The Anatomy of Unbelief Text: Numbers 14:5-10
Introduction: The Crisis of Cowardice
We come this morning to a hinge point in the history of Israel, and by extension, a hinge point in the history of redemption. What happens here in the wilderness of Paran is not simply a failure of nerve. It is a catastrophic failure of faith, a corporate act of high treason against the God who had delivered them with a high hand. This is the moment when the slave mentality, which they were supposed to have left behind in Egypt, reasserts itself with a vengeance. They had seen the plagues, they had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground, they had eaten the bread of heaven and drunk water from a rock. God had condescended to dwell in their midst in a pillar of cloud and fire. And yet, at the first sign of genuine opposition, they collapse into a puddle of terrified, nostalgic unbelief.
The ten spies had come back with their evil report. It was a majority report, mind you, which in our democratic age is often mistaken for the voice of God. But the voice of the people is very rarely the voice of God; it is usually the voice of fear. They saw giants, and in seeing giants, they saw a very small God. Their report was a masterpiece of satanic rhetoric: yes, the land flows with milk and honey, BUT the people are strong, the cities are fortified, and the sons of Anak are there. This "yes, but" is the native language of unbelief. It acknowledges the goodness of God's promise only to declare it practically unobtainable. It is a pious-sounding way of calling God a liar.
This crisis reveals a fundamental spiritual law: fear of man is inverted fear of God. You will fear something. The choice is not whether to fear, but whom to fear. When you cease to fear God, you do not become fearless; you become afraid of everything else. You become afraid of giants, of fortified cities, of public opinion, of losing your security, of missing the leeks and onions of your bondage. The Israelites did not fear God, and so they feared the Canaanites. And this fear metastasized into open rebellion. The entire congregation was on the verge of deposing Moses and appointing a new captain to lead them back to Egypt, back to slavery. This is the anatomy of apostasy. It is a rejection of a glorious future for a miserable past, all because of a cowardly present.
Into this vortex of mutiny, four men stand against the tide. Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb. Their response, and the congregation's reaction to it, followed by God's dramatic intervention, teaches us a permanent lesson about the nature of faith, the ugliness of rebellion, and the weight of glory.
The Text
Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.
And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;
and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, “The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.
If Yahweh is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.
But as for you, only do not rebel against Yahweh; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has been removed from them, and Yahweh is with us; do not fear them.”
But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel.
(Numbers 14:5-10 LSB)
Desperate Intercession and Righteous Grief (v. 5-6)
We begin with the response of the leadership to this tidal wave of rebellion.
"Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, of those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes;" (Numbers 14:5-6)
Notice the two distinct but related reactions. Moses and Aaron, the established leaders, fall on their faces. This is not an act of despair or surrender to the mob. It is an act of desperate, urgent intercession. They are not prostrating themselves before the people; they are prostrating themselves before the God who is present in the midst of His people. They know what this corporate sin deserves. They know that the wrath of God is kindled and that judgment is imminent. They are throwing themselves into the breach, pleading for a people who are too blind and arrogant to plead for themselves. This is the heart of true leadership. It does not pander to the mob; it pleads for the mob before a holy God.
Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies, have a different response. They tear their clothes. This is a classic Old Testament expression of profound grief, horror, and righteous indignation. They are not just sad; they are appalled. They are horrified by the blasphemy they are hearing. The people are not just making a strategic blunder; they are despising Yahweh and His exceedingly good gift. The tearing of garments is a visceral, outward reaction to a deep, inward spiritual revulsion. They are seeing the covenant being torn apart by unbelief, and so they tear their own robes. This is not theatrical posturing. This is what happens when men who love God and His honor are confronted with brazen rebellion against Him.
We live in an age that has lost this capacity for righteous grief. We are encouraged to be tolerant, open-minded, and understanding of every form of rebellion against God. But Joshua and Caleb show us that there are moments when the only godly response is to be shocked and horrified. To hear God's promises belittled, to hear His goodness questioned, to see His people choosing slavery over freedom, ought to tear at the fabric of our souls.
The Minority Report of Faith (v. 7-9)
Having expressed their grief, Joshua and Caleb deliver their impassioned appeal. This is the minority report, the argument of faith against the overwhelming consensus of fear.
"and they spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying, 'The land which we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If Yahweh is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey.'" (Numbers 14:7-8 LSB)
They begin by reaffirming the truth. The ten spies had poisoned the well with their "yes, but." Joshua and Caleb cleanse it with a resounding, unqualified "yes." The land is not just good; it is "exceedingly good." They are not denying the existence of giants, but they are refusing to let the giants define the landscape. The goodness of God's promise is the central reality, not the obstacles in the way.
Then they get to the heart of the matter: "If Yahweh is pleased with us." This is the great condition. Their entrance into the land is not contingent on their military strength, their strategic genius, or the size of the giants. It is contingent on God's good pleasure. And what pleases God? Faith. What displeases Him? Rebellion and unbelief. They are reminding the people that their relationship with God is the determinative factor in their history. If God is for them, who can be against them? But if God is against them, what good are swords and shields? This is covenantal logic. The issue is not one of logistics, but of loyalty.
Then comes the direct exhortation in verse 9.
