In The Wilderness
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Greeting:
Greeting:
Good morning everyone, good to see you all.
Hope everyone has had a good weekend and are as happy to be here this morning as I am.
If you’re visiting with us we are honored to have you
Please make plans to stay and eat with us today.
Lesson Text:
Lesson Text:
Numbers
Opening:
Opening:
This morning I want to begin a series of lessons for us to study.
We often times as Christians unfortunately spend little time in the Old Testament.
We tend to focus on the New Testament and sometimes forget many of the things that was written for our learning.
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.
We know we need to go there to learn, but maybe we rarely do.
And if we do go to the Old Testament it seems we focus on maybe Genesis or Psalms or maybe Isaiah.
Which there is nothing wrong with that.
We sometimes pay little attention to some of the other books, books we may look at and say are hard to read or understand.
So for the next few weeks I want to show some love to the Old Testament from a specific book we may often overlook.
There are a ton of beneficial and important lessons for us to learn.
Over the next few weeks we are going to focus primarliy on a story that we can find that spands from Exodus to Numbers.
We are going to look specifically in the book of Numbers and look at the story and study of Israel.
We are going to look at specifically at the account of Israel and its wandering through the wilderness on their way to the promise land.
If you want to follow along with me I encourage you to open up your Bibles and read with us, but also study in your mean time.
Theres no way we will be able to read every single part of the whole book in our time we have together unfortunately.
But we will cover as much as we can!
Our goal this morning is to have kind of an introductory lesson to the book of Numbers as we begin our series we are calling “In the Wilderness.”
And then look at a few key takeaways and lessons for us from the first several chapters.
Lesson:
Lesson:
So as we come to the book of Numbers and if you are turning there with me we will see early on in the book how it got its name.
The Septuigent, which is the oldest Greek manuscript of the original Hebrew language translated the name of this book to Numbers based off these censuses.
There were two censuses that were taking place, one at the begining and the other at the end of the book.
We will study this later on as to why this ended up being so.
In Chapters 1 and 2 there was a census taking place of the 12 tribes, excluding Levi, and therefore we have the “Numbers” of the tribes being listed out in Chapter one and two.
The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.
This census was to be taken from every male 20 years and older that was able to go to war.
Then again at the very end in Chapter 26 another census taken as well.
After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
This census was to take record of the new generation of Israel, this followed the plague God had put upon them after their 40 years of wandering and just prior to them entering the Promised Land.
But its not just about the censuses either.
The book of Numbers touches on many different things.
So maybe sometimes thats why we think its hard to understand because we only view it as a book of numbers and not in its context and lessons it provides.
Interestingly enough though, the Hebrew title for the book is “In the Wilderness”
This is where we got our series title, and seems to be a fitting name due to that being the main story that takes place.
The book of Numbers will act as the sequal to the Book of Exodus.
As we read through and study this series I think its intersting to point out that if you have read Exodus a lot of this is going to sound really really similar.
There are a lot of similarities between the story of the Exodus and the story of the wandering in the wilderness.
In fact its so similar that I have often in the past thought is Numbers just retailing the same event from Exodus?
But its not, its just an extension of the story of Israel with a lot of similarities.
But after the first census, we see that Numbers also goes back and touches on the Law.
This begins there in Chapter 3 and continues through Chapter 9.
If you are wondering what The Law is you can even back up to Leviticus to read and study The Law even more.
Leviticus serves as the middle part of this three book sandwhich if you will.
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers.
The Law of Moses that was given to Israel to follow and govern.
But Numbers speaks about The Law in these first few chapter and specifcally addresses the Levites, those of the tribe of Levi.
Chapter 3 speaks a lot about the duties of the tribe of Levi.
They were to be focused on the tabernacle, the ark, and the spiriutal needs of the camp, hence why they were left out of the census for war.
We know the tribe of Levi had an importance and siginifcance within Israel.
From the tribe of Levi is where all of the preists would come from for Israel.
But the first 9 chapters of the book of Numbers is essentially the people preparing for their journey, to the Promised Land.
They have been journeying since all the way back in Exodus when they left the bondage of Egypt.
A little info to set the stage…
Where we pick up in Numbers they now have been at Sinai for around 11 months.
They are given final instuctions on certain aspects of the law as we mentioned.
And they are told in this census to take record of every male who is able to fight due to them preparing to take Cannan.
They are preparing to go conquer the land promised to them.
Then around Chapter 10 through chapter 19, we really get into the story of the book of Numbers that we are going to focus on in our series.
We get into the story of the people of Israel, specifically from the time in which they leave Mount Siani and journey toward Caanan to the promised land.
And within this story we see not only did they go but they essentially go twice due to the first time they go, they get there and do not want to enter, which results in them wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.
So even though its called the book of Numbers, its main focus really tends to be on this almost 40 year story of the people of Israel.
So don't let our study fool you and think we are going to do sermons over the census of the tribes of Israel..
In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, and the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran. They set out for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses.
Israel will set out from this point on and journey towards their promised land.
And boy is it ever a journey!
We will pick up here in our next lesson Lord willing.
So now that we have done kinda of a quick overview and introduction.
I want to look at the chapters leading up to our main story that begins their in Chapter 10.
I think it’s important we stop and look at some valuable lessons we can see early on in the first few chapters.
As we go through this study we are going to see how applicable lessons for Israel still are for us today.
We can see some things early on that will have an effect all throughout the rest of the book and lessons we even need to learn today.
