Why Israel? Deuteronomy 7

Deuteronomy 7:7-8a "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you..."

We could stay in chapter 7 for a long time. Here we get insight into the thoughts behind many of the actions covered in Numbers. As a matter-of-fact, I think this is the first time I've see God's love for Israel discussed since we started. (I may have missed it.) True, we have seen it demonstrated but here the Lord, through Moses, speaks of his love for Israel.

There is mention of love between people but as far as I can find here is where the Lord communicates his love verbally for the first time, using the actual word.

v6 "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth."

The world that Israel is entering is filled with people who worship Baal and it seems any other image they can imagine. Israel, however, worships the Lord whom they have not seen and therefore cannot make an image of Him. They worship him through faith alone as the only true God. They know he is real because of his demonstrations of his love and power.

Moses makes this point to them plainly. They are special because the Lord choose them and loved them NOT because of their merit.

Jump ahead to chapter 9 verse 6 for a moment.

c9v6 "Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiffnecked people.

In fact he says: v24 "Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you."

Moses is trying to teach the people that they are indeed special and the Lord considers them so, but that it is not because of anything they have done to deserve it. It is because of the love of God.

So it is with us in salvation. It is God's unmerited favor that allows us to become a Christian. We will never be good enough. Christ's perfect sacrifice makes it possible and it is on his righteousness that we depend for our favor with the Father.

I Corinthians 1:30 "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. v31

Back to our chapter: v22 "And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little; thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee."

The Lord is giving them the land but if all the enemy were cast out at once the land would turn into a wilderness filled with wild animals. So it is a little at a time that he gives it to them so that the wild beast do not increase to the point of devouring them. A magnificent plan.

v11 "Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which I command thee this day, to do them."

In return the Lord makes a promise:

v13 he will love thee...bless thee, multiply thee v14 take away all sickness

All the images the enemy has are to be utterly destroyed v25

Psalm 53:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good."

Take Just a Little Time

I hope you can take just a few minutes to read over one of the Bible lessons, especially during this season. Thank You.

THE Great Commandment Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might."

The chapter speaks of fearing the Lord but also the hope that love would bring obedience.

It goes ahead to when the children ask their parents about their statutes and the 'why' of it. They are to tell the story of how they were in Egypt bondage and how the Lord brought them out through many wonders.

v22 "And the Lord shewed signs and wonders great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his household before our eyes:"

The next verse can be related to our Christian life as all scripture can in some way. We have often had our lives changed and we are forced to readjust somehow. A new job, sickness or something else uproots us from our comfort zone. It could be that there are better things if we would only move. Like the mother eagle makes the nest uncomfortable when it is time for the young eagle to fly.

v23 "And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers."

So, in case the question has come up as to why God wants Israel to do all these commands, the next verse explains.

v24 "And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive as it is at this day.

Again he says 'observe to do'.

I want to jump back to chapter 5 and pick up the last verse:

v33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

It is for our good that the Lord wants us to do right.

Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

Observe to Do Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5:2 "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb."

Moses reminds the children of Israel of the covenant the Lord made with them. He says not just our fathers but with "us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day."

Then he goes over the ten commandments that so frighten our Supreme Court.

-No other gods before me
-No images
-Don't take the Lord's name in vain
-Keep the sabbath
-Honour father and mother
-Thou shalt not kill
-Don't commit adultery
-Don't steal
-Don't bear false witness
-Don't covet

I have paraphrased them. It seems like a lot of don'ts but they are all guidelines for a descent life and even have promises i.e. live long if we honour fathers and mothers.

Then Moses reveals the heart of God starting in verse 29.

"O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments, always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!"

If the desire to do right was in the hearts of the people then there would be no need for the strong discipline to get them to do right. They would want to do right.

Then the Lord told them to go back into their tents and he spoke to Moses concerning the commands. "Observe to do" was the watchword. Why was the Lord so firm that Israel do as he told them v33 "Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess."

Psalm 36:7 "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."

Moses continues Deuteronomy 4

Deuteronomy 4:6 "Keep therefore and do them for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes and say Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. v7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? v8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statues and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day?

The key phrase here may be "Keep therefore and do" . It is a command to the new generation of the children of Israel. You are different from other nations for the Lord is among you and you have statutes the other nations have not been given. It is a matter of being a witness before the other nations. Notice the phrase "in the sight of the nations".

Then there is the awesome warning that Israel will fail and be scattered. verses 26 and on.

Notice verse 29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul."

So the hope of reconciliation is there.

Moses preaches a sermon comparing the past with the future and tells how those who serve the Lord did not face the awful judgment others did. Then in verse 40 the last part he states "...that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for ever." That's a long long time.

The balance is about the cities of refugee and Moses appoints three cities on this side of Jordan to be cities of refuge.

Verse 37 is a great verse it starts "And because he loved thy fathers..." Remember Abraham, Issac and Jacob!

Psalm 19:9 "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

keyword: Bible study

Og of Bashan Deuteronomy 3

Deuteronomy 3:11 "For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants: behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron: is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man."

Cubit=1 ft 5.48 inches

The Kingdom of Og (Bashan) and part of Gilead was given to the half tribe of Manasseh who was descended from Joseph. They have not yet crossed Jordan.

These victories helped give Israel and their future leader Joshua courage that they could indeed defeat the enemy. Moses saw these things and was also encouraged and wanted to go over Jordan to possess the land but he could not because he had struck the rock instead of speaking to it as the Lord told him.

v24-25 "O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? I pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain and Lebanon."

Moses now tells the children of Israel (the new generation) of his prayer to the Lord. The Lord's answer was final.

v26 "But the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me; and the Lord said unto me, Let it suffice thee, speak no more unto me of this matter."

Moses had worried with the people in the wilderness with their complaining and rebellion. Even his sister and brother had complained to him about his wife. Now finally the camp was organized and ready to fight and was winning. Moses would not get to see them posses Israel. I'm sure he was disappointed. But the Lord showed it all to him from the mountain top and even took him there later on.

Matthew 17:1-3 "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James and John his brother and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold three appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him." (Elias is Elijah: the spelling is a little different because the old and new testaments were translated from different languages.)

Psalm 107:29 "He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still."

