JTB.SDG
Puritan Board Junior
Hi,
I'm wrestling with understanding the first generation that came out of Egypt under Moses. In my mind there are two distinct possibilities:
1. We read throughout Numbers of members of the assembly falling to various judgments of God for their unbelief/disobedience: When they make the calf, the Lord calls the Levites to put on their swords and many fall (Ex.32:28ff). The Lord struck many who were greedy for meat (Num.11:33-34). A man is put to death for Sabbath-breaking (Num.15). Korah and Abiram and all who were with them, included the 250 leaders of the people, some are consumed by fire and others have the earth swallow them up. The Lord again sends plague to take the lives of those who grumbled (Num.16:46-49). The serpents take the lives of many as a judgment for their sin (Num.21). Leaders were executed (it seems) and many died in the plague because of immorality at Peor (Num.25). Psalm 106 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 refer back to these events as a warning: Don't be like those who thus sinned and thus fell. It seems the implication is that it was those who fell in such ways that were judged--set apart in a special way from the REST of that first generation who were not so judged.
2. Hebrews 3 seems to implicate basically the entire first generation: Besides a few exceptions, none of them entered into the Lord's rest. In this understanding, it wasn't just those who incurred extraordinary judgments of the Lord (excommunication) that missed out on entering into the Lord's rest, but basically, all of them--the application being that being a "member in good standing" in the visible church never guarantees you anything. Some of them fell by means extraordinary (IE: divine excommunication); others fell by means more ordinary (old age or whatever), but ALL fell showing us that even though many of them were continuing in "good standing" in the "visible church", God wasn't pleased with any of them.
I know the whole first generation missed out on Canaan. What I'm wondering is: Did God withhold the TYPE from all in order that a good portion of them might not miss out on the REALITY it represented? After they all rebelled in Numbers 14 to take the land, did a good portion of them repent? And they died "normal deaths" in order to signify that the Lord had set them apart from those who experienced the special judgments of God? Does that make sense? Sorry this is so long. Any thoughts?
I'm wrestling with understanding the first generation that came out of Egypt under Moses. In my mind there are two distinct possibilities:
1. We read throughout Numbers of members of the assembly falling to various judgments of God for their unbelief/disobedience: When they make the calf, the Lord calls the Levites to put on their swords and many fall (Ex.32:28ff). The Lord struck many who were greedy for meat (Num.11:33-34). A man is put to death for Sabbath-breaking (Num.15). Korah and Abiram and all who were with them, included the 250 leaders of the people, some are consumed by fire and others have the earth swallow them up. The Lord again sends plague to take the lives of those who grumbled (Num.16:46-49). The serpents take the lives of many as a judgment for their sin (Num.21). Leaders were executed (it seems) and many died in the plague because of immorality at Peor (Num.25). Psalm 106 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 refer back to these events as a warning: Don't be like those who thus sinned and thus fell. It seems the implication is that it was those who fell in such ways that were judged--set apart in a special way from the REST of that first generation who were not so judged.
2. Hebrews 3 seems to implicate basically the entire first generation: Besides a few exceptions, none of them entered into the Lord's rest. In this understanding, it wasn't just those who incurred extraordinary judgments of the Lord (excommunication) that missed out on entering into the Lord's rest, but basically, all of them--the application being that being a "member in good standing" in the visible church never guarantees you anything. Some of them fell by means extraordinary (IE: divine excommunication); others fell by means more ordinary (old age or whatever), but ALL fell showing us that even though many of them were continuing in "good standing" in the "visible church", God wasn't pleased with any of them.
I know the whole first generation missed out on Canaan. What I'm wondering is: Did God withhold the TYPE from all in order that a good portion of them might not miss out on the REALITY it represented? After they all rebelled in Numbers 14 to take the land, did a good portion of them repent? And they died "normal deaths" in order to signify that the Lord had set them apart from those who experienced the special judgments of God? Does that make sense? Sorry this is so long. Any thoughts?
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