Num 26-27, We need to be careful of our company

Num 26:1-4, 63-65 (NIV) After the plague the Lord said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, 2 "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families — all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel." 3 So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said, 4 "Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the Lord commanded Moses."


These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:


63 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. 65 For the Lord had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.


• Compare beginning and end



Tribe	Beginning (1:26-40)	End (26:5-62)	Change	Remark
Reuben	46,500	43,730	-6%	Part of Korah rebellion (Dathan and Abiram) where 15,000 die
Simeon	59,300	22,200	-63%	Balaam strategy (sexual immorality; worship of Baal of Peor)
Gad	45,650	40,500	-11%	Near Simeon
Judah	74,600	76,500	+3%
Issachar	54,400	64,300	+18%
Zebulun	57,400	60,500	+5%
Ephraim	40,500	32,500	-20%	? Not sure--possibly near south
Manasseh	32,200	52,700	+64%
Benjamin	35,400	45,600	+29%
Dan	62,700	64,400	+3%
Asher	41,500	53,400	+29%
Naphtali	53,400	45,400	-15%	? Not sure



• Why did every tribe in the South lose people?
• 1 Cor 15:33-34 (NIV) Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God — I say this to your shame.
• This particular quote is not a proverb but is taken from a Greek lost comedy by Menander (a pagan writer)
• Closest proverb: Prov 13:20 (NIV) He who walks with the wise grows wise, // but a companion of fools suffers harm.
• Another possibility: Heb 12:15 (NIV) See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.
• Bitter people can spoil just about anything
• Why did every tribe in the East gain people?
• Possibly their proximity to the entrance to the temple
• Possibly their proximity to the priests and Moses who camped on the east side at the entrance
• APPLICATION:
• Where do you camp? Where do you hang out? Where do you spend your time?
• Does your lifestyle and choices help you to grow or do they cause you to lose your salt? (What did Jesus say about salt that had lost it saltiness?)
• Why the census?
• Makes a point, as we have discussed
• It is for the purpose of distributing the inheritance
• Num 26:52-56 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, 53 "The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names. 54 To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed. 55 Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe. 56 Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups."
• This goes back to the original chapters where there is order and not chaos as God directs our plans


Num 27:12-23 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go up this mountain in the Abarim range and see the land I have given the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, 14 for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes." (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)


15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 "May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this community 17 to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord's people will not be like sheep without a shepherd."


18 So the Lord said to Moses, "Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him. 19 Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence. 20 Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him. 21 He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in."


22 Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. 23 Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the Lord instructed through Moses.


• What does God do differently in this section?
• He does not give Joshua all of Moses authority but splits it between Eleazar and Joshua
• Moses and Aaron shared authority together, with Moses the primary head, now rulership is separated from priestly functions
• Why does God change things, or what was so different about Moses that God allowed all the authority to rest in him?
• Power corrupts
• Moses was exceedingly humble and less susceptible to power
• Moses had grown up in power but shed his former life
• Heb 11:24-27 (NIV) By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
• Since humility is such a positive trait, how does one develop humility? (Read Andrew Murray quotes from Humility)
• humility is simply acknowledging the truth of his position as creature, and yielding to God His place
• And further, that this humility is not a thing that will come of itself, but that it must be made the object of special desire and prayer and faith and practice.
• Believer! study the humility of Jesus. This is the secret, the hidden root of thy redemption.
• This life of entire self-abnegation, of absolute submission and dependence upon the Father's will, Christ found to be one of perfect peace and joy. He lost nothing by giving all to God.
• Men sometimes speak as if humility and meekness would rob us of what is noble and bold and manlike. Oh that all would believe that this is the nobility of the kingdom of heaven, that this is the royal spirit that the King of heaven displayed, that this is Godlike, to humble oneself, to become the servant of all! This is the path to the gladness and the glory of Christ's presence ever in us, His power ever resting on us
• The lesson is one of deep import: the only humility that is really ours is not that which we try to show before God in prayer, but that which we carry with us, and carry out, in our ordinary conduct; the insignificance of daily life are the importance and the tests of eternity, because they prove what really is the spirit that possesses us. It is in our most unguarded moments that we really show and see what we are.
• The humble man feels no jealousy--or envy. He can praise God when others are preferred and blessed before him. He can bear to hear others praised and himself forgotten, because in God's presence he has learnt to say with Paul, "I am nothing."
• In striving after the higher experiences of the Christian life, the believer is often in danger of aiming at and rejoicing in what one might call the more human, the manly, virtues, such as boldness, joy, contempt of the world, zeal, self-sacrifice,--even the old Stoics taught and practiced these,--while the deeper and gentler, the diviner and more heavenly graces, those which Jesus first taught upon earth, because He brought them from heaven; those which are more distinctly connected with His cross and the death of self,--poverty of spirit, meekness, humility, lowliness,-are scarcely thought of or valued.
• The point which I wish to emphasize is this--that the very fact of the absence of such confession of sinning only gives the more force to the truth that it is . . . in the habitual, never for a moment to be forgotten position, which just the more abundant grace will keep more distinctly alive, that our only place,, the only place of blessing, our one abiding position before God, must be that of those whose highest joy it is to confess that they are sinners saved by grace.
• How can I die to self? The death to self is not your work, it is God's work. In Christ you are dead to sin. The life there is in you has gone through the process of death and resurrection; you may be sure you are indeed dead to sin. But the full manifestation of the power of this death in your disposition and conduct depends upon the measure in which the Holy Spirit imparts the power of the death of Christ And here it is that the teaching is needed: if you would enter into full fellowship with Christ in His death, and know the full deliverance from self, humble yourself. This is your one duty. Place yourself before God in your utter helplessness; consent heartily to the fact of your impotence to slay or make alive yourself; sink down into your own nothingness, in the spirit of meek and patient and trustful surrender to God. Accept every humiliation, look upon every fellow-man who tries or vexes you, as a means of grace to humble you. Use every opportunity of humbling yourself before your fellow-men as a help to abide humble before God.