"But as for you, only do not rebel against Yahweh; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are our bread. Their protection has been removed from them, and Yahweh is with us; do not fear them." (Genesis 14:9 LSB)
Here they name the sin for what it is: rebellion. Their fear is not a psychological weakness; it is a spiritual mutiny. And they directly connect this rebellion to fear. "Do not rebel... and do not fear." The two are two sides of the same counterfeit coin. To fear the Canaanites is to rebel against Yahweh. To trust Yahweh is to cease fearing the Canaanites. It is a binary choice. You cannot serve two masters, and you cannot fear God and man simultaneously.
Then they utter one of the great declarations of faith in all of Scripture: "they are our bread." The ten spies saw the Canaanites as giants who would eat them. Joshua and Caleb saw them as bread to be eaten. What makes the difference? Perspective. The ten spies measured the giants against themselves and trembled. Joshua and Caleb measured the giants against God and triumphed. Unbelief sees obstacles as insurmountable barriers. Faith sees obstacles as divine provisions, as opportunities for God to show His strength. The Canaanites were not a problem; they were lunch. God had set the table for Israel, and they were refusing to eat.
Their confidence was not in themselves, but in God's sovereign work. "Their protection has been removed from them." The Hebrew word for protection here is literally "their shadow." Their shade, their covering, is gone. Faith sees the spiritual reality behind the physical appearances. God had already stripped the Canaanites of their spiritual armor. All that was left was a hollow shell. And the positive counterpart is stated plainly: "and Yahweh is with us." This is the foundation of all Christian courage. Immanuel. God with us. If that is true, then the command "do not fear them" is the only logical conclusion.
The Mob's Verdict and God's Intervention (v. 10)
How does the congregation, this assembly of God's covenant people, respond to this magnificent, Spirit-filled exhortation to faith and courage? How do they react to the truth?
"But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of meeting to all the sons of Israel." (Genesis 14:10 LSB)
They decide to kill the messengers. This is the perennial response of the unregenerate heart to the prophetic word. When you cannot refute the message, you seek to destroy the messenger. They had no answer for the logic of faith, so they picked up rocks. This reveals the murderous rage that lies coiled at the heart of unbelief. Unbelief is not a passive, neutral state of intellectual uncertainty. It is an active, hostile opposition to the truth. They would rather kill their brethren than kill their idols of fear and comfort.
This is the spirit that stoned the prophets throughout Israel's history. It is the spirit that cried, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" before Pilate. The men who build the tombs of the dead prophets are often the sons of those who stoned the living ones. Israel wanted a God who would give them a land without giants, a salvation without a cross, a crown without a conflict. When Joshua and Caleb called them to the glorious, costly obedience of faith, their immediate reaction was murderous.
But man does not get the last word. Just as the mob is about to carry out its wicked sentence, God intervenes. "Then the glory of Yahweh appeared in the tent of meeting." The Shekinah glory, the visible manifestation of God's holy presence, which normally resided in the Holy of Holies, blazed forth for all to see. This is not a gentle, comforting light. This is the appearance of the Judge. This is the glory that is a consuming fire. God has heard the blasphemy. He has seen the rebellion. He has witnessed their desire to murder His faithful servants. And now He shows up.
The glory of the Lord appears at the moment of ultimate crisis. It appears to vindicate His faithful servants and to confront His rebellious people. The very presence they had discounted, the God they had accused of bringing them into the wilderness to die, now makes His presence undeniably, terrifyingly known. They wanted to go back to Egypt, but they are about to find out that you cannot run from the living God. The argument is over. The debate is finished. God Himself has taken the stand.
Conclusion: Bread or Judgment
This scene lays before us the choice that every generation, and every individual, must face. It is the choice between the report of the world and the report of the Word. The world will always give you ten reasons why obedience to God is impossible, impractical, and dangerous. The world will always point to the giants in the land.
Faith, on the other hand, looks at the same set of facts and comes to a radically different conclusion. Faith does not deny the giants, but it magnifies God above the giants. Faith sees the obstacles not as reasons for retreat, but as bread for the journey, nourishment provided by God for our strengthening.
The great sin of Israel was not simple fear. It was rebellion born of unbelief. They refused to take God at His Word. And when confronted with their sin, they sought to silence the truth by violence. This is a picture of the human heart at war with God.
But it is also a picture of the gospel. For we too were in a wilderness of sin, slaves to fear. God promised us a promised land, a salvation in His Son. But to enter it requires us to confront giants: the giants of our sin, the world, and the devil. The evil report of our own hearts tells us that victory is impossible. But the gospel is the good report of our true Joshua, Jesus Christ. He has gone before us, and He has already conquered. He tells us that our enemies are bread for us, that their protection has been removed at the cross, and that He, Yahweh, is with us.
The choice is the same. Will we rebel in unbelief and fear? Or will we trust the good report? Will we try to stone the messengers of the gospel because they call us to a life of faith and warfare? Or will we say with Joshua and Caleb that the promise of God is exceedingly good? And let us remember that when we stand for Christ, even if we are a minority of two against ten thousand, the glory of the Lord will appear to vindicate His Word and His servants. The choice is before us: will we be consumed by the giants of our fear, or will we, by faith, consume them as our bread?