January 5, 2025 - 1 Samuel Pt 2

God’s Intention Seeking a Bride for His Son -Book of Numbers

Tithe/Prayer

If you were here last week, John shared with us out of the Book of Leviticus. He talked about the Hebrew calendar/ the 7 feasts. He shared a bit about the Law of Moses and how ‘holiness” means “wholeness.”

I loved the part where he said “ we all experience things we don’t understand, and we find ourselves asking God “why” His response to that questions was “ Because Daddy says so” It’s so true isn’t it?

God is God and at the end of the day who are we question HIm? Although He wants us to come to him with all things..

We serve a mighty God who requires Holiness, obedience, respect, honor… Leviticus showed us that as a book of laws and practices… it took a lot of effort to try and keep the camp pure.

From Leviticus we’re moving on to the Book of Numbers, which is the 4th book in the Old Testament. It carries on from the Exodus where the Israelites come out of slavery from under Pharaoh's iron fist in the land of Egypt.

A few weeks back I talked about how God brought the Israelites to the foot of Mount Sinai. Here we see the Israelites pledge obedience to the Lord. (Ex 19:8)

This is where the 10 commandments were given by God and delivered by Moses. The commandments were for them to obey. If they followed these laws & guidelines of living, God would bless them, and they would be a people that would represent God to the rest of the World.

Do you remember what happened? Moses took too long on the mountain with God and the people decided to make a golden calf to worship as their god…they chose to worship this idol…of course we know this is a rejection of their faith. We know they weren’t worshiping the one true God.

Despite their rebellion, God continued to provide a way for them to be close to Him.

The first part of Numbers where this census was taken of each person in each tribe. Reading it, may be monotonous to us, but not for the 12 tribes of Israel. Recording this was their family history and with each tribe, duties and responsibilities were given…Like the Levites, the Lord had given them the responsibility of the tabernacle. Other tribes were trusted to enter into battle. Each one had a calling to serve at some capacity, living a life of service to Yahweh, their King.

The organization of each tribe or community was important, it taught people to move when God moves and to stop when He stops…and all went well until the people complained..

Numbers 11:1–6 NLT

1 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. 3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the Lord had burned among them there. 4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

Do you see how easy it was for those inside the camp, to persuade or entice those around them? To move them off course which enraged the Lord, yet they continued to fall into the trap of complaining.

When I think about a bride making herself ready, I think the last thing the groom desires is a bride who complains about the gifts he’s given her.

These people had everything they needed.

There’s been times where I have complained about certain things in my life, and I’ve felt this strong sence of rebuke in my spirit. Like the Lord is saying “be careful of what you complain about” because with everything He has provided for me, who am I to complain?.

Numbers 11:10–15 NLT

10 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. 11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? 12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? 13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

When they stood weeping at their doors of their tents because the good Lord gave them repetitious miracle manna- Moses cried out to God on behalf of the people.

Godly leaders intercede for the people even when they don’t deserve it. I do not know this to be a fact, but my guess would be that Moses had many sleepless nights. Add more-

In the next chapter over we read what type of leader Moses is..

Moses was not prideful, although He had a major “in” with God, with all his interactions with the Lord, he was still so gentle, submissive..a meek man..and at the same time he faced so much criticism by those he led.

This is so hard, because on one hand the Israelites rallied behind Moses when they were getting their way, but the moment things didn’t go there way, or they found their circumstances to be difficult, their trust not only in Moses but in God quickly evaporated.. they wanted to return to what they came from. They were okay being slaves to a tyrannical ruler.

What happens next is the Lord gave Moses some elders to help lead and gave the people some meat.

Numbers 11:16–23 NLT

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone. 18 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. 19 And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. 20 You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ” 21 But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ 22 Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?” 23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

God had to remind Moses that He would be faithful to His word. So with that, a strong wind blew and quail came from the sea, and even then the Israelites did not trust the Lord.