Giants Deuteronomy 2

Numbers 2:20-21 "(That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time: and the Ammonites call them Zamzummins; A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims, but the Lord destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them and dwelt in their stead:"

Here we deal with several subjects concerning the activities of Israel around Canaan.

Esau's land was to be respected and left to him as his inheritance from God. Moses did ask to pass through but was refused probably because they were so great in number. When Edom (Esau) refused Moses skirted their territory.

v4 "Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth: because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. v5 "Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat: and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink."

Lot's land was also to be left alone. This was the land of Moab. Also known as Ar.

v11 "Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims, but the Moabites call them Emims."

Finally, Sihon King of Heshbon is confronted about passing through his land and he refused. This time the Lord allows them to fight.

v32 "Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. v33 And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. v34 And we took all his cities at that time and utterly destroyed the men and the women, and the little ones of every city we left none to remain:" See Numbers 33:55

The battle has begun.

Psalm 71:1 "In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion."

Pitch Your Tents Deuteronomy 1

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Deuteronomy 1: 6 "The Lord our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount:"

And so, they began to move about. Along the way, commandments were given and the nation was organized. Every step of the way was under the Lord's guidance.

v33 "Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day."

They multiplied to the point where Moses needed help judging the people.

v10 "The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and behold ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude."

The children of Israel at first rebelled and refused to fight which angered the Lord and he turned them to the wilderness. In rebellion they decided to fight but did not have the Lord with them and were soundly defeated.

v34-35 "And the Lord heard the voice of your words and was wroth and sware saying. Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers."

This chapter reminds Israel of their fathers who would not go up into Canaan to posses it. It also makes it clear that it was the Lord who led them in all their journeys. They could do anything with the Lord but nothing without him.

Psalm 9:4 "For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right."

Deuteronomy Start

Described as the fifth book of Moses, Deuteronomy consists of the parting counsels of Moses.

Scofield gives this outline(modified):

-Summary of wilderness journey
-Restatement of Law
-Instructions
-Closing Prophecies
-Counsels to Priests, Levites and Joshua
-Song of Moses
-Death of Moses

Key phrase: "Thou shalt"

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Tribe's Inheritance Numbers 36

Nu 36:7 "So Shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers."

Chapter 36 revisits a question that was raised in chapter 27. The daughters of Zelophehad had no brothers and so were concerned about their inheritance. It was determined that their fathers part would go to them.

Now, the question is what happens to the inheritance if the girls marry outside the family in which case their husbands would be head of household and owner of the property. In this case, the girls were directed to pick their husbands from their fathers tribe and so keep the land in the family which they did.

We would expect a sort of summary at the end of Numbers but there is not one. The story continues into Deuteronomy and Joshua. In truth, the story continues right on through the Bible with the failure of Israel to follow the commands of God, the prophets that warned them and the prophecies of their restoration. Deuteronomy could be considered a summary of their times up to now. Moses deliverers a powerful sermon on past events and a warning of what would happen if the children of Israel rebelled.

So we leave Numbers for now and go on to the next book. Israel has progressed from the time of Abraham's wanderings. We saw Issac choose a bride and Jacob sleeping on a rock then wrestling with the Lord. From there, Israel is enslaved in Egypt and delivered with a mighty hand of God. They rebelled after the spies checked out Canaan and wondered for forty years. Now they have built the tabernacle and organized themselves into a mighty army. A few battles have honed their skills and given them confidence. They are at the door of Canaan and in the next book Moses will give his farewell sermon.

The redemption of the world, the promise of Abraham is in the people. Bethlehem is nearing.

Psalm 50:1-2 "The might God, even the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined."

Cities of Refuge Numbers 35

Numbers 35:11 "Then ye shall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you; that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares."

(Scofield declares these cities to be a type of Christ and gives references: Psalm 46:1, 142:5,Isa4:6,Ex 21:13 Deut 19:2-9 Rom 8:1,33,34 Phil 3:9 Heb 6:18,19)

Outline:

v1 Eight and forty cities for the Levites with their suburbs and measure thereof
v6 Six of them are to be cities of refuge
v9 The laws of murder
v31 No satisfaction for murder

As I've said before I don't consider myself a scholar, but this is what this means to me.

The cities of refuge were God showing mercy. Someone who killed another would have been at the mercy of a family member who was ready to take their life immediately. The cities of refuge provided a place for the killer to run to until the congregation could gather witnesses and decide if the killing was accidental or on purpose.

The avenger could not kill the person they were after if they made it to a city of refuge, but they must remain there or else they were fair game if they left the city. I expect that happened sometimes since anyone would have wanted to go home and see their family or check on their property.

These cities were an act of mercy for these men who took a life but perhaps without malice. Nevertheless they were guilty of killing someone.

In the sense that we are all sinners, we have no recourse in life, except to run to Christ. He is our city of refuge.

Psalm 40:11 "Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me."

Boundaries Numbers 34

Numbers 34:2 "Command the children of Israel and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:)

Then, the chapter gives the borders and boundaries of the kingdom of Israel. Nine and one half tribes will receive inheritance in Canaan after crossing Jordan. Two and one half tribes will received inheritance on this side of Jordan because they were cattle people and the land was good for that. But those two and half tribes would fight for Canaan and then return to this side of Jordan.

While this chapter may be boring reading, it's not in story form, it is very important when it comes to the promised land. It is laid out like a surveyor would describe it with directions and markings to go by. In the right hands, these instructions would leave no doubt where the nation Israel lies.

Here is a good time to open your study Bible to the maps section and look at the country. You will see familiar names, even in the maps of the old country before the Roman Empire. Such names as Lebanon and Syria. You will also see such lands as Italy and Spain and others, which seem so distant from our studies. Wider maps will show empires reaching to the horizon which dwarf Israel.

Yet it is Israel that the Lord holds dear. Look at these verses in Deuteronomy:
Chapter 32 v9-12 "For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of is inheritance. He found him in a desert land and in the waste howling wilderness, he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the Lord alone did led him, and there was no strange god with him." Read on if you like. (Jacob is Israel).

Psalm 30:1 "I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me."

Summary Israel's Journey Numbers 33

Numbers 33:1 "These are the journeys of the children of Israel which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron."

I know of no other peoples who have their family trees documented so well. In ancient history, I know of no nation that knows their history so well. The records are so precise it leaves no room for doubt and are often repeated.

