Where to Go? Deut. 2

 

Deuteronomy 2 – Where to Go?

 

Clearly the Israelites are lost and don’t know where to go since they cannot go into the promised land.  We are talking of the first generation here.  They are now going back into the wilderness and go round and round Mt. Seir. They are on a Merry go round and don’t know what to do.  God tells them that they are not to meddle with the children of Esau. Esau was Jacob’s brother who received the birthright and God gave to Jacob the Promised land.  God had given Esau Mount Seir as their possession. The city of Petra still exists today. God has set the bounds of the nations. Most wars are fought because the boundaries of the nations are not respected. Another important lesson to learn is that God always keeps His promises.  He promised to take care of Esau, and so He did. God does not give us the promises of luxuries of life, but God provides the necessities of life.

 

God also preserved His people from destruction.  He allowed the Israelites to take over the land of King Sihon, which was formerly the land of the Moabites. King Sihon had conquered the Moabites but when he set out to conquer the Israelites, he was killed and his forces were scattered. God has shown them that He was with them, and He will keep His promises to them.

 

God does that for many of us today.  He permits us to have a difficult experience, maybe a sad one, to prepare us for life- or to prepare us to be helpful to others.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

 

Deuteronomy 1 – Moses, Joshua and Caleb

 

Deuteronomy 1 – Moses, Joshua and Caleb

 

Moses is reviewing the journeys of the children of Israel.  All the older generation is now passed on, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. When Moses looked at the Promised Land, I think he was seeing a green and good land.  Today it is a desert. Kadesh-Barnea was the entrance point into the land of promise. Back in Exodus 18 we learned that Moses became provoked, burdened, and frustrated.  He thought he alone carried the burden of Israel.  The Lord allowed him to appoint elders; so, seventy was appointed. This later became the Sanhedrin, which committed Christ to the cross many years later. Moses admitted he made a real mistake here. His second mistake was sending spies into the land of Canaan. God had already searched it out. God had said it was a land of milk and honey! Sure, there were giants in the land, but God had said that He would take care of them. They did not believe God. God has given us the same promise that He is able to handle the giants for us. It is not our circumstances on the outside which are our real problem.  It is the unbelief in our hearts.

Caleb and Joshua were spies who believed God and had brought back a good report. Later, Joshua walked up and down the land, and he claimed the mountain where the giants lived.  God gave it to him for an inheritance. God had said he would give Caleb the land where he had trodden upon.

The first generation realized they had sinned, and realized they faced the wilderness if they turned back, they decided to go into the Promised land after all.  The reason they were willing to fight was not because they believed God but because they were afraid. They still had no faith in God. In the end, they wept because the Amorites chased them and were defeated. They wept because they got caught. When we do something wrong, do we weep because we own up to the wrong or is it because we got caught? Think on it.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Numbers 34, 35, 36 God Assigns, Levite Cities, Eternal Possession

 

Numbers 34 – God Assigns

 

God assigned the tribes their inheritance and set their boundaries, but He used human leaders to do it.

We must accept what God assigns to us and not complain or covet what others possess. Like Canaan, the Christian life is a “land of hills and valleys”  Deut. 11:11. Our God is a God of both the hills and the valley.  He knows what is best for us, and He is always with us.

 

Numbers 35 – Levite Cities

 

The Levites were taken from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn.  The Levites belonged to the Lord.  They were not given a section of the land of Israel, but they were given cities to live in. Of the forty-eight cities which were assigned to the Levites, six of them were designated as cities of refuge.  A man who had unwittingly killed a person could flee to the city of refuge.  This would save him from mob action or from the action of some zealous person or relative who might be emotionally torn up at the time.  This gave time for a fair trial later.  The city of refuge did not apply for the willful murderer.

