God isn’t a Father who gives a trophy to everyone who participated, even if they had a bad attitude and broke the rules. He set up the Ten Commandments as a continuation and unfolding of the promise to Abraham. He was basically telling them: if you want to stay in this game, and to be the chosen people, and to receive the prize of the land, you’ve got to obey. God is a good parent, and the very best example for moms and dads today.
Almost all of the Israelites didn’t obey. Some people believe there were 600,000 Israelites who left Egypt and wandered in the wilderness. Whatever that number was, it was definitely more than two–and only TWO people from that whole generation made the choice to be faithful to God: Caleb and Joshua.
God made the promise about the land to faithful men: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. And then, the receivers of the promise were also faithful men. Later, God would be sending the MOST FAITHFUL of ALL men, Jesus Christ, to provide a way for an even bigger promise: a relationship with God and eternity in Heaven.
From the start, Abraham was told to “keep” God’s covenant, and to teach his descendants to “keep” the covenant. His descendants couldn’t do it, and almost all of them died in the wilderness.
God says that believers in Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile, are the descendants of Abraham (Gal. 3:29), because being an inheritance-receiving member of Abraham’s family was always about faith.
When John the Baptist preached that people should repent, because the kingdom of heaven was near, he warned the descendants of Abraham that their bloodline and their race wasn’t what qualified them to receive the gifts of God:
“Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Matthew 3:8-9
Faith provided a way into the Promised Land back in Exodus. The land was the end goal for them. Since Christ, the end goal is even more wonderful than land:
“Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:9
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