The first part of this chapter tells of the journey and where Israel stopped and where they went next. The last part of the chapter concerns the future crossing into Canaan and leaves a warning. Israel is to utterly possess the land, not share it.

v55 "But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes an thorns in your sides and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."

We will see how well they did with their instructions in later studies.

Psalm 34:19 "Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."

Gad and Reuben Numbers 32

Numbers 32:1 'Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead that behold the place was a place for cattle; v2 The children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses and to Eleazar the priest and unto the princes of the congregation saying:"

These families were cattle people and wanted to settle on this side of Jordan instead of going into Canaan. They did tell Moses that they would go with them to possess the land first then return to the cattle country if only Moses would agree to their request.

Outline:

v1 The Reubenites and Gadites sue for their inheritence on that side Jordon
v6 Moses reproveth them
v16 They offer him conditions to his content
v33 Moses assigneth them the land
v39 They conquer it

V23 "But if ye will not do so behold ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out."

Psalm 121:1 "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help."

Judgment on Midian Numbers 31

Numbers 31:1-2 And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people."

Outline:
v1 The Midianites are spoiled and Balaam slain
v13 Moses is wroth with the officers for saving the women alive
v19 How the soldiers with their captives and spoil are to be purified
v25 The proportion whereby the prey is to be divided
v48 The voluntary oblation unto the treasury of the Lord

Two things happen in the chapter. The Midian's are wiped out for the present and Balaam is killed.

It seems to have been a plan (scholars agree) that since Balaam could not curse Israel that he devised a plan for the people (women) of Midian to corrupt Israel. It almost worked. God's judgment came upon Israel and Phinehas atoned for the people by killing a Midianite woman and the Israelite who brought her into camp.

So in this chapter 12,000 men of war are sent out to destroy the Midianites. They did not do a complete job of it and saved the women and children. It was the women of Midian who had been used to corrupt the men of Israel. Moses told them in v15

"And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? Behold these caused the children of Israel though the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord."

There were great spoils of war and these were divided according to Moses' and Eleazar's instructions. But the men of war realized their increase and made a freewill offering to the Lord.

It amazes me how they can get into so much trouble and yet be so thoughtful in sharing.

Still we are not in Canaan but because of the judgment on the Midian's there is now a door way into the promised land. Up to now, no one would let Israel pass through their land.

Psalm 36:1 "The transgression of the wicked saith, within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. v2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be fund to be hateful."

Vows Numbers 30

Numbers 30:2 "If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond: he shall not break his word, he shall do according t all that proceedeth out of his mouth."

Outline:
v1 Vows are not to be broken
v3 The exception of a maid's vow
v6 of a wife's
v9 of a widow's or her that is divorced

Genesis 3:16 "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband and he shall rule over thee."

Ephesians chapter 5 also discusses the role of husband and wife as do other passages.

Here in this chapter the order of authority and responsibility are very clear. The husband is not only the head of the house but is held responsible for the happenings there, right down to the vows made by his wife and daughters.

He, himself, has no recourse once he makes a vow but to carry it through and keep his word. The wife, however, does have one way out of a vow and that is if the husband hears her and voids the oath in the same day. The same is true for his unwed daughter. So long as he recants the vow on the same day. There is no mention of a son so I assume his words are treated as those of a man.

I know this idea of a man telling his wife what to do is not popular in our society. It is not a license to be mean to her. On the contrary, he is called on to bear the burden of her mistakes. v15 "But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity."

Christ assumed this role as husband to and head of the church.

Ephesians 5:21-25 "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God, wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it;"

So, if one thinks to make a vow to the Lord, it should be with much thought and a determination to honor it, for the Lord will certainly remember.

Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name."

key words: Bible study, fundmental, KJV, Milton J Southerland

Offerings (pt2) Numbers 29

Numbers 29:1 "And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you."

Outline:

v1 The offering of the feast of trumpets
v7 of the day of afflicting their souls
v13 and on the eight days of the feast of tabernacles

Proverbs 16:19 "Better it is to be of n humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."

Offerings Numbers 28

Numbers 28:1 "Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, My offering and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season."

Outline:
v1 Offerings are to be observed
v2 The continual burnt offering
v9 The offering on the sabbath
v11 on the new moons
v16 at the passover
v26 in the day of firstfruits

A review of the offerings that were to be made by the people. This is a new generation and they must be taught as well. I think often we hear a sermon and think, oh I've heard this before, but we must always keep in mind that our children are being taught and it may be their first time to hear the old old story.

Proverbs 15:32 "He that refuseth instruction despiseth is own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

Side Note

We started last year with Genesis chapter 1 and have progressed to Numbers 28. Wouldn't it have been great if you also had started then and gone through chapter by chapter? It's not too late, just go to the archives and work from the oldest forward.

Zelophehad Numbers 27

Numbers 27:8 "And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter."

Here a law is established for a situation not previously addressed. Zelophehad's daughters were in a family where there were no sons and their inheritance would be lost upon her father's death as would other families in the same situation. The Lord said they were right and made the proper adjustments.

v7 "The daughters of Zelophehad speak right..."

It continues with arrangements for most any situation where inheritance would be involved.

Moses prepare to die.

"v12 "And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. v13 And when thou hast seen it thou shalt be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother was gathered."

Between this verse and when Moses dies there is considerable space in the Bible. We have yet to cover Deuteronomy.

When Moses heard this statement his first thought was not for himself. He must have been very tired by now and ready to go, but he was concerned for the people. It is then he asked the Lord for someone to lead the people in his place.

v16 "Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, v17 which may go out before them and which may lead them out and which may bring them in that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd.

So Joshua is appointed to lead the people and we will hear a lot about him later in the book named for him.

v20 "And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient."

The outline:
v1 The daughters of Zelophehad sue for an inheritance
v6 the law of inheritances
v12 Moses being told of his death, sueth for a successor
v18 Joshua is appointed to succeed him.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 "Better is an handful with quietness than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit."

Inheritance Numbers 26

Numbers 26:54-55 "To many thou shalt give the more inheritance and to few thou shalt give the less inheritance: to every one shall his inheritance be given according to those that were numbered of him. Notwithstanding the land shall be divided by lot: according to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit."

