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The longer the Israelites were away from Egypt, the more they idealized it. Instead of remembering their oppression and slavery, they believed it was a place of plenty.
Have you ever experienced this idealization of the past, forgetting the faithfulness of God?
Numbers 14 shows that this mindset led the Israelites to rebel against God. Rather than obeying Him and trusting that He would fulfill His promises, they reacted out of fear.
But a majority vote does not determine God’s ability or decide truth. What God says, God is able to accomplish, even through a minority. In fact, He often works through those who are weak to accomplish great feats so that His name will be glorified.
Unfortunately, the Israelites did not remember this. Despite their unfaithfulness, however, God remained faithful to them. Moses interceded for them, and God listened to him. As a result, God did not utterly cast them away.
However, there were consequences for the Israelites. That generation would perish in the wilderness instead of living in the land flowing with milk and honey. The Israelites had been afraid that their children would die at the hand of the enemy, but in a case of situational irony, God caused those children to inherit the land instead, showing both His severity and His mercy.
The lesson in this is to look at our circumstances with an eternal perspective. Our point of view makes all the difference in the world.
Watch part 89 of the 365 Key Chapters of the Bible series, based on Ken’s Handbook to Scripture.
These are the last recorded statements of Jesus Christ before His death on the cross. Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing. (Luke 23:34) When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and
Mortality and the purpose of life are prominent themes in Thomas Cole’s paintings. Through his paintings, he vividly brings out the human dilemma of mortality, a dilemma we ourselves must wrestle with. Given the inevitability of death, what are we to do with our days? We can try to stave
In the article below, Dr. Boa synthesizes material from several teaching sessions from his series Biblical Principles for Marriage and from portions of his spiritual formation text Conformed to His Image (primarily from chapter 18, “Holistic Spirituality”). Dr. Boa focuses on agape love as one of the five forms of loves (based on the different Greek words). After reviewing all forms, he gives reasons for why agape is the greatest.
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