Chapter 36: Forty Years of Wandering!
Q1 - God once again threatened to destroy the Israelites and make Moses and his lineage a great nation instead. What arguments did Moses present to God to preserve these people?
A1 - Even though they were out in the wilderness, news travels, and what happens even in desolate places eventually becomes known elsewhere. Moses told God that if He destroyed the Israelites, the Egyptians would hear about it, as would the inhabitants of Canaan. Then people would say that the Lord was unable to bring the Israelites into the land He had promised to them, so He slaughtered them in the wilderness instead. That would mean Yahweh was not powerful enough to make what He had planned actually happen and cruelly killed the very ones He had said He would deliver. Moses urged Him to forgive the Israelites and fulfill His promise.
Q2 - While “murmuring” usually doesn’t involve taking overt action against someone or something, it can create a very powerful force. When the Israelites murmured against Aaron and Moses, what were the deeper implications?
A2 - People don’t usually murmur against someone they admire and respect, even if they don’t understand their reasoning or the position they have taken. Moses had warned the Israelites earlier when they longed for meat to eat in Exodus 16, that when they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, they were actually grumbling against God (Exodus 16:8).
By grumbling or murmuring, the people were showing a lack of faith in God to see them through as He had promised. They were disregarding His Word and His promises, in effect showing ingratitude and contempt toward God.
Q3 - How does this reading show that the “sins of the fathers” can affect their children and future generations? What other examples can you think of where this has happened, in either Bible times or modern day? How can the good things people do impact their children and future generations?
A3 - When God condemned the current generation of Israelites to wander in the wilderness for forty years until they had died that meant that their children would have to wait all those years before they could enter the Promised Land (see Numbers 14:30–34). The children suffered because of the decisions their parents had made.
Children do not create the environment into which they are born. That means, for example, that children who are born into poverty or other dire circumstances will often lack good nutrition and a safe environment, conditions which may impact them in various ways for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, children who are born into a stable home environment will often be provided good nutrition, a safe environment, and many opportunities to learn and develop their talents and abilities. Then, if these children provide a stable home for their children, the benefits are compounded through the future generations.