In this chapter Israel is again numbered. Only two of the original remain. Caleb and Joshua. Of course Moses is still there but will not enter Canaan. When Israel failed to enter the land several chapters ago, because of unbelief, God told them they would die in the wilderness and the little ones that Israel said would be prey (Chapter 14: v28-33)for the enemy, would inherit. It has now come true.

Here is how the numbers stack up if my reading is correct:

Before the wilderness journey: 603,550 men of war age plus women and under 20(Numbers 1:46)
and 22,000 Levites (Numbers 3:39)

After the wilderness journey and several battles: 601,720 men of war age plus women and under 20 (v51)
and 23,000 Levites

So, that would be a little over a thousand less of war age men and a thousand more of the Levites.

V64 "But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had said of them, The shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun."

Jacob and twelve brothers when down to Egypt with their families. Now at the door of Canaan is a great multitude. The original multitude who well remembered the slave years of Egypt would not fight but these wilderness hardened men will fight.

Psalm 36:7 "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."

Sin in the Camp

Numbers 25:1 "And Israel abode in Shittim and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab."

Make no mistake about it, at this point in the Bible Israel is a war machine. Their formation is set up to attack in minimal time an protect the ark and the camp. There are some things you just cannot have in a army. Lack of discipline is one of these. We settled that in previous chapters when Moses' leadership was questioned. The army must keep their focus. In this chapter, Israel has lost focus. They have received the commandments of God on how to live and with all the attractive women in Moab, the warriors are now showing a total disregard for the commandments and started forbidden actions.

One bold fellow even brought a foreign woman into camp in the sight of all the people. They have also bowed down to strange gods v2.

There was a man in Israel called Phinehas who was the son of Eleazar who arose and did something. The plague had already started killing the people and they were weeping before the door of the tabernacle.

v8 "And he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel."

Again, let me emphasis that these were different times. Israel is on a mission to take Canaan. If the people were going to act like all the others around them, they are become useless and why should such a people inherit the promised land. I can understand why the Lord may have become disgusted with the whole bunch. But as before, one man stayed the Lord's hand.

God told Moses: v17 "Vex the Midianites and smite them: v18 For they vex you with their wiles..."

This is a no nonesense chapter. Israel is knocking on the door of Canaan. They must not forget who they are and who is leading them. They are a special people and are expected to act like it.

Phinehas was given the covenant of peace. v12. Called an everlasting priesthood: because he was zealous for his God and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

Don't let anyone tell you that one person cannot make a difference.

Psalm 33:13 "The Lord looketh from heaven: he beholdeth all the sons of men."

Star and Sceptre Numbers 24

Numbers 24:17 "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Sheth."

There's that shout of a king again!

Balaam tells Balak about the future of Israel and a very important prophecy about the Lord. Balaam would see him but not now and he would then see him but not nigh. He also tells how Israel would be as a lion and having the strength of a unicorn in taking the land and defeating the enemy. It is a mixture of a short range prophecy for Israel and a long range prophecy for the coming of Christ.

There are also predictions about the defeat of nations which we should run across later in our study. It is possible that some of the predictions are about end time, I'm not sure. The early prophets were allowed to see things but they did not understand the whole picture. They did not have the New Testament nor the book of Revelation.

Zechariah 12:8 "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.

v9 "And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem."

v10 "And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."

For those who want to see into the future and give God the glory, the Bible is wonderful.

Psalm 72:18 "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel who only doeth wondrous things."

Shout of a King Numbers 23

Numbers 23:21 "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king is among them."

Balaam is still on the mountain with Balak looking down on the children of Israel. Balak is trying to get a curse on them but all he hears is God bragging on them.

We must remember the conditions. Not long ago Jacob was using a rock for a pillar and running from Esau. God met him there and made a great promise. As Balaam stands on the mountain looking down, he sees the fulfillment of that promise. Israel has grown to a multitude.

God chose Israel to make something of them. The world seems hopeless. In Egypt, they are worshipping all kinds of gods. Here in Moab, Baal seems to have everyone's attention. Yet, in the midst of this, a people are on the move who worship only one God, The God Jehovah. There are not statutes to him because he is there in person.

Our verse says that the Lord says the shout of a king is among them. I see two meanings in this statement. One is the surety that they will be a nation for how can there be a king without a kingdom. They have not yet declared 'give us a king' but the notion must be in their heart as Moses nears the end of his life. The other meaning I get is that they carry the promise of the King of Kings in their ranks. My analogy that Israel is a pregnant lady carrying the Lord Jesus Christ to Bethlehem to be born goes along with this statement. Even here he is among the people. They long for a king!

Much like the church, Israel must be corrected from time to time. It is as if a cancer creeps into camp and it must be eradicated. So, there is punishment in plagues and serpents. But on the mountain there is no talk from God of Israel's rebellion, there is only the telling of what a fine people they are. It is as if the Lord is saying, this is my child, I will correct it but there will be no outside interference. The verse says neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. I think of our sinful ways and the blood of the Lamb that covers our sin so that God only sees the good in us. Grace is truly amazing.

Lamentations 3:22 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not."

Look at Ezekiel chapter 16.

A shout of a King!

Psalm 3:3 "But thou, O Lord, art a shied for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head."

Bible Study, gospel, Jesus, old old story: key words

An Angel, A Prophet and a Donkey Numbers 22Pt2

Numbers 22:31 "Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way and his sword drawn in his hand and he bowed down his head and fell flat on his face."

Balaam has decided to meet with Balak and is on his way riding a donkey and takes along two servants. Balaam is apparently blind to spiritual things even though he is here the mouthpiece of God.

An angel stands in his way but Balaam does not see him and tries to go forward. The donkey he was riding did see the angel and stopped. Balaam tries to turn this way and that but still the donkey would not go on. Finally, the donkey speaks to Balaam and asked why he is striking him.

The amazing thing is Balaam carries on a conversation with the donkey and appears to think nothing of it until the angel allows him to see him. He then receives permission to proceed but is reminded to speak only what he is told by God to speak.

v1 "And it came to pass on the morrow that Balak took Balaam and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people."

Balak plays a little trick on Balaam by not showing him all the people. Just the "...utmost part.." which sounds like the end of the camp to me. Balaam did not yet know the multitude he was looking at. So Balak builds altars and Balaam goes to see what God would have him say to Balak. It is not what Balak wants though.

