20250423 [새벽묵상] 하나님의 귀에 무슨 말을 들려드릴 것인가? | What words will we speak for God to hear? (민/Num 14:26~38)

14:26 여호와께서 모세와 아론에게 말씀하여 이르시되

14:27 나를 원망하는 이 악한 회중에게 내가 어느 때까지 참으랴 이스라엘 자손이 나를 향하여 원망하는 바 그 원망하는 말을 내가 들었노라

14:28 그들에게 이르기를 여호와의 말씀에 내 삶을 두고 맹세하노라 너희 말이 내 귀에 들린 대로 내가 너희에게 행하리니

14:29 너희 시체가 이 광야에 엎드러질 것이라 너희 중에서 이십 세 이상으로서 계수된 자 곧 나를 원망한 자 전부가

14:30 여분네의 아들 갈렙과 눈의 아들 여호수아 외에는 내가 맹세하여 너희에게 살게 하리라 한 땅에 결단코 들어가지 못하리라

14:31 너희가 사로잡히겠다고 말하던 너희의 유아들은 내가 인도하여 들이리니 그들은 너희가 싫어하던 땅을 보려니와

14:32 너희의 시체는 이 광야에 엎드러질 것이요

14:33 너희의 자녀들은 너희 반역한 죄를 지고 너희의 시체가 광야에서 소멸되기까지 사십 년을 광야에서 방황하는 자가 되리라

14:34 너희는 그 땅을 정탐한 날 수인 사십 일의 하루를 일 년으로 쳐서 그 사십 년간 너희의 죄악을 담당할지니 너희는 그제서야 내가 싫어하면 어떻게 되는지를 알리라 하셨다 하라

14:35 나 여호와가 말하였거니와 모여 나를 거역하는 이 악한 온 회중에게 내가 반드시 이같이 행하리니 그들이 이 광야에서 소멸되어 거기서 죽으리라

26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 27 “How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these grumbling Israelites. 28 So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But as for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”

14:36 모세의 보냄을 받고 땅을 정탐하고 돌아와서 그 땅을 악평하여 온 회중이 모세를 원망하게 한 사람

14:37 곧 그 땅에 대하여 악평한 자들은 여호와 앞에서 재앙으로 죽었고

14:38 그 땅을 정탐하러 갔던 사람들 중에서 오직 눈의 아들 여호수아와 여분네의 아들 갈렙은 생존하니라

36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it— 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.

                  어제 우리는 이스라엘 백성들에게 진노하시는 하나님에게 모세가 어떻게 기도하였는지를 나누었습니다. 하나님의 마음을 헤아려 기도하였던 모세의 기도 덕분에 이스라엘 백성들은 죽음을 면할 수 있었습니다. 모세가 기도하였던대로 하나님은 그들을 사하시겠다고 말씀하셨습니다. 그러나 그들은 하나님의 진노는 피할 수 있었지만 그들이 범한 죄의 결과는 책임을 져야만 했습니다. 오늘 말씀에서 하나님께서는 이스라엘이 원망하는 말을 들으셨다고 하십니다. 그리고 그들의 말이 하나님의 귀에 들린 대로 그들에게 행하시겠다고 말씀하십니다. 민수기 14:2-3에서 이들은 모세와 아론을 원망하며 “우리가 애굽 땅에서 죽었거나 이 광야에서 죽었으면 좋았을 것을 어찌하여 여호와가 우리를 그 땅으로 인도하여 칼에 쓰러지게 하려 하는가 우리 처자가 사로잡히리니” 라고 말하였습니다. 그리고 오늘 하나님께서는 당신이 들으신 그대로 그들의 말을 존중해 주십니다. 오늘의 말씀은 우리에게 묻습니다. 우리가 하는 말을 하나님께서는 들으십니다. 그러면 우리는 선택해야 합니다. 불평과 불만, 반역의 말을 들려드릴 것인가? 아니면 감사과 기쁨, 순종의 말을 들려드릴 것인가? 우리는 하나님의 귀에 무슨 말을 들려드려야 할까요?

