Discipleship School: Numbers 17

Refresh Quiz

Understanding the Bible - TC3

Text - is it actually written in the scripture, if so then actually read it

Context - consider the verses around it, the book, the testament to determine meaning

Consistency - is it a consistent theme, lesson, principle taught in other parts of the Bible

Character - does it fit the character of God

(4th)Common sense - use your brain

What does the word Exodus mean?

If you want to read what happened before Exodus, which book of the Bible should you read?

What is the land of Goshen?

12 Tribes of Israel - Joseph’s tribe works a little different. How and why?

1/2 tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh

12 Tribes of Israel - Judah, Benjamin, Levi, Dan, Nephtali, Manasseh, Ephraim

Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Asher, Issachar

what tribe Moses, Aaron from

What tribe David from

What tribe Jesus from

Paul?

Where did the name of Israel come from?

First national holiday for Israel?

Other names for Abraham’s descendants - Jews, Hebrews, children of Israel, Israelites, Israel . . . new one (Judah)

How many plagues? 10

Name them

blood, frogs, gnats

flies, death of livestock, boils

hail, locust, darkness . . . death of first born

How many years in Egypt? 430 years

What did Pharaoh ask for when the children of Israel left Egypt?

How many people left?

What is God’s name?

What are four Hebrew consonants that make up God’s name called? Tetragrammaton

After the Red Sea Miracle, what complaints have the people had so far?

no water

no food

no water

What does Jehova-Nissi mean?

What did Moses call the place where the Israelites complained about water (the 2nd time)?

Massah - test

Meribah - arguing

Moses Father in law’s name - Jethro

Moses wife’s name - Zipporah

Where were the children of Israel when God gave them the 10 commandments?

What are the 10 commandments

Here’s a brief version of the Ten Commandments:

1. **No other gods** – Worship only God.

2. **No idols** – Don’t make or worship idols.

3. **God’s name is holy** – Don’t misuse God's name.

4. **Keep the Sabbath** – Rest and keep the Sabbath day holy.

5. **Honor parents** – Respect your father and mother.

6. **Don’t murder** – Value human life.

7. **Don’t commit adultery** – Be faithful in marriage.

8. **Don’t steal** – Respect others’ property.

9. **Don’t lie** – Speak truthfully.

10. **Don’t covet** – Avoid envy of others’ possessions.

What is another name (popular Bible word) for contract, agreement, covenant? Testament

How did the people first break the covenant? (golden calf)

What do you know for certain about God:

God of compassion and mercy

slow to anger, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness

and it’s overflowing . . . he forgives

does not excuse the guilty

What was God’s tent called? Tabernacle

what was the most sacred place in the Tabernacle called, Holy of Holies

Where does the book Leviticus get its name from?

Where does the book of Numbers get its name from?

How many spies were sent out to view the promised land and what was their report? 12

Name two spies who had faith in God?

Joshua and Caleb

What was the punishment for rebelling against the Lord after believing the bad report of the 10 spies?

40 years in the wilderness, 1 year for each day the spies were gone

everyone 20 and up will die in the wilderness

those 10 spies died right away

Name of rebel leader who got swallowed up by the ground? Korah

Numbers 16 Review

Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and 250 others incited a rebellion against Moses,

“Why do you exalt yourselves?”

We are all God’s children, you ain’t the boss of us

no one else can go behind the curtain but you two

the main three got swallowed up by the ground

the 250 got burned up

people were mad at Moses for judging those people and then 14,000 died from a plague

Plague was only stopped because of the intercession by Moses and Aaron

Numbers, chapter 17

How do we get our chapters and verses?

Chapters added about 800 years ago and verses were added about 500 years ago. Just to make it easier to find things

So this is not a different story, it is the ending of the same story.