 

Numbers 36 – Eternal Possession

 

The land was to stay in the tribe, no man could lose his property permanently.  At the year of Jubilee, all property which had been mortgaged reverted back to the original family again.  This was a marvelous arrangement which God made for His people.  It was the way He protected them.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference

"I Will Never Leave Thee." Numbers 33

 

Numbers 33 – “I Will Never leave thee”

 

Each portion of scripture has a great spiritual lesson.  Although this chapter is like a road map, and not interesting to read, it reveals that God noted and recorded every step that these people took.  In fact, He was with them every step of the way through the wilderness journey.  “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”  Heb. 13:5

Their hearts were in rebellion against God a great deal of the time.  But He never left them.  He never did forsake them. 

The Holy Spirit lives in every believer.  If you are a child of God, you couldn’t possibly get away from Him.  He wouldn’t let you go.  He will go with you all the way.  We may stumble, falter, and fail.  We don’t follow Him as we ought.  But thank God, He goes with us all the way!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”  Psalm 24:1. This is His earth.  He commands what is to be done. He told Israel to go into the land and to destroy their idols. The Canaanites were in a very low spiritual state.  Not only were they idolaters, far from the living and true God, but promiscuity and sexual sins were a way of life and a part of their worship.  So, God is going to put a new tenant in the land.  The Canaanites were destroying His property, and they were hurting the rest of mankind; so, God is going to put them out.  God destroyed the Canaanites for the sake of the coming generations.  That is the same reason that God sent the Flood – God was preserving the future generations.

We will not experience peace on this earth until the rule of the Prince of Peace. Until that time, God will us nations in judgment upon other nations.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

 

J. Vernon McGee Commentary

 

Reuben and Gad Numbers 32

 

Numbers 32  Reuben and Gad

 

Reuben and Gad asked for land on the wrong side of Jordan.  Moses is very disturbed at their request.  He fears that this young generation will repeat the failure of their fathers.  After enduring the hardships and discouragements of forty years in that terrible wilderness, the thought of again failing to enter the Promised Land seemed too much to risk. Reuben and Gad offered to send their men of war to help the other nine- and one-half tribes to take the Promised Land.  On this basis, Moses agreed to let them settle on the east side of Jordan, but he gave them a warning. “If you do not do as you say, your sin will find you out.” 

In the way that you sin, that is the way it may go to come home to you sometime.  There are two places for the child of God to live today.  You can live in the wilderness of this world and be a spiritual pauper, or you can enter the place of spiritual blessings, represented by Canaan.

The stones that were put in Jordan speak of the death of Christ.  The stones that were taken out of Jordan speak of the resurrection of Christ. You and I get our spiritual blessings by the death and resurrection of Christ.

The two-and-one-half tribes did not cross the Jordan.  They had gotten into a sad condition. In Mark 5:1. We find that the Gadarenes had asked Jesus to leave their country.  This always happens to the child of God who fails to cross Jordan and get into the Land of Promise.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary

Judgment of Midian Numbers 31

 

Numbers 31 Judgment of Midian

 

The Midianites joined the Moabites in hiring Balaam to curse Israel and afterwards seduced the people to idolatry and licentiousness. Midian in the wilderness is a type of the world.  For the child of God there is to be a spiritual separation from the world today.  One of Moses’ last official act was the war against the Midianites.  God commands Moses to make war against them.  He is going to avenge Israel.  They are to deal very harshly with them. Moses sent out twelve thousand men to go to war – one thousand from each tribe.  The holy instruments, the articles of furniture in the tabernacle, were to go along, indicating that this was a spiritual warfare. The kings of Midian were slain, and then the death of Balaam, the prophet. God is giving them a victory over the Midianites.

In the Millennium, Israel, which is having such great problems today, will be put in the land and they will have peace.  

God gave them a tremendous victory- they did not even lose one man. (v.49).  There was a great problem with the children of Israel.  God had taken them out of Egypt in one night.  But it took God forty years to get Egypt out of them.  And even now, after going into idolatry, they still brought the Midianite women into their camp.  The problem is worldliness.  It is not wrong for us to be in the world- that is where God placed us- the issue is whether the world is in us, in our hearts and in our lives.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary

A Woman's Promise Numbers 30

 

Numbers 30  A Woman’s Promise

 

God doesn’t ask us to make a vow (promise) – it is voluntary- but if we make a vow, God means business with us, and He will hold us to our promise.  Confessing with your mouth is your promise, that is your statement of faith.  The heart and the mouth must be singing the same tune, in a duet together.

