So here’s the situation now. They’ve come now to the border of the promised land. They have been wandering for forty years as a result of their disobedience. God had brought them to the border of the land once before. They’d come to the place of the entering into the land, and were ready to go in and take the land that God had promised to give them, but the ten spies that brought back that evil report, discouraging the hearts of the people, by telling them that it really wasn’t a good land at all. Telling them that the cities were huge, fortified cities. That the people that lived in them were Giants. “We were like grasshoppers in their sight. They can step on us and crush us, you know. We can’t do it!” Their report struck fear in the heart of the people, and of course the sister to fear is unbelief. Fear always opens the door to unbelief. When I begin to look at the obstacles instead of to God, I begin to fear, and with the fear comes unbelief. And, the people began to cry and say, “Why did we ever follow Moses? Why did we ever leave Egypt? Let’s get someone to lead us back to Egypt!”, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And God declared that they would wander for forty years, until that whole generation, who at that time were twenty years old, and above, that whole generation died. “And then your children, which you said would be a prey to them, they’re the ones who will be able to go in and take the land.”

So now, that forty years is over. That generation has died. Moses is about the last one, waiting now to die. When the men, the elders of Reuben and Gad came to Moses and Eleazar and they said, “Hey, we don’t want to go over and possess that land. We’re satisfied here. We like this land. Look, we’re cattlemen. Look at all, we’ve got a bunch of cattle, and this is great cattle country. We just are satisfied here.”

Now Moses was afraid that they’re turning back, at this point, and not going in to take the land, would bring discouragement to the rest of the tribes. He knew that if they did not go in at this point, they could never survive another forty years of just wandering and roaming. So Moses was alarmed and he really began to chide them for this decision.

Spiritually, these people are like so many, who are satisfied with their current spiritual development. God is challenging you to go on into a full commitment. Into that life that God would have you to know and to experience. That rich, full life in the Spirit. But there are so many people who say, “Hey man, I’m satisfied. I’ve got all I want, you know”, and they’re not going on in their Christian walk. They’re not progressing. There are many people whose spiritual state is in a plateau, and they haven’t developed spiritually for years. They’re still at the same level that they were, ten, fifteen years ago. There’s been no spiritual development. Really, not to go forward in your Christian walk, is to go backward, because God wants us to be going forward.