Chapter 14 records the first of the people’s bitter complaints against the Lord and to Moses. Eventually, their complaining would result in God’s judgement on the people at Kadesh Barnea (Numbers 14:22-23) but for now, Moses reassures them that the Lord will fight for them.

The people’s complaint shows how far they are separated from the Lord and how little they understand his purposes. Even after seeing the way God has secured their release from slavery, they are quick to fall into fear, and quick to blame God and Moses. The moment something seems to be going wrong, they forget all that God has done for them so far, and forget also the covenant God has made with his people to lead them to a future of blessing and promise.

“It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert,” they cry. Yet those were never the choices they faced. The Lord had not promised them death in the desert. He had promised them freedom and life, but their immediate concerns clouded out the promise of God.

Our worldly society also presents us with false choices. Sayings like “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die”, and “Live fast, die young” tell us that our choice is between an exciting, pleasure-filled life followed by death, or a boring life followed by death.

But God’s promise is for an abundant life followed by an eternal life! When difficulties obscure our vision, we may forget the promise of God and be tempted to sacrifice the future for the present, but if we do that, we lose out on so much. God has promised us a glorious future. Let us not forget that in the present.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH