Forcing a Do-Over (14:39-45)
When the nation hears the verdict of YHWH—that they will be spared destruction but will live out their days in the wilderness instead of the promised land—they panic. The very thing that they were afraid to do with God’s help, they attempt to do now on their own. Of course, it is a failure. It is a failure in part because they indeed do not have the power to defeat the people in the land. They never could have defeated them on their own. They always needed God’s power to deliver the land to them.
However, this is such a human thing to do. We do things our own way—even when we know that our way is not the right way. As soon as we face the consequences of our actions, though, we try to make good and fix what we were doing wrong. Repentance after getting caught is an empty form of repentance.
All that is not to say that repentance is ever negative. It is always good to acknowledge our wrongs and make a change. It is just best when we can do it as soon as we are made aware of our wrongs, and not after we have been caught in them.
However, this is such a human thing to do. We do things our own way—even when we know that our way is not the right way. As soon as we face the consequences of our actions, though, we try to make good and fix what we were doing wrong. Repentance after getting caught is an empty form of repentance.
All that is not to say that repentance is ever negative. It is always good to acknowledge our wrongs and make a change. It is just best when we can do it as soon as we are made aware of our wrongs, and not after we have been caught in them.
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