Before we look at their story and think how crazy they are for what they did, I think it’s important we look at some things to show us we aren’t so different today.
First off, we can see a similar life lived between those of Israel and us as Christians.
We are going to read and see this, but this generation of Israel lived between two major events.
Their entire lives were between the Exodus and the hope of entering the promise land.
This is very similar for us today.
We live between the crucifixion and our promised home of heaven.
Exodus is what God has done to set us free, and Numbers is what God is doing to bring us to the Promised Land.
Just as Israel was freed from heir bondage in Egypt, so were we set free from sin by the death of Christ.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
The Bible tells us that Christ has set us free, so we are to live in a way that honors that.
We are not to submit back to that York of slavery, sin.
He has set us free, why go back?
This sounds awfully similar is Israel doesn’t it?
God sets them free from bondage in Egypt where they complained for years, only to then complain and even wish to go back…
And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
We would look at this and think how in the world could they want to go back there?
We could say the same thing about us today, how could we go back to sin?
Yet we do.
When times get hard, when temptations present themselves, we immediately forget how good God has been to us and we turn our back on him.
As we study, we would be wise to not look at Israel and ask how they could do such a thing, when we do the very same thing today.
Next, we can see another valuable lesson early on in our study.
Numbers 2 will tell us the instructions of the tribal arrangements.
The tribes had specific instructions on how they were to set up their camp
“The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.
The main objective or command here was that each camp would face the tent of meeting on every side.
Every person was to set their tent facing the tabernacle.
This was so that when you came out of your tent, you would see the tabernacle of the Lord.
Every tribe was set up this way all pointing the directions of their camp to the tent.
Three tribes each set up in the north, south, east, and west sides.
Do we see a message here?
Do you think God was sending them a message when giving them this instruction?
God is in the center.
God must be the center of their encampment.
Is he the center of our lives?
Do we point every aspect of our live towards him?
If we are going to truly be a Christian then he has to be.
Christ needs to be our focus in our life.
The focus isn’t on ourselves, our lives, this earth, our focus should be on God.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I think Paul knew what it meant to have Christ as the main focus of his life.
He says its no longer he that even lives, he’s crucified that man and died so that he can live a life for Christ.
Do we sho that level of dedication in our lives?
We will see as we go through our study of Numbers, this ends up being Israel’s downfall.
All they had to do was keep God at the enter, but they don’t.
And it causes them to miss out on the Promised Land…
Are we going to let it cause us to miss out on our Promised Land?
Is it worth missing heaven over?
As we continue on, we can go to Numbers 5 to look at our last lesson I have picked out before our main story begins in Chapter 10.
Again I encourage you to read through this and study these first 9 Chapters, since we don’t have time for it all.
Numbers 5 is going to talk a lot about holiness.
But if we go all the way back to Numbers 1 we can see our idea for our last point this morning.
But the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the people of Israel. And the Levites shall keep guard over the tabernacle of the testimony.”
God had given instructions for the Levites to set up camp between Israel and the tabernacle so that there is no wrath on the ret of Israel.
As we noted earlier the Levite’s had a special job.
They served as a buffer between God’s holiness, and man (Israel)
We can see this message all throughout Exodus.
Man can’t approach God.
Moses couldn’t approach the burning bush. Israel couldn’t approach Sinai, Now Israel can’t approach the tabernacle.
When the tabernacle is to set out, the Levites shall take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up. And if any outsider comes near, he shall be put to death.
The holiness of God is so extreme that man would die if he approached the tabernacle.
Numbers 5 will spend time elaborating on this and go into detail the seriousness of this.
God couldn’t be defiled. If people were sick, had diseases, or any different conditions was going on they were to be taken outside of the camp.
No uncleanliness could be present before God due to his holiness and mankind’s filthiness.
Doesn’t God set forth a similar message for us today?
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Nothing unclean will enter it…
How is one made unclean today? By sin.
We serve a God that is o Holy that he can’t be in the presence of sin.
So what should that tell us?
If we want to be with God, we can’t have sin in our life.
“Speak to the people of Israel, When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong.
Israel is told that sinning is breaking the faith of the Lord, and when they do that they are to confess and make restitution.
Again doesn’t that sound similar today?
If we want to be in the presence of God, we have to be free of sin, and we can’t be free of sin if we never confess, repent, and make things right.
Sadly, man kind has been sinful from the beginning.
Since the very first person on the earth mankind has messed things up.
Adam messed up, Israel messed up, and we today…. Mess up.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
This morning I hope though we can see these lessons we are taught and learn from them.
Apply them to our lives so that we can be the Christian we need to be.
I hope we can some of these similarities between Israel and us today and learn from their mistakes maybe.
I hope we can read God’s word, learn from Gods word and show it in our lives.
This morning if you are not a Christian become one.
Our series title of Wandering may describe us this morning.
Maybe we are wandering aimlessly through life just as we are going to study Israel did.
Maybe we are lost and searching for something.
This morning I would encourage you to look for God.
Look no further than right here in his word.
His word tells us everything we have to do to find our place t home with him.
If you are not a Christian this morning become one.
Follow the pattern laid out by god’s word to hear, believe repent confess be baptized, starting our Christian life.
This morning if we are a Christian already maybe we find ourselves just like Israel.
Maybe we give up on God, maybe we doubt him, maybe we are pulled away at the first sign of trouble or temptation.
Let’s come back home while we can.
Let’s point our lives back to him. Repent, turn from our sins, and make our lives right again.
If you have a need this morning come…
