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1:25God took an oath here. In verse 23, 22, and 23, that this entire generation that came out of Egypt would die in the wilderness. He would make sure that they didn't enter the land that he had promised to give to the nation Israel. That generation would not see it. What happened? What happened that moved God to take this oath against the very people that he brought out of Egypt? That is the question before us. That is the question of the ages. That is the question for all nations and all individuals who study the Bible to consider. Why did God call this people out of Egypt and the very generation that came out, why then did he condemn them to die in the wilderness?

2:39You ever heard the expression, the last straw? Well, that's the last straw. It's an expression that refers to the very last event in a series of bad things that really provokes a person to anger or to be very upset. It's the final straw. Straw. The very last thing that the Exodus generation did to provoke God was to not go into the land which he promised them. That's the subject of Numbers 13 and Numbers 14, that God brought them out of Egypt, brought them to the boundary going into the promised land, there at Kadesh Barnea, right at the boundary, to go in and to take the land. They sent 12 spies up into the land. They came back with a report. All of them said, it's a great land, but ten of them said there's no way we can take it. Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, said, Yes, we can, let's go in.

3:50But the people refused to listen to the faithful advice of Joshua and Caleb, but rather took the faithless advice of the ten unbelieving spies. And so they decided it's better for us to go back to Egypt. Numbers 14:2 says this: All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, Would that we had died in the land of Egypt, or that we would have died in this wilderness. Why is the Lord bringing us? Into this land to fall by the sword. Our wives and our little ones will become plunder. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? So they said to one another, Let's appoint a leader and return to Egypt. Think about that. After all that God had done for them, after all that God had shown them, they thought they were better off serving Pharaoh rather than God.

5:03How did this generation get to that point? They seem to have started well. In Exodus 14 and 15, that's where this journey begins. There they are on the eastern side of the Red Sea. Pharaoh's army has been decimated, killed in the Red Sea. Exodus 14:30, the end of 14. Exodus 14 says this: Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. When Israel saw the great power which the Lord had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and his servant Moses.

5:56That's the end of chapter 14. And then chapter 15 begins. With the song of Moses and the song of Israel. It reads this: Exodus 15:1. Then Moses and, important, and the sons of Israel, Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord. I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted, the horse and rider he has hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will extol him.

6:38Well, they seemingly began very well, but they didn't progress well. And their spiritual decline as we journey from the eastern shore of the Red Sea all the way to the land indicates that their hearts were faithless even at the very beginning, even as they had sung the song of Moses. And one would expect after their 14-month journey to Kadesh-Barnia, to the edge of the promised land, that that would have boosted their confidence in the Lord. But it didn't. What happened?

7:30What happened to that generation? Psalm 78, 8, we just read a minute ago, gives us a little commentary on what happened. Psalm 78, 8 says this: And do not be like their fathers, the fathers, that Exodus generation, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God. Even though they saw all that they saw in Egypt, yet they didn't prepare room for God to be their God in their hearts.

8:16It was a journey into hardness of heart. They're from the Red Sea all the way to Kadesh Marnia. It was a journey into a harder heart. You see, this is the shocking part of the Exodus narrative. It's shocking. It wasn't just Pharaoh whose heart progressed in hardness, but the very ones who came out of Egypt, they too progressed in the same kind of hardness. They ended up with the same hardness of heart that Pharaoh had. That's what is shocking.

9:01And that's what calls us to pay attention to what happens here. They were delivered from Pharaoh's political grip, but they weren't delivered from his hard heart. This is the deliverance we need. We need to be delivered from our hard hearts. We need to see to it that we do not have in us, in any one of us, an evil and unbelieving heart. So says Hebrews 3 and verse 12. Well, their journey into this hardness is very well documented in the Torah.

9:57I want to look at that. But first of all, I want to look at the hardening that took place in Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh, too, went down a path of a hardened heart and a continually hardening heart. And he experienced the judgment that followed. We first meet Pharaoh in Exodus 5. Remember in Exodus 5:1. And afterward, Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, Thus, Says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go, that they may celebrate a feast to me in the wilderness. But Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, besides, I will not let Israel go. That's where we meet him. He's ignorant who the true God is, and he's stubborn at heart.