If a woman makes a vow while she is still single and in her father’s house, the father can be held responsible for her.  If the father keeps quiet when he hears her make the vow, then that vow which she made will stand.  If he speaks against the vow, then he is protected in the matter.  The vow is not binding. If a married woman makes a vow, then her husband is responsible for her unless he speaks against it, then he is protected in the matter.

A widow must stand on her own two feet.  The vow that she makes stands. These details are important to God.  He wants His people always to be as good as their word.  God keeps His vows, and He expects His children to keep theirs. He has kept His promises in the past and will keep His promises in the future. “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. That is the Word of God, God’s promise to you and me.

He wants those who represent Him down here to be that kind of a people.  If they make a vow, they should stand by that vow.  This kind of responsibility should be representative of the Christians in this world today.

 

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary

 

 

Law of the Offerings Numbers 28 & 29

 

Numbers 28 and 29  Law of the Offerings

 

Of the five offerings, three of them were sweet savor offerings, two of them were non-sweet offerings.  The sweet savor offerings represented the person of Christ; the non-sweet offering speaks of the work of Christ in redemption for you and me. They all speak of what God thinks of Him.

Real worship is when we think God’s thoughts after Him.  God is satisfied with what Christ did for you and me on the cross.  True worship is a recognition of who He is and an adoration of His Person. If we pay close attention to the Word of God, we will find that we are sinners and need a Savior.  We need Christ!  We need a Savior who died for us and paid the penalty for our sins. God says it is our sins that have separated us from Him.  He is a sweet savor offering; that is who He is.  He is the non-sweet offering; that is what He did.  He was made sin for us, He who knew no sin.

 

The special annual feasts could not take the place of regular offerings.  The way to become more spiritual is to strengthen the regular worship day after day, and then the special times of worship will do us more good.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Women's Rights Numbers 27

 

Numbers 27   Women’s Rights

 

There was this man named Zelophehad who had died in the wilderness. He had five daughters and no sons.  According to the Mosaic Law, it looked as if a son were the one who inherited the property, and the women were left out.  These daughters were very aggressive. Every woman today aught to be thankful for the Word of God because it is the Bible that first gave women their rights.  “If a man dies, and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass down to his daughter.”  This proclamation was made about 1500 years before Christ came into the world. The five daughters wanted to possess their father’s inheritance.  They asked in faith, and by faith God gave the inheritance to them.

God hears and answers us, not only in spiritual blessings but also in material things.  Most of us are more or less paupers because we do not come to God as His children and ask Him for things.  God wants to be good to us. More than this, we have possessions – wonderful spiritual possessions in Christ Jesus.  He would like for us to claim these in faith.

Now we return to Moses as he prepares for his death.  God refers to the time Moses smote the rock twice after God had told him to speak to it.  God says here that it was rebellion against His commandment.  Because Moses did this, he is only permitted Moses to look into the promised land; he is not permitted to enter it. Disobedience keeps many of us from entering into our spiritual possessions.  Disbelief will always lead to disobedience. After Moses died, Joshua became Moses’ successor. Joshua was an ordinary man; Joshua reveals what God can do with an ordinary man.  If a person will yield to God, He can take him and use him.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

The Second Census Numbers 26

 

Numbers 26 The Second Census

 

The taking of the second census was a sign that the nation’s wanderings were soon to end.  Note the people mentioned who were given special attention:  Dathan and Abiram, who rebelled against the Lord; Nadab and Abihu, who defied the Lord; and Joshua and Caleb, who believed the Lord.

The difference between the head count in the first census of the Israelites to the second census was a decrease of $1,820 people. The old generation died in the wilderness, just as God had told them.  This is now the new generation.  All the old, except Joshua and Caleb had died.  God did not hold those who were under twenty responsible for the failure and rebellion at Kadesh.  This may give us some indication as to the age of accountability. Not to say it is, but it may be older than many of us suspect.

