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Now with whom was He angry forty years?

Text: Hebrews 3:17

THE ANGER OF THE LORD

The anger of the Lord was brought up for mention in the following text.

“Now with whom was He angry forty years?
Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses
fell in the wilderness?
Hebrews 3:17

1. Now with whom was He angry forty years?

a) The historical context is recorded in Numbers 13-14

i) Twelve spies were sent out to reconnoiter the land of Canaan (Cf. Numbers 13)

ii) Ten of the spies came back and discouraged the children of Israel from attempting to enter Canaan (Numbers 13:28-29, 32-33).

iii) The children of Israel then complained bitterly against Moses and Aaron (Cf. Numbers 14:2-4).

iv) They were ready to stone Moses to death (Cf. Numbers 14:10)

b) The anger of the Lord

i) God was ready to disinherit the children of Israel (Cf. Numbers 14:12).

ii) He knew that the deeper problem was one of rejection (Cf. Numbers 14:11).

c) The turning away of the wrath of God

i) Moses interceded on behalf of the nation (Cf. Numbers 14:13-19)

ii) He was successful in his intercession; pardon was given (Cf. Numbers 14:20)

2. The Judgment of the Lord pronounced

a) The ten spies “died by the plague of the Lord” (Cf. Numbers 14:37).

b) The generation that rebelled would not enter the land of Canaan (Cf. Numbers 14:32)

c) Only Joshua and Caleb would enter the land because they were faithful (Cf. Numbers 14:38)

d) The “next generation” would go into the land of Canaan (Cf. Numbers 14:31)