10:58We all must answer this question: Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice? Well, after that first encounter with Pharaoh, things got worse for Moses and for Israel. Pharaoh increased the labor, made sure they made bricks and without straw. And Moses is like, what's going on here? And God said to Moses, relax. Pharaoh's heart is hard, stubborn, and it's going to get harder. Exodus 3, 7 says this. Exodus 7, 3 says this. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart that I may multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my people, the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt. Egypt by great judgments.

12:04Well, we can learn several things about Pharaoh's journey into hardness and the judgment that he experienced by looking at the ten plus times that his heart was hardened. I got these on the PowerPoint. We can look at this briefly. Pharaoh's hardened heart was actually a stubborn heart. In Exodus 7:14, you remember the staff and the serpents, and Moses threw down his staff, and so did the magicians, and Moses' serpent or staff swallowed up the others. Verse 13, yet Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. Then the Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is stubborn.

13:15He refuses to let the people go. You see, a hardened heart is a stubborn heart, and that's where Pharaoh's heart begins. His journey into hardness begins with a stubborn heart. Second, Pharaoh's hardened heart. Was an insensitive heart. This happens right after the Nile is turned into blood. In Exodus 7, 20, the Nile is turned into blood. The fish died. Everything smelled bad. But the magicians in verse 22 were able to do the same thing. And so Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord said. And in verse 23, then Pharaoh turned and went to his house with no concern, even for this.

14:07You see, a hardened heart is insensitive. That shows no concern even for the things that matter the most. You'd think that if all your water has just been turned blood, you know, I'm not concerned about this. Pharaoh's hardened heart was also, or was more concerned about temporary relief than dealing with the root problems. This happens after the plague of the frogs. In Exodus 8, 15, but once the frogs were gone, when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. See, sometimes we could be more concerned about temporary relief than dealing with the root problems. Well, that's an indication of a hardened heart.

14:58Fourth, Pharaoh's hardened heart. Was unwilling to consider the clear evidences of God's work. This happens after the plague of the gnats. In Exodus 8:19, then the magician said to Pharaoh, This is the finger of God. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them as the Lord had said. You see, a hardened heart is unwilling to pay attention to the clear evidences of God's work. Pharaoh's heart, hardened heart, was also a deceitful heart, a deceitful heart. And this comes about after these great swarms of the insects. You remember in Exodus 8, 28, insects were so bad that finally Pharaoh says, Okay, okay, I will let you go. Make supplication for me, Moses.

15:56Then in verse 29, Moses said, Behold, I am going out from you, and I shall make supplication to the Lord that the swarms of insects may depart. Only do not let Pharaoh deal deceitfully again. So Moses went out, made supplication, but Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go. You see, a hardened heart is a deceitful heart. It cannot be trusted. Next, Pharaoh's hardened heart was blind to the distinctions that God makes. The distinctions that God makes.

16:45This happens after the pestilence on the livestock. Exodus 9:7, Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not even one of the livestock of Israel dead, but the heart of Pharaoh was hardened and he did not let the people go. It's like there's a clear distinction being made here. And yet, hardened heart is blind, even to the clear distinctions that God makes. Pharaoh's hardened heart was confident in that which could not help him. It's confident in that which could not help him. In Exodus 9:11, this happens after the plague of the boils, or while it's going on. In 9-11, the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, because the boils were on the magicians as well as on all the Egyptians.

17:49You think, okay, if these magicians, the people I have confidence in, if they can't even stand there because they got all the boils all over them, well, maybe I ought to. To switch my allegiance. Maybe these magicians really don't know what's going on. And in verse 12, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. You see, a hardened heart will put confidence in things that cannot help.

18:228. Pharaoh's hardened heart was an instrument that led others into sin. This is evident after the plague of the hail. Exodus 9:34, but when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. You see, a hardened heart inevitably leads others into sin. Pharaoh's hardened heart was able to confess sin, but not truly repent of it. This happens after the plague of the locusts.

