Numbers 14:5-19

E. MOSES-' PLEA AND GREAT INTERCESSORY PRAYER vv. 5-19
TEXT

Numbers 14:5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7. And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8. If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; their defense is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. 10. But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.
11. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have showed among them? 12. I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
13. And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;) 14. And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou Lord art among this people, that thou Lord art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by daytime in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.
15. Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16. Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17. And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18. The Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.

PARAPHRASE

Numbers 14:5. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the entire assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.

6. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunnah, of those who spied out the land, tore their clothes: 7. and they spoke to all the assembly of the children of Israel, saying, The land through which we passed to spy it out is an exceptionally good land. 8. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us: a land which flows with milk and honey. 9. Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey: their defense is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. 10. But all the assembly suggested stoning them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the Tent of Meeting before all the children of Israel.
11. And the Lord said to Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be before they believe me, in spite of all the miracles I have performed among them? 12. I will strike them with a pestilence and disinherit them, and make of you a greater and stronger nation than they.
13. But Moses said to the Lord, Then Egypt will hear of it, since by your power you brought up this people from among them, 14. and they will tell it to the residents of this land. They have heard that you, Lord, are among this people; that you, Lord, are seen face to face, and that your cloud stands over them, and that you go before them by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire.
15. Now, if you do kill all this people as one man, the nations which have heard of your fame will say, 16. -Because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land He pledged to them, therefore he has slaughtered them in the wilderness.-' 17. But now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as you have spoken, saying, 18. -The Lord is slow to anger, great in love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but He will by no means clear the guilty, bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generations.-' 19. Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people, according to the vastness of your love, even as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now.

COMMENTARY

It is sometimes assumed that the congregation desired to stone only Joshua and Caleb (RCP); however, the manner in which the Lord responded may indicate that the reaction was against all four. Divine glory flashed forth from the Tabernacle to halt the actions of the crowd, and refocused their attention upon their rightful position. No doubt the manifestation was both visible and awesome, since drastic measures would have been required to prevent mob actions against the potential victims.

The two faithful spies make one final effort to influence the people. But they cannot do more than specify the conditions upon which the Lord will fulfill the promise of the land: they must be worthy of the delight of the Lord, and cease rebelling against Him. Neither must they any longer fear the pagan inhabitants any longer. The choice is placed squarely upon the rebels. They may march victoriously into Canaan, led by God's powerful hand; or, they may resume their grumbling and anarchy. They choose the latter course.
Unreasoning mobs are seldom stilled by cool heads and calm pleas. Stoning was not only a most horrible means of death, it was a disgraceful punishment reserved for the most grave circumstances. That such a thing was suggested for God's men reveals the hostility and irrationality of the mob.

God's glory, manifested under so many different conditions during all dispensations, has never failed to strike the viewers with awe. These same insurrectionists had viewed His glory at Sinai (Exodus 24:16-17), when He confirmed His covenant with them. That had been a time for rejoicing; this was a time for fear.

For the second time, God proposes to destroy an ungrateful, rebellious troupe and make of Moses a greater people than they. PC offers the suggestion that God was not actually serious about eliminating IsraelHe was putting Moses to the test of unselfishness, loyalty and courage with respect to his people, fully expecting Moses to refuse the offer. From another vantage point, RCP reminds the reader that, even had the Lord put all the rebels down, leaving only Moses, the promise to the patriarchs would not have been broken since Moses was a descendant of the patriarchs. An oversimplified response is simply to point out that every Israelite was a descendant of the patriarchs.

Although Numbers 14:13-14 are corrupt in the original, their meaning is simple: the Egyptians, from whom Israel has been delivered, would delight in pointing out to the inhabitants of Canaan that the God who had presumably led Israel across the Red Sea and to the edge of Canaan, was now suddenly impotent and could not finish His proposed work. The response the Egyptians might logically expect would be a united attack against the former slaves, resulting in their utter defeat. Then, Moses reasons, the name of the Lord would be subjected to derision and contempt. Any tragedy coming upon them, especially the pestilence such as God threatened, would be further confirming evidence to the pagan mind. The logic of Moses rests upon human principles, failing to recognize that God's actions are not measured by men's reasoning; if, in His judgment the actions of Israel warrant death, the reaction of others is irrelevant.

The second basis of Moses-' appeal has much more to commend it as he appeals to God's forgiveness and mercy. Justice may well require the death sentence, but God is free always to temper justice with mercy as it may accomplish His purposes. Before He can extend mercy, however, He must effect pardon; and they have sinned grossly. Thus two supreme divine prerogatives are involved: the power to forgive and the ability to temper justice with mercy.
Moses-' intercession is a sublime prayer. It is totally unselfish, since Moses might have been briefly tempted to accept the place of progenitor of a new and faithful people. It is solicitous of the name and reputation of God, which Moses would like preserved without even undeserved tarnish. It appeals to the highest attributes of God, prerogatives He alone may possess, in the resolution of this dilemma. If it is not eloquent in its original form, it is a splendid presentation of the thought that the wicked, much more than the righteous, must depend upon the pardoning mercy of the Lord.

QUESTIONS AND RESEARCH ITEMS

258.

What is the significance of the actions of Moses and Aaron as they fell upon their faces before the people? Are the actions of Joshua and Caleb for the same reasons?

259.

What reason might the two faithful spies have for thinking the people might listen to them now, when their earlier words had drawn an unfavorable response?

260.

Under what conditions would the Lord delight in us? What consequences would follow?

261.

Explain the thought, the people are bread for us in Numbers 14:9.

262.

Upon what legal basis could the Israelites have appealed for stoning their antagonists?

263.

What is the implied reaction of the people when the glory of the Lord appeared from the Tent of Meeting?

264.

Discuss the various motives attributed to God when He proposed the destruction of the rebels in Israel.

265.

List the points presented in Moses-' petition to the Lord. Discuss the relative weight of each.

266.

Why should there be any need for the Egyptians to tell the people of Canaan of the impotence of God, if Israel were not brought into the land?

267.

What fate would be demanded of the Israelites if God acted upon sheer justice alone? What point or points would be demonstrated if He were to accede to the petition of Moses?