The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 174

HOMILETICS. Che. xiii., xiv.-The revolt oj Israel,. In these two chapters we have ae the writer t-o the Hebrews teaches us, a Divinely-recorded " enmple of unbelief'" (Hob. iv. 11 )-of that air,~,a which we cannot satisfactorily translate, because it is a dubelief which prompts and produces, and so appears in practice as, duobedience • of that li,r-E..hia which is to the Christian's life exactly what the "evil heart of unbelief:• (amniar) is to the 9~ris;!an's faith. T~e fall of Israel is "written," and fully wntten, "for our admomt1on, because the hke temper and the like behaviour leads in us to the like misery and loss. Spiritually, therefore, we see the Israel of God-1. Brought very nigh to the promised rest, al,most 'Witltin irig_kt, and actuall11 within taste. 2. .Refmi-ng to enter that rut through disbeluf. a. Sentenctd to e:eile fi·om the rut {key would not enter. 4 • .Attempti71.i (vainly)to enterthatrestin their own unl:iiiuten and unl:il&sed ways. And subordmately to this great and striking lesson, we have other lessons and examples both of good and evil. I. CoNSIDER, THERE~"ORE, IN l!.RSPECT OF Tins inro6dyµa a,r-u9riar-- 1. That tke place uiliere Israel now lay was "in tke wildernesa of Paran," " that great and terrible wildern,e,ss ; " but it was also " in tke wilderness of Zin," whu;h was tke scYldhern frontier of Oanaan,; and therefore (wherever Kadesk may have beeli.) tke desert journey lay 'behind him, and his rest 'IIJ(J,8 close before him: omv one steep climb and he would begin to enter into the land of promise. Even so are we placed to-day. God has brought us with a mighty hand within reach of home; bas led us by a way we knew not of; has given ns a law and a worship; has fed us with heavenly food; bas separated ns (outwardly at least) from a perishing world. Rest lies before us: rest in this world from sin a.nd self (Heb. iv. 10); in the ne:ii.:t from sorrow and 11adness too (Bev. xiv. HJ). It is not far away, not out of reach; it only needs a little patient e1fort to make that rest our own. 2. That it plsased God not 011,ly to tdl tke poople about tke land of promise, but t<> let them see m goodness, as i,t were, /or tkemsdves through tke report of their 01ffl brethren, repreMn:tati:ve men wkom he suffered to 1MII) tke land. Even so it is the good pleasure of God that, concerning the happiness of a holy life, we should have not only his promise, but the testimony of men also, even of our brethren. Yea, concemiog the glories of the world to come, how great they are, we have the re.port of men to whom it bath been given to" go up thither," to see what" eye hatb not seen," to hear" what ear bath not beard," even" 11nspeakable things" which could only be set forth to us in types and figures (2 Cor. xii. 2, 3, compared with Rom. viii. 18; Rev. iv. 1 ; xxi. 10, &c.). 3. That the peo]!le at Ka.desk not only ,\eMd tke 1·eport of Oanaant btd tasted of the fruits of it whu.h the spia brought back; and they might krww lYu tMse fruits how m1u;h pleasanter a land it waJJ than Egypt itself, even ap_art from its slavery. Even so it is given to ns in Christ not only to hear by report, but to taste also of the good things of the world to come (Heb. vi. 4, 5). It is a fact of experience that we may partake to some extent, here and now, of delights which no more spring from the conditions of unregenerate human nature than those fruits could have grown in the desert of Paran-delights which are ne superior to the luxuries of sin e.e the grapes of Eshcol to the pungent dainties of Egypt. Nothing can rob us of the conscious- ness that we have tasted them, and it is this which makes heaven eo real to us, ns Canaan to them. 4. That none o/ the spi,es concealed from tlum the /act that the land which invited tlie:m Juul, its grave dif!kulties, <U welt <U its great attracti(.)11.8: milk and !wney <fn.d fruit, and all good things, but many strong{:oea to be conquered first. Even so 1t 1s not concealed by any that great obstacles an sore conflicts stand between the longing soul and the promised rest. If any represented the entry into the inheritance of the saints as an easy thlng and unopposed, he would but contradict the Master himself (Mark viii. 34, 35; Luke :xiii. 24; Rev. ii. 26, &c.) and his inspired servants (1 Cor. ix. 26, 27; Reb. iv. 1; James i. 3, 12; 2 Pet. i. 10, 11; 2 John 8; Jude 20, 21). 5. That the obBtaclu whi.ch confronted Israel in tke gigantic aize and f lYl'ti,fkd citwa of their Jou were truly f crrmidable, and to the militaru science of thae day inmper• CHS. XIIl. 1 XIV ] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS.