To travel (on foot) from Mt. Sinai (where Israel received the Law of God) … to the border of the Promised Land should have taken a total of only eleven days.

So Deuteronomy 1:2 informs us, matter-of-factly. “There are ELEVEN DAYS’ JOURNEY from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.”

One can’t help but read the next verse though. “And it came to pass IN THE FORTIETH YEAR, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them ….” And at this point Israel STILL is not in the Land of Canaan!

They took 40 years to march an 11 day route?

Yes.

So the natural question is, WHY?

And the answer is a little word, SIN!

Folks, sin is a retardant!

In Latin, “tardus” means “slow.”

Sin slows one’s spiritual progress, or stops it altogether.

Wow!

What sin did Israel commit?

That cost them a whole generation of people, of her citizens?

Yes, 40 years would be a generation, back then anyway.

The sin of unbelief.

God had told the Jews, “Enter the Land of Canaan. I will help you defeat the enemies there. I will keep my promises, made to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.”

But Israel did not believe God.

They saw problems (obstacles) in acquiring their future homeland … clearly not hearing the promises of God!

One Preacher said that “unbelief” is so very dangerous because it is a sin of the will. It generally translates mere “doubt” into blatant “rebellion.”

Maybe today’s verse is worthy of memorization! “There are ELEVEN DAYS’ JOURNEY from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.”

Too long, so many wasted years … shriveling in the desert, the wilderness!

The whole Bible idea of “confusion,” a man being “confounded” is built upon this premise of “delay.”

Sin delays!

That’s not all it does, but such delay is certainly near the top of the list. I suppose “death” is at the very apex! As in “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.

Are you “on time” in your spiritual growth pattern, dear friend?

If not, guess why!

— Dr. Mike Bagwell