"OVERVIEW OF NUMBERS PART II"
Notes
Transcript
What do you know about the book of Numbers?
Background info –
Author – Moses
Date – Date and Setting—Leviticus covers only one month, but Numbers stretches over almost thirty-nine years (c. 1444–405 B.C.). It records Israel’s movement from the last twenty days at Mount Sinai (1:1; 10:11), the wandering around Kadesh-barnea, and finally the arrival in the plains of Moab in the fortieth year (see 22:1; 26:3; 33:50; Deut. 1:3). Their tents occupy several square miles whenever they camp since there are probably over two-and-a-half million people (based on the census figures in chapters 1 and 26). God miraculously feeds and sustains them in the desert—He preserves their clothing and gives them manna, meat, water, leaders, and a promise (14:34). Wilkinson, B., & Boa, K. (1983). Talk thru the Bible (pp. 28–29). T. Nelson.
Audience – Nation of Israel
Theme – “Directed Wanderings”
Proposition - As we look to the book of Numbers this evening we are going to see how God directs every step of the nation of Israel, regardless if their decision is right or wrong.
Interrogative question - Are you allowing God to direct you steps?
God’s Expectation - (Mt. Sinai – 1-10)
God’s Expectation - (Mt. Sinai – 1-10)
Remain pure – 4-5; 6:1-21
Giving Priests (Levites) – 3:5-10, 7-8
God’s blessing – 6:22-27
God’s Expectation abandoned by Israel - (40 years in Kadesh 11-16)
God’s Expectation abandoned by Israel - (40 years in Kadesh 11-16)
Constant complaining – 11:1,4
Took matters into own hands
Jealousy among Miriam and Aaron – 12:1-9
Took matters into own hands
Bad report from the spies – 13:25-33
Did not trust God
Took matters into own hands
Grumbling/Rebelling – 14:26-31
Numbers 14:26–31 (NASB95)
26 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 28 “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;
29 your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.
30 ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.
Sin of Moses – 20:8-13
Numbers 20:8–13 (NASB95)
8 “Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”
9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.
Will not go into the land
Punishment for abandoning God’s expectation – 14:26-31
Numbers 14:26–31 (NASB95)
26 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 28 “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you;
29 your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me.
30 ‘Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.
God’s Expectation persevered - (Plains of Moab) – 17-36)
God’s Expectation persevered - (Plains of Moab) – 17-36)
Gives instruction – 18
Remains gracious – 20:9-12; 21:4-9
Numbers 20:9–12 (NASB95)
9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; 10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”
11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Numbers 21:4–9 (NASB95)
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.”
6 The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 So the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses interceded for the people.
8 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
Descendants will enter the land – 14:31
31 ‘Your children, however, whom you said would become a prey—I will bring them in, and they will know the land which you have rejected.
So What?
Are you allowing God to direct your every step? How?
You and I know what God expects of us – are we doing it?
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 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 and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Where are you failing?
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Praise the Lord that He is patient with us