The Children of Israel’s escape from Egypt and their journey through the desert finally came to an end as they reached the border of Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The cloud that God had used to lead them stopped and it was time to take the land for their own.
But even after all they had seen God do during their exodus from Egypt, the people were afraid of the “giants” who were already living in the land. Everyone, except Joshua and Caleb, refused to trust God. Though God told them to go in and take the land, the people thought they knew better and they refused to go in.
So once again they suffered the consequences of turning away from God. The Children of Israel spent the next 40 years wandering aimlessly through the very desert they had just come through. That journey didn’t end until every one of the adults who had refused to go in and take the land had died. Once that had happened, Moses repeated God’s law to the surviving remnant and reminded them that blessing would come from obeying Him and following Him.
Wandering