19:14In Exodus 10:16, after the locust was so bad, then Pharaoh hurriedly called for Moses and Aaron, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now, therefore, please forgive me. Forgive my sin only this once. And he went out, Moses went out from Pharaoh and made supplication to the Lord. So the Lord shifted the wind to a very strong west wind, which took up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left in all the territory of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go.

19:59You see, a hardened heart may truly experience remorse, but not repentance. There may be confession, but not a true change. True repentance comes out of a softened heart. Judas is an example of such an individual who's remorseful but unrepentant. Pharaoh was remorseful. I can't stand these locusts anymore. I crossed the line, forgive me. But he did not truly repent. Pharaoh's hardened heart, number 10, was hostile to those who spoke God's word. This happens after. The plague of that thick darkness. Exodus 10, 27, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he was not willing to let them go. Then Pharaoh said to him, Get away from me. Beware. Do not see my face again, for in the day you see my face, you shall die. Moses said, You are right. I shall never see your face again.

21:25You see, a hardened heart despises the ministers of God. They despise those who speak the word of God to them. And it was after this plague that the Lord again told Moses that he was going to further harden Pharaoh's heart. In Exodus 11:9, the Lord says this to Moses, Pharaoh will not listen to you, so that my wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt. Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land. It's interesting that God made this statement right after he announced that final plague, the death angel, that will come and cause the death of the firstborn, except for in the land of Israel, where the Passover lamb would be. Sacrificed and would protect the people where he saw the blood would protect them from the death angel.

22:48Pharaoh's hardened heart was preparing him to experience God's judgment. That's what it was doing. Exodus 14, 4, this happens after the Passover. This happens after Israel has left Egypt. Again, this hardening language is used. Thus, Exodus 14:4, I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will chase after them. And I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. You see, a hardened heart is being prepared for the judgment of God. That's why you do not want to progress in hardness. That's why today, if you hear his voice, you turn quickly, aggressively, away from your sin and turn to him.

23:48One final one about Pharaoh. Pharaoh's hardened heart was destined to bring glory to God through judgment. One way. Other. We're all destined to bring glory to God. We will either bring glory through judgment or through his mercy. Exodus 14:17 says, This, as for me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots, and through his horsemen.

24:34So, back to Pharaoh's question: Who is the Lord that I should obey him? Well, Pharaoh learned, as did the Egyptians, and the Israelites witnessed all of this. The Lord is Lord over all lords, he is king over all kings, he is God over all gods, he is the ruler of nature, and he wants his people to worship him. That much Pharaoh understood. That much the Egyptians understood. That much Israel should have understood at this point. Even as you look at Pharaoh's heart, does your heart show any kind of symptoms of being hard like Pharaoh's? There's a progression going. On. You're not getting better. You're getting worse if this is you. And that is why you are to turn aggressively. Turn to the Savior. Come out of your hard heart. Soften your heart. Prepare your heart. Prepare room for the Lord in your heart. But what's interesting is as the reader of the Torah is going through and reading the first five books of the Bible, as you're working your way through the Torah, the reader is not surprised that Pharaoh's heart was stubborn toward God. We know it's coming. Nor are we surprised that Pharaoh was judged. That doesn't surprise us. What is surprising is that those whom God delivered had just as hard of a heart as Pharaoh. That is what is surprising.

26:23By the way, I haven't forgot about Hebrews, the book of Hebrews. The very next verse that we are going to in Hebrews is 3.12, and it says this, Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil and unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. And what we're going to do through Hebrews is there's times where we're going to have to go back and make sure we really understand what's happening in the Old Testament, specifically in the Torah, to understand. What is going on to make sure that we can really take to heart the exhortation that the preacher in Hebrews is making.

27:10It's interesting that he does not compare the hard heart, say, see to it, brethren, in Hebrews 3:12, make sure that none of you have an evil and unbelieving heart like Pharaoh. That's not what he says. He's saying, Make sure you do not have an evil and unbelieving heart like those who witnessed all the miracles in Egypt, yet their heart was just as hard as Pharaoh, and it remained hard as Pharaoh's all the way and progressively got harder all the way to the promised land. Pay attention to them.

