Deuteronomy 1:43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.
In Deuteronomy 1 we find God’s people embarking on a new journey, an unknown future. They were right on the borders of the land that God had promised them. What was in Canaan was unknown to them, so they decided to send out spies to search out the land to tell them “by what way we must go up.” That quickly turned into discouragement and doubt. The question turned into, “Whither shall we go up?” There is a difference between figuring out how to best obey God and expressing doubt that we should obey God.
The bottom line is that they did not go into the land. When God judged them for refusing to obey, they had a change of mind. They said, “We will go up into the land.” Then there is a very distinct statement, “And the LORD said unto me [Moses], Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before you enemies. So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.”
Here is irony. First, Israel disobeyed God by refusing to go into the land that God had promised them. Then, they rebelled against God by going into the land when God told them not to go. The Bible calls this “presumptuous” because they went up when God was not with them.
A very important lesson for us as we embark on an unknown future is that it is not presumptuous to go up against giants; it is presumptuous to go up without God. You see, the safest place in the world is not the place with the least trouble. The safest place in the world is the place into which God has placed you. Think about David and Goliath. David’s brothers seemed to disdain David. They said, “Who are you to go up against Goliath? You are nobody! You are but a youth, and he is a warrior from his youth.” David went on to say that the battle was the Lord’s. Friend, the battle is the Lord’s.
Today, whatever the future may be, all of it unknown, it is not presumptuous to go up against giants. We should do that! It is presumptuous to go up without God.