I. Notice how completely Almighty God recognises the sense of preciousness which all parents with a spark of heart in them attach to their children, and how God turns the faculty and instinct of affection in parents to their children to the parents' condemnation if they will not use their affection or their responsibility in the direction of securing eternal life for those whom they love.
II. Children, in the providence of God, and according to the rules of God's government, do, in a certain degree, share their parents' privileges, suffer their parents' penalties, nay, even sin with their parents' sin.
III. The children did not altogether inherit the parents' punishment. In some degree they were spared the consequences of their parents' guilt. The parents must not go up to Canaan to possess that pleasant land, but the Lord will bring the children up when their parents are gone.
IV. The great reason why the children of Israel refused to go up to the land of Canaan was a want of faith. So the great reason why so-called Christian parents do not take the trouble to prepare their children for eternity is that their own personal belief about eternity is not as strong as it should be.
The duties of parents towards their children are: (1) to give them careful and continuous instruction concerning the things of God; (2) to teach them by their life and example that these things are true; (3) to pray for their children; (4) to have faith that God will bless their children.
Bishop Thorold, Christian World Pulpit,vol. vii., p. 17.
References: Numbers 14:43. Parker, vol. iii., p. 222.Numbers 15:30-36. Ibid.,p. 230. Numbers 15:37-39. W. F. Hook, Parish Sermons,p. 1.Numbers 15:37-41. Parker, vol. iii., p. 239. Numbers 15:38. H. Sinclair Patterson, Christian World Pulpit,vol. xxii., p. 200. Num 15-19. J. Monro Gibson, The Mosaic Era,p. 273.