Numbers 14:4

_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!_ Would God that we had died. Such insolence to their generous leaders, and such base ingratitude to God show the deep degradation of the Israelites, and the absolute necessity of the decree that debarred that generation from entering the promised land. They were punished by them wishes being granted to die in that wilderness. A leader to re-conduct them to Egypt is spoken of (Nehemiah 9:17) as actually nominated. The sinfulness and insane folly of their conduct are almost incredible. Their conduct, however, is paralleled by too many among ourselves, who shrink from the smallest difficulties, and rather remain slaves to sin than resolutely try to surmount the obstac

1-4 Those who do not trust God, continually vex themselves. The sorrow of the world worketh death. The Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron, and in them reproached the Lord. They look back with causeless discontent. See the madness of unbridled passions, which makes men prodigal of what nature accounts most dear, life itself. They wish rather to die criminals under God's justice, than to live conquerors in his favour. At last they resolve, that, instead of going forward to Canaan, they would go back to Egypt. Those who walk not in God's counsels, seek their own ruin. Could they expect that God's cloud would lead them, or his manna attend them? Suppose the difficulties of conquering Canaan were as they imagined, those of returning to Egypt were much greater. We complain of our place and lot, and we would change; but is there any place or condition in this world, that has not somet...

Verse Numbers 14:4. _LET US MAKE A CAPTAIN_] Here was a formal renunciation of the authority of Moses, and flat rebellion against God. And it seems from Nehemiah 9:17 that they had actually appointed _another leader_, under whose direction they were about to return to Egypt. How astonishing is this! Their lives were made bitter, because of the rigour with which they were made to serve in the land of Egypt; and yet they are willing, yea _eager_, to get back into the same circumstances again! Great evils, when once some time _past_, affect the mind less than _present_ ills, though much inferior. They had partly forgot their Egyptian bondage, and now smart under a little discouragement, having totally lost sight of their high calling, and of the power and goodness of God....

EXPOSITION THE REBELLION AT KADESH (continued) (Numbers 13:1, Numbers 14:1). NUMBERS 14:1 AND THE PEOPLE WEPT THAT NIGHT. As the spies repeated their dismal tidings, each to the leading men of his own tribe, and as the report was spread swiftly through the tents (cf. Deuteronomy 1:27) with ever-increasing exaggerations, the lamentation became universal. NUMBERS 14:2 Murmured against Moses

AND THEY SAID ONE TO ANOTHER, LET US MAKE A CAPTAIN,.... An head over them instead of Moses, who they knew would never take the government and care of them, should they resolve to return to Egypt as they proposed, and besides were now so disaffected to him, that they might not care he should. Captains they had over their several tribes, but they chose to have one chief commander and general over them all; Nehemiah says they did appoint one; which they either actually did, or this proposal was interpreted as if really put in execution, they being so desirous of it, and bent upon it; wherefore their will is taken for the deed, and so understood; see Ne 9:17; AND LET US RETURN INTO EGYPT: which was downright madness, as some interpreters have justly observed; they must not only expect to be deserted by Moses, through whose means so many miracles had been wrought for them, and who was so wi...

CHAPTER 14 The Rebellion of the People, Moses' Intercession and the Divine Sentence _ 1. The rebellion (Numbers 14:1)_ 2. The intercession of Moses (Numbers 14:11) 3. The divine sentence (Numbers 14:26) 4. The presumption of the people and the defeat (Numbers 14:40) The words of unbelief of the ten spies yielded an awful harvest among the people. The camp was transformed into a camp of despair, weeping and crying during the night. Outspoken rebellion against Moses and Aaron was heard on all sides. Worse than that took place; they accused Jehovah of deception. Such is unbelief. They

NUMBERS 14:1 (P). THE PEOPLE'S DISCOURAGEMENT AT THE REPORT OF THE SPIES. This section is also a fusion of JE and P: its composite character is suggested by the repetitions in Numbers 14:1. In Numbers 14:6 the minority report proceeds from Joshua and Caleb (not from Caleb only, as in Numbers 13:30, JE), and so is derived from P. But the protest in Numbers 14:7 f., though appearing to be made by both jointly, is really Caleb's, for like Numbers 13:30 it is directed a

CAPTAIN. At Horeb they made. "calf"; at Kadesh they would make. "captain". Two notable occasions....

DISCOURSE: 154 APOSTASY DEPRECATED Numbers 14:4. _And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of Israel_. THAT the journeying of the Israelites in the wilderness is typical of our journey towards the heavenly Canaan is so generally known amongst you, that I need not insist upon it [Note: If this should be the subject of an Address to young people after Confirmation, this sentiment may be modified according to circumstances. But, if it be used on a common occasion, our baptismal engagements maybe substituted for those that are here specified.]. That being kept in mind, you will at once see the bearing of my present subject on the solemnities in which you have been engaged. The Israelites had now arrived at the borders of Canaan: and they sent spies, o

THEY SAID ONE TO ANOTHER, LET US MAKE A CAPTAIN— We learn from Nehemiah 9:17 that they actually appointed a captain in the height of this their mutiny, insolence, and ingratitude, not only against Moses and Aaron, but against the Lord himself, who, in so wonderful a manner, had delivered them from Egypt, and continually demonstrated such miracles of mercy towards them. Bishop Warburton remarks, that this unwillingness to leave Egypt, and impatience to return thither, are convincing proofs of their fondness of its customs and superstitions. "When I consider this," says he, "I seem more inclined than the generality to excuse the false accounts of the pagan writers concerning the Exodus, or departure of the Israelites, who concur to represent the Jews as expelled or forcibly driven out of Egypt; for so indeed they were; their mistake was only about their driver; the pagans supposed him to b...