Today’s passage: Numbers 21

Helpful thoughts:

• Today’s chapter begins and ends with military victories for Israel.
  • The victory in verses 1-3 are in the same place Israel had been defeated after the spies gave the bad report and the nation doubted God’s promise to take them into the land.  The time of their wandering in the wilderness was coming to a close.
  • The victories toward the end of the chapter (Verses 21-35) detail the beginning of Israel’s capture of land and settling in cities.  These territories are all east of the Jordan River.
• In the midst of all this victory, Israel complains.
  • The death brought about through the bites of these snakes was a judgment against Israel’s sin.  If the people looked at the bronze serpent, which had been lifted up, they would be spared of the judgment.
  • Jesus compared himself with the bronze serpent (John 3:14-15).  We deserve the righteous judgment of God because of our sin.  All those who “look” to Jesus in faith will be spared!

Questions to consider:

1. What are your thoughts concerning the complaints of Israel in the wilderness?  Why are they frustrating?  How does our perspective cause us to see their complaining and fair-weather approach to God?
2. In what ways are we tempted to do the same thing (Even falling at times)?  How would we think about our own reactions (Or grumblings) if we were able to look back on our own lives with the big picture of history and God’s redemption in mind?
3. What does it mean to “look” to Jesus and live?  How does simply “looking” affirm the truth that we are saved by God’s grace, through faith in Christ alone and not by our own works?

Today’s passage: Numbers 20

Helpful thoughts:

• The deaths of Miriam and Aaron (Moses’ siblings) bookend this chapter.  Aaron’s role as High Priest had to be passed on to his son (Hebrews 7:23-25).
• God commanded Moses to speak to the rock, instead Moses struck the rock twice in anger.  This was disobedience.
  • God had displayed His presence and the need to be struck to provide for His people in Exodus 17:1-7.
  • The rock did not need to be struck a second time.  The first time was sufficient to provide what the people needed.
  • The rock pictured Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
• This is truly a painful passage.  And it is a passage that points us to our reason for hope.  There is much to grieve about.  Yet in it all, God remains faithful.
  • Israel did not make it into the Promised Land because their leader Moses was faithful (He failed too!).  Israel made it into the Promised Land exactly when God said they would because God is faithful!

Questions to consider:

1. Again, the people audibly grumbled against Moses, but who were they complaining against in reality?  With the big picture of who God is in mind, why is it always right to “do all things without grumbling and disputing?” (Philippians 2:14-15)
2. In what way was the striking of the rock a picture of Jesus?  How was Jesus “struck” to provide for our greatest need?  How was the command to only strike the rock once a picture of the sufficiency of Christ’s suffering at the cross?
3. As amazing as the life of Moses was, why isn’t he the hero of Israel’s story?  How does this passage remind us of who is really bringing everything together?  Why is God the hero and how does this truth help us to read and understand the whole Bible more clearly?

Today’s passage: Numbers 19

Helpful thoughts:

• With the Priests and Levites assigned and organized, the laws for the cleanness of the people to approach the Lord at the tabernacle for worship needed to be covered.
• The killing and burning of the red heifer (along with the cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn provided the Priests and Levites with all the ash they would need for the year to produce the cleansing water for the ceremonial act of cleansing the people for worship.
• Israel was to take their worship seriously.  That which God considered to be unclean was to be heeded and kept apart from His holy place.
  • Through the shed blood of Christ, we now have access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16)!

Questions to consider:

1. What things are mentioned in this passage that particularly made people “unclean” in a way that required this kind of cleansing?  What would the associations be between sin, the curse, and what was considered “unclean?”
2. What would the requirements for washing (beyond the ceremonial sprinkling) have helped the people to do after being in contact with dead corpses?  How would that have been a blessing to the whole nation as they gathered for worship (out in the wilderness) in that time?
3. What seems to be a difference between “uncleanness” and sin?  Was it a sin to become unclean in this way?  How might it even have been sinful (Or at least unhelpful) to refuse to become unclean when someone in your family perished?

Today’s passage: Numbers 18

Helpful thoughts:

• After the confirmation of God’s selection of Aaron and his descendants for the priesthood and the tribe of Levi for the work of the tabernacle, God gives specific instruction and lays out the means of provision for these families.
  • Another evidence of God’s setting apart of Aaron is that God chose to speak directly to Aaron to communicate these instructions.  All of Israel was hearing the word of the Lord through Moses.  To Aaron, the Lord (At this time) spoke directly.
• The Levites did not share in the land inheritances in Israel.  Their inheritance was the Lord, their service to the Lord and the provisions their service brought (According to the rules in this chapter).
  • Through their ministries, the Priests and Levites provided for themselves and their families.
  • This necessitated their ongoing service, teaching and the faithfulness of God’s people to worship and give.

