11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people despise me? How long will they not trust in me despite all the signs I have performed among them? 12 I will strike them with a plague and destroy them. Then I will make you into a greater and mightier nation than they are.” (Numbers 14:11-12)  The Lord questioned Moses about the people despising, spurning or rejecting him and their failure to trust him. All despite how he had cared for them (plagues in Egypt, Red Sea, food and water). Then the Lord makes two promises to Moses: (1) He would bring a plague on them, killing all of them including their livestock and (2) He would establish a nation from Moses; that is reset the covenant he made with Abraham – similar to what he said at Mt. Sinai when they made the golden calf. He said he would start over with a new people. Was God canceling the promise he made to Abraham? The general thinking is that God was testing Moses character and teaching him about mercy. Challenge: Do you complain about your situation or what is happening to you. Are you rejecting God and his plan? What does this say about your trust? “Complaining about the weather seems to be a favorite American pastime. Sadly, we Christians often get caught up in this ungodly habit in our society. But when we complain about the weather, we are actually complaining against God who sent us our weather. We are, in fact, sinning against God (see Numbers 11:1).” Jerry Bridges

26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” 30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” (Numbers 13:26-31) The Positive Report (26-27): The spies confirmed that the land was flowing with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 1:25 quotes the spies as saying, “The land the Lord our God is giving us is good.” Good in Hebrew is the same word God used to describe creation in Genesis. The Negative Report (28-29): While the land was good, the spies had serious reservations about the people and the large, fortified cities. The people were giants (descendants of Anak) and the spies like grasshoppers. The listed the people who lived in the land they had explored. They said the people were courageous (had made themselves strong – the same word Moses had used to encourage the spies). Caleb’s Reaction (30-31): Caleb was ready to advance into Canaan. He did not deny or argue about the report of the other spies. Joshua agreed with Caleb (Numbers 14:5-9).  Challenge: Has anything kept you from carrying out a task God has given you? Do you view the task in human terms? “It is not the strength of then body that counts, but the strength of the Spirit” J. R. R. Tolkien

21 So they went up and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin to Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. 22 They went up into the Negeb and came to Hebron. Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, were there. (Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.) 23 And they came to the Valley of Eshcol and cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes, and they carried it on a pole between two of them; they also brought some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol, because of the cluster that the people of Israel cut down from there. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land. (Numbers 13:21-25) They journeyed as far north as the head water of the Orontes River which flows north into the Mediterranean Sea northeast of Beirut, Lebanon. The explored the Negev on the south of Canaan, which is an arid region not suitable for, agriculture. Here they encounter the Anakin or descendants of Anak, a giant people. Three powerful leaders were mentioned.  Next the scouts moved through the Eshcol Valley near Hebron where they harvested the large cluster of grapes that had to be carried by two men on a pole. The Greek geographer and historian, Strabo, reported that clusters of grapes near Antioch were as much as three feet in length. On their journey they passed through land that was suitable for grazing and herding, land for raising grain, and that suitable for raising fruit and vegetables. The spies spent forty days on their survey. It is estimated that the distance between Kadesh and Rehob in the north as about 150 miles. We can assume that they traveled at least 300 miles. Challenge: When preparing for a God-given task, what do you consider? What resources are available? “God makes a promise faith believes it; hope anticipates it; patience quietly awaits it.” D.L. Moody

17 When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 Is the land they live in good or bad? Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications? 20 Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes. (Numbers 13:17-20) Moses appointed twelve men, one from each tribe, to spy out the land. He wanted to know if the land was it habitable, suitable for growing crops. He also wanted to know if the people were strong or weak, did they live in fortified cities or tents, and how many of them were there? The purpose the expedition was to determine how to enter the land and the strategy needed to conquer it. It was not to determine if they could enter the land. Indications are that they traveled together which meant they were at considerable risk from the inhabitants; therefore, Moses command them to be courageous, or “make yourselves strong” or “be single minded” (v20). Note that the Israelites arrived at Kadesh when the harvest was taking place. A coincidence? Challenge: How do you approach a God-given task? Do you determine what is needed and the actions needed for completing it? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV 

