THE FAILURE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS:
Part of the law of God through Moses, required that they build a designated meeting place, a sanctuary (holy place) where God would dwell among them! Exodus 25:8. When God appeared, he would fill the tabernacle with His presence by way of smoke and light from between the Cherubim in the ‘Most Holy Place’ at various times throughout their wilderness journey, (see Exodus 40:35). However, despite their God being in their midst, there were several incidents which exposed their lack of faith. Finally after two years, they arrived at the border of the land previously promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but they feared to go in after a report of ‘giants’ living in the land God’s assurance that he would go in before them. The result: due to their faithlessness, they were sentenced to return into the wilderness and wander for the next 38 years until all the adults above thirty years of age perished in the wilderness. They lacked faith and did not trust in the word of God, Hebrews 3:19. These are examples written to the warn the following generations not to make the same mistakes, but rather encourage them to trust the word that God has spoken and be prepared to ‘enter the rest’ that God has prepared for his children. Hebrews 4:2; 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Once this unbelieving generation died in the wilderness, the nation again came to the threshold of the land. Moses was denied entry into the land due to his failure in keeping the word of God at the rock of Meribah, Numbers 20:11. This time, Joshua had been appointed to lead the new generation into the promised land. (Joshua = Hebrew, means ‘Yah is salvation’. Note: the New Testament Greek equivalent is “Jesus”. ‘Yah will save’.) Jesus will lead God’s people into the future Kingdom of God on earth as our leader: cp Hebrews 4:8. & Hebrews 12:2, Jesus will complete the work of salvation in bringing the faithful into the Kingdom of God, just as the type presented through the example of Joshua leading the nation of God’s people into the promised land.