Arresting the Kadesh Barnea Syndrome

Text : Numbers 13:1-14:24

Introduction

Israel in Egypt
 Israel had been delivered in miraculous fashion out of the hand of Pharaoh
in Egypt. God had allowed his people to go to Egypt under the favor of
Joseph. In Egypt Israel had swelled to become a mighty number of people
and it was time for God to deliver them out.

 God calls Moses and things begin to get worse before they get better
 Exodus 5:23 KJV 1900

 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done

evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

 Then God tells Moses what He will do

 Exodus 6:1–8 KJV 1900

Exodus 5:23 KJV 1900

For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this
people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Then God tells Moses what He will do

Exodus 6:1–8 KJV 1900

Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh:
for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he
drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I
am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by
the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to
them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the
land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the
Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you
out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their
bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great
judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God:
and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bring you out from
under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land,
concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob;
and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

 The remaining chapters of Exodus give us an account of what the Lord did
to prepare Israel
 Aaron's rod swallows Pharaoh’s rod

 10 plagues culminating in the death of the first born (Numbers 11)

Exodus 12:13 KJV 1900

And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are:
and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be
upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

 God leads the nation and shortly after Pharaoh follows

 They cross the Red sea
 God provides for them in the wilderness
 He teaches them about the Tabernacle
 He teaches them about how to use the Tabernacle

The Scene in Numbers 13

Kadesh- Barnea

 The setting in Numbers 13 is the whole nation encamped in a place called

Kadesh Barnea. It was a piece of land on the Eastern boarder of Palestine
about 165 miles from Horeb (Mt. Sinai). Kadesh was a place of oasis in the
desert. It had water and agricultural land that made the desert experience
far more bearable. But it was never meant to be a place of permanent
establishment.

 The Command of the Lord

 Numbers 13:1-3

 The Charge of Moses

 Numbers 13:17-25

 The Commentary of the Spies

 Number 13:26-33

Transition:

 God is calling us to follow him. He always has a destination for us. For the
children of Israel it was Canaan Land and for Christians our destination is
two-fold; present and future. The present destination is victorious living
through the Spirit, and in the future is a home in Heaven with Jesus for an
eternity.

 Declaration: God has a defined goal for your life and for mine (Canaan
pictures that goal)

 Transition Statement: Let’s notice 3 truths about following God

 Define the destination

  Deal with the discord
 Determine to make a decision

 The first truth we must notice about following God is:

I. We must Define the Destination (Numbers 13:17-18)

 A full understanding of what we are dealing with is important if we

are going to have a successful Christian life.

A. The destination was full of opportunity - the fruit of the land

Numbers 13:24 KJV 1900

The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of
grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

Numbers 13:27 KJV 1900

And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou
sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit
of it.

Numbers 14:7 KJV 1900

And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying,
The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good
land.

 The land represented victory and a place that God desired Israel to
dwell
B. The destination was full of obstacles - the foes in the land

Numbers 13:28–29 KJV 1900

Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities
are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak
there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites,
and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the
Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

 Obstacles can be people (Giants)

 Obstacles can be physical & material (Walled City)

Application:

 Someone has said that “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time” It is
good to have goals in life, but it is better if those goals are God’s goals
for you!
 God had a physical place that he promised for Israel to dwell and he has a
spiritual plane that he has called us to reside.

 We must define the destination and then:

II. We must Deal with Discord (Numbers 13:30-14:9)

 It is important that we are fully aware of the destination that God desires
for every Christian, but it is equally important that we are aware of the
conflict that we will face in getting there. If it seems like the flesh vs the
Spirit battle is everywhere in Scripture it is because it is. If we are going
to move in the direction the Lord is calling than we must deal with this
problem from a proper biblical perspectives.

A. The discord on the inside (Caleb’s Countrymen)

 Caleb’s countrymen wanted to stone him

Numbers 14:10 KJV 1900

But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of
the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the
children of Israel.

 Jesus taught us some very important truths in relation to this:

Matthew 10:34–37 KJV 1900

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send
peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his
father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law
against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own
household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of
me.

C. The discord on the outside (Canaan's Giants)

 Canaan had foes that needed to be faced. Throughout the Bible

God’s people have had enemies! We face enemies today.

 The world is our enemy

1 John 2:15–17 KJV 1900

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world
passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God
abideth for ever.

James 4:4 KJV 1900

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of

the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of
the world is the enemy of God.

 The flesh is our enemy

Romans 7:18 KJV 1900

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for
to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find
not.

2 Corinthians 10:3–7 KJV 1900

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God,
and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your
obedience is fulfilled. Do ye look on things after the outward
appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of
himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we
Christ’s.

 The devil is our enemy

1 Peter 5:8 KJV 1900

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring

lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

Ephesians 6:10–13 KJV 1900

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his

might. Put on the whole Armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God, that ye
may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to
stand.
 Application:

Nothing worth doing in life is easy. To obey the Lord and face the challenges
that lie before us will not be easy, but it will be worth it!

We face challenges, but all of them have been defeated!

 We must define the destination, we must deal with the discord and finally…

III. We must Determine to Make a Decision (Numbers 14, 15, 16 )

 Everything in the Christian life is about making decisions. Where we are in

life, is a direct result of the decisions we have made. We can choose to
make excuses - background, upbringing, environment, job, money
problems, circumstances....but the truth remains - we are the sum of our
decisions!

 Israel’s decision was a resounding “No”!

 They said God we see the land, it looks nice but no thanks!

A. Israel’s decision brought death (Nu 14, 15, 16)

 Death in an answer to prayer

Numbers 14:2 KJV 1900

And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against
Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we
had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this
wilderness!

Numbers 14:29 KJV 1900

Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered
of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and
upward, which have murmured against me,

 Death in an answer to presumption (Numbers 15 the careless man

on the Sabbath day)

 Death in an answer to pride (Numbers 16:1-33 Korah, Dathan &

Abiram - rebellion against Moses)

 Death in an answer to persistence (Numbers 16:41-50 - Rebellion

of the people & the plague)
 B. Israel’s decision brought despair (Nu 17)

 Here is the story of Aaron’s rod. The authority that God had set up was
being challenged and we are shown how God dealt with the situation.
Aaron’s rod had budded and brought forth almonds. These extraordinary
circumstances brought Israel face to face with their sin and they lamented:

 Nu 17:12 “Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish….” — Thoughts of

despair!!!

Conclusion

 We must remember that God is not calling us into a life of stagnation. A

stagnant pond is a foul pond that no one would want to drink from.

 God is calling us forward!

 Sad commentary on these events:

Psalm 95:8–11 KJV 1900

Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, And as in the day of temptation
in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, Proved me, and saw my
work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, And said, It is a
people that do err in their heart, And they have not known my ways: Unto
whom I swear in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest.

Hebrews 3:7–19 KJV 1900

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden
not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works
forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do
always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I swear in my
wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in
any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But
exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of
Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;
While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in
the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all
that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years?
was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them
that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

 Following the Lord will probably leave you in the minority. It will also put you
in a position to experience things that others will not experience.
 Caleb for example:
Numbers 14:6–9 KJV 1900

And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of
them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the
company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to
search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring
us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only
rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are
bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear
them not.

Numbers 14:24 KJV 1900

But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath
followed me fully, him will I bring into the land where into he went; and his seed
shall possess it.

Illustration:

 In a seminary mission’s class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new

missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After
pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his
home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them
push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or
leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.

 Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to
that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for
getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before
the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr.
Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a
twist, stepped into the car, turned the key, and to Jackson's astonishment,
the engine roared to life.

 For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there
all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power
to work.