Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out.
Numbers 9:22 NASB95
From Exodus to Obedience
Previously in You Will Not Be Led -5- Disobedience to Witness we left the rabble who had uncovered their nakedness before their enemies by their idolatry SLAIN by the sword of the Levites ordered by Moses and the LORD.
Moses once again ascends Sinai and receives detailed instructions from the LORD for completing the Tabernacle containing the ark of the testimony. (In the next book {Vayikra (Leviticus)}of five, the LORD provides many instructions for the Levite Priests for worship and application of the LAW.)
Now we journey further with the Hebrews in the wilderness.
Numbers: מִדְבָּר
9:23 At the commandment of the Lord they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed: they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
10: In the Second Year..
11 Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony..
33 Thus they set out from the mount of the Lord three days’ journey, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord journeying in front of them..
כִּ֚י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֵ֥שׁ אֹכְלָ֖ה ה֑וּא אֵ֖ל קַנָּֽא׃ פ
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
Deuteronomy 4:24 WLC, KJV
the fire of the Lord burnt among them
Numbers 11:
Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.
- Are YOU like that?
- Do you know some of your church who tend to complain at every adversity?
- Pastor, WHY has GOD brought this on ME?
2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out.
3 .. the fire of the Lord burned among them.
5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”
What is it?
We want to make our people great again, as we were before.
If you want to be our leader, give US something FREE! (for the LORD doesn’t give US anything and WE THE PEOPLE deserve more.) Sound familiar — perhaps even contemporary?
18 Say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying,
“Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat…
19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days.. but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you ..”
21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot..
(and Moses asks how he will feed them)
31 A wind sent by the Lord came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them all around the camp. They were flying three feet off the ground for about a day’s journey in every direction. The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail—the one who took the least gathered sixty bushels—and they spread them out all around the camp.
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord’s anger burned against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague…
More murmuring from leaders
12:9 So the anger of the Lord burned against them and He departed. But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow..
Debate on the Hill
13 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃
2 שְׁלַח־לְךָ֣ אֲנָשִׁ֗ים וְיָתֻ֙רוּ֙ אֶת־אֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֥י נֹתֵ֖ן לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִ֣ישׁ אֶחָד֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד לְמַטֵּ֤ה אֲבֹתָיו֙ תִּשְׁלָ֔חוּ כֹּ֖ל נָשִׂ֥יא בָהֶֽם׃
3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran at the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the sons of Israel..
25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.
26 And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation…
FOR: 2
AGAINST: 10
The plan of the LORD is defeated.
13:32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel…
Numbers 14:
And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!
.. 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” ..
10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of the Lord appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
נָאַץ
- despise (8x), provoke (5x), abhor (4x), blaspheme (4x), contemn (2x), flourish (1x), great occasion to blaspheme (1x)
- How long will this people provoke me? – KJV
- “How long will these people reject Me? – NKJV
- “How long will these people treat me with contempt? – NLT
- “How long will this people spurn Me? -NASB95
- :וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה עַד־אָ֥נָה יְנַאֲצֻ֖נִי – WLC
“Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.”
from the prayer of mōšê to yᵊhōvâ in the wilderness 14:19 NASB95
To be continued... {Yes, in this this post on pg. 2 we will continue with Korah's rebellion; but as you can see Moses encountered much opposition to the LORD in a short time in the wilderness in leading a majority of rebellious people who did NOT want to obey God.} Can you wait to hear where the Lord will lead?
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