Here is a chart of the census prepared by Keil and Delitzch.

 

Reuben        46,500          43,730

Simeon        59,300          22,200

Gad              45,650          40,500

Judah           74,600          76,500

Issachar        54,400          64,300

Zebulon       57,400          60,500

Ephraim       40,500          32,500

Manasseh     32,200          52,700

Benjamin     35,400          45,600

Dan              62,700          64,400

Asher           41,500          53,400

Naphtali       53,400          45,400

 

Total            603,550 first census

Total                                 601,730 second census.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

The Doctrine of Balaam Numbers 25

 

Numbers 25 The Doctrine of Balaam

 

We have discovered the way of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15) which is the way of covetousness.  He taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. (Rev.:14). When Balaam saw that he could not curse Israel, he taught Balak how he might corrupt these people. Balaam knew that Balak could corrupt the people by getting a religious racket going.  He could appeal to them and get the children of Israel to turn to the worship of Baal.  And that is exactly what happened.

The enemy can’t hurt God’s people or God’s work or God’s church from the outside.  The church has never been hurt from the outside. But the doctrine of Balaam on the inside was what hurt the church in Israel.

The Lord Jesus was betrayed from the inside. It wasn’t a Roman soldier who betrayed Him.  It was one of His own apostles who betrayed Him. Jesus is always betrayed from the inside.  That is still true today. This principle is applicable in all relationships of life.

Our government, our families, our social life, work life, etc. is always hurt from the inside.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

More of Balaam Numbers 24

 

 Numbers 24  More of Balaam

 

The Spirit of God came upon this man, Balaam, and he blessed the Israelites with the prophecy of God.  There was sin in the camp of Israel, but God had dealt with that.  The sins had been forgiven. All that Balaam can do is bless them and send praises their way.

Be sure, that Satan cannot bring a charge against God’s elect.  Romans 8:33-34. “If God be for us, who can be against us?”  Romans 8:31. God has already declared them righteous.

Of course, Balak is angry, he was not satisfied with Balaam’s prophecies, but Balaam reminds him that he cannot prophesy anything beyond the commandment of the Lord.

Balaam prophesied about a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. The prophecy of Balaam was retained, since Balaam was considered a outstanding prophet in the east, and the wise men knew his prophecy. When they saw the remarkable star, they remembered that Balaam had said those words. There they followed the star to the birth of Jesus in the manger.

Satan and his followers do their best to curse God’s people today.  However, through it all, God’s grace still works, God’s people are still blessed, and God’s name is glorified, for God can turn the curse into a blessing.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Balaam's Prophecy Numbers 23

 

Numbers 23   Balaam’s Prophecy

 

Balaam has now come to Balak, King of Moab.  Balak takes Balaam to the top of a mountain so that he can see the camp of Israel below.  He will take him to four different mountains on four different sides of the camp.  On each mountain, they offered burnt offerings and there the Lord put a word into Balaam’s mouth. Each time Balaam blessed the Israelites which displeased Balak.  He wanted Balaam to curse them.  God made it very clear to Balaam that he is not to curse Israel.

Balaam uses his own reasoning and rationalizing and concludes that God must condemn Israel.  There was evil in the camp.  Sin was evident and they failed miserably. He came to this conclusion because of the incident with the brazen serpent in the previous lesson.  The natural man always concludes that God must judge Israel because of their sin, and that God must judge the individual sinner. There is a higher righteousness than human righteousness and that is the righteousness of Christ.

God does not judge the sinner because He has already judged him in Christ Jesus when he came to God by baptism in Christ. The world does not understand that.   Balaam didn’t understand that. He thought that God would condemn Israel and that he would be permitted to get a handsome reward because of it.

