Numbers 14 Summary: A Concise Overview in 5 Minutes

Numbers 14 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• In Numbers 10, the Israelites set out from Mount Sinai to go to Paran on the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year after leaving Egypt. They arrived in Paran at the end of Numbers 12.

• The year was approximately 1490 B.C.

CHARACTERS:

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to Canaan. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses communicated God’s words to the people.    

• Israelites – The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They had travelled from Egypt to the border of Canaan through the wilderness.

WHERE:

• The Israelites were camped in the wilderness of Paran at Kadesh (13:26).

OUTLINE:

• THE ISRAELITES REBEL AGAINST GOD AND MOSES (14:1-12):

  • After hearing the bad report from the men who were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, the Israelites grumbled about Moses and Aaron.

  • They said they wished they had died in Egypt or in the wilderness.

  • Some of the people wanted to choose a new leader to take them back to Egypt.

  • Joshua and Caleb tried to get the people to put their faith in God and to believe He would empower them to conquer the land, but the people threatened to stone them. 

  • To keep Joshua and Caleb from being stoned, God’s glory appeared at the Tabernacle and He threatened to destroy the whole multitude.

• MOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE ISRAELITES (14:13-19):

  • Moses advocated on behalf of the people.

  • He was concerned that if God destroyed the people, He would no longer be respected by the surrounding nations who had heard of His 10 plagues on Egypt.

  • Moses appealed to God’s forgiving nation and asked for forgiveness for Israel.

• THE LORD’S PARDON AND PUNISHMENT (14:20-38):

  • God granted Moses’ request and did not destroy the people, but He did punish them.

  • The 10 faithless spies “died by plague before the Lord” (14:37).

  • God told Moses no one over the age of 20 would be allowed to enter Canaan apart from Joshua and Caleb.

  • God was going was going to punish Israel by making them live in the wilderness for 40 years, until all the people in the older generation died.   

  • The Israelites were told to turn around and head back towards the Red Sea.

• A CHANGE OF HEART (14:39-45):

  • When the people heard their punishment, they “mourned greatly.”

  • The next day, they told Moses they were going to go to Canaan and fight for the land.

  • Moses advised them not to do it because the Lord would not bless them.

  • Some individuals fought with the Amalekites and Canaanites in the hill country, but they were swiftly defeated.

APPLICATION:

• Being on God’s side will require you to be in the minority.

• This is a pattern we’ll see repeated throughout the Bible.

• Trusting God and doing His will has never been popular.

• Jesus told His disciples it would always be this way (Matthew 7:13-14):

• Being a servant of God requires separating yourself from the majority.

DIAGRAM OF THE CAMP OF ISRAEL:

DIAGRAM OF THE TABERNACLE: