Numbers 14—“Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people …”

 

The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.  And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word … (Num. 14:18-20).

 

Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it … (Num. 14:23).

 

I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die (Num. 14:35).

  

COMMON GRACE ARGUMENT:

“Moses prays that God would forgive Israel and not utterly destroy them after the 10 spies brought back the bad report.  God forgives Israel according to the greatness of His mercy even though they are an evil congregation (and remain evil till the whole generation dies in the wilderness).  Notice that God’s forgiveness here to these reprobate individuals is non-salvific (though they were spared from God’s judgment at that moment, they all eventually perished in the wilderness).  Also notice that Moses pleads in his prayer that God is merciful and forgiving by His very nature even to these reprobate.”

  

(I)

 

Prof. David J. Engelsma

 

It ought to be observed that if the grace of God in Numbers 14 were directed to all the individuals in Israel, all would have been saved.  This mercy consisted of the forgiveness of sins, and all whose sins are forgiven are saved. 

But many of the Israelites perished, unforgiven and guilty.

The answer to the question is given by the apostle in Galatians 3 and Romans 9. The true Israel of God in the OT, upon whom God was gracious and who were saved by this sovereign grace, was not all or even the majority of individual Israelites.  It was the seed of Abraham who is Christ and all those who are in Christ by faith (Gal. 3).  They were not all Israel who were of Israel, but only those who were the children of the promise, by God’s election.  “The children of the promise are counted for the seed [of Abraham]” (Rom. 9). 

In the OT, God’s grace was directed to and fell upon and infallibly saved the true Israel among the nation, namely, the elect.

The reader must take to heart election:  God eternally elected Christ and many sinful persons in Christ, so that in Christ all those whom God chose are saved.  God did not choose all, nor is He gracious to all.

God has mercy, not upon all humans, but upon those whom He wills to have mercy (Rom. 9:18).  The rest He hardens, according to His will of reprobation (Rom. 9:18). (DJE, 11/11/2020)

 

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(II)

 

More to come! (DV)