When the believer sins, he comes under the disciplining hand of God, not under condemnation of God.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

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J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Way of Balaam Numbers 22

 

Numbers 22  The Way of Balaam

 

Balak, King of the Moabites, had witnessed what had happened to the Amorites and to Og, the king of Bashan.  He didn’t know what to do, so he decided to engage the services of a prophet.  He sends for Balaam.  Balak wants to hire him to come and curse the children of Israel. He sent messengers down to Balaam who has quite a reputation.  The messengers bring their rewards, or the pay, for the diviner.  Balaam is a fortune teller. He apparently is in touch with God. It is very interesting that God chose to communicate with him. Balaam seems to be a sincere and honest man of God, but Balak was a persistent man. When Balaam refuses to go with the messengers after speaking to God, they offer him a better price. The price does not seem to affect Balaam.  He turned it down.  Balaam speaks of a house filled with silver and gold.  He said it because that is where his mind is heading.  He proves to be a very covetous man and that is the direction he is taking. Balaam has made up his mind.  God gives in to Balaam but not only for him.  He does it for you and me.  It is not good, but God permits us to do what we want to do.  God is saying, “alright, you want to go and before it is through you will go, but if you go, you are to say what I want you to say.  Be careful of that.”  We learned earlier that God granted the request of the children of God for food, but he sent leanness to their souls.  Sometimes He also grants our requests and sends leanness to our souls. He had God’s direct answer, but he didn’t like that.  God permits him to go.  Now God sends His angel, but this prophet does not have the mind of God at all.  We can see that he has no spiritual discernment, not even of the animal. So, the Lord opens the mouth of the ass, and she spoke to Balaam, asking why is he hitting her.  This is a miracle of course.  God is using this method to get His message across. The angel warned Balaam again that he was to speak only the word which the Lord will tell him.  Balaam goes on his way and arrives at the location where Israel is encamped. Balak takes him to the top of a mountain where he can see the camp of Israel below.

It is a dangerous thing to bargain over the will of God. Using one’s gifts to make money is “the way of Balaam” (2 Pet. 2:15-16), a sin that God condemns.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

The Last Complaint Numbers 21

 

Numbers 21 The Last Complaint

 

The Lord listened to the voice of Israel and delivered the Canaanites into their hand.  They now must go by Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea since they were forbidden to go into the land of Edom. The way is hard and becomes very discouraging to the people. When life is hard we complain.  The Israelites are now complaining about the manna. I think the Lord is getting tired of their complaining.  They say that their soul hates this manna. They don’t want it. God is displeased with their complaining and judges them.  He sent “fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much of Israel died.”  Now the people are ready to admit that they have sinned against the Lord and against Moses.  They can’t come to God with the promise that from now on they will be good because they won’t be good.  But they can believe God, and God is going to let them come to Him by faith.  They are to look at the brazen serpent that Moses made of brass.  They are to look at it in faith.  Not as an idol but in obedience and trust in God’s spoken word. We must look to Christ! He has taken our place on the cross.  He didn’t deserve to die.  He did it for us. You and me. Those who looked at this serpent of brass lived, those who didn’t look, died.

Now the Israelites are moving on. They go to the River Arnon, then on to Beer. The princes and nobles dug a well and now the Israelites are thanking God for the provision that He made for them in supplying water. After that they ask King Sihon of the Amorites for permission to pass through this land. Sihon refuses and God gave Israel the victory of the battle between them. Still the children march on.  They are singing praises to God and God is giving them victory.  God will help them against Moab too.  After that, they will be entering the promised land. 

It is so much easier to praise God and receive His blessings than it is to complain and suffer the consequences of our complaining.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Back at Kadesh Numbers 20

 

Numbers 20 – Back at Kadesh

 

The Israelites had been in Kadesh almost thirty-eight years before and now they are back again, going nowhere. Once again, there is no water for the congregation.  They are complaining, whining, and murmuring.  This is the 7^th time they complained.  When they arrived here, Miriam had died and was buried. Nothing else was mentioned here about her funeral or anything else.

We all need to recognize that we are not here permanently.  All of us are just pilgrims passing through this world; we won’t be in any one place for long.  So, we shouldn’t spend so much time complaining.

