The Lord won't be with you since you have turned from following Him. - Numbers 14:43
The only way Israel could ensure God's guidance and presence as they left Egypt was to remain on His path. When they rejected Joshua and Caleb's positive report on the land of Canaan, it led to 40 years of wilderness wanderings. Over 600,000 men eventually died, short of the land of promise, because of their unbelief and disobedience.
Can we expect to know God's presence if we refuse to follow Him?
The only thing that guaranteed God's protection over Israel was His presence. If we run from the Lord, or simply cease to follow, shouldn't we expect to find ourselves all alone in the midst of a trial we have created by our own disobedience?
Of course, and that is always why it is best to remain by His side (John 15).
Two things we want so desperately, glory and relationship, can coexist only in God. - Tim Keller
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