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.”
God’s people rebelled against God, first by not going into the Promised Land; the second time by taking up arms and going up the mountains. The first time they were not doing what they should have done; the second time they were doing what they should not have done.
It all boils down to delayed obedience.What was right (going into the Promised Land) at the right time (when God commanded the first time) now was “presumptuous.” You see, delayed obedience is disobedience.
God’s people had delayed obedience because they murmured and complained. Deuteronomy 1:27 says, “And ye murmured in your tents, and said. . . .” Their complaining went so far as to question God’s motives. They could not know God’s motives (you and I can’t, either); but instead of obeying God at the right time, they murmured, complained, and said, “Because the LORD hated us . . . to destroy us.” How wicked is the sin of murmuring and complaining!
Not only did they murmur, but they also feared. Deuteronomy 1:28 describes their fear which delayed their obedience. They focused on the giants, the walls, and comparing themselves to the people of the land. But the “how” was not their business; the “what” was their business. You do not have to know the “how” if you know the “what” is what God wants. Confidence comes, not from great assurance in your ability or the facts of your circumstances; confidence comes in trusting God! If you are doing what you are supposed to do, you don’t have to worry and fret over the results. As Deuteronomy 1:17b says, “For the judgment is God’s: and the cause that is too hard for you, bring it unto me, and I will hear it.” Now that is confidence!
Ultimately, the children of Israel delayed their obedience because they did not believe: “Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God.” (Deuteronomy 1:32) When we delay our obedience, it is for the same reason. You may call it something else, but when you boil it all down, delayed obedience is disobedience and disbelief.
There is hope for us today, illustrated for us by Caleb. He did not murmur, complain, or fear, and he did not suffer the same consequences. He “wholly followed the LORD” (Deuteronomy 1:36) and had confidence because of it!
Often we sing the hymn “Trust and Obey.” Those two elements really do go together. Trust your obedience and the consequences to God today.
Prayer Requests: – Revival services tonight in Pecatonica, IL and Southington, CT
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