“HAVE YOU EVER MADE A WRONG CHOICE, sure YOU HAVE; BUT, HAVE YOU EVER MADE ONE THAT BROUGHT YOU SERIOUS AND LIFELONG CONSEQUENCES? well TODAY, i WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME CHOICES MADE THAT CAN LEAD TO EVEN WORSE CONSEQUENCES!”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk some FATAL CHOICES the Bible tells us people made that ultimately brought them disaster and death …

…A wrong choice is usually serious and has consequences. Yet a wrong spiritual choice is always disastrous! In the Bible God gives us many illustrations of what to do and not to do. As one reads the real life accounts of historical people and their relationships with God, we can learn some valuable lessons on how to avoid wrong choices. Today I want to look at this phenomenon as we go to the Old Testament and examine the “Fatal Choice” an entire nation of people made, that brought all of them a tragic living and ultimately death. Sound ominous? It is, and God put this story in His Word to help us avoid making the same fatal choice. But before I get down to the business of telling you all about it, let’s take another moment to listen to some good music for your day’s enjoyment, then I’ll return with God’s message entitled: FATAL CHOICES…

…In the Old Testament particularly the Book of Deuteronomy (1:6–3:28), we have a review of the “Exodus” of Israel from the 400 years of captivity in Egypt. God’s Word breaks down the trek from Egypt to the Promised Land in sections.  In the first three chapters of Deuteronomy, God reviews through Moses, the portion from Mount Sinai to the Plains of Moab. Since most of this has already been told the reader in the Book of Numbers, we shall simply summarize it here: First, God’s command to march to the Promised Land and possess it are spoken to in (Deu. 1:6–8); Secondly, the appointment of judges over civil matters (vv. 9–18) are covered; Third, the journey from Sinai to Kadesh-Barnea (vv. 19–21)is reported; and finally, the sending of the twelve spies and the subsequent “fatal choice” of the people of Israel is found in (vv. 22–46). In all, God tells us of the consequences of that FATAL CHOICE Israel made 40 long years ago, and that with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, all the adults who left Egypt were sentenced to a dismal life that ended in death (vv. 34–38) – all mind you, because of a FATAL CHOICE made that day.

You see, God freed the people of Israel from their Egyptian slavery to offer them the best of life in a new land of hope and promise. I response to this offer, all the people of Israel followed Moses out of Egypt through the miraculous deliveries God orchestrated for them. The mightiest deliverance miracle was of course the crossing of the Red Sea. Once across, the witnessed Pharaoh’s army drowned in the sea that closed behind them. From this they could know the great God who watched over them, would care for and surely deliver them into the Promised Land. Now as the first step toward and receiving the land of Canaan God promised them, the Israelites had to travel through a vast and dreadful desert (Deu. 8:15; 32:10). 

This was a journey from a place called Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea, more than 100 miles over an essentially waterless wilderness. This first step was obviously designed by God to create a hunger in their hearts for the abundant fruitfulness and beauty of the Promised Land. However, it also gave God the opportunity to demonstrate His fatherly love for them and His ability to protect them in a hostile environment (Deut. 1:31). Thus, both motivations—hunger for the land and confidence in God’s love and power—were necessary if they were to receive the rewards ahead for them. But alas, the nation of Israel was given the “free will” choice to believe God and follow Him, or reject God through “unbelief” and follow their own ways and will. Sadly, the nation chose the latter and suffered the terrible consequences, which condemned them to forty aimless years of wilderness wanderings that ended in death. Let’s read these passages now: Moses writes:

Deu 1:19-36 (NIV)  Then, as the LORD our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites… soon we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” 22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” 23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the LORD our God is giving us.” 26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’” 29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” 32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. 34 When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

 Well friends there you have the history reviewed by Moses of what happened that fateful day almost forty years before when Israel made the gravest of spiritual errors and choice. You see the people of Israel were without excuse that day at Kadesh-Barnea. Think of all they should have learned from their miracle delivering God. They experienced the deliverance from the Plagues of Egypt; the glorious night of the Passover; the warming by night in the cold desert of fire from above; the cool cloud that covered them by day from the blistering heat; and the fresh food God gave them every day that appeared miraculously on the desert floor. You see all these were gifts of God’s love, care and affection to show them they could trust the God who created them. All these were lessons to mature them in their faith to take bigger and bolder steps of faith toward their God of love and mercy. Yet the time came for them to make a choice and they did, but it was the wrong choice, and with it came fatal consequences.

