(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.) In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them.
The irony in this passage can be easily missed. What is the difference between eleven days and forty years? Faith toward God and his promises. The Israelites continually refused to trust God in the wilderness; therefore God knew that they would not lean on Him in the Promised Land. Therefore He had to raise up another generation who would obey Him in lack and therefore follow Him in abundance. Are we willing to listen and obey our Lord? It can mean the difference between eleven days and forty years! ~ Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org