Num 22-25, The danger of greed

Num 22:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 (NIV) Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.


2 Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.
. . .
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.


8 "Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the Lord gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.
. . .
12 But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."


13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."


• Who is Balak?
• King of the Moabites
• He withheld from attacking until after the Amorites were destroyed (review course on map)
• Who is Balaam?
• Apparently a believer in the one true God. He knows God to some degree and God speaks to him in some way
• He is an unknowledgeable believer, because he uses divination to access God
• Faith is more important than doctrine, but bad doctrine can lead you astray
• What is the plan?
• Balak will pay Balaam to curse the Israelites (poor doctrine on both parts)
• How does Balaam respond?
• He goes to God first suggesting he is unaware of Israel
• He refuses the king and his money (good start)
• What does God specifically say to Balaam? "Do not go with them"


Num 22:14-22 (NIV) So the Moabite princes returned to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."


15 Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:


"This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me."


18 But Balaam answered them, "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God. 19 Now stay here tonight as the others did, and I will find out what else the Lord will tell me."


20 That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."


21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.


• What is Balak's new strategy?
• More pomp
• More money
• What is Balaam's answer? No, but … let me check with God first
• Why does Balaam return to God?
• Second thoughts
• Possibly a desire for the money
• Why is God angry with him even though God gave him permission to go?
• It would appear Balaam's motives were not right. He was going to figure out a way to curse Israel and get the gold from Balak


Num 22:23-35 (NIV) When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat her to get her back on the road.


24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her again.


26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat her with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"


29 Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now."


30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?"


"No," he said.


31 Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.


32 The angel of the Lord asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.  33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared her."


34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back."


35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.


• The donkey can see the spiritual world, but Balaam can not
• Why is Balaam so angry?
• Because it made him look foolish in front of the distinguished visitors
• His desires are clearly from a worldly perspective
• Why does God say he opposed Balaam?
• He calls Balaam's path reckless (vs 32)
• God gives credit to the donkey for saving Balaam
• How does Balaam respond to God?
• He admits to sin (vs 34)
• His willingness to go back suggest that part of the sin was going with them. Clearly the temptation to wealth is still the issue
• 2 Peter 2:15-16 (NIV) They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey — a beast without speech — who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
• Surprisingly, God lets him continue -- but it does not appear as if Balaam lets go of the gold completely as we shall see later


Num 23:3-12 (NIV) Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you." Then he went off to a barren height.


4 God met with him, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."


5 The Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."


6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle:


"Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.'
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and may my end be like theirs!"


11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!"


12 He answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?"


• Of course Balak is very angry, because the curse is not a curse but closer to a blessing
• Balaam rightly says that he can only says what God tells him to say
• Why doesn't this stop right here and now? Why do the next verses suggest that Balak still though Balaam could be useful?
• I'm not sure Balaam was completely convincing
• In fact, Balaam himself may have led him on … but the text is not clear


Num 23:13-17, 25-26 (NIV) Then Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will see only a part but not all of them. And from there, curse them for me." 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.


