Faith, Fear, & False Repentance: God’s Judgment and Mercy
Judgment and mercy. These are two things you might not expect to go together. But a Biblical view of God and His character holds these two words side by side. If you lose judgment, you end up with a God who does not ultimately care about sin. But if you lose mercy, you are left with an utterly hopeless view of life.
God’s response to Israel’s unbelief involves both judgment and mercy. Numbers 14 gives a clear look at the character of God and how He responds to His people’s sin. Through studying this passage, you see three truths about the Lord: God does not need anyone, God is merciful but there are still consequences for sin, and God more strictly judges those who spread falsehood about Him.
This post will look at each of these three truths so you can better understand how the judgment and mercy of God relate. Doing so will give you a bigger and more biblical view of God. Read through the last half of Numbers 14 before you continue reading if you need a refresher on the context.
God does not need anyone
In the last post in this series, I explained God’s response to Israel not wanting to enter the promised land. God declared Israel’s fundamental problem was unbelief. The Lord has brought them out of Egypt to the edge of the promised land, performing signs and wonders along the way. But here at the edge of the promised land, Israel crumbles due to sinful fear of the nations which already live in the land.
What is God’s response to this rebellion?
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
Numbers 14:11-12, ESV
There is irony throughout this passage where God gives His judgment. Think of these verses this way: since Israel did not remember the plagues God hit Egypt, God would strike Israel with a plague. In other words, God is threatening to treat Israel just like His enemy in the book of Exodus. The Lord judged Egypt with plagues, now Israel will get judged in the same way.
How could God threaten this? Because Israel is behaving like God’s enemy right now. Their unbelief and rebellion is as worthy of judgment as Egypt’s wickedness was. But you might ask, “If God destroys Israel, He won’t be able to keep His promises! God is stuck!”
But the text before us gives a different answer: God could destroy Israel in judgment and still fulfill His promises.
God is not dependent on anyone to fulfill His promises. He is utterly and completely sovereign. The Lord choosing to use a person or a nation is simply a mercy and a privilege, not a right or a guarantee.
God could just as easily fulfill his promises with or without Israel. The Pentateuch is incredibly clear: what makes Israel important is God’s plan, God’s promise, God’s choice. I have written before on God choosing Israel. I think one of the more helpful verses to remember is Deuteronomy 7:7.
The Lord was devoted to you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all the peoples. For you were the fewest of all the peoples.
Deuteronomy 7:7
God isn’t going to be manipulated. It is not as though God is thinking “Oh man, Israel really should be punished but drat, I made a promise to them! Guess they have me stuck!” No, God simply says “I could destroy this nation and still fulfill my promises!” It would not be a difficult thing for God.
We would all do well to remember the needy one is not God. It is us. We need God desperately, God does not depend on us at all.
God is merciful but there are still consequences for sin
If you continue to read Numbers 14, you see that God does not destroy Israel. In a future post I will look at Moses’ mediation and why God does not destroy Israel. Essentially what happens is God chooses to show Israel mercy. Israel does not get what their sin deserves because God is faithful.
20 Then the Lord said, “I have pardoned, according to your word. 21 But truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, 22 none of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their fathers. And none of those who despised me shall see it.
Numbers 14:20-23, ESV
It is important to notice that God pardons Israel, but there are still consequences for their sin. Both judgment and mercy are present. God swears by himself that Israel will not enter the land in this generation. It is not a “easy” consequence. An entire generation will die in the wilderness. You might think this is too harsh, but this judgment is incredibly merciful.
To understand fully what God does with this judgment, however, you must notice three ironies.
The first irony: Israel didn’t want to enter God’s promised land, so God judges them by giving them what they want. The entire generation will not enter the promised land.
Israel said out of fear in verse 2 “If only we had died in the wilderness!” God gives them what they prefer as an act of judgment. The entire generation will die in the wilderness.
The second irony: the scouts had 40 days to enter the promised land. In judgment, God will give Israel 40 years, one year for each day, outside of the promised land.
The third irony: Israel says “our children will be plunder in this land.” Israel is terrified the nations will take their children. But God in judgment says He will give their children the land as plunder. The opposite of what Israel feared will happen.
Each of these ironies demonstrate how just God’s judgment is. God simply gives Israel exactly what they asked for.
The judgment of God isn’t always taking away something you want. Sometimes, God judges your sin by giving you exactly what you wanted.
God’s stricter judgment for those who spread falsehood
Finally, God deals with those who were not loyal to the Lord: the spies who spread the bad report. God’s judgment on these spies is particularly harsh. Numbers 14:38 says only Joshua and Caleb survived. God reserved the most immediate and intense judgment for those scouts who lead Israel astray.
Why did God put to death these scouts? The text leaves no question of their guilt: Numbers 14:36-37 says they incited the community to complain and they spread a negative report. The text repeats that the spies spread a negative report 2 times for emphasis. The spies were given a position of authority, but they used this authority to spread falsehoods about God. James 3 gives a similar warning to the Church.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
James 3:1, ESV
God’s people receive both judgment and mercy in response to their sin. But God’s judgment is always just. This means the people who were most responsible for the rebellion, the spies, were judged more harshly. If you have a position of authority in the Church, use it to speak truths about God. Spreading lies or falsehoods about the gospel is inviting God’s judgment.
The question is: did Israel get it? After God’s judgment and mercy, did Israel truly repent in response? In the next post in the series, I will show how their response is one of the best examples of false repentance in Scripture. All of Numbers 14 serves as a sobering warning about how you and I relate to the Lord.
Click here to find other posts in this series. If you are enjoying this series, check out my other series “Happy?” where I go through the Psalms and examine what they teach us about true happiness.