Explore the Bible Lesson Preview December 18, 2011 "Stay Fearless in Your Obedience" Background: Numbers 10:11-15:41 Lesson: Numbers 13:26-28, 31; 14:6-9, 17-23 Motivation: After spending about a year at Sinai, the Israelites broke camp and began what they believed to be a short journey to the Promise Land. However, their complaining and rebellion brought God's severe judgment to His people. Examination: I. Setting Out For Canaan (10:11-36) A. God's Banner "...the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony..." (11) The order of march was set according to tribe which in turn was ordered by the positioning of the banners of Judah (14), Rueben (18), Ephraim (22), and Dan (25). The direction of the march, however, was set by God. His cloud was at the front of His people giving them daily guidance. Today, we must understand and accept that God wants to provide His people daily guidance as well. B. God's Blessings "Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel." (29) Moses 1 / 13
approached his brother-in-law Hobab, the son of Ruel (called Jethro, Moses father-in-law in Ex. l2:18, 3:1). Although God would mark their path, Moses realized his need for a scout, someone who lived in the area and knew the condition and peoples of the region. Moses offers two reasons for joining God's people: 1. Joining God's People Makes Available One's Talents to God "...you know how we are to camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes." (31) Hobab's intimate knowledge of the region did the Israelites no good unless he joined them. Anyone joining a church should understand that God has a place for him/her to serve. 2. Joining God's People Makes Available God's Blessings "...whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same we will do to you. " (32). Corporate responsibility brings corporate blessing. As Christians serve together in the local church, they give different gifts, talents and financial resources. However, they share equally in the blessings produced by God. 3. God's Protection "And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp. " (34) God's presence not only led them, it also covered them as a reminder of His protection. " Rise up, O lord! Let your enemies be scattered. And let those who hate you flee before you." (35) 2 / 13
II. Complaining About Hardship (11:1-35) A. Moses and Israel's Complaints (11:1-15) The murmuring of God's people occurred before Sinai at Marah (Ex. 15:22-26), in the Wilderness of Sin (Ex. 16:1-36) and at Rephidim (Ex. 17:1-7). Even at the great events of Sinai, the people dismissed Moses and asked to worship a golden calf idol (Ex. 32:1). One would think that the giving of the law, the ordination of a priesthood and the display of God's Skekinah presence would have caused a spiritual revival in Israel. Unfortunately, having just left Sinai, the people revert to murmuring once again. Paul wrote that "... these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted." (I Cor. 10:6) What can we learn? 1. Complainers Will Be With Us Always "Now when the people complained...&qu ot; (1) People can always find something to complain about! God's Word records with a certain tone of resignation " when " the complaining began. A round of murmurings seemed to begin with the " mixed multitudes ", " intense craving " for the things of Egypt. 2. Complainers Displease God "...it displeased the Lord, for the Lord heard it and His anger was aroused..." (1) Prov. 6:16 begins a list of " six things the Lord hates " and adds a seventh which is an abomination: " 3 / 13
one who sows discord among brethren " (19) Complainers demonstrate their lack of faith and trust in God to set things right. 3. Complainers Are Punished By God "...the fire of the Lord burned among them. " (1) Why did God react with immediate punishment, whereas in times past He had first allowed Moses to intercede? Perhaps... a. The complainers were immediately punished because of their timing - when God is beginning something new, beware of standing in His way! (Acts 5:1-11) b. The complainers were immediately punished because they were putting God's system on t rial. c. The complainers were punished because they wanted a solution on their terms rather than God's. 4. Complainers were identified as the least spiritual in the camp "The mixed multitude who were among them..." (4) The "mixed multitude" began the complaining; but, rather than being corrected by the people of God, these very people were caught up in the complaining! 5. Complainers are a trial to God's leaders, "Why have you afflicted your servant?" (11) Moses had administrative nightmares. The Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army estimated that to provision 2-3 million people in the wilderness, Moses would have needed 1500 tons of food, 4,000 tons of firewood, 11,000,000 gallons of water and an 4 / 13