Yesterday, we talked about how Moses prayed to God when the Israelites were facing His wrath. Because Moses prayed with a heart that understood God's own heart, the people of Israel were spared from death. Just as Moses had prayed, God said He would forgive them.

But listen, while they escaped God's intense anger, they still had to bear the consequences, the responsibility, for the sin they had committed.

Now, in today's passage, God says that He heard the grumbling of the Israelites. And He declares that He will do to them just as He heard them speak with His own ears.

In Numbers 14:2-3, they grumbled against Moses and Aaron, saying, and I'm quoting from the NIV here: "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken1 as plunder!" 

And so today, God honors their words, precisely as He heard them. This passage today asks us a powerful question. God hears the words we speak.

So, we have to make a choice, beloved. Will we let Him hear words of complaint and dissatisfaction, words of rebellion? Or will we let Him hear words of thankfulness, of joy, of obedience?

만약 우리가 불평과 반역의 말을 들려드린다면, 우리가 하는 원망을 하나님께서는 들으시고 우리에게 그대로 돌려주십니다. 27절입니다. “나를 원망하는 이 악한 회중에게 내가 어느 때까지 참으랴 이스라엘 자손이 나를 향하여 원망하는 바 그 원망하는 말을 내가 들었노라” 이 짧은 한절의 말씀에 원망이라는 말이 세번이나 나옵니다. 하나님께서 치를 떠신 것이에요. 하나님께서 이들의 원망을 얼마나 싫어하셨는지 노하기를 더디하시는 하나님께서 도대체 내가 어느 때까지 참으랴 라고 말씀하십니다. 그리고 당신을 원망하는 이스라엘 백성이 악하다고 말씀하십니다. 그래서 28절에 보니 하나님께서 당신의 삶을 두고 악한 이들이 죄값을 치룰 것을 맹세하십니다. 아니 생명 그 자체이신 하나님께서 당신의 생명을 두고 맹세를 하신다니요. 여러분 하나님께서 맹세하실 필요 있으십니까? 없으시지요. 하나님의 말씀은 그 자체로 진리이기 때문에 말씀 하시는 것이 곧 약속입니다. 그런데 구약 전체에서 딱 22번 밖에 나오지 않는 당신의 삶을 두고 맹세하신다는 이 말씀. 이 말씀은 그야말로 이들이 앞으로 값아야 할 죗값이 얼마나 무거운 것인지를 우리에게 보여줍니다. 그런데 그 죗값이 무엇입니까? “너희 말이 내 귀에 들린대로 내가 너희에게 행하리니” 이들이 말한대로 이들이 선택한 대로 이들이 결정한 대로 그대로 해주시겠다는 것입니다. 하나님께서 이들을 돌이키지 아니하시고, 이들을 가르치지 아니하시고, 이들을 처벌하지아니하시고 이들이 말한대로 결정한대로 그대로 이루어지게 해주시겠다는 것입니다. 이것이 이들이 짊어져야만 하는 가장 무거운 죄의 결과였습니다. 이들이 어떻게 원망하였습니까? 14:2에 “이 광야에서 죽었으면 좋았을 것을.” 자 한번 찾아보겠습니다. 29절, 너희 시체가 이 광야에 엎드러질 것이라. 32절, 너희의 시체는 이 광야에 엎드러질 것이요. 33절, 저희의 시체가 광야에서 소멸되기까지. 35절, 이 광야에서 소멸되어 거기서 죽으리라. 무섭지 않으십니까? 이들이 원망한 그대로에요. 29-30절에 보니 이렇게 하나님은 원망하였던 20세 이상의 한 세대 전체가 광야에서 죽고 하나님이 맹세하여 그들에게 살게하리라 한 땅에 결단코 들어가지 못하리라라고 말씀하십니다. 이들이 차라리 광야에서 죽는 것이 낫겠다고 했던 그 원망을 하나님께서는 들으시고 그대로 그들에게 돌려주십니다.