27:48Make sure this heart isn't in you. And so it brings us back to our, come back to Numbers. Come back to Numbers chapter 14, verse 22. Surely all the men who have seen my glory and my signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who spurned me see it.

28:29The journey. Into hardness and judgment, that I want you to see this morning is not Pharaoh's journey. It's the generation that came out of Egypt. It's their journey into hardness that I want you to pay attention to, that I want us to pay attention to, that the preacher in Hebrews is preaching to his audience to pay attention to. It is the lesson for all of us to learn. It isn't just about Israel. It's not about the Egyptians. It's not just about the nations. It's about you and I.

29:11So I want us to see Israel's journey into hardness, heart, and the judgment that followed, so that you and I will not have such a heart in us. First of all, Israel's journey begins in a whole different place than Pharaoh's journey. His was ignorance and stubbornness. Theirs was illumination and stubbornness. They knew more than Pharaoh. That generation, look back at verse 14:22 of Numbers. Surely all the men who have seen my glory and signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, notice what they had seen. Notice, it says, Surely all the The men who have seen, that is, who are intimately acquainted with three things: my glory, my signs in Egypt, and my signs in the wilderness. They were intimately acquainted. They had seen my glory. They had seen the works of God. They had seen the glory cloud. They had seen the pillar of fire. They had seen the glory of God's very presence.

30:36They had seen his signs in Egypt. Everything that Pharaoh saw, they saw and more. Look back. And the signs which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness. There were signs at Mount Sinai. There were signs of provisions all along the way. They saw everything that Pharaoh saw and so much more, yet their heart also crystallized into hardness. They were more without excuse than Pharaoh was, and in many ways, worse off. So they knew more than Pharaoh, yet they didn't believe God. They didn't believe in him. They didn't believe him.

31:33They didn't trust him. They too were asking, well, who is God that we should serve him? Numbers. Look back at verse 22 again. Surely all the men who have seen my glory and my signs to which I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness yet have put me to the test these ten times. It's evidence that they didn't believe in God because they kept testing him. They kept putting God on trial. That's what it means. Put God on trial. God, are you the kind of God that I think you ought to be? Well, if I was God, I would do this. You're not doing that, so you must not be God. That's the idea. Ten times. Ten times. Now, when you see me see words like ten times, guess where my mind's got to go? I've got to go find the ten times. And so do we.

32:41Ten times. Although we may not be able to say for sure which ten events Moses had in mind, it's easy to find ten occasions. And they happened very sequentially in that migration from the eastern shore of the Red Sea to Kadesh-Barnia in about 14 months. Period, there were ten occasions that the Exodus generation put God to the test. And we need to learn several things about Israel's unbelieving heart to make sure that we don't have such an unbelieving heart. Well, I want to show you ten evidences of Israel's unbelieving heart. Ten evidences.

33:27Well, it's clear, first of all, they didn't want the kind of salvation that God offered them. And this happens at the Red Sea. Just before they cross the Red Sea, Pharaoh is in pursuit. They're very frightened, and in Exodus 14, 11, then they said to Moses, is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in this wilderness? Why have you dealt with us this way, bringing us out of Egypt? We didn't want to come out of Egypt.

34:02Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness. Do you see a faithlessness there? God, why didn't you just leave us alone? You see, a hard heart does not want the kind of salvation that God offers. Oh, it made Long for a change in circumstances like this Exodus generation.

34:36They might want more favorable conditions while they're serving sin. Maybe they don't want the consequences of their sin. They may want relief from their circumstances, but they really don't want God's salvation. God, fix our circumstances. Don't fix us. Fix our circumstances. That's an unbelieving heart at work. Second. Ooh, third, four, fifth, five, six. Uh-oh, what in the world did I do? Can you get us back there? There you go. Very good. Thank you. Excellent. Thank you.

