“But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses departed not out of the camp”. – Numbers 14:44(KJV)
Israel had just committed a terrible sin against God; They questioned His leadership, they murmured against human leadership placed over them by the Almighty. Moses was specially chosen by God to lead the people out of the bondage of Egypt to the promise land. They saw the Almighty God divide the Red Sea for them to pass. They witnessed divine judgement of God on Egypt characterized by the numerous plague that culminated to their deliverance. With all these mighty acts of God, one wonders why the people should not believe God’s ability to deliver them. The people chose to believe the negative report of faithless majority as against the confidence demonstrated by the minority who had an implicit trust on God’s ability to deliver them. They even went to the extent of planning to appoint a captain to take them back to Egypt, what an affront and rebellion against the Most High God. Based on their action, their journey was prolonged for forty years which represented the forty days the spies spent on their assignment. God gave instruction to the leadership redirecting their journey, instead of obeying God’s instruction they presumed that God is with them as usual and went into battle to their detriment and woeful defeat. Moses warned them saying “Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies”. – Numbers 14: 42(KJV)
The sin of presumptuousness is so grievous before God judging from the punishment that God brought upon Israel as follows:
- The ten faithless spies that brought evil report died by the plague before God –Numbers 14:37,
- The journey of Israel to the promised land was elongated to forty years – Numbers 14: 34,
- All persons above twenty years of age died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb whom they had intended to stone to death because they gave faith-backed report. – Numbers 14:29-30
All these were written down for us to learn from. May the Almighty God deliver us from the sin of presumptuousness which has caused many mighty men of God to suffer ship wreck in their ministry.
Prayer: Father, deliver me from the sin of presumptuousness in Jesus Name.
Bro. Joel Ezeugo