15 Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there."


16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Go back to Balak and give him this message."


17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"
. . .
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"


26 Balaam answered, "Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?"


• Balak makes it very clear that he would prefer neither cursing or blessing if there is any blessing at all
• And yet, again Balak travels to still another spot


Num 23:27-24:2 (NIV) Then Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there." 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.


29 Balaam said, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.


24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert. 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him


• Again same story. Why are they even bothering?
• What is Balaam's role in all of this?


Num 24:10-11, 25 (NIV) Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded."
. . .
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.


• Balak is very angry. In not one of the three places did he get anything resembling a curse
• Balak tells him that he will go home empty although he might have been rewarded
• Balaam has one more prophecy, and then Balaam and Balak split, …, or do they?


Num 24:25-25:9 (NIV) Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.


25 While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them.


4 The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."


5 So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."


6 Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them — through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.


• This is a very serious situation. It primarily occurs along Israel's southern side among the tribe of Simeon
• What was the man who in broad daylight flaunts his sin? (See vs 14-15)
• Both were essentially a prince and princess of their country
• This marriage is the start of a diplomatic / political tie between Israel and Moab
• Another plague results, and we will see next week, that this plague appears to have mainly hit Simeon
• But there is more to the story:
• Num 31:15-16 (NIV) "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. 16 "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord's people.
• 2 Peter 2:17-18 (NIV) These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
• Rev 2:14 (NIV) Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
• It appears Balaam never stopped in his desire to get the gold. He can't curse Israel, but he suggests and even better solution to destroy a nation, what is that?
• Worship of a different God
• Blatant sexual immorality
• APPLICATION: Sexual immorality is destroying families across the United States. It is a terrible sin that leaves a deep stain upon the moral fabric of our lives. It is so important that we consider what it means to be holy , while we are single, and before we are ready for marriage

Num 17-21, Responsibilities and consequences

Num 17:1-5, 8, 10-13 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3 On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4 Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites."
. . .
8 The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.
. . .
10 The Lord said to Moses, "Put back Aaron's staff in front of the Testimony, to be kept as a sign to the rebellious. This will put an end to their grumbling against me, so that they will not die." 11 Moses did just as the Lord commanded him.


12 The Israelites said to Moses, "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! 13 Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die. Are we all going to die?"


• What is the purpose of the exercise?
• To resolve the grumbling (notice that this is mentioned twice)
• What is the miracle?
• It is the act of making a dead branch bud again
• Today, Israel is that dead branch, and someday it will be grafted back in and bud again
• Where were the dead branches place?
• In the tent of meeting
• APPLICATION: God can bring fruit out of even the spiritually dead, but the person must return to God
• How do the people to respond to this miracle and why?
• Fear
• Because they knew that they had harbored evil thoughts toward Aaron
• NOTE: it is not clear that the people believe in God's love for them yet


Num 18:5-10, 25-29 (NIV) "You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. 6 I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work at the Tent of Meeting. 7 But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death."


8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, "I myself have put you in charge of the offerings presented to me; all the holy offerings the Israelites give me I give to you and your sons as your portion and regular share. 9 You are to have the part of the most holy offerings that is kept from the fire. From all the gifts they bring me as most holy offerings, whether grain or sin or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons. 10 Eat it as something most holy; every male shall eat it. You must regard it as holy.
. . .
25 The Lord said to Moses, 26 "Speak to the Levites and say to them: 'When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the Lord's offering. 27 Your offering will be reckoned to you as grain from the threshing floor or juice from the winepress. 28 In this way you also will present an offering to the Lord from all the tithes you receive from the Israelites. From these tithes you must give the Lord's portion to Aaron the priest. 29 You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'


• What was the purpose of expressly giving certain responsibilities to Aaron and the Levites?
• Verse 5 says it is so wrath does not fall on Israelites
• In the OC, there was a division of responsibility, especially in regards to the temple
• What are the responsibilities of the spiritual leaders?
• To present the best parts to God
• To give a tenth of the tithes
• If the tithe is for the spiritual leaders, why should they give a tenth of it?
• First, the tithe is not for people, it is given to God; it is used by people
• Second, leaders are not above the law
• Third, leaders should set the example
• Who do the leaders give the additional tenth to?
• Verse 27, it is converted to grain and burned
• APPLICATION:  Read 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
• Do we give our best to God?
• Do we give our leftovers to God?


