HEBREW WORD STUDY – THE DEFIANT ONES – MA’APLIM מעפלם Mem Ayin Pei Lamed Mem

Numbers 14:40,44: “And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we [be here], and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned.” (44) But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless, the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp.”

I remember when I was in my second year of seminary and I heard two Old Testament professors discuss a topic I always wondered about. I was shocked to discover that their knowledge of this clearly Biblical episode was so limited. They were discussing the judgment of God against Israel by being denied entrance to the Promised Land because of the report of the ten spies to not enter the land. The one professor comment to the other: “I think they did make a couple attempts to enter the land.” The other professor replied: “Yeah, I think they did.” I’m thinking: “Say what? These are professors of Old Testament teaching graduate-level classes on the Old Testament and they are not sure if there was an attempt to enter the land?” To be fair after 45 years of studying the Word of God three to four hours a day in the Biblical language and teaching in a Bible College for 17 years, I am still finding things in the Bible that I didn’t know was in there.

Now keep in mind that I grew up in a very fundamental Bible-believing church and attended church practically even day of the week. We had a Bible Study and prayer meeting on Wednesday, we had a club program where we studied the Bible and memorized verses, we attended church twice on Sunday, morning worship and evening service and of course we had Sunday School which was totally Bible-centered. This as well as belonging to a Bible Club (Youth For Christ) while I was in High School. Once out of high school I attend two different Bible Colleges for a total of five years and then seminary (a repeat of Bible college) and graduate school. Now you would think after all these years of Bible training, I would have heard of the ma’apilim. I didn’t. We hear a lot about the Nephilim which covers fewer verses than the ma’apilim. Yet, the message of the ma’aplim, I believe, is more important.

The word ma’aplim means the defiant ones. The story of the ma’aplim or defiant ones is the historical and Biblical account in Numbers 14 of the attempt on the part of the Israelites to make amends for their failure to enter the Promised Land on the advice of the ten spies who said they did not stand a chance of a snowball in the summertime of conquering the land.

Not more than 24 hours after the report of the spies and God’s declaration that the present generation would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land, a group of Israelites repented, admitted their sin, and said: “We’re ready, let’s go get ‘em.” But God said, “Too late, you had your chance.”

Maybe that is why we never hear this story. Is not God a God of second chances? If the people really repented for the rashness would not God say: “Ok, I understand, you’re only human, now let this be a lesson to you and go out there and win one for the Gipper.” But God just shut the door.

I believe there is an important lesson for us as believers in this story and it needs to be told and preached. If we are born again then we truly believe in God and His omnipotence. Yet, sometimes that belief is obscured by a spirit of foolishness. In their admittance of sin Israel demonstrated their belief in God’s power, it was just too late. God had already decreed that the generation would die out before entering the land. In their zeal to repent, Israel went too far. Moses already explained that the window of opportunity had closed. They just did not listen to God they listened to their own desires and will. They figured once they repented all was ok and they could move forward. They were wrong. They mistakenly interpreted God’s discouragement as a test of their resolve. The ma’apilim left that next morning without Moses or the Ark of the Covenant, full of faith that they would be victorious only to have the Amalekites, Amorites and Canaanites quash their attempts and beat them back to Hormah.

They literally broke God’s heart when they refused to enter the land. The spies reported in Numbers 13:31: “We are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we.” The Talmud teaches that the word we is ‘oto which is really a third-person singular and should be rendered as “they are stronger than Him.” In other words, they said that the enemy was so strong that not even God could conquer them. The people listened to the report and agreed they were stronger than God and that broke God’s heart. After all, God did to prove his faithfulness and power, how could they say such a hurtful thing?

I thought of this story this past week as we have been experiencing the race riots. I live just a few blocks where the riots took place. 22^nd Street is completely boarded up, stores were looted and there is much hatred among the races right now. I have friends on both sides, I taught classes in the inner city, I drive through the inner city every day. It’s not as bad as the media portrays. They like to focus on the crazies and their unrealistic demands, but the fact remains, there are many who have been hurt and just as many who realize this and want to make up. Maybe they want you to shine their shoes and in your hast, you do it only to make them feel even more violated than before. When we seek forgiveness we must consider the needs of the injured party rather than our own need to appear noble and forgiving.

When we’ve hurt someone we must ask: “What does the one I hurt need right now?” The path to reconciliation is to listen closely to the one we’ve hurt and to genuinely seek his or her welfare. I see many ma’apilim in my neighborhood, they mean well but they are not listening to the cries of those who they hurt. Just like the Israelites who meant well, who tried to make up for their lack of faith but they just did not listen to Moses or God and they tried to do it their own way to satisfy their own needs and desires.

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