A back and forth goes on in the next chapters which makes Balak upset at Balaam because he wanted a curse on Israel but did not get it. Balaam at least stood firm on that part. Who wouldn't after talking to a donkey and then an angel. He should have been rather revived at this point but I'm afraid he was still thinking about a place of honor that Balak promised. He should have known that he already had a place of honor as a prophet.

Proverbs 11:18 "The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that sowest righteousness shall be a sure reward."

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Balaam Numbers 22

Numbers 22:1 "And the children of Israel set forward and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho."

Israel gets a glimpse of their gateway into Canaan. Jericho will become a place of remembrance and the stuff of children's songs. Twice they went to Kadesh but did not enter Canaan, the first time was because of unbelief, the second time Edom would not let them pass. So now we see another way in.

First though we have to deal with Balaam for a few chapters. Balaam was a prophet but not in the sense that you think of Elijah or Isaiah. He served as the messenger of God but still was not very spiritual.

Balak is another character we must address. He was king of the Moabites. v4.

Balak looked down from the mountain on the congregation of Israel and knew he would need some help defeating them. He must not have known that Israel was protected by the Lord for he called Balaam to put a curse on them. v5.

Balaam took the messengers into his home. v8 "...Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me; and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam."

I think it would have been better if Balaam had sent them away but he didn't.

v9 "And God came unto Balaam and said, What men are these with thee?"

So Balaam starts explaining to God why they are there. He gives title to Balak but the children of Israel are only 'a people' . He tells God what Balak said:

v11 "Behold there is a people come out of Egypt which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them: peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out."

Obviously, Balaam is in the dark about the big plan. He also still has the 'position of honor' in his mind that Balak promised. But the Lord told him not to go and not to curse the people. He then told Balaam they were blessed. v12.

There is some back and forth. Balak sends more messengers and instead of Balaam telling them to go away he tells them to wait and see what God says. God told him to go ahead but only to speak the words told him by God. Balaam should have taken the first command for he is shown to be dummer than a donkey in the next verses. Some divide God's will in perfect and permissive. Perfect being what he wants someone to do but because of freewill, permissive is what he allows even though it may anger him if the person goes ahead after being told not to the first time.

v21 "And Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab."

Psalm 107:6 "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses."

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Serpents in the camp Numbers 21

Numbers 21:7 "Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee: pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people."

v4 "And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea..."

v11 "And they journeyed from Oboth...toward the sunrising."

King Arad the Canaanite heard that Israel was in the area and attacked them taking prisoners. Israel prayed and fought them defeating them and destroyed their cities and them.

Then they moved to another area. Since Edom would not let them pass through, they must circumvent Edom and it requires a long and tiring march. The people are upset and start complaining again. It is then that the serpents come into came and kills many people. They confess to Moses and he prays.

The solution is to erect a brazen serpent so that if someone is bitten, all they need to do is look at the brazen serpent and they will not die.

v9 "And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."

Spiritually the serpent is a symbol of sin judged. The brazen serpent is a type of Christ in that he was made sin for us although he knew no sin himself he bore our judgement.

Israel journeyed from there and made several stops before coming to the top of mount Pisgah.

Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites v21 asking to pass through the land but he refused and came out to fight against Israel.

v24 "And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land fro Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong."

Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites for a time then went to Bashan where the king went out against them and lost.

Israel is on the outskirts of Canaan looking for a way in. They have shown their military might and put the area in fear of them. In the next chapter we will get a hint of why Israel was allowed to defeat these people. They were worshippers of Baal and no doubt were being judged for their sin.

Psalm 121:1 "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help."

Aaron Dies Numbers 20 Part 4

Numbers 20:24 Aaron shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto the children of Israel because ye rebelled against my word at the water of Meribah."

Aaron's journey ends just short of the promised land. He has been with Moses, in the task of delivering and leading the children, for about 40 years now. He was the mouth piece of Moses on much of the journey. He has also borne the burden and joy of being the high priest of the sanctuary. No doubt, he has spent many hours pouring over the details of the daily sacrifices. Perhaps no one in the congregation has seen as much blood as Aaron.

On this day his garments are removed by Moses and put on Eleazar. There he died in mount Hor. The people mourned for Aaron thirty days "...even all the house of Israel." v29.

The death of Aaron can be considered the turning point for Israel. They no longer wander. From here on they are a driving force toward the land of Canaan.

Psalm 63:1 "O God, thou are my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; v2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary."

Edom Numbers 20 Part 3

Numbers 20:14 "And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us......v17 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country....v18 And Edom said unto him Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword."

Over 400 years have passed. Jacob has died and Esau has died. Yet, the old wounds are still there in their descendants. Esau was the eldest of the two twins but Jacob through deception received the blessing from Issac. The wound apparently never healed although Jacob was welcomed home by Esau. How did it all start?

Esau has come in from the field and was very hungry. Jacob was preparing food....

Genesis 25:30 "And Esau said to Jacob Feed me I pray thee...v31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. v33 ...and he sware unto him and he sold his birthright unto Jacob."

Genesis 33 tells of the homecoming and their friendly greetings.

Esau was Edom as the Bible tells us in Genesis 36:1 "Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom." Edom is also called Seir. Edom lies south of the ancient land of Judah. It extends from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Akaba. See Armadedon also.

It was the promise of God that mattered here more than the blessing of Issac. Look over in Genesis 28 verse 13. Jacob is talking to the Lord in a dream and the Lord responds: "...the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;" And again in Genesis 32 verse 28 after Jacob had wrestled with the Lord "...Thy name shall be called no more Jacob but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men and hast prevailed."

So in our passage Israel is asking for passage through Edom and is refused by the king of Edom and is threatened if Israel tries to pass through the land even though they promised to stay on the high road v19. Israel turns aside and comes to mount Hor. Again they do not enter the promised land at Kadesh. The first time it was because of unbelief. Now it is because of Edom.

Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well."

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Moses strikes the Rock Numbers 20 Part 2

Numbers 20:11 "And Moses lifted up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly and the congregation drank and their beasts also."

