Numbers 14-17

Things get ugly. In all this time, remember that every morning, the people wake up and there is fresh manna from heaven. Every morning, they wake up to this miracle which makes their lack of faith in God to help them take the promised land a little perplexing, IMO.

The actions of the 10 scouts incites the fear of the people and they speak of making a new leader who will return them to Egypt. We also find out that Joshua has sided with Caleb and urges the people go take the land.

The people are discussing stoning them when God plans to destroy them with a plague and start over with Moses. Moses talks God from not destroying them immediately, nor to give up. Rather, God plans to not let anyone older than 20 years or older enter the land. The rest will die in the desert. God told Moses to lead them back to the Red Sea. The 10 scouts who incited the revolt are killed by a plague, perhaps the same plague that God had in mind for the others.

Moses tells the Israelites about this. "Uh oh. We sinned, we're sorry. Let's go to the promised land.". After bring warned by Moses not to go, they are attacked by the Canaanites and Amelakites, who push them back to the desert.

Numbers 15 feels like it's straight out of Leviticus. It discusses sacrifices but is interposed between all these revolts.

There is an interesting anecdote about a man who is breaking the sabbath by collecting wood. The last we heard about the sabbath, God was telling them what TO do, not what NOT TO do. They were supposed to assemble in worship and do "non-ordinary work". Collecting firewood certainly is ordinary work for this man, and perhaps even prevented him assembling with the community for worship.

God tells the community to stone this man. He is taken outside of camp and killed.

On one hand, it is easy to see how later on the Pharisees came up with rules to protect the sabbath. On the other, I think God has a pattern of doing what we might all over-reacting when God sets up a new institution that has not fully been ingrained. For instance, the husband and wife embezzlers in the New Testament. Here, i don't think the sabbath culture had not been fully ingrained. Plus, the story is interposed among all other open revolts against Moses and God.

Numbers 16

The next revolt is Korah. He is a Levite who leads 250 people and challenges Moses as leader. They are frustrated that they have not been taken to the promised land and think Moses and Aaron act like superiors.

Uh oh, this is not going to end well.

In some ways, some of their complaints feel somewhat legitimate. "Moses, you promised to take us there, and now we're witting in the desert. What gives?". If that were it alone, then Moses would say, "we were about to do it, but you let the 10 bad scouts incite you.". But it goes a step further, based on Moses' response.

Moses lets God sort this out. He tells them to bring their offerings tomorrow and God will decide who should lead the Israelites. The next morning, the ground opens up and swallows Korah and his followers, even children. Fire then comes out and instantly kills the 250 leaders who went along with Korah.

The next morning, yet another revolt. The people claim that it was Moses that killed all those people. Do they think he's a great sorcerer or something?

God starts striking them down with a plague, but Aaron intervenes and cleanses them the incense from the altar. However, over 14,000 are killed, in addition to Korah and his followers.

Numbers 17

God comes up with a plan of demonstrating who is in charge without killing people. Twelve trial leaders put their staffs in a tent over night. The next morning, the staff of Aaron has bloomed, blossomed, and even sprouted almonds.

Moses shows this to the people, but their response is fear - "we will all die!"

All the revolts and problems seem to really begin with the report of the 10 scouts and their inciting revolt. Things are going relatively well up to then.