DYING IN THE WILDERNESS

Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible…. 

DYING IN THE WILDERNESS 

Numbers 26:63-65 NKJV

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho.

⁶⁴ But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai.

⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 

The Bible is not a book of happy endings.  Any hope for that died with the entrance of sin.  Sin has entered to taint the best of God’s creation.  A creation that was judged to be good by God Himself, that still retains great beauty, and where there is always cause of joy fell into chaos which continues to worsen with time. 

The people of Israel who came out of Egypt had one thing common to them.  They all had been in houses which had a lamb sacrificed and blood put on the door-post.  Other than that they could be divided into three groups.  First was the congregation made up of all the tribes with the exception of the tribe of Levi.  The tribe of Levi was the second group.  This tribe was divided into priests, Aaron with his descendants, and Levites, who were the remaining descendants of Levi.  The Levites included all who were not priests.  The third group were those designated as “the mixed multitude.”  These people were non-Israelites and were probably Egyptians and others who were servants or slaves to the Egyptians.  They were always, as far as they are traced in the Scriptures, at the best a thorn in the side of Israel. 

With this brief background, let us try to determine who was under God’s judgment and what that judgment represents to the Church.  In both I Corinthians and Hebrews the experiences of those who died in the wilderness are given as a lesson to Christians. 

The judgment was plainly upon the ten spies who died immediately and it seems this was extended to all “those who despised me.”  Numbers 14:28.  All who, other than the ten spies, are included are not described.  They could have been from all three groups and probably were. 

The judgment that was to extend for forty years and named a particular classification included all those in Numbers 1:2-3.  These in this classification were to die in the wilderness.  There is no reason to believe that all these who died were unbelievers or for a fact that any were without grace.  We do not know this one way or another. 

The classification of priests and Levites are not included under the judgment being considered.  They were not a part of those numbered so the judgment as a group did not extend to them.  They entered the promised land without respect to age.  The mixed multitude is a mystery, but as they were probably assimilated into the ten tribes they were likely included in the judgment. 

What did the judgment on those who didn’t not enter the promised land represent?  The writer of Hebrews uses the experience of Israel as an illustration of God’s continuing judgment on unbelief.  In Hebrews 3:12-4:13 the writer is pointing to the sin of unbelief, that this sin is disobedience,  Hebrews 3:18, and God’s rest is unavailable to unbelief.

There are two ways that “rest” is used in Hebrews.  One is the rest from all work, as God rested from His works, and to receive Christ by faith as salvation.  The other use of “rest” is an extension of the first use and is the full assurance of salvation that every believer can experience. 

Those of Israel who did not enter the promise did have the full benefits of their escape from the bondage of Egypt.  They died as free men but they died without receiving the full inheritance that was God’s gift to his people. 

A great privilege that Christ has for His people is this “full assurance”, which is the full inheritance.  Many believers die in the waste howling wilderness without ever entering ‘rest” that is their privilege.  The 17^th century Confessional writers realized this and put a chapter in their Confession titled, Of Grace and Salvation,  chapter 18.  It is worth noting that this comes after Perseverance of the Saints, and before The Law of God.  You will profit greatly by reading this chapter in The Westminster Confession, The Savoy Confession, or Philadelphia Confession of Faith. 

Application: 

A.     As a believer you must be aware of what sin does to you and your relationship with God.

B.     It is your privilege and responsibility to have this assurance of salvation.