The whole congregation of the children of Israel have come to the desert of Zin at Kadesh v1. Again they came after Moses and blamed him for their situation. Again, they made rash statements about wishing they had died with their brethren. Moses and Aaron came before the Lord and he gave them instructions:

v8 "Take the rod and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes: and it shall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink."

Moses was apparently still angry when he went to the rock. Instead of doing as he was told by the Lord to speak to the rock, Moses smote the rock twice. This has great significance in scripture.

The Rock was a type of Christ who was once smitten for the salvation of man. The rock had already been smote once in Exodus 17: 5-7 "Behold I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb: and thou shalt smite the rock and there shall come water out of it that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."

So, it was wrong for Moses to hit the rock when he was told to speak to it. Christ was crucified once. For this Moses would not step foot in the promised land.

Still in grace, the water came forth. Not because the people were deserving or because Moses smote the rock but because of the loving kindness of the Lord in that he loves us. Under grace Christ is counted worthy for us. The Father does good things because he loves us and because Christ paid the price for our sin. Grace...how beautiful.

Look at verse 8 "...it hall give forth his water and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock ..." It said 'his'.

I Corinthians 10:4 "And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

"Psalm 12:6 "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

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Miriam Numbers 20 Part 1

Numbers 20:1 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation into the desert of Zin in the first month and the people abode in Kadesh and Miriam died there and was buried there."

This was the month of April for us.

Miriam was the brother of Moses and Aaron. There is not a lot about here during these long years of wondering. I expect they were a close knit family though. I don't yet know who her husband was but she was of the house of Levi.

Chapter 26:59 "And the name of Amram's wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister."

So Miriam had been there from the beginning. I expect she may have been a little motherly over Moses. When Moses was a child and sent into the water in an ark. His sister watched over the ark until Pharaoh's daughter found it then directed her to her own Hebrew mother to nurse the child.

Exodus 2:4 "And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him."

Exodus 4:7 "Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for thee? v8 "And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother."

So in this tribute to Miriam, we can say she was there. I thought it very brave of her to confront Pharaoh's daughter with such a plan. Apparently she drew no suspicion.

Miriam did make a mistake when she went to Moses (with Aaron) to object to his marriage. Moses was chosen of God to lead the people and Miriam overstepped herself in this.

Numbers 12:1 "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he hand married an Ethiopian woman."

She also questioned Moses' authority:

v2 'And they said Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it."

Miriam received a severe rebuke and suffered without the camp with leprosy for a time after Moses interceded for her.

Over all Miriam seems to have done pretty well so we will not be too harsh since she suffered her punishment and stayed with the congregation until her death.

Would any of have gone so long without slipping at least once?

Psalm 33:4 "For the word of the Lord is right: and all his works are done in truth."

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Death Numbers General

Side Note

Death is mentioned often in Numbers as an unclean state. Those who come in contact with the dead must be cleansed before they enter the tabernacle. Death is not something that pleases the Lord.

In the beginning, it was all about life. The Lord is all about life. It was Satan who brought sin to humanity and with man's acceptance of sin, death became a part of life on earth.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

This plan we are following from Genesis and through the giving of the law and ultimately to the completion of the plan of salvation is all about life. The Lord is all about life.

So don't be surprised that death requires cleansing.

Jesus did not like death when he walked on the earth. There are many occasions where he brought the dead back to life. He faced and conquered this enemy 'death' so that we could have life more abundantly.

Romans 8:10 "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin: but the Spirit is life because of righteousness."

Satan uses up people then he cast them aside to die and rot. Death is one of his weapons.

Christians need not fear death because, for us, it is a doorway into the life everlasting that was given to us when we became a Christian by believing on the name of Jesus.

Romans 5:8"But god commendeth his love toward us, n that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Death is a temporary reality but life can be a permanent reality through the Lord.

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. v10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

This is the plan we are studying. We are learning the law which was 'our schoolmaster'. All along this path, the promise of a redeemer is alive in the nation Israel. She carries the promise down through Egypt, into the wilderness and into the promised land where Christ is born.

Psalm 105:5 "Remember his marvellous works that he hath don; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth:"

Red Heifer Numbers 19

Numbers 19:17 "And for an unclean person they shall take of the ashes of the burnt heifer of purification for sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a vessel: v18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water and sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one slain, or one dead, or a grave:..."

The Red Heifer is a subject of much discussion and rightfully so.

No particular verse from Numbers 19 can be picked out to explain this commandment, it is described throughout the chapter. Yet, still there is mystery here. Of all the offerings, this one is different. For one it is killed outside the tabernacle, outside the camp v3

"And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one shall slay her before his face: v4 And Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times: v5 And one shall burn the heifer in his sight, her skin, and her flesh and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn."

The ashes are then gathered up and placed in a clean place v9 without the camp.

Water of separation

V9 And a man that is clean shall gather up the shes of the heifer and la them up without the camp in a clean place ad it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel for a water of separation: it is a purification for sin."

Heifer

Must be: Red, without spot, no blemish, never had a yoke.

A heifer is a young cow that has not yet borne a calf.

A red heifer would be a rare thing to find.

I expect many papers have been written in seminaries about the red heifer. Some look on the prospect of Israel finding such an animal with fear, for it points to the rebuilding of the temple which as we know is a problem since there are shrines of another religion on the mount. So there is a fear of conflict when the red heifer is found. I've heard in past years that there was a search for the original ashes instead of a living red heifer.

Regardless of the fears, the red heifer is very important in prophecy. To the Jew it points to the rebuilding of the Temple. To the Christian it points to the imminent return of Christ and the end of the world as we know it. Some say, the red heifer is a type of Christ since he suffered without the camp and offers a one time cleansing for sin.

You can see that this is not a subject that can be dealt with in a study such as this were we are primarily interested in showing the content of the Bible and where to find things. Know though, that there is not a great deal of discussion in the Bible on the subject. It is a unique subject.

Focus can be directed toward the subject of death in relation. For there are very specific details for those handling the red heifer and their washing. It is a process carried out by several people because there must be a clean person to carry out the cleansing process for another. It's worth a slow read.

I found it interesting that the water was used to clean but those who touched it were considered unclean v21,22 .

Look at Ezekiel 36:24-27 "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you v26 A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh. v27 And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them v28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be my people and I will be your God.