They ended up gathering more quail than what they needed for the day. Their ignorance blinded them to Gods mighty hand and provision for the next day.

the scripture says, while the meat was still in between their teeth, before it was consumed, Gods anger was kindled- the ramifications of that, was He then sent a great plague to come on the people. (Lev 11:33

Failing to trust the Lord blinded them to Gods perfect plan. We start focusing on what we have or don’t have.

In Chapter 12, Miriam and Aaron both question who Moses married. But not only were they questioning that, they were questioning Moses leadership..which meant they were questioning the wisdom of the Lord. Here again, we see a spirit of complaining that tries to under mine the Lord, His will, His way….

What does the Lord do? He calls them out to the tent of meeting.. Moses, Aaron and Miriam. He then has Aaron and Miriam step forward to give them a stern talk, reminding them that He is Lord and will do as He pleases. This is what the scripture says-

Numbers 12:6–9 NLT

6 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: “If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. 7 But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. 8 I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?” 9 The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed.

As we proceed in the story line, we will see that the Lord struck Miriam with leprosy.. Moses once again, went to the Father on behalf asking that He would spare her life, instead of a death sentence ..She was shut outside the camp for 7 days. A few things we can take away from this- No one is too important to receive Gods discipline for personal sin.

1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT

12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

The other thing we can take away is to be mindful not to let jealousy or envy override our character in Christ. Miriam and Aaron wanted the same degree of honor that Moses received. Miriam operated as a prophet. Aaron was a prophet and a priest. But Moses was acting as a priest, prophet and king. He was God’s chosen leader and even though Moses didn’t desire to be honored, it was clear by God’s own words that He trusted Moses.

Numbers 13:1–3 NLT

1 The Lord now said to Moses, 2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” 3 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out twelve men, all tribal leaders of Israel, from their camp in the wilderness of Paran.

Moses sent these 12 men to spy on the land of Canaan.

Numbers 13:17–20 NLT

17 Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? 20 Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” (It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.)

So when they came back they had a report-

Numbers 13:25–33 NLT

25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan Valley.” 30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” 31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

Unlike the other 10 faithless spies, Caleb and Joshua had faith, courage and trust in the Lord.. Knowing even if what was in front of them seemed impossible they knew that because the Lord gave His Word, they had no doubt it they would overcome the enemies that inhabited the land. God can give a word, but important that not only do you trust Him, but you move your feet.

What happens next? All the people grumbled against Moses and Aaron..

Numbers 14:1–19 NLT

1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. 6 Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. 7 They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! 8 And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. 9 Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” 10 But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? 12 I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!” 13 But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked the Lord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt. 14 Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will send a report to the inhabitants of this land, who have already heard that you live among your people. They know, Lord, that you have appeared to your people face to face and that your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They know that you go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you slaughter all these people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of your fame will say, 16 ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, 18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ 19 In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

The other 10 leaders were given a level of responsibility and came against Moses and Aaron, who God ordained to lead them. Godly leaders intercede for the people even when they don’t deserve it. We see with Moses being a servant leader- He was always interceding on behalf of the people. Leadership is hard and at times heartbreaking… But spiritual leadership is hopeful because its anchored in Christ.

After all the Israelites had seen God do, they still doubted.. There eyes were easily turned to what seemed to be the “better” thing.

What does God want?

From Genesis, through Exodus, Leviticus and here in the Book of Numbers..a holy God desires children who hear and obey Him quickly and completely.

A people who desire Him, who want nothing else but Him. A people that will lay down their pride, lay down their idols.

A people that will take a stand for whats right.

A people that will worship Him and only Him. God the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Jesus Christ the one and only who saves, who redeems who died for you and me.

God is here in this place. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, His Spirit lives in you. Put away all your selfish motives and desire, Let him revive you..

We are not living in a time where we can put our head in the sand and demand that our God be at our beck and call when it comes to our needs. We ask God what do you want?

The answer is you- A pure Bride, making herself ready, a warrior bride willing to do whatever it takes.

Psalm 94:14 NLT

14 The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.