seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Deuteronomy 9:22 You also made the Lord angry at Taberah, at Massah and at Kibroth Hattaavah.
23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.
25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”
23 And when the Lord sent you out from Kadesh Barnea, he said, “Go up and take possession of the land I have given you.” But you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. You did not trust him or obey him. 24 You have been rebellious against the Lord ever since I have known you.
25 I lay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroy you. 26 I prayed to the Lord and said, “Sovereign Lord, do not destroy your people, your own inheritance that you redeemed by your great power and brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin. 28 Otherwise, the country from which you brought us will say, ‘Because the Lord was not able to take them into the land he had promised them, and because he hated them, he brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness.’ 29 But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”
This is from the easy English site.
Moses reminds the Israelites about other occasions when they did not obey God. They complained about the difficult things at Taberah. The name means ‘it burns’. God sent fire that burnt some Israelites. (See Numbers 11:1-3.) At Massah, the Israelites complained that they had no water. Moses hit a rock and water came out. (See Exodus 17:1-7.) At Kibroth Hattaavah, the Israelites complained about manna (the food that God gave to them in the desert). They said that they wanted meat too. (See Numbers 11:31-34.) Finally at Kadesh Barnea they did not trust God. Moses sent 12 men to explore the country. Two men said that the Israelites could possess the country. But the Israelites did not believe those men. Instead, they wanted to kill those two men. (See Numbers chapter 14.)
I found this at bibletrack.org.
Then Moses goes on to say to Israel, "Are you thinking God is giving you success because you are good?" NO!
Furthermore, not only are you not good; you are rebellious and stubborn. Moses says, "I got proof!"
Proof #1: That golden-calf episode. (verse 8, Horeb: Exodus 32, see notes); Horeb is where Mt. Sinai is located.
Proof #2: That spy episode. (verse 23, Kadesh-barnea: Numbers 13, see notes)
Proof #3: That fire episode. (verse 22, Taberah: Numbers 11, see notes)
Proof #4: That water episode. (verse 22, Massah: Exodus 17:7, see notes)
Proof #5: That quail episode. (verse 22, Kibrothhattaavah: Numbers 11, see notes)
Notice what he says in verse 24, "Ye have been rebellious against the LORD from the day that I knew you." He's just not going to let them forget, is he? Well, proper training does include remembering what happens when we do the wrong thing! Notice how he speaks of these massive displays of God's wrath by their place names. It's like our references to Pearl Harbor or Alamo or World Trade Center. These names speak to us about an event more than just a geographical location. However, some of these places in chapter 9 actually received their names from the tragic events that took place there. If they are so rotten, why bother to deliver them into the prosperity of Canaan? Here's the case Moses made before God in verse 27, "Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." It's really a grace thing according to verse 29, "Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm." Hey! Israel may have some flaws, but THEY ARE GOD'S PEOPLE!
Why does a mom cry over her imprisoned child? Because it's her child.
Why does a mom cry over a spanking she gave her son forty years ago? Because it's her son.
Why does a dad sit worried in the dark about his son who is fighting for his country overseas? Because it's his son.
God knows we are stupid humans but He loves us anyway.
