A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns
A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns
A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
gathered least gathered ten homers” or ten times the prescribed daily allotment of manna (v. 32).<br />
But even as the people ate the quail, “the Lord struck the people with a very great plague” (v.<br />
33). Those who died were buried and the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah meaning “graves<br />
of lust.”<br />
<strong>The</strong>n it was Moses’ own family that began to lead the murmuring. After his wife died,<br />
Moses decided to marry a black Cushite woman and was opposed in his decision by both his<br />
brother Aaron and sister Miriam. This was apparently the first case of interracial marriage in<br />
Scripture and the reaction of others to this couple’s decision to marry was not too unlike the<br />
present-day opposition. But in this case, Aaron and Miriam were speaking against Moses as a<br />
prophet of God without cause.<br />
God responded to this rebellion in leadership by calling the three siblings to the<br />
tabernacle. God apparently has a sense of humor. Because Miriam had complained about Moses<br />
marrying a black woman, God plagued Miriam with leprosy, making her “white as snow”<br />
(12:10). Even when Moses prayed for her healing, God ordered she “be shut out of the camp<br />
seven days, and after that she may be received again” (v. 14).<br />
When the people finally arrived at Kadesh Barnea, it was clearly established that the<br />
people were in a rebellious mood. Moses selected twelve men, one from each of the tribes of<br />
Israel, to spy out the land to confirm the promise of God concerning the quality of their new<br />
homeland. And when they returned, they agreed, “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly<br />
flows with milk and honey” (13:27). But there were other inhabitants in the land including the<br />
children of Anak, a family of giants, and the present residents of the land lived in walled cities,<br />
something none of them had seen before. Ten of the twelve spies focused on the problem rather<br />
than the power of God, and could not see past the giants to the God who was bigger than all the<br />
giants of Canaan or anywhere else. Only Joshua and Caleb seemed to think God could overcome<br />
the giants.<br />
But the people did not want to fight giants, and rather than celebrate the quality of their<br />
new homeland, they mourned the fact it could never be theirs to enjoy. When Joshua and Caleb<br />
tried to persuade the people not to rebel but to trust God and march in to claim the Promised<br />
Land, the people wanted to stone the only two faithful men among the spies. And God decided to<br />
draw the line. If Israel did not want the land, He did not want Israel. He prepared to destroy and<br />
disinherit them.<br />
As he had on so many other occasions, Moses preserved the life of the nation by praying<br />
on their behalf. In something of a compromise solution to the situation, God agreed not to<br />
destroy them, but also not to let them into the Promised Land. <strong>The</strong>y would wander in the<br />
wilderness another thirty-eight years until the rebellious generation which so often stirred up the<br />
wrath of God had completely died off. When Israel finally realized their great sin, they<br />
determined the next day to go in and fight for the land. But the open gate at Kadesh Barnea had<br />
been closed and God had withdrawn His offer to that generation.<br />
But the rebellions of Israel in the wilderness were still not over. A conspiracy led by<br />
Korah of the tribe of Levi and Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of Reuben rose up to challenge the<br />
authority of Moses and Aaron. <strong>The</strong> movement attracted some 250 princes of Israel including<br />
many of the most popular men of that day. At its peak, Korah was able to convince most of the<br />
nation to oppose Moses at the entrance of the tabernacle.<br />
But the size of Korah’s rebellion did not cause God any undue concern. He can deal with<br />
a rebellion of a thousand as easily as a rebellion of one. Moses warned the people to separate<br />
themselves from the leaders of the rebellion, because God was going to judge who should lead