What words should we be speaking for God to hear? Because if we choose to speak words of complaint and rebellion, God hears our grumbling, and He will give it back to us just as we spoke it.

Look at verse 27. It says, "How long will this wicked community grumble against me? I have heard the complaints of these Israelites, which they are making against me." In that one short verse, the word "grumble" or "complaint" appears three times!

God was shaking His head! He was so displeased with their grumbling that God, who is slow to anger, said, "How long must I put up with this?"

And He calls these Israelites who grumbled against Him "wicked". And that's why in verse 28, God swears by His very life that these wicked people will pay the price for their sin.

Think about that for a moment. God, who is life itself, swears by His own life! Do you think God needs to swear an oath? No, He doesn't. Because God's Word is truth in itself. When He speaks, it is a promise.

But this statement, where He swears by His very life – a phrase that only appears 22 times in the entire Old Testament – this tells us just how heavy the price is that they will have to pay for their sin. And what is that price?

It's found in verse 28: "'As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.'" He's saying, "I will do for you exactly what you asked for, just as you chose, just as you decided!"

God isn't going to turn them around, He's not going to teach them, He's not going to discipline them in a way that leads to repentance. No, He's going to let what they said and what they decided come to pass exactly as they spoke it!

This was the heaviest consequence of their sin that they had to carry. How did they grumble? In Numbers 14:2, they said, "If only we had died...in this wilderness!" Let's see what happened.

Look at verse 29: "...your bodies will fall in this wilderness." Verse 32: "As for you, your bodies will fall in this wilderness." Verse 33: "...until your bodies are all of them laid in the wilderness." 

And verse 35: "...In this wilderness they will meet their end, and there they will die." Isn't that chilling? It happened exactly as they grumbled!

Verses 29 and 30 tell us that God declared that the entire generation of twenty years and older who had grumbled would die in the wilderness and would absolutely not enter the land that He had solemnly promised to let them live in. They said it would be better to die in the wilderness, and God heard that complaint and gave them exactly what they asked for. And that's not all.

이 뿐만이 아닙니다. 33절을 보면 하나님께 원망을 하여 반역한 그들의 죄를 그들 뿐만이 아니라 그들의 자녀들 또한 지게 될 것이라고 하십니다. “너희의 자녀들은 너희 반역한 죄를 지고 너희의 시체가 광야에서 소멸되기까지 사십 년을 광야에서 방황하는 자가 되리라” 하나님께서는 이들의 자녀들이 짊어지게 될 죄의 형벌은 부모인 이들이 지운 것임을 분명히 하십니다. 하나님을 반역한 이들이 모두 죽게 되기까지의 사십년을 이들의 자녀들이 마치 짐짝처럼 지고 광야에서 방황하게 되리라는 것입니다. 이들의 죄가 얼마나 무거운 것인지 자신들의 생명이 오히려 자녀들의 짐이 되어버렸습니다. 이들이 모두 죽어야만 그들의 자식들이 해방되는 것입니다. 부모로서 이렇게 끔찍한 일이 어디 있겠습니까? 34절에 보니 “너희는 그제서야 내가 싫어하면 어떻게 되는지를 알리라” 라고 하셨습니다. 하나님의 미움을 받는다는 것은 이렇게나 잔혹하고 무서운 것입니다. 