Chapter 17 is the very next thing that happened . . . immediately, or at least later that day, or probably the next day at the latest

I will read Chapter 17 as a refresher (NLT)

Numbers 17 NLT

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to bring you twelve wooden staffs, one from each leader of Israel’s ancestral tribes, and inscribe each leader’s name on his staff. 3 Inscribe Aaron’s name on the staff of the tribe of Levi, for there must be one staff for the leader of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place these staffs in the Tabernacle in front of the Ark containing the tablets of the Covenant, where I meet with you. 5 Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you.” 6 So Moses gave the instructions to the people of Israel, and each of the twelve tribal leaders, including Aaron, brought Moses a staff. 7 Moses placed the staffs in the Lord’s presence in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. 8 When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds! 9 When Moses brought all the staffs out from the Lord’s presence, he showed them to the people. Each man claimed his own staff. 10 And the Lord said to Moses: “Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.” 11 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. 12 Then the people of Israel said to Moses, “Look, we are doomed! We are dead! We are ruined! 13 Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?”

Review this miracle story

imagine if you came home and your broom handle had branches, leaves and delicious apples on it!

Question 1: Why did God choose Aaron?

First one who followed Moses

He was the spoke person for Moses in the beginning since Moses said he had a speech problem

Because God wanted to - sovereign

Question 2: Why did God say that choosing Aaron would put an end to the complaining?

He had already chosen Aaron. God was saying that the choosing of Aaron’s rod would be proof that God had truly chosen Aaron to be the high priest. This would be a sure sign that Aaron’s appointment was done by God and not by Moses. People could not blame Moses of nepotism anymore.

Question 3: What led to the Lord to request staffs to be presented so that the people could see who the Lord chose? Why was this necessary?

Israelites had shepherding as a heritage (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were shepherds)

Staff of a shepherd represented leadership

The people had seen God’s power be demonstrated through the staff of Moses.

So the staff was a strong symbol to the people

Why necessary?

People still complaining at the end of chapter 16

God knew the people were still not fully convinced

I have no idea why the people were not convinced yet!

Question 4: Why did the people feel that the placing of Aaron’s staff before the Ark of the Covenant meant death, doom and destruction for them? They didn’t have any fear complaining before, so what made this different?

I think question is asking, “Why did this scare them and the other things (earth, fire, plague) didn’t?”

I really don’t know

my best guess

First, it is a testament to how stirred up Korah had made them . . . take a lot to bring them down

Secondly, the other things put them in a state of shock (this is all happening fast) and their understanding wasn’t fully functional

early Superman Movie - it looked like the bad guys killed superman

“He killed Superman! Get them” . . . and regular city folk charge the bad guy

they are so shocked and angry that Superman is dead, they forgo that if they could kill Superman, they can easily kill all of you

Real example: I’ve saw a video of a couple of women jumping on a man, he pushes them easily, they are in such a rage that it doesn’t register to them how easily he tossed them aside, and they continue to jump on him . . . then he knocks one out and you see understanding come to the 2nd lady

that’s only my guess

We can see that these words give evidence that they finally got the message (like God said it would)

Also, their words are evidence of their hard and stubborn hearts.

They didn’t say how wrong they were

They didn’t say we repent

They didn’t say, they were sorry for causing all of this trouble

They put the blame on the tabernacle/God

This tabernacle is a dangerous place, you can’t even get close to it!

but we know the people didn’t die because they came too close to the tabernacle, the people died because they rebelled, grumbled, and complained

It was really a low-key complaint, “All this tabernacle stuff is to dangerous . . . Is God trying to kill all of us?”

When your heart is not right, you will shift the blame

steal phone from Wal-Mart, cops put you in cuffs, “Y’all be doing too much”

Women wears no clothing, “All these men need to quit looking at me!”

Numbers 17:8 NLT

8 When he went into the Tabernacle of the Covenant the next day, he found that Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds!

show picture

When you are in the position God has called you to be in

When you are doing what God has called you to do

First, no one can move you out of it

Second, you will bear fruit.

Layperson Sunday!

instructions and programs will be left, have a good time praising the Lord!