We may have the courage to step out in faith like the Israelites did, but just like them, we will make mistakes. The best way to learn how to act when God calls us to step into the wilderness of sin is by learning from the mistakes of those who already did.
One of the first major sins of Israel was their response when Moses stayed at the top of Mount Sinai for a long time. Instead of waiting for Moses to return, Israel began to believe that Moses wasn’t coming back and asked priest Aaron to make a god for them. Aaron took their gold and used it to make a golden calf, which Israel worshipped and committed sins in the name of.
When God calls us to wait for him to fulfill a promise, we can use this story as a reminder to maintain our faith. Instead of finding idols to keep us company during our waiting periods, we can keep praying and keep seeking out God, because he hasn’t forgotten us.
In Numbers 13, the Israelites reached the Promised Land and God sent twelve scouts to explore it. The scouts saw the armies roaming the Promised Land, and their fear overwhelmed their faith and inspired them to rebel against Moses and Aaron. God punished them by dooming them to wander the wilderness for forty years, during which time the rebellious generation of Israel would die and be replaced by a new generation that was faithful to the Lord.
Though the Promised Land was full of powerful armies and men who looked like giants, God promised to deliver the land to Israel. When the future that God has prepared is frightening enough to turn us from God’s path, we need to trust in God’s power and his plan for our lives. He will take care of us, and he will prune and discipline us until he deems that we are ready for the life he has promised.
At the end of the Israelites’ wandering, they camped at the edge of Canaan, where they were exposed to the sin of the surrounding people. In Numbers 25, a local group of people, the Moabites, convinced the men of Israel to have intercourse with their women and worship the Moabite gods. Their sin angered God, who ordered the execution of the Israelites who engaged in the sin.
This is a striking example of what we should not do during a waiting period. When God calls us to fulfill his purpose, we need to be careful about who we spend our time with and how we spend that time. If our social circles lead us to sin against the Lord, we should reconsider spending time with them. This requires prayer and time spent with God, who will show us who he wants us to spend our time with.