When the Israelites complained, the glory of the Lord appeared. God was not pleased with their complaining. If we are whining and complaining saints, we are not pleasing to God. God tells them to “take Aaron’s rod, Gather the assembly and speak to the rock.” Now Moses is complaining. He has been with them all of forty years in the wilderness and he is getting tired of them. Moses becomes angry and does something he should not have done. He should not have smitten the rock. It had already been smitten the first time they came through Kadesh. The rock is a type of Christ.  Christ suffered once for our sins, never the second time. God told him to speak to the rock, that is all he needed to do.  The water came out abundantly.  The error of Moses did not keep the water from coming out.  God shows his graciousness in this. Moses and Aaron took the credit upon themselves for this miracle.

We are to believe God and yield to Him in all things. We come now to the death of Aaron.  Aaron knew forty years of rugged experience in the wilderness, but he never knew what it was to sit down and enjoy the fruits of the Promised land.  He did not know what it was to drink the milk and eat the honey in the land. Many of us rob ourselves of that because of our unbelief. The Israelites mourned for thirty days. Eleazar became priest. Israel has finished the wilderness journey and now gets ready to enter the promised land. God has a ‘promised land” into which He wants to bring us today.  Christ is the one who can bring us there right now.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

The Red Heifer Offering Numbers 19

 

Numbers 19- The Red Heifer Offering

 

This is the first time an offering is to be a female animal.  When the children of Israel were on the march and a man sinned, they couldn’t stop right there, put up the tabernacle, and go through the ritual of offering a trespass offering or a sin offering. So, they would take the ashes of this heifer, mix those ashes with running water, then with hyssop sprinkle the individual who sinned.

If we walk in the light, what do we see?  We see that we are dirty, and that we need cleaning.  The Spirit of God convicts us.  The Word tells us that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son cleanses us from all sins. Christian people get cleaned up for church, but to God they smell worse because they are dirty. They come with dirty eyes from looking at things they shouldn’t have been seeing. They come with dirty hears from hearing things they shouldn’t have listened to. Some have dirty hands because they have been doing things they shouldn’t have done.  Some have dirty feet because they have been walking where they shouldn’t have walked. They think that coming to church makes everything alright. Well, it’s not alright, we need to come to God for cleansing. Sometimes we need to go to Him two or three times everyday and tell Him that we have been wrong.  We shouldn’t have seen this, done that, or said that.  The only way that we can do that is to confess our sins. Make it right and have fellowship with God.

This offering of the red heifer is a marvelous offering.  It kept the children of Israel sweet on the wilderness march so that they may walk in fellowship with Him. 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

God is Our inheritance Numbers 18

 

Numbers 18  God is Our Inheritance

 

Korah was a Levite; the rebellion arose within the tribe of Levi.  It was very serious.  God told them they were responsible. You and I are responsible for our Christian testimony, for our families, and for our church.

It is true that when there is sin in the church, you and I bear a certain amount of responsibility.

Aaron could not elevate himself by pointing out that he is God’s elect, the one whom God has chosen as the high priest.  God’s man is to walk in humility.  God’s man bears responsibility.  God outlines for them that Aaron and his sons, oversee the sanctuary, the vessels of the sanctuary, and the altar. The priesthood was to be sustained by their part of the offerings and the entire “wave offering” was given to the priest.

 A covenant of salt became a covenant of permanent obligation. Aaron and all the Levites were to have no part in the land.  God, Himself was their inheritance. God provided support for the Levites, and He expects the church to support their ministers. It is a wonderful thing to have God as our inheritance, and to have Him as our paymaster and to look to Him for every need.  The Lord placed the Levites in that position.  They lived by faith! God told the Levites that they were to offer a tenth part of what they received. The Christian worker is to give to the Lord’s work also.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

Aaron's Office Confirmed Numbers 17

 

Numbers 17 – Aaron’s Office Confirmed

The children of Israel were complaining against Aaron saying that he was not the only one who could represent them before God.  It was a rebellion against him. God had a prince of each tribe bring a rod.  These rods were dead wood picked from the desert.  Then these rods were placed before the Lord in the tabernacle.  Aaron’s rod was there among the others, and his rod was a dead as all the others. Aaron’s rod brought forth buds, and blossoms, and fruit!  This is a perfect illustration of the resurrection of Christ in Aaron’s rod that budded. “And no man takes this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron’s.”  Hebrews 5:4. Aaron’s rod that budded and blossomed and brought forth almonds is to be kept for a testimony and for a token.  This rod was one of the three items which were kept in the ark of the covenant.  The others were the Ten Commandments and the Golden Pot of manna.  Aaron’s rod settled the question as to the priesthood of Aaron.