35:21Second, evidence of an unbelieving heart. They look for reasons to be mad at God rather than appreciate him. This happens at Mara, 15:22. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea. They went out to the wilderness of Sur, they found no water. Then they came to Mara. They could not drink the waters of Mara, for they were bitter. Therefore, it was named Mara. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, What shall we drink? This water is terrible. And so they grumbled. And that's what a hard heart does. That's what an unbelieving heart, it's that grumbling, it's that. Murmuring under the breath, a seething heart against God that is looking for reasons that are off or wrong rather than appreciating what God has done. They should have still been talking about what had happened over there. God delivered us. God is God over the waters of the Nile. God is God. And wow.

36:23And we know He's going to provide for us. But instead, they grumbled. Third evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is they had a cynical outlook and selected memory. This happens in the desert of sin. Exodus 16, the whole congregation, verse 2, of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said, Would that we had died by the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, where we sat by the pots of meat when we ate bread to the full. Oh, remember the good old days in Egypt? I mean, we had food. You talk about a selected memory. I mean, they're crying out, God, deliver us. And now they're like, oh, we had it so good in Egypt, but you have brought us out in this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Well, now that's a cynical outlook. You really think God's that?

37:28God, why didn't you just kill us? An unbelieving heart tends to be cynical and be very selective in what they remember. Another evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is that they did not follow God's instructions. They didn't follow God's instructions. And this happens again in the desert of sin, dealing with a lack of food. God gives them manna, but they didn't follow his instructions. They were only supposed to get enough manna for one day and then not store any of it and then be dependent upon God to bring them some more manna the next day. Learn trust in God. Exodus 16:19 says this, Let no man leave any of it into mourning. But they did not listen to Moses, and some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms, and it became foul. And Moses was angry with them. You see, a hard heart, an unbelieving heart, does not follow God's instruction.

38:46Then they also refuse to rest in God. Another evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is that they refuse to rest in God. This too happens in the desert of sin. This time, for not gathering in. Manna. Before they gathered too much manna, didn't follow his instructions. But then it came time for the Sabbath, the rest. God said, Okay, go out. Now I want you to get two days' worth of manna so that you can rest. But then some people didn't gather it, and they went out and they found none. Then God said this in Exodus 16:28, How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my instructions? See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath. Therefore, he gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place.

39:43And so the people rested on the Sabbath. God's like, you need a rest. Rest. But an unbelieving heart doesn't rest in God. Another evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is they rejected God's spokesman. They rejected Moses. And this happens at Rephidim, Exodus 17:1. They journeyed there. There was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses. Moses says, Why are you quarreling with me? Why do you test the Lord? God has sent me. Why are you arguing? God has led me here. God has sent me to. Why are you testing the Lord by quarreling with me?

40:43And they said, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our children with thirst? What kind of leader are you? So Moses cried out to the Lord, What shall I do to this people? A little more, and they will stone me. They want to kill Moses just as bad as Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. Evidence of a hard heart. A hard heart rejects those who speak for God. Another evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is they couldn't wait upon the Lord. You remember what happened at Exodus 32? Moses goes up the mountain, and guess what they do? They couldn't wait for him, so they made a golden calf. Exodus 32:1. Now, when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled and said, Come, make us a God who will go before us. As for this Moses, we don't know what happened to him. And so they made a golden calf. And verse 4, This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. See, an unbelieving heart is not able or willing. Willing to wait upon the Lord.

42:06Eight evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart. They were quick to complain in the face of difficulties. This happens at Tabarach. It's where they complained. They were quick to complain in the face of difficulties. Numbers 11:1. Now the people became like those who complain in the adversity in the hearing of the Lord. And the Lord heard it. His anger was kindled, and fire was sent out, and it burned up some of those on the outskirts of the camp. You see, and this provokes God, as they provoked God. But an unbelieving heart is quick to complain. When things cease to be easy, an unbelieving heart is quick to open the mouth up with all these snide and inflammatory comments. Look, do you think coming out of your sinful patterns is going to be easy? Do you think bringing people out of Egypt was going to be an easy thing to do? Do you think breaking hard hearts and helping us to learn new ways, ways of righteousness, ways to trust? Look, we have a whole history of relying on ourselves and being dependent. Do you think that in the process, that spiritual surgery of leading us in the way that there's not going to be some pain and some difficult things that happen along the way? Of course, there is. But rejoice and be thankful because God is at work instead of complaining.