Num 20:1-8 (NIV) In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.


2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"


6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."


• The Israelites are back at Kadesh, where the Israelites had rebelled 37 years earlier. Miriam dies, so too will Aaron soon.
• While the issue was water, what else do they complain about?
• See Num 13:23-25(NIV) When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there. 25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.
• The very things they complain about were the things that they brought back from the land (except grain, which grows in a single season)
• Why does scripture emphasize the other items? Ultimately their complaining is a result of their previous choices
• They complain that Moses brought them to this place -- this ignores God's hand in bringing them where they are
• They call their current situation a "terrible place" -- they did not believe that God knew what was best
• This is the second "water" incident. There was one early in the exodus (Ex 17:1-7)


Num 20:9-13 (NIV)  So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.


12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."


13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them.


• What does Moses do wrong?
• He is very harsh with the people (vs. 10)
• He takes credit for bringing the water (vs. 10)
• He shows resentment toward the Israelites (vs. 10)
• He loses his temper (vs. 11)
• He disobeys God (vs. 11)
• He doesn't trust God (vs. 12)
• He doesn't glorify God (vs. 12)
• He rebelled against God (20:24)
• This is one of those passages where the gaps are sufficient that we may not know all that is going on or has gone on for the last 37 years
• Here is a godly man who is esteemed in scripture, but …
• He didn't finish strong
• He made some irrevocable decisions. I think the biggest one is that he did not control his temper. Anger is usually an indication of something you want that you are not getting. What is it you want, that is frustrating you to the point of anger?


Num 20:14-29 (NIV) Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:


"This is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have come upon us. 15 Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, 16 but when we cried out to the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
"Now we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway and not turn to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory."


18 But Edom answered:


"You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword."


19 The Israelites replied:


"We will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot — nothing else."


20 Again they answered:


"You may not pass through."


Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.


22 The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. 23 At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 24 "Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. 25 Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there."


27 Moses did as the Lord commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. 28 Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, 29 and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.



see Moody Atlas Map 25
• While the cloud guided Israel, for some reason Moses thought they were going through Edom
• There is always a danger when we start out-thinking God and figure what he will and couldn't possible do
• The way around Edom was long and very dry
• Why doesn't Israel attack Edom? Because they were brothers


Num 21:4-13 (NIV) They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"


6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.


8 The Lord said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.


10 The Israelites moved on and camped at Oboth. 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Iye Abarim, in the desert that faces Moab toward the sunrise. 12 From there they moved on and camped in the Zered Valley. 13 They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.


• Obviously the people did not like the direction God was taking them either. What were there concerns?
• It was taking too long
• It did not provide for their needs (bread--obviously manna didn't count, water--will have to trust God again, …)
• It was boring (same miserable food)
• So because the people complained about God's direction for their life, what does God do?
• He gives them something else to focus on -- snakes
• The snakes are symbols of their sin and rebellion. The snakes are to discipline. The snakes are to get their attention. What does God use as snakes in your life?
• God also provides salvation from the bite of the snakes--a bronze snake lifted on a pole--a foreshadow of Christ and the forgiveness we receive from the savior
• APPLICATION: How do you feel about the direction of your life? Are you seeking God? Are you fighting off snakes because you don't want to do things God's way?


Num 21:16-26, 31 (NIV) From there they continued on to Beer, the well where the Lord said to Moses, "Gather the people together and I will give them water."


17 Then Israel sang this song:


"Spring up, O well!
Sing about it,
18 about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank —
the nobles with scepters and staffs."


Then they went from the desert to Mattanah, 19 from Mattanah to Nahaliel, from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.


21 Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:


22 "Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway until we have passed through your territory."


23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. 24 Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified. 25 Israel captured all the cities of the Amorites and occupied them, including Heshbon and all its surrounding settlements. 26 Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken from him all his land as far as the Arnon.


Num 21:31 (NIV) So Israel settled in the land of the Amorites.


• First of all, believers are not the only ones who show stupidity in scripture. Sihon makes a a couple of errors, what are they?
• They did not believe the sincerity of Israel promises
• They stupidly attacked a much larger force (maybe they heard stories of Israel's defeat many years ago)
• All Sihon had to do was listen and obey. But Sihon fought God's people instead of helping them and not the Amorites, one of the Empires of the early world disappears completely. There is no longer any mention of the Amorites
• This brings us to a the Moabites and Balaam, and we will need a whole week to discuss what actually happens there