37 “And the Lord was also angry with me because of you. He said to me, ‘Moses, not even you will enter the Promised Land! 38 Instead, your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will lead the people into the land. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel as they take possession of it. 39 I will give the land to your little ones—your innocent children. You were afraid they would be captured, but they will be the ones who occupy it. 40 As for you, turn around now and go on back through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.’

41 “Then you confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord! We will go into the land and fight for it, as the Lord our God has commanded us.’ So your men strapped on their weapons, thinking it would be easy to attack the hill country. 42 “But the Lord told me to tell you, ‘Do not attack, for I am not with you. If you go ahead on your own, you will be crushed by your enemies.’

43 “This is what I told you, but you would not listen. Instead, you again rebelled against the Lord’s command and arrogantly went into the hill country to fight. 44 But the Amorites who lived there came out against you like a swarm of bees. They chased and battered you all the way from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen. 46 So you stayed there at Kadesh for a long time.” Deuteronomy 1: 37-46 New Living Translation

This is a really sad part of the Bible. Because the Israelite’s refused to trust God and march into the land he was giving them, God said that that generation would now miss out on what He had promised! In fact, even Moses was told that Joshua, and not him, would lead the next generation to victory.

So what did the people then say? (vs 41). But what was God’s reply? (vs 42). And that’s exactly what happened. (vs 43-45). A really sad event. Yet there’s an even sadder one in Genesis.chapters 25 to 27.

We’re told there of how Israel’s ancestor Isaac had twins sons, Esau, who came out first, and Jacob. The custom was that the ‘birthright’ belonged to the firstborn, but Esau thought nothing of it and swapped it one day to Jacob for a good meal when he was famished. Some time later Jacob took it a step further and tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing that went with the birthright. When Esau discovered how he had lost out we read in Genesis 27:38 that: “Esau pleaded with Isaac ‘Do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!’ Then Esau broke down and wept.”

In the New Testament book of Hebrews the writer urges those who’d become Christians to put away things that belonged to their old unconverted days, and uses what happened to Esau as a warning. In Chapter 12:16-17 he says: “Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.”

If anyone should read this who is not yet a Christian, I plead with you that you do not leave matters until it is too late. And if someone who has called on Jesus to save them, but is constantly doing the things that sinners choose to do, won’t you also turn with all you heart before your life is ruined. The saddest words we could ever hear is that it is ‘too late for tears’.

But let’s finish with some words of hope. Hebrews 3:12-14 say: “Be careful, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. Warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” While it is ‘today’ - there’s hope for all who turn from sins to Christ.