Unbelief



 "And the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth, and abode at Hazeroth." Here Miriam and Aaron murmured against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman that he had married. "And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard." 

Now this was very unkind; for the record says that the man Moses was meek above all men that dwelt on the earth.

And the Lord called suddenly unto Miriam, Aaron, and Moses, and bade them come out unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And God spake unto Miriam and Aaron from out the pillar of the cloud. He told them that he would speak to his prophets in visions and dreams, but with Moses he had spoken mouth to mouth, as a man speaks with his friend, thus exalting him above an ordinary prophet. He said to them, "Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

"And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed." And Miriam became leprous, white as snow; and Aaron besought Moses that he would not lay the sin to their charge, wherein they had done foolishly and sinned. He prayed that Miriam might not be as one dead; and Moses cried unto the Lord for her, and she was healed. She was, however, shut without the camp seven days, and they journeyed not until she was brought in again; “And afterward the people removed from Sazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thou men, that they may search; the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them." So Moses did as the Lord had said, and sent up twelve men to search the land of Canaan. 

He told them to go and see the land, what it was, and the people that dwelt therein, whether they were strong or weak, few or many, and what the land was that they dwelt in, whether it were good or bad.

“And they returned from searching the land after forty days." It was in the time of ripe grapes, and they brought a cluster of grapes so large that it was carried between two men. 

They all brought back the report that it was an exceeding good land, a land flowing with milk and honey; but they said that the people that dwelt in the land were strong, and the cities were walled and very great, and that it was useless for them to think of possessing the land.

There were, however, two men, Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun, who gave a different report. They agreed that it was indeed a good land, and said, ''Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." But the others who went up with them cried out, "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." They said also that they had seen the sons of Anak, giants, in whose sight they were as grasshoppers. They seemed to forget the great things which God had already done for them, and now doubted his power to deliver them from their enemies. It would seem strange that they had not learned from all their past experiences to trust in God for what he had promised. 





G. H. BELL.