36절과 37절에서 열 두명의 정탐꾼 중에 그 땅을 악평하여 온 회중이 모세를 원망하게 한 사람들은 하나님 앞에서 재앙으로 죽었다고 합니다. 그들은 모세가 각 지파 중에서 지휘관 한 사람씩을 선택하여 보낸 사람들입니다. 민수기에 그들의 이름이 적혀있을 만큼 그들은 중요한 인물들이었습니다. 만약 가나안과 전쟁을 했다면 이들은 모세를 도와 이스라엘을 이끌었을 중책들이었습니다. 이스라엘의 리더들이었습니다. 그러나 그들이 가장 먼저 그 땅을 악평하였습니다. 그리고 그들의 입을 통하여 온 회중이 모세를 원망하게 되었습니다. 하나님께서는 이들은 용서하지 않으셨습니다. 여호와 앞에서 재앙으로 죽었다는 표현은 일반적인 죽음을 가르키는 표현이 아닙니다. 이들은 하나님의 심판을 받아 죽었습니다.

Look at verse 33. It says that because they grumbled and rebelled against God, not only would they suffer the consequences, but their children would too. "Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness."2 God makes it clear that the punishment for sin that their children would bear was placed upon them by their parents. Their children would wander in the wilderness for forty years, like a burden they had to carry, until all of those who rebelled against God had died.

Think about how heavy their sin was – their very lives became a burden to their children. Only when they all died could their children be set free. As a parent, could anything be more tragic than this? And in verse 34, God said, "Then you will know what it is like to have me against you." 

To be an object of God's displeasure – that is a terrifying and severe thing.

In verses 36 and 37, we see that of the twelve spies, the men who spread a bad report about the land and caused the whole assembly to grumble against Moses, these men died by a plague before the Lord. These were important men, chosen by Moses, one leader from each tribe. Their names are even recorded in the book of Numbers! If there had been a battle for Canaan, these were the very men who would have helped Moses lead Israel. They were the leaders of Israel! But they were the first ones to speak evil of the land. And through their words, the whole assembly started grumbling against Moses. God did not forgive them. The phrase "died by a plague before the Lord" isn't talking about a natural death. These men died under God's judgment.

말씀을 맺습니다. 오늘의 말씀은 많이 무겁습니다. 그러나 이렇게 무거운 말씀 중에도 하나님께서는 이들을 이끄시겠다던 약속을 잃지 않으십니다. 하나님께서 너희 말이 내 귀에 들린대로 내가 너희에게 행하리니라고 말씀하셨지만 그들의 말을 모두 돌려주시지는 않았습니다. 31절 “너희가 사로잡히겠다고 말하던 너희의 유아들은 내가 인도하여 들이리니 그들은 너희가 싫어하던 땅을 보려니와” 하나님께서는 비록 이들이 하나님이 인도하시는 그 땅을 거절하였을지라도 그들의 자녀들을 통하여 당신께서 이들과 하셨던 약속을 이루십니다. 그리고 모든 이들이 하나님의 귀에 원망의 말씀을 들려드릴 때에 “그 땅 백성을 두려워 말라 그들은 우리의 먹이라”라고 이들을 격려하였던 갈렙과 여호수아의 음성을 하나님께서는 들으셨습니다. 그리고 오직 그들만을 정탐꾼 중에서 살리시고 모세와 아론조차도 들어가지 못한 약속의 땅으로 인도하시겠다고 약속하십니다. 여러분 하나님께서는 우리의 말을 들으십니다. 우리는 하나님의 귀에 무슨 말을 들려드려야 할까요? 기도하시겠습니다.

Let me bring this to a close. This passage today is heavy. But even in such a heavy message, God does not abandon His promise to lead them. Although God said, "I will do to you the very things I heard you say", He didn't give them everything they said.

Verse 31 says, "As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to see the land that you rejected— the land I promised on oath to your ancestors." Even though this generation rejected the land God was leading them to, God fulfills His promise through their children.

And when everyone else was speaking words of grumbling for God to hear, God heard the voices of Caleb and Joshua, who encouraged the people, saying, "Do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them."3 God heard their words. And He promised that only they, of all the spies, would live. He would bring them into the promised land, a land that even Moses and Aaron would not enter.

Friends, God hears our words. What words will we speak for God to hear?

Let's pray.