Questions to consider:

1. In what ways was the seriousness of God’s regulations still conveyed in these instructions?  What family alone were to serve in the Most Holy Place?  Who all would see consequences if any other Levite violated that order?  How was this mutual accountability a sign that the Levites were all in this together even though their roles were different?
2. If the Levites stopped serving and teaching, if the priests stopped offering sacrifices, if the people stopped bringing their offerings and tithes to the tabernacle, what would have happened to the priesthood, the Levitical “inheritance” and the nation of Israel?  (What did happen?)
3. What is the nature of the faithfulness of our Great High Priest (Hebrews 7:23-28)?  Why is it important that every member of the church do their part in worship, service and giving?  Not just for church staff, but for the whole body?

Today’s passage: Numbers 17

Helpful thoughts:

• On the heels of the challenge and rebellion of Korah and his followers, God provides additional evidence of His choice of Aaron and his descendants for the priesthood.
• The staffs representing all the tribes of Israel and a staff for Aaron were placed before the Ark overnight.  Aaron’s staff alone miraculously budded and fully bloomed, yielding almonds.
• After seeing this miraculous evidence, the people (For now) are convinced and humbled.
  • This positive evidence was proceeded by the negative evidence of God’s judgment against those who rebelled (Numbers 16).  God’s choice was clear.  His will had been revealed.  It was up to the people to obey.

Questions to consider:

1. If another person were to have sought the office of the priesthood, who would they be rebelling against (Verse 10)?  How would their jealousy have robbed them of joy in following the Lord in the ways He had appointed for them?
2. What would seeing the staff of Aaron before the testimony remind the people of?  Why would it cause their grumblings to cease?
3. How does verse 13 ring true for all who have sinned against our holy and just God?  What is ultimately His answer (Romans 10:9-13)?

Today’s passage: Numbers 16

Helpful thoughts:

• Today’s passage is a rebellious and deadly one.  The Lord is God and He is to be feared and obeyed.  He is also gracious yet just.  The justification for our sins required a sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Korah and those who came with him thought they were protesting against Moses and Aaron because they had exalted themselves above all Israel.  They were wrong on every point.
  • Moses and Aaron did not exalt themselves.  God had set them apart (The use of the word “holy”).
  • Therefore, Korah and his allies were not protesting Moses and Aaron, they were rebelling against God.
    • In truth, Korah was the one who was attempting to exalt himself.
• Those who had no right to offer incense suffered for it.  But when God’s chosen man offered incense, it saved people alive.  When God’s chosen people do God’s revealed will in God’s prescribed way it brings blessing.

Questions to consider:

1. What did Korah and his allies have backwards?  How was their pride evidenced in this account?  How was Moses and Aaron’s humility evidenced?
2. What can we learn about biblical leadership from this passage?  Is leadership about getting a big name, having followers and obtaining power?  Or is it about service, effort, love, protection, etc.?
3. When we read accounts like this, it can cause us to sit up and take notice of who God is (A right, healthy fear).  Is there anything in your life you need to make right?  Anything to confess to the Lord?  Anything to acknowledge as having been covered by the blood of Christ and to be thankful for and turn away from?  God has been so gracious to us.  How should we live in response?

Today’s passage: Numbers 15

Helpful thoughts:

• After Israel had just been disciplined by the Lord and told they would not enter the Promised Land for another forty years, they may have wondered if they’d ever get in.  Verse 2 answers that question.
  • Once they were in the land, there would be provisions they currently did not possess.  These additional provisions would change the contents of their prescribed worship and sacrifice.
• In the law and in these sacrifices, the Lord makes a distinction between sins committed unintentionally (or ignorantly) and sins committed with a “high hand” (knowingly and purposefully).
• The command from the Lord in verse 39, do not follow after your own heart (or eyes).
  • Jeremiah 17:9
  • Psalm 37:4
    • When we delight in the Lord and abide in His Word (John 15), the things our eyes and hearts value will come in line with what the Lord values.  When our hearts are in tune with His heart, we will be able to pursue our desires with joy and without regret.
• The color blue was used in the tabernacle curtains and the priests garments.  When the people saw the blue in their tassels, they were to remember whose they were and what their purpose was (Exodus 19:6).

Questions to consider:

1. How would the commands concerning how things would change in the Promised Land give hope and purpose to the people (even if the older generation would never see it themselves)?  How does hope in the future gracious promises of God give us purpose and resolve to persevere in the world today?
2. Can you think of any examples of unintentional sins today?  How would a person sin with a “high hand?”  How might our prayers of repentance sound differently if we were turning back to the Lord in either case?  How were both kinds of sins paid for in our case (Romans 6:10)?
3. In those days and in the surrounding cultures, tassels were only worn by higher-class people.  What would God’s command for everyone to where tassels have communicated concerning His people?  What have we been given under the New Covenant to remind us of our status in the family/kingdom (Romans 8:16-17)?

