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Q3. Refusing to Enter the Promised Land


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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious? It was the entire point of the journey that had taken 430 years to occur.

What did it represent on the people

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?

This failure to enter the Promised Land is serious because this was a covenant promise.

What did it represent on the peoples part?

To the people it represented a promise kept by a faithful God.

What did it represent on the Lords part?

The promise He had made ti Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was now fulfilled.

In your opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not?

In my opinion the punishment was not too severe. God calls for obedience and when their is disobedience there is a consequence.

If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

If the people had moved in faith, their trip from Egypt to Canaan would have taken them about six months.

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The failure to enter the promised land was a big thing. Dreams were left unfulfilled. Sadness came upon the congregation.

It represented unbelief by the people and punishment from God.

No, it would be a way to clear out the unbelievers so that faithful, believing men & women would be able to enter the land after their parents had passed away.

Their trip might have been days or weeks instead of 40 years. Desert lessons are long!

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious? What did it represent on the people

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?

There they were, on the border of the land God had promised them and they baulked. They abandoned their belief that God would give them the land and planned to stone Moses and to return voluntarily to bondage in Egypt. It was a total about face and a supreme insult to God Himself.

What did it represent on the people

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?

It resulted in the death in the wilderness of every one who came out of Egypt! Only those born in the wilderness would enter the promised land, along with Joshua and Caleb who gave a good scouting report and believed in faith in God's ability to bring them victory in a war with the "ites".

What did it represent on the people's part?

Blatant unbelief. Rejection of "I Am" as their Lord and His leadership.

What did it represent on the Lord's part?

His justice.

In your opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not?

No, I don't think it was too severe. God is a loving Father and a just One....He gave them what they asked for in their rebellion. Sad though that the fearful report of 40 leaders was more powerful than what the people had experienced with God, and resulted in millions of deaths and 40 years of suffering and hardship for those who chose to believe them. I have to remember that He was training a people to endure as believers to keep the lineage pure in preparation for Messiah to come through....it wasn't just about that one generation, but the many who would learn from this example who would read about it through the years and hopefully choose faith in God over men's unbelieving words.

If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

I've read that the actual trip would have taken about 11 days.

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The failure to enter the promised land was so serious because the people actually refused what was to be given to them. They had been led through the desert and now were on the doorstep of entering the land and once again, not trusting God took it's toll. It wasn't that God didn't have them there....He did! They themselves refused to enter the land.

This represented unbelief at the core. They had fear too, but fear is always a secondary emotion. If they had trusted God, they could have gone in maybe "feeling" afraid, but KNOWING they would be OK.

What did it represent on God's part? I don't know what the failure of the people represented on God's part. Their decisions were their own, but in the end, it showed His integrity. He was fulfilling his end of the promise and still ultimately did. Have you ever heard "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink?" I think this shows God's character that he gives free will. He did not force them to take the land. But also, I think it showed Him as Sovereign and just. The people made their own decision, but it wasn't the right decision. He's still in charge and is to be respected and trusted, so they were punished.

Was the punishment too severe? Why? Hard question. I think of my mess ups and it gives me more respect for God knowing of these events. We should all have a healthy fear of God and the Word as reminders. But I also know of His love and that brings about trust and obedience. There is a difference in outright rebellion vs. our human side that can't be perfect, but we continually give ourselves to Him in faith and that's the difference. The trust is there. The Israelites never trusted Him. I guess it just grieves me mostly that the people never came to love or trust God as opposed to me judging God's work. The judgment obviously was right. God did it.

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious? What did it represent on the peoples part? What did it represent on the Lords part? In your opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not? If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

The failure to entered the promised land is serious because the people actually refused what God has given them. They were rebellious and this represent unbelief in the people's part, and not trusting God, and showing regret and fear that something would happen to them. In my opinion, I think it represents that God is compassionate and keeps his promise to his people, unfortunately his people won't trust and believe him entirely, there is nothing God can do, since God allows free will among his people, he can not force them to enter the land. In my opinion, I think the ultimate purpose for them is to glorify God for what he had done for them, the punishment is severe only to a beholder's eyes, and this is an indication of what consequences will be if we choose the latter, and not what God has given them, and also it can be severe punishment to the Israelites if they wish they had truly repent and truly regret what they did, but then, throughout the bible, the Israelites continue to rebelled against God, but God still forgave them when they asked for it. It would never had taken 40 years to reach Canaan, it may have taken months perhaps, but God had to keep on teaching his people a lesson, and only when his people have true obedience, faith and trust in the lord, that God would have allow them into the promise land sooner. You can visualized how long it took, and how much God had to put up with these people.

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?

A death sentence is what faced those who would not enter the Promised Land.

What did it represent on the people's part and on the Lord

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The failure to enter the Promised Land is so serious because the wrong doing of the people is passed on to their next generation.

On the people's part it represented their sinfulness.

On the Lord's part it represented His mighty.