In Deuteronomy 1:26-33, we read of twelve spies report upon returning from their visit to Canaan. We’re told that ten of the twelve spires reported negatively and exaggerated about the size of the cities in Canaan, saying they were walled up to the sky. The most terrifying feature of the spies’ evil report seems to have been the mention of the presence of giants called the Anakites (Deu. 1:28; Num. 13:32-33). So out of “unbelief” and “cowardice,” the people rebelled and grumbled against the Lord (Ex. 15:24; 16:2; 17:3). 

This illustrates how deliberate, defiant sin can easily corrupt one’s view of God. The people even claimed, the Lord hated them, and said He delivered them from Egypt only to abandon and destroy them by the hands of these heathen giants. So as a result of hearing this negative and evil report given by ten of the spies, and ignoring the positive and good report of the other two, Joshua and Caleb, the entire nation made a choice not to follow God anymore, and to go their own way. This choice my friend, was a FATAL CHOICE that literally cost them their lives in the end.

Now this “Kadesh Barnea” event is recorded in detail in the Book of Numbers chapter 14, and in the New Testament Book of Hebrews chapters, 3–4. In all, God seriously warns those who follow the Lord, against manifesting “an evil heart of unbelief” (Heb. 3:12). An evil heart!

Heb 3:12-19 (NIV)  See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God… “Today, if you hear [God’s] voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.”16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the desert? 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed ? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

Now one might ask, “Why is the sin of unbelief so evil? Well to begin with, “unbelief” calls God a liar and slanders the dependability and truthfulness of His holy Word. As followers of God, a believer’s responsibility is not to question what God say or calls us to do, rather to believe God and do what He commands. The sin unbelief is always a fatal choice! For the Israelites on the way to Canaan, their eleven-day journey turned into forty years of second class living, wandering aimlessly in the desert until they died! Yes, this is a serious sin and choice a believer can make. For unbelief always robs God’s children of God’s greatest blessings. In spite of their sin, God still loved and cared for His people Israel for the entire forty-year sentence. Yet think how much more God would have done for them had they made the right choice and exercised faith, and stepped out to claim their inheritance.

The point I think God gives us here, in this account of history, is that when a believer comes to their “Kadesh Barnea” (like places in your own pilgrimage of life) don’t be overwhelmed at the problems and dangers that may accompany making the right choice. Rather, look up to the miracle God who is calling you and promises to lead you. Step out, make the right choice and walk forward by faith.

Now what are some right choices we can make that cause us to avoid these fatal ones that can bring sorrow, suffering and even premature death in this life? Well let me quickly share them with you. First of all, the most important choice any human being can make is.

#1 BE SURE TO CHOOSE NOT TO BE KING OF YOUR OWN LIFE – Now all of us are born as free spirits with a will that is our very own. From a tiny child this will is usually exercised. However as we grow into adulthood, we discover that all of us continue to desire to be in a sense, “ruler of our own lives.” Yet the Bible teaches us, since we are created beings, formed and placed here by God’s own will and purpose, we owe God a debt of love and gratitude and need to show Him this, by turning our own “wills” over to His by acknowledging God’s right to rule our lives. This constant rebellion to God’s rule is what the Bible calls sin, and it begins to guide our own FATAL CHOICE that leads all to sorrow in this life and eternal destruction. Listen to God’s Word on the matter,

Ezek 18:4 (NIV)  “…every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.”

Rom 3:23 (NIV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 6:23 (NIV )[AND]  the wages of sin is death…”

 You see friend, the entire Bible warns us as we come to personal consciousness of our own will, that we all must turn away from following it and rather follow God’s way and will expressed in Scripture. This “will” when surrendered, begins with putting your full and forever trust in Jesus Christ as your God and Savior of your life. To make the wrong choice here, God says brings misery and death in this life, but also in the next. Jesus commented on this when He said,

Mat 25:41 (NIV)  “Then He [the God of Heaven]  will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Have you made the right choice here? Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ? If not, only a second class life awaits you here and now, and ultimately death and destruction in a place called Hell is your portion to come. Friend, wrong spiritual choices always bring disaster to us. Now secondly, once we become a child of God by faith in Jesus Christ, we still can make fatal choices that bring other negative consequences. For instance,

#2 BE SURE TO CHOOSE TO ALWAYS FOLLOW GOD’S LEADING AND WAYS – Once we become God’s child by faith alone, we are now on a journey as Israel was when they left Egypt. Yes, it took faith to leave Egypt, and all did make that initial choice. This is akin to the salvation experience. Once we turn our lives over to God in Christ, we become God’s child and there is no turning back. All we can do along the way is follow God and be blessed or resist God and sadly suffer the consequences. Now it’s important to understand, God’s “will” is not forceful, nor is it abusive. God’s “will” for the believer is always the best and easiest, for God is a God of love. God wanted to give the Israelites His very best. He promised them new hope and a new home in the Promised Land. Once there, God wanted to bless them with a fruitful life and living. But to receive this blessing and reward, they had to exercise faith in following God through often negative life experiences. For them it was the battle of war, times of hardships and temporal loss; but in the end, there would be abundant blessings for them.