area to camp the size of Rhode Island every single day for forty years! Of course, God provided all their needs; but, the sheer size of the operation allows you to imagine the very real problems with which Moses had to deal. In the midst of all these challenges, what Moses did not need was people complaining about the (free) menu! Notice the questions and statements that Moses expresses to God: a. "Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you have laid the burden of all these people on me?" (11) b. "Did I conceive all these people?" (12) c. "Where am I going to get meat to give all these people?" (13) d. "I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me" (14) e. "If you treat me like this, please kill me here and now..." (15) B. God's Response (11:16-35) 1. Discouragement is a spiritual problem (16-17) "I will take the spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you " (17). Administrative leaders had already been put in place to solve physical problems (Exodus 18:13-26). The seventy elders were to be spiritual encouragers. 5 / 13
Moses didn't need more administrative help; he needed spiritual help. 2. Dependence on the Lord is a spiritual pre-requisite "Therefore the Lord will give you meat." (18) Moses' worry (13) is met by God's assurance. Our spiritual maturity can be measured by our trust in the Lord to meet our needs. (Ps. 23; Phil. 4:19; Gen 22:8) 3. Display of God's Power is a spiritual provision "Oh that all of the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them" (29) The prophecy of the elders "probably amounted to singing in praise and thanks to God (I Chron. 25:1-3)" ( Believer's Study Bible, p. 208) When Joshua heard that two elders were prophesying in the camp rather than at the tabernacle with the others, he asked Moses to forbid it. Moses showed his greatness as a leader by being willing to share God's Spirit with others (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:16). 4. Desire for fleshly things comes with a spiritual penalty, "the Lord struck the people with a very great plague" (33). The name of the place, Kibroth Hattaavah means "graves of craving" or "graves of greediness", Paul writes of the fleshly desires that are displayed today (Gal. 5:19ff). III. Criticizing God's Chosen Leader (12:1-16) A. The Sin "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses..." (1) The sin of murmuring that had begun among the less spiritual (11:4) had spread to God's people (11:10) and now infected the highest levels of leadership. Aaron realized the seriousness of the act in vs. 11 "Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned." 6 / 13
B. The Sign "Then the Lord came down in the pillar of a cloud..." (5) When leaders rebelled against God's appointed leader, God felt that it was time to make a personal appearance. The seriousness of the sin is revealed by the degree of God's response. C. The Sickness "Miriam became leprous" (10) That Miriam was the instigator of the complaint is evidenced by the order of names and the feminine tense of the verb " spoke" in verse 1. D. The Solution "Please heal her, O God, I Pray!" (13) Moses did what Miriam and Aaron should have done in the first place, he prayed! His humility and spiritual depth is in stark contrast to their jealousy. IV. Disobeying Because of Fear (13:1-14:45) A. The Twelve Spies Report (13:1-33) J. Vernon McGee suggests the following outline to this chapter ( Thru the Bible, vol. 1, p. 485) 1. Cause for the spies (1-2) According to Deut. 1:20-22, the Israelites requested spies and God granted their request. The purpose of the spies was to plan " how" not to determine " if" (Col. 1:9-14). 2. Choice of the spies (3-16) These were not just scouts but leaders of their tribes, entrusted to know God's will. 7 / 13
3. Commission of the spies (17-20) Moses provided specific instructions of what they were to do. The problem came when ten of the spies expanded their commission. We sin when we begin to make decisions that God has already made for us. 4. Conduct of the spies (18-25) The spies did everything that Moses asked. 5. Confirmation of the spies (26-28) The spies confirmed the facts that they saw. 6. Confusion of the spies (29-33) Confusion came from an analysis of the facts rather than a trust in God's promise. Forty days of spying would cost up to three million people forty years in the wilderness. At this time, their camp bordered the Promise Land; they were on the very brink of blessing! a. The spies trusted perception more than promise. God had promised them this land and forty years later when they conquered it, the conditions had not changed. Christianity is not tried and found wanting, but rather found difficult and left untried. b. The spies trusted analysis more than action. Instead of trusting God, the ten spies filed a committee report. c. The spies trusted themselves more than the Almighty. Despite the objections of Caleb and Joshua, the majority assumed authority that God did not grant. This should provide a "cautionary tale" for every church committee member. When God's people ceased to walk by faith and assume authority for decisions that are God's 8 / 13
