Israelites refuse to enter Jerusalem

When Moses instructed his people to enter the holy land ordained for them, he first anchored their courage in the unparalleled history of their nation. He told them to remember God’s blessing, explicitly pointing out how He had raised prophets among them, appointed kings for them, and granted them favors that had not been given to any other people (5:20). This foundation of past divine support was meant to prepare them for the immediate directive: to go into the holy land without turning back, warning that retreating would make them the losers (5:21). Yet, the events at this border became a stark record of communal defiance.

What stopped the Israelites from entering?

The Israelites’ refusal was based on the physical presence of the land's current inhabitants. They argued directly with Moses, stating that a fearsome people lived in the territory, making it impossible for them to advance. Rather than relying on the history of divine favors Moses had just recalled, they set a strict physical condition for their obedience. They flatly declared they would not go into the land until the fearsome occupants left of their own accord, promising to enter only if the territory was already vacated (5:22).

Who tried to persuade the crowd?

As fear immobilized the majority, a dissenting strategy emerged from within their ranks. Two men whom God had blessed, who stood among those who were afraid, stepped forward to counter the paralysis. Their advice focused on immediate, concrete action rather than waiting for the land to empty. They urged the Israelites to simply go in to them through the gate. The two men promised the crowd that the moment they physically went through the entrance, they would overcome the inhabitants, reminding them that if they were true believers, they must put their trust in God (5:23).

How did the Israelites answer Moses?

The encouragement from the two blessed men did not sway the crowd. Instead, the Israelites entrenched themselves further, escalating their fear into an open refusal of Moses's prophetic leadership. They announced that they would never enter the land while the fearsome people were still there. In a profound severing of their own responsibility from the divine command, they addressed Moses with a final, dismissive instruction: they told him that he and his Lord should go in and fight, while they would stay exactly where they were (5:24).

Faced with this absolute insubordination, Moses turned to God, acknowledging the severe limits of his influence over the crowd. He stated that he had authority over no one except himself and his brother, and asked God to judge between the two of them and the disobedient people (5:25). The divine judgment was immediate, geographical, and bound by time. God decreed that the holy land was forbidden to them for forty years, sentencing the people to wander the earth aimlessly, with a final command to Moses not to grieve over those who disobey (5:26).