Again, let me recommend reading in Hebrews for as a Christian we believe that Christ established a new priesthood other than the priesthood of Aaron. The law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ just as we learn from our parents to do right until we ourselves understand that right is the right thing to do.

Psalm 126:3 The Lord hath done great things for us: whereof we are glad."

Covenant of Salt Numbers 18 Part 2

Numbers 18:19 "All the heave-offering of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee."

Although the priest are given no inheritance in the promised land as far as land is concerned, their inheritance is the work of ministering in the sanctuary. As a reward for this service, they are given nine tenths v26 of the tenth that Israel offers to the Lord, one tenth is to be offered to the Lord. Of the heave-offering, all is given to the Levites as a gift. v19

"And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation."

Even though the Levites are not landed, they are nevertheless well taken care of and will not live the life of a poor person. Their families will eat of the best there is to offer.

Proverb 9:10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

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Priesthood Numbers 18 Part 1

Numbers 18:1 "And the Lord said unto Aaron. Thou and thy sons and thy father's house with thee shall bear the iniquity of the sanctuary, and thou and thy sons with thee shall bear the iniquity of your priesthood."

One writer uses the word 'responsibility' as a meaning of iniquity in this case. I think it means that if things go well or things do not go well, Aaron and his house take the credit or blame.

As you read the chapter, you will see that Aaron and his family are responsible for the holy place while the rest of the Levites are responsible for areas outside the holies. v7 explains.

The separation of the people from the most holy place is obvious in this division of tasks. It is for their protection. The people have rebelled and murmured and are sinful. It is not appropriate that sin be brought into the presence of a holy God. So the priest will present the sacrifices and offerings before the Lord.

This ended when Christ became our high priest and he made us priest so that we might 'come boldly before the throne of grace'. We can do this only because Christ blood was shed for our sins and we can therefore stand blameless before God.

It is important to try to understand the priesthood established in the Old Testament books. One by one the commandments were given and the people instructed. Yet from Adam they have a sin nature within them which continually prompts them to do wrong and rebel. They could not just wonder around in the tabernacle and into the most holy place where God met the priest. No one can come before a holy God with sin accountable to them.

This is the conflict that Christ eliminated for the believer. The Lord desired to dwell with his people but because of sin there had to be a veil between Him and them. When Christ died for sin, the veil was rent and we may approach God because of the death of his Son. The new priesthood was established at Calvary.

V22 "Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die."

Mark 15:37-38 "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom."

Hebrews 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens: v2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man."

Psalm 121 "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help."

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Aaron's Rod that budded Numbers 17

Numbers 17:8 "And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness: and behold the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds."

The rods were dead sticks they carried around with them.

Aaron's priesthood had been questioned. Now, it was reestablished. Aaron's rod alone budded and yielded fruit. So, Aaron's rod that budded is a type of Christ in that of all those dead sticks placed in the tabernacle only one came back to life.

Of all the religious leaders and founders of religion, only Christ arose from the dead. He is well able to take life back from death and to give life anew.

Aaron's rod was placed in the ark as a testimony.

v5 "And it shall come to pass, that the man's rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer."

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Censors Numbers 16 Part 2

Numbers 16:35 "And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense."

Korah and his inner circle had also brought 250 men, princes of the tribes of Israel, to stand against Moses. These men carried censors with fire burning. It was a mistake for them to take a hallowed object and represent themselves as representatives of the Lord. For in verse 38 they are called sinners: "The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the Lord, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel.

So the fire from the censors was spread as the Lord commanded and the metal beaten into plates to cover the altar.

We see the dangerous practice all the time in our day. People using the scripture to further their own goals. We all know that scripture taken out of context can be understood to mean different things to those who do not study the Bible. Also, positions are used in the name of the Lord to take in money from people. Lead to believe they are doing something for the Lord people send money to crooked organizations. Misuse of God's word and even people dedicated to the Lord will be judged.

It seems in this chapter the people are in a state of rebellion. Korah has spread his poison and the people are displeased with Moses and Aaron. But as the balance of the chapter shows Moses is still trying to stand between the people and the anger they have caused the Lord to show.

A plague hits the people in v46 and Moses instructs Aaron to take a censor and stand among the people between the dead and the living v48.

"And Aaron took as Moses commanded and ran into the midst of the congregation, and behold the plague was begun among the people and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. "

Verse 49 tells us that 14,700 died besides those ..."about the matter of Korah."

The Lord has heard a lot of murmuring from the people. They do not yet see themselves as at fault for the wilderness wanderings. No one can receive help until they see the need for help. Just as a sinner must see that they need saving before they will reach out to the Savior.

Proverbs 10: 29 "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity."

keyword: Bible study

Korah Numbers 16 part 1

Numbers 16: 1-2 "Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown v3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said unto, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, everyone of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?"

I see two flaws in Korah's statement: 1) the people have proven they are not all holy, 2) The Lord put Moses in his position, Moses did not raise himself up.

It was not Korah who went to the Lord and listened for instructions nor was it he who had pleaded for the lives of the people previously. It would be good for those who are not aware of the big picture to stay in their place. I'm sure Korah and his co-conspirators were respected in their positions as princes but they have here overstepped themselves.

Moses gave back the words to Korah in verse 6 "...ye take too much upon you ye sons of Levi."

v13 "Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us?"

How soon men forget! Only Caleb and Joshua stood with Moses and declared that they could possess the land. Only after they had angered the Lord and he had turned them to the wilderness, did the others make an attempt to fight but were defeated because the Lord was not with them. c14.

Korah perhaps thought he was speaking against Moses but was speaking against the very commandments of the Lord. So in verse 28 - 30 Moses tells the people to get away from these men and that the Lord would do a new thing to show that Moses was indeed appointed to do his job.

v30 "But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit: then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord."

v32 "And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their homes, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods."

So that was the end of Korah, a prince who would challenge Moses.

Psalm 9:19-20 Arise, O Lord; let not man prevail: let the heathen be judged in thy sight. Put them in fear, O Lord that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah."

keyword: bible study

Wilderness Numbers 15

Cake - heave offering

Numbers 15:20 "Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave-offering: as ye do the heave-offering of the threshing floor, so shall ye heave it."

This refers to when the children of Israel come into the promised land. It is more or less back to school for Israel. They came to the door of Canaan and faltered, so it is back to the wilderness until that generation that rebelled is dead.