to make, the church becomes a stagnant, lifeless organization rather than a vibrant alive organism... B. Israel's Rebellion (14:1-45) 1. Rejection - 1) of the Promised Land (2); 2) of Moses (4); 3) of Caleb and Joshua (6-10); 4) of the Lord (11) 2. Request - In vss. 11-19, Moses intercedes for God not to destroy the people (12). 3. Results - Although the people were pardoned (20), they faced consequences for their monumental act of disobedience. a. Participants of the rebellion would never set foot in the Promised Land (23, 29; I Cor. 9:24-10:13; Jude 5). b. They must all turn their back on the Promised Land and head back into the wilderness (25). c. Forty years of wandering (34). d. The ten spies would die of the plague (37). e. The Lord would not support them in taking the land at this time (39-45). 9 / 13
V. Learning About Obedience (15:1-41) A. God is Faithful "And the Lord spoke to Moses saying..." (1) The previous chapter had detailed Israel's rebellion against Moses and God. The previous verse had recorded the people's severe defeat. They had been judged and condemned to forty years of wandering. Yet God speaks in this verse as though nothing had happened. Such is His covenant love! B. God Is Future-minded "when you have come into the land you are going to inhabit..." (2) Only two people of the previous generation lived to carry out these instructions (2-21); yet, God is going forward with His purpose. Specific instructions are given for offering depending on the animal sacrificed (lamb, ram, bull, goat). God has a future mindset for each of us, holding up what He wants us to be rather than dwelling on what we are. C. God Is Fair "If you sin unintentionally..." (2) This section deals with violations of sacrificial law. D. God Is Firm "The man must surely be put to death" (35) Believer's Study Bible p. 214: 15:30-36 "Verses 30, 31 give instructions for dealing with presumptuous or defiant (lit. high-handed') sin, and the following verses recount an exemplary incident., The expression with a high hand' is translated 'with boldness' in Ex. 14:18 and Num. 33:3 (cf. 1 10 / 13
Kin. 11:26; Job 38:15). Breaking the Sabbath law was not a minor infraction, but amounted to blasphemy, the rejection of the Lord and His covenant; since it was the covenant sign (cf. Ex. 20:11). This, rather than its being committed knowingly, was what classified it as a sin for which there was no sacrifice (Lev. 6:1-7), Lev. 24:10-23 gives another example of such a sin (cf. Num. 25:1-9. This passage (Num. 15:30-36) is the basis for Heb. 10:26-28 (cf. Also Matt. 12:31)." E. God Is First "I am the Lord your God" (41) (Isa. 44:6; 46:9-10) Believe r's Study Bible, p. 215 15:38 "The people were to add tassels to their garments as a reminder to obey the commandments of God and to live holy lives before Him, and as a reminder of God's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt. According to Jewish tradition, there were eight threads and five knots in each tassel, suggesting the number thirteen. The numerical value of the Hebrew word for tassels, sitsit, is 60. In this way they were reminded of the 613 laws of the Hebrew legal code. This passage is the origin of the Jewish tallit (Heb.) or prayer shawl (cf. Deut. 22:12)." (Rev. 19:16) Elijah passed his prayer shawl to Elisha (2 Kings 2:13, 14) Application: 11 / 13
1. God's blessings go with God's purpose 2. God's judgment goes against complainers and rebels. 3. God's bounty goes to those who trust His promises. Adult Leader Pack: Item 5: Poster: Lesson Outline Illustrator: pg. 60: "Caleb: All we Know" Notes: **You may access David's Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestudy.org; Dates: 2011: 12/3 - Christmas Store; 12/4 - Preschool and HUB Christmas Parties; 12/8-11 - Christmas Celebration 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm.; 12/10 - SPF Christmas at Hunt; 12/11 -Eve. Svc. in gym + LBS; 12/13 - Church Staff and Deacon's Christmas Parties; 12/17 - Candy Cane Lane; 12/22-23 - Christmas Holidays - church offices closed; 12/24 - Christmas Eve Services @ 2, 4 & 6:00 pm; 12/25 - Christmas Day - 1 svc. 10:30 a.m., no LBS ; 12/30 - College Ski Trip; 12/31 12 / 13
- New Year's Eve Party - Summit; 1/1 - New Year's Day - 1 svc. 10:30 a.m., no LBS. 13 / 13