44:02Another evidence of Israel's unbelief is that they were discontent with God's provision. This happens at Gibroth Hatavah. They wanted some meat to eat. It's like, we're tired of this manna, verse 6. Our appetite is gone. There's nothing to look at except this manna. Oh, to have leeks and onions again. Now, you know, that's something. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them. An unbelieving heart is discontent with God's provision. Tenth evidence of Israel's unbelieving heart is that they concluded that God wanted to harm them. This brings us up to this last straw in Numbers 14, verse 1.

45:00Verse 2. So, oh, that we would have died in the land of Egypt, or that we had died at the Red Sea, or that we had died in the wilderness by hunger or by thirst. Why in the world is the Lord bringing us to make us die in the land that he promised us? Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt. What a faithless and evil conclusion that was. After all that God had done, they believe God wants to harm us. Instead of bringing us into the land he promised, he wants to bring us into the land that he wants to kill us there. That's what this whole thing has been about from the very beginning. It's about destroying us.

45:59What kind of a faithless, evil conclusion is that? You see, Israel was struggling with the same question: who is God that I should serve him? They picked up their relationship where Pharaoh's ended. They understood the Lord is indeed Lord over all lords, king over all kings, God over all gods, the ruler of nations, nature, and he wants a relationship with his people. But you see, Faith in God has to go beyond all those things. Israel needed to understand: the Lord is my defender, the Lord is my provider, the Lord is my shepherd, the Lord is my teacher, and he can be totally trusted in all aspects of life, and he must come to have first place in everything, and he is to be worshipped, and him alone above all.

46:55It's interesting that all these things happened within the first two years of Israel departing Egypt. The warning here, this pattern of unbelief. See to it that you do not have one, because unbelief crystallizes into hardness, and hardness into further unbelief and ignorance. You see, when the Lord brings you to critical junctures in life and you refuse to believe in him, your heart becomes harder and harder, just like Pharaoh and just like the Exodus generation. Come out of your hardness of heart.

47:45There are three inexcusable things that this Exodus generation did. Look back at Numbers 14, 22. Yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not listened to my voice. They shall by no means see the land which I swore to their forefathers, nor shall any of those who spurn me to see it. Three unthinkable things. Inexcusable. Number one, they tested God. They put him on trial. They kept putting on trial. Second, they did not listen. That is, they wouldn't listen to it, and they kept doing that. They kept not conforming. And they spurned God. That is, that they treated disrespectfully. And they did this repeatedly to treat God with contempt.

48:37You see, even though they knew more than Pharaoh, they didn't believe in God. So they kept testing God. And so they experienced God's judgment. What was that judgment? Look back at verse 23. They shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers. What was God's judgment? They died in the wilderness. Pharaoh and his army died in the Red Sea. Quick. Israel had to bury that Exodus generation one by one in the wilderness over a 40-year period of time. Imagine what that was like.

49:26Israel's journey into hardness, judgment, they knew more than. God, knew more than Pharaoh knew, that they didn't believe God. So they experienced God's judgment. But what is the way out from under God's judgment? Well, look at verse 24, Numbers 14. But my servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and followed me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it. He had a different spirit. He had a whole different spirit from a whole different order, from a whole different realm, a realm that came out of faith in God. You see, the spirit that comes out of a person who doesn't believe in God and a person who does believe in God are two very different spirits. Notice he also followed fully. He walked behind. That's what it means to follow fully. He walked behind. He was devoted. He accepted God's leadership. And so the whole tenor and tone of Caleb's life was not testing God, not disregarding his instructions, or being disrespectful to him. Not to say that Caleb was sinless. No, but even in the Torah, God had made a way to deal with sin, to look to his solution for sin.

50:56And by this different spirit, And by following God fully, Caleb not only went into the land, but his descendants possessed it. Oh, what a wonderful legacy to leave behind to your children. A legacy of faith. It's the greatest gift you can give to your family. Well, we do have a provision for sin. We are called to follow Him fully. That's what we want to celebrate.