By Chalcedony Williams
41 But on the next day all the congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, “You are the ones who have caused the death of the Lord’s people.” 42 It came about, however, when the congregation had assembled against Moses and Aaron, that they turned toward the tent of meeting, and behold, the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43 Then Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, 44 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 45 “Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.” Then they fell on their faces.
Numbers 16:41-45 (NASB 1995)
Oh boy!
The people of Israel were a hard-headed lot. Having seen the rebellion of Korah end with the rebels being swallowed up by the earth, perhaps they should have been subdued, humbled and even terrified by the sheer power and wrath of God. Instead, they were angry with Moses and Aaron, blaming them for what had happened. Somehow, they seemed to think that it was reasonable to blame two men, mere mortals for causing the ground to open-up and swallow a group of rebels.
But, before their complaints could go any further, the presence of God appeared over the tent of meeting. The Lord demanded that Moses and Aaron step aside so that He could execute His judgement against the people quickly.
Following the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, we now live in an age where God has extended His grace to all mankind to receive forgiveness for their sins. We now are invited to enter a covenant relationship with God through His grace, not through our ability to keep the law and do what is right. It says in Romans 3:25 that in order for Him to offer this covenant to us, God “passed over former sins”. This means that God chooses not to punish us immediately for our sins, to allow us time to come to repentance and salvation in Him. Because of this, we can sometimes become complacent about sin and fail to repent as soon as we become aware of our wrongdoing.
Israel was not under this covenant of grace, but they had received mercy and kindness from God as a result of His love for them and desire to make them His special treasure. It seems that they too had lost sight of God’s sovereignty and His holiness. It seems they had already forgotten that God is just and reserves for Himself the right to judge all sin and unrighteousness at any time. There was certainly an element of complacency in their attitude towards God, hence why they did not recognise the warning God gave them when He destroyed Korah and the other rebels.
Despite their many sins, God had been holding back His wrath from Israel, choosing not to punish them. But no more. God was angry and ready to unleash the full measure of His wrath on the entire congregation, except for Moses and Aaron who had remained faithful.
May we never lose sight of God’s righteousness, sovereignty, or His wrath against sin and the right that He reserves to intervene and execute judgement at any time. Let us heed God’s warning about the consequences of disobedience and may we never be complacent about the grace that we have received through Jesus Christ.
Ask – Why was God right in deciding to punish Israel?
Seek – In what ways have I been taking God’s grace for granted?
Knock – Father, I am sorry that I often take it for granted that you allow my sins to go unpunished in the short term. Please help me to repent quickly when I am aware of my mistakes and please empower me by Your Spirit to live righteously before You. Help me not to be afraid of Your wrath but rather be confident in and grateful for the salvation I have received because of Your Son.
(Inner Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash)
