Disobedience

The word 'disobedience' means a 'failure or refusal to obey'. There seems to be two aspects - unintentional and intentional disobedience (just like all sin).

I was reading this morning in Deut. 1 (especially v2) about how long it took the children of Israel to travel from Horeb (another name for Mt. Sinai) to Kadesh Barnea (which is on the southern border to the Promised Land) - 11 days!

Now if you know your Biblical geography and history, you will know that this is basically the journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Amazing that it only took them 11 days (at least for this leg of the journey)! So theoretically, the people of Israel could have been in the Promised Land in less than 2 weeks from Mt. Sinai, or let's be generous and say less than a month (maybe they wanted to stop along the way to see the sights!!).

But what do we read in God's Word? It took them about 40 years to make that journey! What a contrast - a couple weeks compared to 40 years! And why did this happen? Disobedience. Remember from Num 13, 14 ad 15 that they sent the 12 spies into the Land. They came back and gave a report - wow, the land is awesome! But there are giants in the Land, we'll be crushed like grasshoppers! By doing this, they discouraged the people and nobody wanted to enter the Land, as God had commanded. Well, except for Joshua and Caleb.

Thus by their disobedience of God's command to enter and their hard-heartedness, they had to wander in the desert for 40 years, until that generation had all died away. Only their children were allowed to enter the Promised Land. This was intentional disobedience. They refused to obey. It was a heart attitude. That was what God was dealing with - not just their failure to obey, but their refusal to obey.

And I wonder how often we wander in the desert because of our disobedience? Whether intentional or unintentional. We make it hard on ourselves, we put ourselves out in the desert spiritually, just on the OTHER side of the Promised Land. So close, and yet so far. We break fellowship with God (not relationship, but fellowship). And we wonder - 'why God, is all this happening to me?' Now, of course I am not saying that ALL bad things in our lives happen because of disobedience. But some do.

So let's ask ourselves this. Are we wandering in a desert now? How long has it been? Is it because of disobedience? Other sins? Won't we come out of the desert and back to God and ask Him for forgiveness? And enter into the land of mercy, grace and joy. What a simple (and powerful) reminder this one verse in Deut. 1 is to us all.