In my opinion, the punishment was not too severe because it was the only way to deal with disobedient people. God did not expect such disobeedience ater what He had already done to the people and there was no any other I think to prevent such disobedience.

If the people had moved in faith, their trip from Egypt to Canaan would have taken not long as it did now.

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Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?

This is a difficult question to answer, I'm not certain if there is a definitive response to it. The people had formed a pattern, God would provide guidance and resources and when things didn't go their way they complained, when things appeared mediocre they would complain, some would rebel. On this occasion God not only gave guidance but He as well gave a promise. Ten through the ability of choice choose to be lead by they saw and how they saw it, ten were fearful. Two having seen the same thing, saw it from a different perspective, they fell into the "he that hath an ear let him hear category". Two believed what God had said. The disease of fear accompanied with unbelief penetrated the camp, the failure to enter into the Promise Land by the entire Exodus group was serious not only because they continue to follow their pattern displaying disobedience, but their actions had an impact on two age groups and the ability to be a light to other nations.

What did it represent on the people's part?

On the people's part as a whole it represented fear, unbelief, disobedience, rebellion, and treating God with contempt.

What did it represent on the Lord's part?

God whom is all knowing knew the results of this test before it occurred. As the ten gave their infectious report which retarded their entrance into the Promised Land. God, the Lord conveyed His displeasure, He was angry at the stubbornness and lack of faith of the Israelites. He mention some things that gives some reasons to believe (miracles) and or should have demonstrated that He was a provider. It also represented that He was a God of patience, compassion, mercy, kindness, faithfulness, and etc..

In your opinion, was the punishment too severe?

I am not of an opinion.

Why or why not?

What I do believe is that God could have invoked greater punishment. Even though He revealed that He was anger He still extended mercy. The guilty does not go unpunished, (Numbers 14:18), the punishment may not occur immediately, it may not be harsh yet it happens.

If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

I do not know with certainty, I've read many articles, and studies that give varying beliefs, from days to months. I have not sought to determine just how long.

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Answering to Q.3:I think not to enter the Promised Land is serious-for to me the P.L. represents the Kingdom of God, of the livings and the land of ideal happiness filled with honey and milk which God promised to Abraham, our ancestor.

The Israelites hope and wait for this promise, so everyone wishes to enter the P.L..

On the people's part, it should be a kind of punishment, of a curse and of a lost; the result of disbelief,distrust and the original sin of man.

( I wish I were right and have the right )From God's part, it might be a way of punishment to His people who do not believe, trust and sincerely worship HIM as the only True God, their creator.

In my opinion( as above,if it were correct to say ), I think it is not severe for they only could not enter the P.L., instead of being destroyed.

Why? I believe because our God is the God of Love, boundless Mercy and Forgiveness.

If they had more faith I only believe that their journey to the P.L. would be more shorter than the one we know and with more comfort and full of happiness.

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious? What did it represent on the people's part? What did it represent on the Lord's part? In your opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not? If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

And even when they entered the Land, they had still not learned all the lessons necessary to behave in accordance with all they learned in their desert wanderings.

Forty years was a long time, but not enough. It has been suggested that the forty-year journey from servitude to the steppes of the Promised Land was necessary in order to forge the riff-raff 2 from Egypt into a unified people. The original journey from Egypt to Sinai to Canaan should only have taken months.

Pax

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Q3. (Numbers 14) Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious? What did it represent on the people's part? What did it represent on the Lord's part? In your opinion, was the punishment too severe? Why or why not? If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

Answer:

1.Why is this failure to enter the Promised Land so serious?What did it represent on the Lord's part?

Because it contradicts to the will,purpose of God..God said,He will give them the Promised Land..andwhen the Lord says it..and SO IT WAS SO...it must come to pass,it must happen..( [i]Gen 1:9- And God said , Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place , and let the dry land appear :[/i] and it was so

So their failure not to enter the Promised land,is so serious because it makes the WORD of GOD of no effect.

2.In your opinion, was the punishment too severe?Why or why not?

Nothing is too severe for the Lord.The Lord never impose His will on the people,He wants relationship,obedience..and when the people cannot obey Him,it mwans it also cannot fellowship with Him.

3.If the people had moved in faith, how long would their trip from Egypt to Canaan have taken?

Less than 40 years...

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The Israelites failure to enter the Promised land was serious because they were being disobediant and going against the will of God.

What this represented on the people's part was their lack of faith.

What this represented on God's part was that He was angry that they chose to belief the negative report of the 10 spies over Caleb's and Joshua's positive report.

I don't believe the punishment was too severe. The people needed to realize the consequence of their lack of faith and their disobedience to enter the Promised Land.

If the people had moved in faith,their trip from Egypt to Canaan probably would of taken a lot less than 40 years.

As a side note,I often wonder if Caleb and Joshua didn't feel a bit resentful. They were the only two who showed true faith concerning entering the Promised Land. Yet because of the unbelief of the people,they too had to wander the desert 40 years waiting for the unbelieving generation to die off.

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