Numbers 27:12-14 – The consequence of unbelief

The total handover to the second generation would soon take place. The scenes in the last 10 verses of Numbers 27 were in preparation for that to happen. God first dealt with Moses by revisiting the incident of the water at Meribah recorded in Numbers 20.  It was there that the people once again grumbled and accused Moses and Aaron of misleading them. They were at Meribah with not a single drop of water to spare. So the people grumbled and sarcastically asked Moses and Aaron, were they not promised a fruitful land of grains, figs, wine, and pomegranate? They were insinuating that their experience could not be better than what they had in Egypt, the land of bondage where they left.

In that incident Moses approached God and was instructed to speak to the rock and provision of water would issue from it. But instead of just speaking to the rock, Moses took the staff and struck the rock twice, and mockingly asked shall water issue from this rock? It was an act of unbelief on Moses’ part. Since he did not trust God before the people, God needed to deal with Him. The Lord took him to task telling him that since he did not honor Him, he would be barred from entering the promised land.  

In Numbers 25:12-13, God was refreshing Moses’ mind to remind him that he would not be entering the promised land. God told him saying “Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel. When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was….”  Although the death of Moses would only be carried out in Deuteronomy 31, God was using the incident to talk about the certainty of it. God had no intention of lifting the sentence. He was only deferring it till later. This is the consequence of the sin of unbelief and self-glorification. Yes, even for leaders such as Moses. God is no respecter of man, not even for His choice servant. He does not play favorites.

Here God underscores the gravity of the sin of unbelief because it takes a person’s focus off Him to self. Unbelief makes one doubts the ability of God to fulfill what He has promised. When we are not trusting God, we exaggerate fear. And when we are successful, our unbelief makes us think that we are successful because of our own ingenuity and so take the credit and deny God of what belongs to Him. In so doing we rob God of the glory due to His name. Here’s a wise word from Charles Spurgeon: Unbelief will destroy the best of us, Faith will save the worst of us. So choose faith over unbelief. It’s the only wise choice!