How does Joshua 5:6 illustrate the consequences of disobedience to God's commands? Setting the scene • Joshua 5:6 looks back over Israel’s forty-year trek: “For the Israelites had walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD. The LORD had sworn to them that He would not let them see the land He had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.” What happened—and why it matters • God miraculously delivered Israel from Egypt, yet rebellion soon followed (Exodus 16; Numbers 14). • The verse bluntly states the cause: “they did not obey the voice of the LORD.” • Because Scripture is historically true and spiritually authoritative, the deaths of that generation are literal proof that God’s words always stand. The fruit of disobedience 1. Lost inheritance – They forfeited “a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Compare Numbers 14:22-23; Deuteronomy 1:34-35.) 2. Prolonged hardship – What should have been an eleven-day journey (Deuteronomy 1:2) stretched into four decades. 3. Wasted potential – Every fighting-age male who left Egypt died short of the promise (Joshua 5:6). 4. Divine consistency – Hebrews 3:18-19 reminds believers that unbelief still blocks blessing. Timeless lessons • God’s commands are not suggestions; disobedience always carries real-world consequences (Galatians 6:7-8). • Grace does not cancel discipline: salvation from Egypt was by grace, yet rebellion brought judgment (1 Corinthians 10:5-6). • Delayed obedience is disobedience; every day outside God’s will is a day in the wilderness. • Yet obedience opens the door to God’s best—seen in the next generation crossing the Jordan (Joshua 5:1-12). Hope beyond discipline • Even when one generation falls short, God’s covenant purposes move forward (2 Timothy 2:13). • The same Lord who judged Israel’s unbelief invites us to trust Him fully today, so we can enter the “rest” He intends (Hebrews 4:1). • Christ bore sin’s ultimate penalty, offering forgiveness and a fresh start (Romans 6:23). Live surrendered, and the wilderness gives way to the promised land. |
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