The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 175

Ible. Even eo the powers of evil which bar our urward way a.re indeed mighty, and that for two especial reasons: ( 1) as wielded and swayed by beings of superhuman origin and power (Eph, vi. 12); (2) as having entrenched themselves in the ancient and (as it were) invmcible habits, customs, e.nd temlencies of the human race (cf. 2 Cor. x. 4, 6), And note that while the former ground of hopelessness becomes Iese and Iese potent ae faith shrinks within her deepest channels, so the second becomes more and more e.lanning. Those evil principles which nineteen centuries of Christi- anity have failed to expel from Christian society are indeed formidable hindrances. 6. That the Jaitluess among the spies led the people astray in two ways: (1) oiJ ezaggerating tM real difficulties whu:h existed, and (2) oiJ ign,<n-ing the Divine aid they would have in overcoming them. When they did enter they found no Nephilim, nor do their foes seem to have been as a rule superior in size to themselves. And God had brought them through far greater perils, and made them victors over far more formidable foes (cf. Exod. xiv. 15 b., 31). Even so the counsels of the natural man are doubly false: (1) as exaggerating the real difficulty of leading· a life of holiness and attaining unto rest, raising up creatures of the imagination, and mag- nifying existing obstacles, to excuse cowardice and sloth ; (2) as putting out of sight the fact that when God calls us to a certain thing he pledges himself to give us the strength we need (Exod. iii. 12; Deut. xxxiii. 25; 1 Cor. x. 13). The natural man would ever persuade us that heaven and peace ara not attainable in the way which God points out as the way ; that it is not possible in this or that position to lead a holy life, or to give up this or that sin, or to attain a real mastery over self-which is mere unbelief (2 Cor. xii, 9, 10; Phil. iv. 13 ; cf. 2 Kings vi. 16, 17). 7. That the faithful among the spiu (in whom was" another spirit") gave counsel, "Let us go up at once and yossess it,Jor we are well able to overcome it." And herein were three points: (1) to "go up," because the ascent, whether from the Are.bah or the Wady Murrah, was necessarily steep; (2) to go up" at once," be- cause delay would strengthen the hands of their enemies, and could only weaken theirs, as offending the Lord ; (3) to go up at once, because the victory was assured to them if they did, with the help of God. Even so is the voice of the Spirit, and of all who are led by the Spirit, however full an acquaintance they may have with the dangers and difficulties of the spiritual life-(1) to go up, because it is an ascent, and must involve toil and fatigue (Acts xiv. 22); (2) to set out "at once," because any delay ma3,1 be fatal (Heh. iii. 13 ; James iv. 13, 14), and must add to the difficulty; (3) to proceed with holy confidence, because, although we have to "overcome," and that by dint of doing and suffering, yet it is God who fighteth and God who getteth the victory in us (Rom. viii. 37; Philip. ii. 13 ; Col. i. 27). 8. That the crisis of Israel's fate was come when they had to choose between these persuasions. God had brought them to the very verge of Canaan, but they could not enter unless their will united itself to his will, unless they chose to go on in his name and strength. Their future was at that hour in their own hands, and they wrecked it because they did not trust God, because their faith was too weak to pass into obedience in the face of serious discouragement. Even so are our eternal for- . tunes placed (in a certain true sense) in our own hands. Holiness and heaven are set' before us, brought within our reach in Christ; the "rest which remaineth" is ours, to . be.entered on now, to-day; and God calls upon us to enter, and encourages us by the voice a~d ~xperience of those who have made trial of it. And it may be we will not go on ; it JS too hard-too much to encounter; too difficult-too many obstacles in the way, It. may be we find the prospect so much less easy and encouraging than we had fancied. We will not make the effort, or undertake the risk, looking to Divine grace for success; and therefore we too cannot enter in because of unbelief. \Ve must bear the evil consequences; we have ruined ourselves; we have shut our- selves out from happiness and heaven, And note that as this crisis (although in some sense often anticipated) only happened once to Israel in the wilderness so does the true crisis in his spiritual fortunes happen only once (as far as we can se~) in the lives of many men. There is a set time when they are called, in some unmistakable way, to make a bold and decisive advance in the spiritual life, which will leave them really m~st~rs of themselves, nnd so at rest. If, then, they shrink from taking it because 1t 1s hard, or because (as they say) they nre not worthy or prepared for it  156 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [CHS. xm., XIV.