Part 13 of the David Pawson 'Unlocking the Bible' Podcast series 

David Pawson looks at the narrative part of numbers which turns from the divine word to the human deeds, from what the Hebrews should do to what they actually did do. Israel did not pass the test of the difficulties of the wilderness. After Sinai they are in a covenant relationship with God and there are now punishments for their sins. They made a promise to obey Him. Obedience would bring blessing; disobedience, curse. God’s law showed them what is right; the limitation is that they can’t do it and the law can’t help them to live right. Without supernatural help we are unable to live right which is why the Spirit was given later at Pentecost. Moses got impatient with the people and didn’t listen carefully to what God told him to do. For this reason, God said Moses would not enter the Promised Land. All 3 leaders failed. Leadership of God’s people is a big responsibility, do it God’s way. The major failure of the people was they grumbled - about lack of water and lack of variety in food. The first huge crisis and the worst was when the people sent 12 spies to check out the land God was going to give them and 10 came back saying, we can’t do it, there are giants living there. So the people decided not to trust God and for that God made them wander the wilderness for 40 years.