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. (Numbers 11:16-17)  The Lord Provides Help (16-17): God’s response to the complaints was not to change their diet but to provide Moses help in leading the people. Apparently, Moses had forgotten his father-in-law's (Jethro) advice to delegate leadership responsibilities (Exodus 18). God’s Instruction (16): The Lord instructed Moses to gather 70 men. They were men who demonstrated wisdom. He told Moses to take them to the tabernacle (tent of meeting) where they would hear God reveal his will and response to Moses’ need. Sharing the Load (17): God told Moses that he would talk to him in the presence of the elders and he would place his Spirit on them so they could assist him in leading the people. The Lord commissioned or empowered the elders to share the burden of leadership with Moses. Note: God met the real need not the perceived need. Challenge: Do you complain about the position the Lord has place you in? Have you delegated your work to the Holy Spirit? Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. (Exodus 18:21-22)

4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.” 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it. (Hebrews 11:4-9) The people (called riffraff or rabble) were tired of manna and complained that they had free food and ate better in Egypt. The riffraff was a group of non- Israelites traveling with them who were complaining. This is the ninth of ten times the people referred to how good life was in Egypt. The language implies that they had an inappropriate craving for the past. Clearly the people had selective memory. They had forgotten that they were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord provided food for them in the desert. They were complaining to the host, the provider. He met their needs even though it was not what they expected or wanted; food that required only gathering and preparation, no other effort was needed on their part. Jesus compared himself to manna (John 6:35-51). “Whoever eats of his bread will never be hungry but will live forever” Challenge: Do you think the past was better? Do you complain about the present? Do you overlook God’s blessings, his provision? "Each day, though it brings its trouble, shall bring its help; and though you should live to outnumber the years of Methuselah, and though your needs should be as many as the sands of the seashore, yet shall God’s grace and mercy last through all your necessities, and you shall never know a real lack." ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses. (Numbers 9:22-23)  Numbers describes (1) God’s preparation of Israel for the promised land, (2) the journey from Sinai to Kadesh Barnea, and (3) the 40 years in the wilderness. The people watched the cloud and when it moved, they moved. When it stopped, they stopped. They obeyed. Some believe that Moses assigned people to watch the cloud. These verses indicate that the movement of the cloud was abrupt. There were no alarm bells or warning. The Cloud just moved. God is a God of certainty. There is no indication that the movement of the cloud was uncertain. There was no question. God is decisive, and the people obeyed. Their obedience involved an effort. They had to dismantle and pack the tabernacle. It is estimated that there were 8500 Levites to do that job. With out a doubt they were prepared and organized for the task. Challenge: Today, we do not have a cloud. So how do you know that God is always there? How can you be certain, even when you do not feel his presence. How do you know when to start, when to stop, or where to go? How do you get directions from God? "[Having Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus, if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way." C. S. Lewis

17 And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. (Numbers 9:17-21)  The cloud was God’s signal for the people to move (set out) and stop (camp). When the cloud moved, the people packed up and set out following its movement. The cloud provided certainty and comfort. They did not need a calendar, clock, or compass. Some speculate that Moses appointed people to watch the cloud. Yet there was uncertainty. They never knew when the cloud was going to move. The Amplified version says that the cloud was “taken up” (v21). God lifted it up. it was not a morning fog. Further, When God moved, the people moved. They responded to God’s direction. Challenge: Have you had to wait for something? Why does the Lord make us wait? Is waiting difficult? Can you live with uncertainty, waiting on God? “To love God is to love His will. It is to wait quietly for life to be measured by One who knows us through and through. It is to be content with His timing and His wise appointment.” Elisabeth Elliott

15 On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. (Numbers 9:15-16) God’s Presence These verses are repeat the event at the end of Exodus: the erection of the tabernacle and the cloud representing God’s Prescence descending over it. The tabernacle was 150 feet in length and 75 feet wide. The outer courtyard posts with curtains between and an inner tented structure was 15x30 feet and was called the tent of testimony because it contained the ark of the covenant, an outer room, and the Holy of Holies with the ark of the covenant with the tablet of the law given to Moses at Mt. Sinai. From these verses we can see that the cloud covered or rested over the tabernacle by day and fire by night. The cloud was there continuously. Some scholars believe the cloud glowed like fire at night. The bottom line is God’s promise to be present with his people. These verses state that God’s presence was visible. God, or his representation was visible. Challenge: How does God show his presence today? How do we know that God is present today?  Let it be your business to keep your mind on the presence of the Lord. Throughout your day, don’t let it wander too far so that you are accustomed to think of him often, you will find it easy to keep your mind calm in the time of prayer. Brother Lawrence