Numbers 14:10-12 NLT “But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle.
11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?
12 I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”
Definition
Contempt: the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn.
“he showed his contempt for his job by doing it very badly.”
God associates not believing in Him as “contempt.” People may say in general they believe in God, but when it comes to the details, people will tend to pick and choose because certain line items or instructions are beneath them.
For example, if God gave you a job, perhaps you would begin to complain about it. You begin to slander and point out the reasons why you should quit or go look for a new job because you feel it is a job beneath you. But if God gave it to you, then you are in contempt of God’s choice declaring His choice for you sucks because you are a prince or princess who should not be getting their hands dirty. Or you think the people you serve are low class and should be kept at a distance because you are cleaner, dress better, and smell better. Then what happens? You are not loving but a Pharisee full of pride.
Perhaps, God gives us a directive or word, and we fail to execute because we have our own timing, belief system, fear, agenda, or we believe the pastor’s word is wrong? This is contempt. When our beloved Triune God gave the “go” sign to take the promised land, the leaders put their tails between their legs and made a bunch of excuses. Then, to make themselves feel better, they went and complained to their families and tribe, rallying them to their narrative. They were showing contempt against their creator by declaring their lives were more important than to be sacrificed for the Living God. They would rather live a mediocre life as long as they felt safe, because they were full of pride. A people who wanted to dictate their own lives on how they will live whether as crack heads, gluttons, lazy Uranus, drunks, whores, or a deer wanting to look at headlights. As long as it was their own decision, they were content.
But Caleb and Joshua had a different spirit. They did not show contempt, but they honored God and Moses because their lives were already abandoned to their God and ministry. They knew their lives were not above God, Moses, nor the people of God, and their purpose was to do God’s Will and for His Glory. But due to the leadership of God’s people, Israel was now on “Hold.” They, by their contempt, had effectively delayed and altered the plan of God.
We see two chapters later, when the leadership of Israel was denied the promised land due to their own pride; rather than repenting, they further showed contempt to Moses by not responding to Moses properly. In Numbers chapter 16, we observe the rebellion of Korah as their hearts had hardened rather than humbling themselves. By this point, God is fed up with such contempt and rebellion, and HE executed judgment. Let us learn from the past and not make the same mistake.
Conclusion: contempt toward God and His authority will bring a plague and eventually toward final destruction. Let us learn to properly honor God and cast away our idol of pride. The idol of wanting to be our own god, and nobody can tell us what to do.
Additional Comments:
When you look down on your husbands or wives, you show contempt because you are saying you are better, which is your pride. When teens or adults think negatively of their parents, they are in contempt. When you look down on your pastors because they may be younger or look younger, because you are jealous, or you are Offended, you show prideful contempt.
This is why honoring your authorities brings you long life, as stated in commandment number 5, rather than a plague
whether to parents, spouses, bosses, government, leaders, or pastors.
When we look down on our spouses, parents, bosses, government, leaders, or pastors, we look down on God and reveal our pride.
God will continue to resist you for HE resists the prideful but gives grace to the humble.
Senior Pastor Steve Kim