The Hard Road
The twentieth chapter of Numbers opens up with Israel being victorious over Arad and the forces of the Canaanites. They move from this great victory to go into the land of Edom. As we come to verse four, we find the people are discouraged because of the way. In short, the road was hard. Look, however, at the first three verses of the chapter. Some of their people had been kidnapped. They sought the Lord's will in the matter. God gave them the go ahead to advance and get their people back. Here was a crisis, followed by a search for God's will and finished by the actions of the people.
When we come to verse four, we find a people discouraged because of the hard road they were traveling in. Is this not similar to the crises they faced when their people were kidnapped? What, then, is the difference? In verses one through three, when faced with an obstacle, the first thing they did in their grief was to seek for God's will. The hardness of the road is something that comes to all of God's children. It is what comes next that makes the journey possible. The person who is willing to search for God's way will find the way to travel.
Jesus told His disciples of His coming death. He spoke of preparing them rooms in His Father's house. When faced with this truth, they wanted to know where Jesus was going. His answer was that He was the way (John 14:6). No man could come to the Father but through Him. Which road do men take? What is the direction for their lives? Is the way so hard that men lose their sense of direction or their will to go forward? God provided them victory in order to get their families back that had been kidnapped. Had Israel so little confidence in God as to now think He was unable to aid them because the way was so difficult?
Any road that we take in this life that is not traveled with God's blessing becomes a way too difficult to travel. We are aware of the destinies that await man. It is either a way that leads to life or eternal damnation. Paul describes the journey as either sin that leads to death or of obedience that leads to life (Romans 6:16). The hardness of the way is not mapped out for us. Instead God reveals the direction that a Christian must choose. It is not filled with information about the difficulties one will face. Instead, it concerns man making the choice in advance of where he wants to end up. He decides by his choices who it is that he chooses to serve.
Once that decision is made, it affects all the choices along life's journey toward eternity. In the case of Israel, when they were faced with the hardness of the way, instead of searching for God's will, they blamed God. As Numbers 21:5 states, they "spake against God." They complained about the bread that God had been providing for them. They wanted a different bread and they did not have enough water. In short, God had failed them. He was providing bread but not the kind they wanted. He brought their kidnapped families back to them. Yet, now He was perceived as a God that could not deal with their problem of hunger and thirst.
As long as things turn out the way we want, then the perception of God is one way. However, if things do not turn out as we think, then the perception of God changes. Now note, it is not God who has changed but it is our perception of Him. He delivered their families back to them but by verse 5 He was seen as a powerless God to deal with their present difficulties. The hard road that some men travel does not deal with the power of God, rather it deals with man's trust in God.
A beautiful promise is given by God that all things will work together for our good (Romans 8:28). This is not a promise that the road will not be hard. Rather, it is a promise of the destiny which we will reach that is eternity with God. No matter how difficult the way becomes, God is there with us. He has promised He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). Looking back at Israel, what is the difference between kidnapping and hunger and thirst? Different problems, same God. May we never lose our confidence in God because the way is harder at times than others.