In this passage, after seeing the Lord’s disapproval at their lack of faith, some of the Israelites changed their minds. They chose to enter the Promised Land after all. But God was not behind this action, and so they failed. They’d missed their opportunity to receive God’s promises. He would not bless their attempts to take the Land in their own strength.
I’m reminded of the time King David wanted to build a temple for the Lord, but God said no. David’s son would have that privilege. Sometimes we want to do great things in Jesus’ name, but not according to His will or timing. The thing we have mind — a ministry, a career choice, a relationship — may be good, but if God is not in it, it will fail. And maybe, once we get past the disappointment of God saying no to our ‘brilliant’ idea, we’ll find He has something a lot better in mind.The question is, do we really believe that God’s plans are better than ours?