Seder 113: Numbers 14:22---"...these ten times"

 On the journey from Egypt to Mount Sinai, God showed great patience with the Israelites, who understandably had difficulties adjusting to life in the wilderness as a nation with no fixed address.  But when the Israelites continued complaining after a year at Sinai, he imposed appropriate disciplinary measures.  

By his point God had done many mighty works on their behalf, and they were accountable for what they had experienced. These were people, he said, "who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice" (Num 14:22).  

This is one of several instances in the Bible where a reference is made to someone doing something "ten times" (see Ge 31:7, 41; Neh 4:12; Job 19:3).  This is a figure of speech that expresses the idea of someone doing something repeatedly.  So in Numbers 14:22, it wasn't that God was stating the results of a precise tally of Israelite faithlessness.  He was pointing out that the complaints went on continually and showed no signs of letting up.    

But since the biblical narrative mentions lots of examples, it's not surprising that lists of ten items have been compiled with examples that are recorded in the text. Here is one such list:

1. The complaints on the banks of the Red Sea in Exodus 14:11-12.
2. The grumbling about bitter water in Exodus 15:24.
3. The grumbling about lack of food in Exodus 16:2-3.
4. Trying to save up manna overnight--on a day other than Friday--in Exodus 16:19-20.
5.  Trying to gather manna on the Sabbath in Exodus 16:27.
6. Grumbling about lack of water at Rephidim in Exodus 17:2-3.
7. The golden calf (Exodus 32).
8. Complaints at Taberah in Numbers 11:1-3.
9. Demands for meat in Numbers 11:4-6.
10. Calls to appoint a new leader and return to Egypt in Numbers 14.1-4.

Seder 113: Numbers 14---God Pronounces Judgment

 A year and a half after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel were camped just south of the Promised Land, but most had not yet developed sufficient trust in God to proceed.  

At this point God proposed the possibility of starting over with a nation descended from Moses (Num 14:12).  God had previously made such a proposal after the Golden Calf incident (Ex 32:10).  Since Israel had been called to follow God in the land of Canaan, failing to follow God and failing to enter Canaan were, in effect, rejections of their calling.  God's proposals to start over in these cases highlight the serious nature of the sins in Exodus 32 and Numbers 14.

These proposals were also a test of Moses' frame of mind.  In both cases Moses argued against the proposals, interceding for the Israelites by appealing to God's character and reputation (Num 14:13-19).  

God approved Moses' request and then pronounced judgment.  Israel's time in the wilderness would now last for 40 years, and none of the adult males counted in the census of Num 1 (which included all tribes except Levi) would enter the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb.  The ten leaders who had brought back a negative report from Canaan were put to death immediately.  

Seder 113: Sermon----A Question of Timing

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on August 20, 2022, Kyle Kettering examined the "how long?" motif in the Bible.  He observed that the question has different meanings depending upon who is asking it.  

When God asks the question, it often means, "Where is trust?  How long will it be before my people trust me?"  That is the meaning of the question in Num 14 and in Exodus 16:28.  When Jesus asks the question is Luke 9:41, he is wondering how long it will take his disciples to be fully trained and able to take the Gospel to the world.  

On the other hand, when the question is asked by people---e.g., in Ps 13:1-2; 74:10---it often means, "Where is justice?  When will you punish the wicked?"  

These questions are two sides of the same coin, Kyle said.  God acts more slowly than we might like because he is patient with us.  He wants as many as possible to come to repentance so that they will not have to be judged (2 Peter 3:9).  Fortunately for us, his mercy outweighs his justice (Ex 34:6-7).  

For us, the important "how long" question is the one that God and Jesus are asking.  How long will we put off the spiritual work that needs to be done?

Seder 113: Psalm 13---"How Long, O Lord?"

 In the midst of a severe trial, the psalmist asks, "How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?" (Ps 13:1).  It seems that God has "hidden his face," the opposite of the "shining face" of the Aaronic blessing.  He longs for the protection, grace, and peace of Num 6:25-26.    

He asks "how long?" four times in verses 1-2.  Midrash Psalms matches these four "how longs" with four times when God asked the Israelites how long they would continue in disobedience to him---two in Num 14:11, one in Num 14:27, and one in Exodus 16:28.  It also matches the four "how longs" with the four kingdoms of Daniel 7 and says that Israelites asked "how long" when they were being oppressed by these four kingdoms.

These midrashim are hinting that the delay in God's response may be the result of sin, and perhaps it is this possibility that has the psalmist "taking counsel in his soul" to find places where he may have fallen short.

As the trial continues, he prays that God will "consider" him favorably and answer him, which will bring light to his eyes (v 3).  This is for the sake of God's reputation.  If God does not intervene, the enemy will conclude that God lacks power or is not faithful (v 4).  Moses prayed this kind of prayer in Num 14:15-16.  

The psalmist is not overcome with despair, but trusts God.  He anticipates praising God in song when God intervenes on his behalf (vv 5-6).  The psalm shows a transition from despair to quiet trust.