Numbers 26:1 And it came to pass after the plague, that the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying, 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers' house" .... 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spake with them in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho" .... 64 But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.
This passage of scripture describes for us what took place just before the Hebrews crossed the Jordan river for the very last time, as they prepared to enter the goodly land of Canaan. They were at this time standing on the very threshold of their new home, and in the distance they could see the fruitful country with the rich cities of the plain, which were to become their own inheritance. As they stood and gazed with eager anticipation, their hearts throbbed with the prospect of finally entering the land, which for forty years had evaded them on account of the numerous uprisings, rebellions, and murmurings of their forefathers. And now with the goodly land in their sights, they were jubilant with the knowledge that what had been promised them by God, was just about to be fulfilled.
But satan was not about to let them off the hook without putting up a desperate struggle to keep them from entering, and he orchestrated one last temptation to try to thwart the plans of God for His people. The Midianitish women who were their neighbors in the surrounding territory, were instructed by Balaam and Balak to befriend the Hebrew men with the sole purpose of leading them into idolatry, a plot that was concealed under the garb of friendship, and one to which the people fell a prey. These secret agents of satan, representing the human agencies through which he often works, started to come into the camp of the Hebrews covertly, so that Moses, who was busy with the plans for entering Canaan was not alerted to the situation before it had taken deep root, and had spread like a cancer throughout the camp. Let's read:
Numbers 25:1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.
The fact that Moses was preoccupied with planning the entry into Canaan is not the real issue here, for the problem is that many of the Hebrew people were harboring sins and forbidden desires in the phantom stages in their minds, and therefore when the devil provided the right opportunity for expression, he found a corresponding chord in many un-renewed hearts. What is worthy of note, is that all those who fell a prey to his deceptive wiles were also eagerly looking forward to possessing the promised land, but the sad fact is that their hope did not translate into victorious living, and so their faith was not commensurate with their works, a very serious problem indeed, for it cost them the earthly Canaan, and possibly the heavenly.
This sad experience of the Hebrews is pregnant with instruction for us Christians who are standing on the banks of the heavenly Canaan, with the prospect of imminent entry before our faces. Like the Hebrews of old we may sing of "Beulah Land" and the "Welcome table" and we may speak of "The realms of the blessed", as if we can almost taste of heaven. Yet through all of this it is of critical importance that what we say and sing, translate into victorious living, for "Beulah Land" is promised only to overcomers, not to anyone else. Let's read:
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
As of old we may expect satan to redouble his efforts to prevent us from crossing spiritual Jordan for the last and final time, hence the reason why as Christians living on the brink of eternity we should be wide awake and on full alert, lest through carelessness, or through cultivated and cherished sin, we too fall a prey to his nefarious work through human agencies. We should never harbor sinful thoughts or desires in our minds, and if we encounter any trouble in gaining the victory, we will need to do as Christ did, by lifting up our prayers and cries to God for help in times of need, for our victory lies squarely on the shoulders of The Living word, and also the written word which is given for our admonition and instruction.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions us to be sober and vigilant, especially during these last days of earth's history where a proliferation of sin and iniquity surrounds us, and threatens our final crossing into the eternal abodes of bliss. Let's read:
Romans 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!