1 Chapter 17 Well, it s been some time since we have been in the book of Last spring we left off at the end of Chapter 16 And I won t do really any review except to get the context of where we are So, if you want to catch up on past lessons 2 Chapter 17 daveaholt@msn.com holts4him.com You can email me @ daveaholt@msn.com and I will send you a link to a web page or, you could go directly to holts4him.com and follow the links to Dave, and then Dave s bible study pages and you will find pages with past lessons and you can download the audio, the PPT, and my notes if you wish Also usually by Tuesday afternoon there is a link up on the KCC Facebook page And if you don t have access to the web, I can get you past lessons 3 Remember, the setting for the book of is the Israelites have been freed from their slavery in Egypt After God miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea, and they crossed over on dry land 1
4 They traveled to Mt. Sani, where God gave them the commandments, and the instructions to build the Tabernacle (A portable worship center) And this all took place in about 2 years, and then once they completed this portable worship center, then it was time make the journey to the promised land 5 And they came to the wilderness of Paran in chapter 13, and Moses sent out 12 spies, one from each tribe to look over the land And the land was a very fertile land, they even came back with some samples: A cluster of grapes that they had to carry on a pole between 2 of them 6 But ten of the spies sent, gave a bad report They said, that the land was indeed a very fertile land, but that the people who lived there were giants, and that it would be impossible for the Israelites to conquer the land and go in and live there But 2
7 But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb spoke up and reminded the people that God was with them, and He would take care of all the people of the land no matter how big they were and how many of them there were But the congregation followed the advice of the 10 spies and they refused to go in God condemned the whole congregation to die in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb because they trusted in Him So, the nation Israel was left to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years until all that generation died And so we have been following their travels, and actions as they are in the wilderness during the 40 years 8 In chapter 16 we saw men by the names Dathan and Abiram rebel against Moses and Aaron They said they had just as much right to be leaders and priests to God as Moses and Aaron Well, God was the one who chose Moses and Aaron, and He wasn t too happy with these guys and told Moses to tell everyone to get away from the tents of Dathan and Abiram and he caused the earth to open up and swallow them up And All their families and all their livestock and all their possessions Sadly, the congregation didn t learn anything from that 3
9 Because Chapter 16 On the next day all the congregation grumbled against Moses and Aaron and God sent a plague among the people, and 14,700 died We talked about how, God had given them His Word over and over, and they still rebelled against Him And that s where we left off 10 Chapter 17 So, with that, we will pick up the story in chapter 17 11 **** Let s turn to chapter 17, and read verses 1-13 (The whole chapter) And remember, this is following the congregation s complaints that It shouldn t be just Aaron and His sons who should get to be priests They thought that just anyone should be able to be priest to God >>>>>>> READ VERSES <<<<<<<< 4
12 So, God is going to show those grumblers who HE has chosen And He is going to do it by taking an old stick that has been cut off from it s life source, and is completely dead and dried up And He s going to make it come to life! 13 17:8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. READ VERSE And not only did Aaron s rod come to life It even produced fruit! Over night! God gave Ezekiel a vision of giving life 14 Let s turn to the book of Ezekiel Ezekiel is the book right after Lamentations.. Isaiah, Jeramiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel We will be reading from chapter 37, verses 1-14 >>>>>>> READ VERSES <<<<<<<<< 5
15 Ezekiel 37:14 "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'" READ VERSE The point here, is that God can restore Israel to their land and give them life He can take old dry bones and give them life! 16 17:8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. He can take an old dried up stick and give it life, and even make is produce fruit! 17 Colossians 2:13 13 When you were dead in your transgressions ***** Colossians 2:13 says READ VERSE Without Christ Everyone is dead! And without hope! as it says in Ephesians 2:12 But }}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Click for rest of verse... 6
18 Colossians 2:13 & 14 13 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions READ VERSES But, God gives life through His Son! 19 17:8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. I think there s a picture here of what God is able to do And does. For the one who will receive His Son! He takes an individual that is absolutely dead No chance of life And He makes them come to life when they receive Christ! 20 Colossians 1:10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work READ VERSE And they bear fruit!!! 7
21 17:8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. Well, God showed them beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Aaron and his sons were in fact the ones HE had chosen! >>>>>>>>>>> END 8