The writer of the letter to the Hebrews encouraged Hebrew Christians to remain faithful to Christ. These Christians were being influenced to go back to the Old Law. The writer warned Christians that disobedience brings negative judgment from God.
Hebrews 3:8-9 reads, “Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” The specific reference is to Exodus 17 and is a quote of the Septuagint of Psalm 95:8. It describes one of the times after the Israelites came out of Egypt that they complained to God.
In Numbers 14:22, God told the Israelites they had tempted Him ten times. Because of the ten times (which is the same number of plagues that God had brought on the Egyptians), God would make them wander for a total of 40 years. (Deuteronomy 2:14 says it was 38 more years from the time God made His statement of condemnation.)
God does not specifically mention the ten incidents. However, there are ten incidents recorded (Exodus 6:9-12; 14:10-12; 15:23-26; 16; 17:1-7; 32; Numbers 11:1, 4-33; 12:1-15; 14). We do not know if these are the exact ones that God meant, but it is curious that Moses recorded these. The point is still true: God is patient but will bring negative judgment on those who disobey. He did so under the Old Covenant, and He will do so under the New Covenant.
Study your Bible. Learn all you can about God. Make sure you obey Him. If any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
[Editor’s Note: “Ten times” may or may not refer to specific occasions. The number 10 represents the idea of something that is complete. In any case, the Israelites wandering in the Sinai Peninsula following their exodus from Egypt completely exhausted God’s patience with them. Our continual disobedience today will likewise exhaust God’s patience with us (2 Peter 3:9-12). ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