I find this cake as a celebration. Like when we have family over and a cake is made. So it is that in the future (now) for Israel that they will offer a cake to the Lord in their first harvest.

There is no doubt that Israel will arrive in Canaan, but it will be a new generation that is taught the law and will enter the promised land.

Ignorance sin

Numbers 15:24 "Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his meat-offering, and his drink-offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin-offering. v25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance:.........."

The Lord is ever ready to forgive. It may be that someone growing up who has not been there since Mount Sinai was not taught all the details of the law and so committed some sin not knowing that it was sin. So a provision is made for them.

To help them remember it is also commanded that they sew a blue fringe in the hem of their garments to remind them to obey the commandments of the Lord.

v40 "That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God."

Sticks

There is a story tucked into this chapter that shows the sternness of the law and makes me glad that I am under grace instead of the law. A man was caught picking up sticks on the sabbath and was brought forward for his sin. It was determined that under the law he was to die and so was stoned by all the people. It was a punishment for the man but also a lesson for the people that the law was to be obeyed. v32-36

It contrast with grace as shown in the New Testament when the disciples of Jesus plucked corn on the sabbath.

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

Jesus was the law giver and the fulfilment of the law. It seems perfectly just to me that the disciples would be allowed to eat if they were hungry when the Lord of the sabbath was present and did not object.

Grace is indeed better that the law.

Galatians 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. v11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident, for The just shall live by faith. v12 And the law is not of faith: but The man that doeth them shall live in them. v13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us, for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."

So we go back to the idea that the law is our schoolmaster. To teach us that man is sinful and needs a Savior. As we study these Old Testament books it becomes evident that the offerings gave forgiveness but did not change the heart of the people. It is only in Christ and the Spirit living inside that can change a person so that they desire to do God's will.

Psalm 86:1 "Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy."

keyword: bible study

Israel falters at the Door Numbers 14

Numbers 14:2 "And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!"

It seems a common thing for people to do: that is believe a crowd over a few because they think the sheer numbers make them right.

In this chapter Caleb and Joshua are trying to convince the people that the land is good and that Israel is strong enough to possess the land but to no avail. The people believed the other 68 and were in a state of rebellion. They talk against Moses and Aaron and use God's name in wishing they had died in Egypt or the wilderness. Fear has great power if yielded to.

Needless to say it upset Moses and Aaron and the Lord. A lot of work had gone into getting them to this point. The very door to the promised land 'flowing with milk and honey'.

Verse 12 finds us with the Lord's statement that he is ready to start over with a different people.

"I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they."

Moses prayed to the Lord that he not kill the people because it would cause the Egyptians and others to say that they knew it would happen v15.

v20 and 21 "And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy word: But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord."

The complaining of the people becomes their sentence. None from twenty and up would enter the promised land except Caleb and Joshua.

v21 "But your little ones which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness."

In verse 40, the people are repentant but too late. They decide now to go fight. First they were told to fight and they would not, now they are told not to fight and they want to. Either way it is transgression. v41 But they went up anyway even after they were told that the Lord was not with them v44

v45 "Then the Amalekites came down and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah."

It was at Kadesh-barnes where the children of Israel could have entered the promised land. But they rebelled and turned to wonder in the wilderness for 40 years. A year for each day the land was searched by the spies. v34

Psalm 72:18 "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things."

key word: bible study

Joshua and Caleb (Spies) Numbers 13

Numbers 13:2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers hall ye send a man, everyone a ruler among them."

Things have been well prepared. The camp is in order and ready for war. Everyone knows their place and we come to the wilderness of Paran. From here spies are sent out to scout the land of Canaan. Unlike in today's armies, these men were to be rulers among the people. Then we have them named.

Out of this list comes Oshea whom Moses named Jehoshua. We know him as Joshua. In the Greek it translates Jesus and means deliverer or savior.

Joshua has been around for some time as minister to Moses. He learned from the best.

Exodus 24:13 "And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God."

What were the spies to look for:
-v18 see the land, what it is
- the people, strong or weak
-what the land is, good or bad
-cities, tents or strongholds
-what the land is, fat or lean
-wood or not
-bring of the fruit

v27 (spies report) "And hey told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it."

One example of the fruit was a single bunch of grapes slung on a pole between two men to carry.

v28 "Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there."

V30 tells of a very different opinion from Caleb. He says we can take them and posses the land. The people had however been struck with fear for the Anak people are giants and the other spies said the children of Israel would be as grasshoppers by comparison v33.

Here they stand on the edge of victory with a great army lead by the Lord.

Psalm 114:7-8 "Tremble thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters."

key word: bible study

Miriam and Aaron falter Numbers 12

Numbers 12:1 "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman."

The children of Israel are no longer the ragged slaves which left Egypt fearing for their lives. They are a multitude of people, well organized and rich in goods. Yet still there is that old man Moses sitting over there telling everyone what to do. I think no one wanted to be in charge when things were really bad. Now, it seems Moses just does not fit the new status in the neighborhood.

I'm trying to think of what would cause anyone to turn on Moses after what he has done under the Lord's direction. Moses has stood between the Lord's anger and the people and because of Moses they were spared.

So, with no fault to find with Moses, Miriam and Aaron must complain of his wife. But the Lord heard them and was angry.

v4 "And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out."

You talk about being called in on the carpet.

v6 In this verse the Lord tells them right off that when he needs a prophet, he will tell them himself. He also lets it be known that Moses is still in is favor "v17 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house."

v8 "...wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

Miriam was stricken with Leprosy v10. Aaron begs forgiveness v11. Moses intercedes for Miriam that she be healed. v13 And Moses cried unto the Lord saying. Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee."

We find that the Lord did as Moses asked but Miriam had to learn her lesson and stayed seven days outside the camp with her affliction.

Now verse three is well established that Moses prayed for Miriam even after she talked about his wife.

v3 "(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

So in v16 they left that place and camped in the wilderness of Paran, ever closer to the promised land. We have seen the camp organized, the trumpet signals set up, moral issues dealt with, the order of march set and Moses reconfirmed as leader. Even with the problems that were dealt with, the massive assembly moves forward in its awesome formation.

Psalm 36:7 "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."