How is it with you my Christian friend? Has God called you to go forward and follow His ways? Maybe it’s in the direction of a life’s career? Choosing a mate? Maybe it’s in the direction of having children, and even more of them? Maybe it’s in giving more of your time, talents and your treasures for God’s work and kingdom advance? Maybe it’s in turning away from the sinful pleasures tempting you to dishonor God in your life? There is always a cost to follow God, but the reward for doing so is always more than adequate. But then there is the right of choice. God tells us where to go, how to go, and what to do, but you and I must CHOOSE to obey or not obey. I think there’s a verse in the Bible that tells us something about this. We read in,

Heb 11:7 (NIV)  By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Noah heard the call and still small voice of God speaking to Him. He made the initial choice to turn His life over to His Creator and walk with Him. The voice of God continued to speak through His Word, and one day God said to Noah – follow Me, I’ve got a life long project and place for you. Noah could have said, not now Lord, I’m busy building a new home, or getting ahead on my job. I’m busy pursing what I’ve always dreamed of a glorious retirement, or trip around the world. Call me later… Yes, if he made that “fatal choice,” Noah would have lost not only his life but the lives of his entire family as well. 

Thanks be to God Noah made the right choice and turned away from the temporal desires of his own heart and followed God by faith. Yes, he spent all His time, his money, and his life in building an ARK, which took him 100 years of his life to build! And, all during this time I’m sure he endured the jeers and laugher of unbelievers around him. It cost Noah all his time and hard earned money to obey God. What did he get out of it? Nothing for the moment, but the promises of God that one day were gloriously fulfilled. Indeed, God saved his entire family from the judgment of death executed upon a whole world in rebellion to God.

Well the Israelites in Canaan who refused to follow God into His blessings, suffered too. They were sentenced to a life of sorrow, loss and ultimately death. We read in the Book of Hebrews,

the disastrous choice made by the Israelites at Kadesh-barnea (Num. 13–14), occurred when Israel had refused to enter Canaan. Israel’s initial disobedience led from one sin to another, but it all stemmed from their “unbelief” in God’s promises.

Since Israel had refused God to follow the Lord, God refused them and barred all adult Israelites from entering Canaan (Deu. 1:35, 39) condemning them to wander in the wilderness until they died (Deu. 1:40; Num. 14:26–37). Now when the death sentence was pronounced, of course, the Israelites changed their minds, but it was too late. Indeed, many people are sorry for their sins only after they get caught or see what they could have had by obedience and faith in Christ. But alas, it’s too late. My friend, consider your life now before you? Are you making fatal choices that have consequences now and for eternity? You can change that by turning away from sin and turning to God in Christ. If you are a believer today, you can turn your life back and over to God’s way by confessing any sinful rebellion, lethargy, or disobedience to follow the Lord. The Bible says,

1 John 1:9 (NIV)  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 Although we often pay for our sins in this life, God can still turn things around for us and bring blessing out of the rubble. I beg of you and encourage you to follow the Lord and His Word as the two faith-filled spies Joshua and Caleb did. Although they went through the wilderness judgment upon the nation they came out and entered God’s promised blessings too. Note what God says about them, especially His servant Caleb,

Deu 1:34-36 (NIV)  When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “Not a man of this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your forefathers, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.”

There it is friends – Caleb “followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” Now making the right choice, going God’s way, is not always easy, but it is always blessed. It is possible in this life as a believer to have a saved soul and a wasted and lost life due to wrong choices. It’s even worse to make the fatal choice and never become a believer and end as a lost soul for all eternity. Yes indeed, decisions along life’s way all have consequences, but they also determine destiny. Place your faith in Christ today, and set your mark with God and His Word; Then, following Him will never be a fatal choice. Is there some area of your life right now that needs a decision, or a turning back from? Then make it today, for God is a God of love, mercy and grace and while we have life, He awaits our return to follow Him. Right now, wherever you are take a moment to thank God for Jesus Christ and His Word that can and will bring you God’s greatest blessings as we walk by faith trusting and obeying. May God add His blessing to these words for Jesus sake, Amen.