, but He is not to be trifled with. The punishment of the unbelieving is as certain as the blessedness of the believing.
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”—Matthew 25:46
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