A few things stood out to me today…..
When I read this chapter, I am amazed at how Moses is able to change God’s mind. This caused me to wonder how often from our prayer requests has God allowed our appeal?
“So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say:'”
A reminder to be careful for what you wish and pray for. God hears our words and know our thoughts.
“Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness until the last of your bodies lies in the desert. For forty years – one year for each of the forty days you explored the land – you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.”
These verses reminded me two facts. The first is that our sins not only affect us, but our children as well. The second is that the suffering we experience from our sins is greater than the pleasure we may receive.
In my NIV translation, today’s reading is titled “The People Rebel”. God is our authority. When we do something wrong, the word most commonly used to describe our actions is disobey. Maybe it’s just me, but the word rebel seems to have a much stronger meaning than disobey. Today’s reading reminded me that when we do not follow God’s commands, we are not simply disobeying Him, but rebelling against Him.
Lock Your Wings 
Not only is Moses able to change God’s mind, he’s brazen enough to try! Honestly I wonder what Moses was thinking when he asked for grace for these Israelites who did nothing but whine and complain. Also, I wonder if there was a countdown as the generation of people began to die off … were people just waiting to enter the promised land or was it exactly 40 years until all those people passed on?
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