Forty Years in the Wilderness

INTRODUCTION: Sin exacts a heavy toll upon the life of the sinner, yet one of the worst things we do involves rebelling against the known will of God for our lives. In fact, the Bible likens the sin of rebellion to sin of witchcraft and idolatry (1 Samuel 15:23). Examine your heart and make certain you are not rebelling against God’s will for your life.

CONCLUSION: The nature of sin is illustrated by God’s people as they presume upon God. First, Israel thought they could not win the battle even though God had promised to go with them. Then, Israel decided they could win despite the fact that God promised not to help them. In both cases, Israel presumed to know what was best and rebelled against the known will of God. It is sin to presume that God will support us in any endeavour we undertake.

POINT: The main theme of the lesson:
Unbelief is a wicked sin that grieves the Lord. Therefore, it should not surprise us that the scriptures proclaim that it is impossible to please God without faith. How often are we guilty of the same iniquity that kept the people of God from entering the land of promise?

STORY: A synopsis of the lesson:
This is one of the saddest chapters in the Bible. The people have rebelled and will rebel against the will of God. Instead of taking the land by faith, they will die in the wilderness in unbelief.