Numbers 33:11-39 – God is gracious.

The first lesson we gleaned from what God did for the people in various places is His faithfulness. Lesson two is God is gracious. In the list of places that the sons of Israel had passed through or camped, they showed themselves as grumbling and rebellious people, unworthy of God’s goodness. The places named were Marah where they grumbled because the water was bitter. Then in the Wilderness of Sin, they again grumbled against the Lord because their food ran out and they did not have enough food. Then in Rephidim, they grumbled because they did not have water. And in Kibroth-hattaavah they grumbled about the monotony of eating manna. So God sent them quails in abundance. Many ate the quails and were inflicted with a plague and died. They were buried there. Then in Kadesh and the water of Meribah, they again grumbled about not having water. In this incident, even Moses and Aaron did not honor the Lord. As a result, Moses was forbidden from entering the promised land. We must not forget Mount Hor where Aaron was buried. Here God did not even mention his wrong but just said that he died peacefully at 123 years of age.  

They were a people who were ungrateful to God. Yet in this chapter we see God mentioning these places and grossing over them as if nothing had happened. It is not because what they had done did not deserve to be made an example, so that the rest of the next generation would not do the same. It is because God chose to forget the offense. He chose not to mention their offence against Him. This is the grace of God.

Is this not the grace of God? And this grace is also extended to us. How many times have we offended God where we grumbled and murmured over the discomfort of life? How many times have we taken the Lord for granted yet He had chosen to forgive and forget our offence against Him? If God has chosen to keep a record of our wrongs, where would we be today? The good news according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17 is this, “…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” God wipes away our old records and gives us a new start to life. What marvellous grace! Do not take the grace of God for granted!