Today’s passage: Numbers 14

Helpful thoughts:

• The people had been brought a report of a land flowing with milk and honey.  They saw it’s fruits and heard about it’s beautiful regions.  They had been given a promise by Almighty God to give them this very land.  Yet, they wept.  They didn’t believe they could take the land.
  • In fact, in their emotional storm, they accused God of bringing them to the land to have them killed!
  • To finish off their rebellion, the people of Israel set out to choose new leaders to take them back to Egypt and they sought to stone the spies who encouraged them to trust the Lord and take the land.
  • Caleb and Joshua expressed their trust in God and their love for Israel when they spoke the truth to the people in verse 9, “Only do not rebel against the Lord.”
  • The Lord’s immediate verbal response to the rebellion of the people was expressed in a desire to destroy the nation and start over with Moses (As if Moses would become the new Abraham).
• The judgment of God against the people turned the fear of the people on its head (Verses 28-35)!
  • The things the people feared would happen, the Lord made it the opposite.
• Once the people realized their error, they impetuously sought to go take the land, and they suffered for it.
  • The people conveyed a worldly grief (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).  They thought all of this was about going in to conquer the land, when at it’s root level it was about believing and obeying God.
  • They disobeyed God in order to try to “undo” their disobedience to God, on their own terms.  This was not repentance.

Questions to consider:

1. What was the nature of Moses’ appeal to the Lord not to destroy the nation?  For whose glory and reputation was Moses concerned?  Based on what information did Moses make his appeal (Verse 18)?  How can the written Word of God fuel and inform our prayers?
2. What did the death of the spies who rebelled against God communicate to the people?  What must the people have known was true once the ten spies died and Caleb and Joshua remained alive and well in their sight?  What is “safer,” pursuing the directive will of God or doing what looks easier in disobedience to Him?
3. When we sin, are we supposed to “make it up to God?”  Can we earn our good standing back?  What had God provided for the people to be reconciled to Him in repentance?  When we sin today, to whom are we to look for our rescue, hope, and forgiveness…to be made right with God?  How has our sin been paid for?  What does trusting and resting in Christ and subsequent repentance look like?

Today’s passage: Numbers 13

Helpful thoughts:

• Israel is given a test.  God commands them to send spies into the land of Canaan.  But, God also confirms to the people, this is the land “I am giving to the people of Israel.”
• The twelve spies journeyed from the south end of the Promised Land all the way to the northern edge and back.
• There is a marked difference between the tone of the direct narrative in verses 21-24 and the spies’ reports in verses 28-29 and 32-33.

Questions to consider:

1. Compare and contrast the promise of God in verse 2 with the spies’ conclusion in verse 31.  What were these spies doing?  What didn’t they believe?  Or, in whom did they refuse to place their trust?
2. The fear that was building in the people caused a verbal commotion.  Their hearts were troubled.  What were their options to calm (Or quiet) their concerns?  How did Caleb try to “quiet” the people?
3. Had the nation trusted in the promise of God, what would their response have been?  What reason would they have had to move forward in confidence and rest of mind?  What worries might you maintaining (Holding on to) where a focus on the promises of God would allow you to release them?

Today’s passage: Numbers 12

Helpful thoughts:

• Moses’ pain in leadership grows more acute.  His own brother and sister complain against him (Or truly, against the Lord).
  • Miriam and Aaron spoke evil about Moses’ wife, but their statements about his wife were only a cover (A warm-up) for the true heart of the matter.  They wanted his power and prestige.
  • In the end of chapter 11, Moses refused to complain about shared authority within Israel when offered the chance by that young man.  Moses’ meekness is held in contrast to Miriam and Aaron’s hunger for power.
• The Lord made it clear, when Miriam and Aaron complained, they were complaining against the Lord himself.
  • Moses was faithful in all Israel.  He was also God’s chosen man.
  • The siblings’ problem was not with Moses, but with God.  They might have been jealous of Moses, but their complaint was against God alone.
• When Miriam was turned leprous, it appears Aaron thought Moses had brought it about (See the lower-case “l” in verse 11).
  • Moses evidenced his role (or the lack thereof) in pleading with the Lord for her healing.

Questions to consider:

1. How does the way Miriam and Aaron first approached Moses give us insight to the way people may talk when they have something critical to say?  What were they trying to do to bring Moses “down to earth” and elevate themselves?  How would asking questions be better than immediately getting defensive help if someone brings a complaint to you?
2. How does meekness impact a person’s ability to respond well when their leadership (or anything else) is questioned or attacked?  Who was really in charge of Israel?  Who is really in charge of the church?  Who is really in charge of everything?  What then is to be our role and goal in all that we do?
3. How does remaining under the authority of the Lord (Being his servant) free you up from taking complaints personally?  Who will always know the motives and the truth behind every action and word?  How did Moses evidence he had entrusted himself and his reputation to the Lord?