seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Numbers 14:13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
17 “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”
IMHO, the argument Moses used is all about verse 16.
Numbers 14:16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’
IMHO God really chose a brave guy when He chose Moses. IMHO Moses was clever too! Showing this concern and identifying this particular root of the problem was pretty clever. Moses didn't run.... he hung in there.
I found these statements in the easy English commentary.
Moses described God’s special qualities. Moses referred to God’s own words in Exodus 34:6-7. God is kind. He forgives people even when they do not deserve it. He does not become angry quickly. But also he is holy. He is fair. So he must punish people when they sin. Sin is serious. When a person sins, it can affect their whole family and even their descendants (Exodus 20:3-5).
Some people think that, in the Old Testament, God is always strict and angry. They think that, in the New Testament, he is different! But God does not change. His character is the same always. He loves us always. But because he is fair, he must punish us for our sins. So he sent his son Jesus to take the punishment that we all deserve. God loves us so much that he sacrificed his only son! If we are sorry for our sins, God will forgive us. He will not punish us, because Jesus had already received our punishment on our behalf.
Then, Moses remembered that already God had forgiven the Israelites many times. He asked God to forgive them again. Moses knew God well. He knew that God could be very angry. But he also knew that God had forgiven the Israelites before.
Then, Moses remembered that already God had forgiven the Israelites many times. He asked God to forgive them again. Moses knew God well. He knew that God could be very angry. But he also knew that God had forgiven the Israelites before.
In other words.... Moses knew that God had been pushed to the edge by these stupid humans over and over and over again....
This is from GodVine.
From Numbers 14:13 to Numbers 14:19 inclusive we have the words of Moses's intercession; they need no explanation, they are full of simplicity and energy; his arguments with God (for be did reason and argue with his Maker) are pointed, cogent, and respectful; and while they show a heart full of humanity, they evidence the deepest concern for the glory of God. The argumentum ad hominem is here used in the most unexceptionable manner, and with the fullest effect.
On top of all this.... remember, God has appeared at the Tent of Meeting in the form of a horrible tornado like cloud.... remember, God is really really really angry and appearing as a cloud means it was a really really really angry wind that Moses was trying to be heard over. Moses must have been screaming all of this. This was not a quiet little business conference in a back room.... this was a man yelling at the top of his lungs in a swirling windstorm.... IMHO
It just occurred to me.... who would I rather take on in battle? Would I prefer a bunch of great big giants, who as it turns out could be defeated with tiny rocks, or an angry God who controls everything and created the rocks I would use to defeat the giants? Just saying...
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