"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;..."
If we are to be faithful, dutiful children of God, we must put His opinion before any other. It is His favor that we must seek. Honestly, that will sometimes put us in peculiar positions. It will often mean that we must go against-the-grain in order to do, say or be the thing that God would want us to be. It is not usually easy to be different; it requires courage. But God calls us to be holy, separate, for a purpose.
Living, speaking, and thinking in a holy, wholly separate manner than the rest of the world is the testimony of God that comes from our life rather than our lips. We either draw them toward the faith or push them away from it. It really matters to God whether people are drawn in or pushed away. God goes after the one lost sheep (15:4-6); the whole of heaven rejoices at one saved soul (Luke 15:7).
With all of that in mind, let's look at Numbers 13-14.
God has rescued His people. He has freed them from Egypt. He leads them through the wilderness, a cloud in the day and a fire in the night. He provides for them, sustenance and promises for the near and distant future. But by many, God's provisions are disregarded, and His promises are dismissed. They tire of his miracle-food, manna. They lament for their past life, lived in slavery, because they were able to eat meat. And then they complain about the attainability of the promised land.
In Genesis 17, God promised a land of milk and honey to Abraham's posterity. In Numbers 13-14 we are with them, right there, about to inherit it. And yet... they do not believe it can, or will happen. God instructs Moses to send a man from each tribe to scout the land. They return with their report: 10/12 report that the land is perfect! ... but out of their reach. But 2/10, Joshua and Caleb, report that the cause is not lost.
The irony is that the 10/12 were right, it was out of their reach. But Joshua and Caleb showed wisdom in faith and presented the actual truth. As Numbers 11:23 states, had the Lord's arm been shortened? The land was out of their reach, but it was perfectly within God's reach.
The majority were unconvinced, and it hurt, frustrated God. The very people He loved and rescued and led had only disdain for Him when He excitedly unveiled this years-long promise to them. They rejected Him, and God had it in mind to start with a new people. After all, God does not force us to love Him. The people rejected Him; He was free to move on, perhaps to find a people who would accept Him. And He contemplated doing so. But Moses stopped God from moving on; Moses reminded God of His reputation.
And now, I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression;...’ Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Numbers 14:17-19
So, God pardoned the people and remained with them. Think back to the beginning of this sermon; we talked about how scripture repeatedly tells us to put God's opinion of us above men. So why would God be concerned about His reputation with men?
Because He loves us.
God is confident in His character, His power, His plan. Our opinion of Him does not provide validation, because He does not need it. So what if the Egyptians see God scrap this batch and start fresh? He is omnipotent; omnipresent; they are mere men; their life is a tiny fraction of God's eternal life and then they are dust. God is not concerned about His reputation for His sake... He's concerned about it for theirs, for ours.
God is convinced by Moses to buckle down, to grin and bear the petulance of the people in order to steadfastly present to them the character of their/our God. God will remind us of Who-He-Is in effort to reinforce our faith over and over and over again because He loves us. Because our opinion of Him can save our lives, save our souls. God repeatedly presents His patience, mercy, and forgiveness until we get it through our thick skulls and become brave-in-faith enough to enter the promised land with humble gratitude rather than complaint.
So consider right now which camp you are in, in your life, in the situation you are living right now. Do you trust God? Can you endure your current wilderness, your difficult journey, because you trust God to sustain your body and spirit? Can you keep walking toward His promises in humble gratitude?
Or do you distrust Him? Are you filled with complaints? Do you lack the bravery-in-faith to keep going? Do you, like the 10/12, see the future and it looks bleak? Happiness unattainable? God has endured generations and generations of humanity's unjust behavior toward Him just so that you can see that He is dependable. He has fulfilled every promise, every part of His plan. And His plan includes you. It is truly a waste to be in the majority camp, the camp that does not realize the Lord's arm is long. You and all that you need is within His reach.