Deuteronomy 1:34-46

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The Penalty for Israel’s Rebellion

34 “And the Lord heard the sound of your words, and was angry, and took an oath, saying, 35 ‘Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I [a]swore to give to your fathers, 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and his children I am giving the land on which he walked, because he [b]wholly followed the Lord.’ 37 The Lord was also angry with me for your sakes, saying, ‘Even you shall not go in there. 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.

39 ‘Moreover your little ones and your children, who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against the Lord; we will go up and fight, just as the Lord our God commanded us.’ And when everyone of you had girded on his weapons of war, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

42 “And the Lord said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not among you; lest you be defeated before your enemies.” ’ 43 So I spoke to you; yet you would not listen, but rebelled against the command of the Lord, and presumptuously[c] went up into the mountain. 44 And the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but the Lord would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

46 “So you remained in Kadesh many days, according to the days that you spent there.

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.

Summary:

A. What is this passage about?

This passage recounts Moses' message to the Israelites regarding God's judgment for their lack of faith in entering the promised land. As a result, the current generation, except for Caleb and Joshua, would not see the promised land and were commanded to return to the wilderness.

B. The best verse to summarize this passage:

Deuteronomy 1:35 - "Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land of which I swore to give to your fathers."

C. What are we called to do?

We are called to live by faith in God’s promises rather than relying on our own strength. Our actions must flow from genuine faith in Jesus Christ, recognizing that true favor and entry into God's kingdom come only through Him.