“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.” (Psalm 125:1)
One of the names by which God is known in the Bible is the Rock of Ages. The solidity of a rock is unquestionable. It does not budge even when all around it is moving. Why? It is anchored. So, when we stand on the Rock of Ages, which cannot be moved, our assurance is doubly sure. Fear exits through the window when we take God’s Word for what it is and act on it.
The Children of Israel in the course of their journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land lacked faith in this God that was unseen, yet was continually with them in a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night to keep their enemies at bay. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22)
From this quote, it is observed that God never left them. As He always assured them, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you.’ He kept His word to the very end. “God is not man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfil?” (Numbers 23:19)
One would have thought that over time the Israelites would have been used to God’s ways. But each time He put His people to the test (and He did several times) they unfortunately failed Him. Under ordinary circumstances, we would have given up with these people, but God had a purpose for them to fulfil and He was bent on showing them mercy.
Catalogued below are a series of errors the Israelites committed that delayed their entry into the Promised Land. Even though God was with them along the way and in spite of the promises made, the Israelites did not respond with corresponding action. A case in point: God wanted them to have a first-hand view of the Promised Land; so, He ordered Moses to choose a delegate each twelve spies to embark on a reconnaissance trip mission which was a tremendous success. They returned with giant-size bunches of grapes that two men had to carry on their shoulders as a testimony that the land was blessed with milk and honey (meaning agriculturally endowed).
If they had stopped at that, testimony would have gone down well with their audience. When required to report on their findings, ten out of the twelve highlighted the fact that the land was inhabited by giants, whilst they looked like grasshoppers in their sight. The instruction given to Moses was: “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites.” (Numbers 13:1) Moses further broke it down into minute details to make the reporting all-compassing.
to
Blanket security. All enemies warded off.
Last straw. Spies in Canaan, a foretaste of the Promised Land
In spite of the promises God made to them they still found fault.