The Aftermath (Numbers 14:36-45).
A number of things followed on Yahweh's words.
a The men who brought the evil report died, while Joshua and Caleb lived (Numbers 14:36-38).
b Moses told the children of Israel of what Yahweh had said and they mourned greatly (Numbers 14:39)
b The people declared that they would go forward after all but Moses told them not to go up. Yahweh would not be among them (Numbers 14:40-43).
a Those who listened to the evil report yet still went forward were smitten down and driven out of the land (Numbers 14:41-45).
‘And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned, and made all the congregation murmur against him, by bringing up an evil report against the land, even those men who brought up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before Yahweh.'
The first sign of the fulfilment of Yahweh's punishment was immediately seen in that, apart from Joshua and Caleb, all the chieftains who had gone as scouts into Canaan and had misled and misdirected the people died through a plague. Their guilt was clearly described. They had made all the congregation murmur against Him, and they had brought a falsified report (repeated twice for emphasis). Thus they had borne false witness of Yahweh.
‘But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, remained alive of those men who went to spy out the land.'
Of the spies only Joshua and Caleb escaped the plague. They alone of all the spies remained alive.
‘And Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly.'
Then Moses told the children of Israel all that Yahweh had said. And they had meanwhile had had time to have second thoughts. They did not want to go back into that dreadful wilderness. Certainly on thinking about it they did not want to return to Egypt. Thus when they heard Moses' words they regretted their folly. But it was too late. They had revealed that they were in no fit state to invade the land.
‘And they rose up early in the morning, and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, “Lo, we are here, and will go up to the place which Yahweh has promised, for we have sinned.” '
However, they rose up early in the morning and mustered their forces and gathered on the top of a rise from which they could go forward into Canaan in order to demonstrate their readiness to go forward into the place which Yahweh had promised. They admitted that they had sinned. But now, they said, they were ready to make amends. They would go forward. But it was too late. They had capped all their previous disobedience with this greatest disobedience of all. They could no longer be trusted. This day might be another day, but they were still the same old people. Yahweh now recognised, as they should have, that they were not in any state to begin an extensive campaign of warfare. The truth was that they would simply fall at the next fence.
“And went up to the top of the mountain.” This could simply indicate a nearby rise where they assembled on the side of the camp leading to Canaan. But compare verse 44. The use there may suggest that this phrase here means that they did it in thought and expressed willingness. In their minds they were expressing their willingness to go into the hill country and fight. When someone makes a firm final decision to do something difficult about which they have been demurring, we can say of them, ‘that moment it was as good as done'. That may have been the idea here. Or we may simply translate ‘towards the top of the hill country' signifying that they made the first move in order to finally get there.
‘And Moses said, “Why now do you transgress the commandment of Yahweh, seeing it will not prosper?” '
But instead of welcoming their change of heart, Moses questioned their behaviour. Why did they still reveal their rebellious hearts by disobeying Yahweh? Why did they seek to go against His commandment? Why did they not accept His decision? He had said that they must not go. To go would therefore be to disobey Him. Had they not yet learned their lesson?
“ Do not go up, for Yahweh is not among you, that you be not smitten down before your enemies.”
So he commanded them not to go up. For he warned them that if they did Yahweh would not be among them. They had forfeited His presence. If they did go forward they would be smitten down by their enemies.
“ For there the Amalekite and the Canaanite are in front of you, and you will fall by the sword. Because you are turned back from following Yahweh, therefore Yahweh will not be with you.”
Did they not recognise that the same Amalekites and Canaanites of whom their chieftains had expressed their fears were still there? If they went against them they would fall by the sword, because Yahweh would not fight for them. And the reason why He would not was because they had so devastatingly and firmly turned back from following Him.
‘But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain. Nevertheless the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses, did not leave the camp.'
However they determined that they would go. They did not want to go back into the wilderness. Presumptiously they marched forward under other leaders. But the Ark of the covenant of Yahweh and Moses did not leave the camp. They went on their own. There would be no divine assistance this time.
At this point we can only feel sorry for the people. They did not want the past and they had lost their future. They felt that this was the only way that they could go. They just could not take their families back into the wilderness. Even if it meant going alone they would face up to the enemy and seek to establish a position in Canaan. But they were no match for peoples who probably spent half their time fighting. They went without the incentive of the Ark. They went without Joshua their usual general. They went out of desperation rather than in confidence. They went without faith in Yahweh. And it told.
‘Then the Amalekite came down, and the Canaanite who dwelt in that mountain, and smote them and beat them down, even to Hormah.'
There could be only one result. The Amalekites and the Canaanites swept down from the hill country and smote them, driving them back even as far as Hormah. Hormah means ‘devoted to destruction'. In this case the name was certainly symbolic. They were beaten back to be devoted to destruction. It was a name often applied to mounds resulting from devastation.
But why did Yahweh not accept their repentance and go forward with them? The answer is because God knows men's hearts. He recognised that whatever the short term for these men, to attempt the invasion would be fatal. They did not have sufficient faith either in Him or in themselves. And their failure had proved it. Enough time would have to pass until a new generation had been developed which had sufficient faith in Yahweh.