God vindicated His servants by giving life to Aaron’s rod.  By the power of God, the dead rod produced beauty and fruit.  Spiritual leadership will be recognized by its life and fruitfulness, which come from being in the Holy of Holies with God.

 

 

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Rebellion Against Authority Numbers 16

 

Numbers 16 – Rebellion Against Authority

 

Korah was a leader of great authority.  Associated with him were 250 princes of the assembly who were also men of authority.  A rebellion to be effective must have prominent men behind it. The charges Korah made to Moses were not true to the facts. Moses was not taking too much upon himself. Even after God had trained him in the wilderness, he didn’t want the job.  He asked for a helper, and God gave him Aaron.  Moses was the meekest man on earth. All authority is God-given.  No man takes this honor upon himself.  God had given the places in the camp, and He had given the Levites their specific jobs to do.  Korah was a Kohathite, and their position and service were God-appointed. Korah’s jealousy was what started the rebellion.  A great deal of rebellion among the churches can be found rooted in one thing – jealousy! We are to recognize that all authority is God-given.

When God saves you, He puts you in the body by baptism.  If you are a Christian, you have been given a gift, and you are to use that gift as you function in the body of believers.

Because the duties of Moses and Aaron were appointed by God, the complaints were directed at God. Every man was to take his censer, put incense in it and come to the tabernacle.

It is a terrible thing for a man or group of men to disobey God and His divinely appointed leaders.  God must deal with this kind of rebellion, and He must judge it.  God judges them in the same way in which they sinned.  He divides the people to separate them from Korah and his group.  And then He divides the earth, and it closes upon them. Gal. 6:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap.”

The next day they charge Moses and Aaron with murdering the rebels! Moses and Aaron didn’t do it, God did.

The man they rebelled against is the very man who saved them.  He stood between them and God.  Likewise, the very One whom the human family crucified on the Cross is the One who saves us.  He stands between God and the sinner.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

God's Purpose is Not Destroyed Numbers 15

 

Numbers 15 – God’s Purpose is Not Destroyed

 

Forty years later, Israel in a new generation entered the land and when they did, they were expected to take time to Thank God and worship Him.

God made the provision for the forgiveness of unintentional sin.

There is a great deal of debate about whether the heathen, who have never heard the Gospel, are lost.  They are not lost because they are ignorant of the Gospel.  They are lost because they are sinners.  Sins of ignorance had to have an offering.  Innocent animals had to die to provide forgiveness, just as Jesus had to die to make our cleansing possible.

God made no provision for presumptuous sin, for such sinners were despising God’s Word and defying His authority. God in His mercy could forgive such sin, as He did with David (2 Sam. 12).

The border of blue in the fringes of their garments, is a heavenly color and was to remind them of the fact that they were God’s people, and they were to have a heavenly walk down here on this earth.  There are many believers today who need to have that “border of blue” to remind them that as God’s children they are set apart and are to live for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Israel Refuses to Enter the Promised Land

 

Numbers 14 – Israel Refuses to Enter the Promised Land

 

“And wherefore has the Lord brought us into this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey?  Were it not better for us to return to Egypt?” Numbers 14:3

Do you know who it was that entered the land? It was their children -that next generation.  The parents sat there and cried and said thy were thinking of the safety of the children.  The fact of the matter is that God was thinking of the safety of the children, and He brought them into the land.

When the spies came from searching the land, Caleb and Joshua, brought the same facts as the others.  The difference was because they included God. Caleb and Joshua insisted that if God would delight in them, He would bring them into the land. God was displeased with the other spies and said, “I’ll destroy them and make a nation from you (Moses) to fulfill My promises.” Moses reminds God that the rumor will go around that although He was able to bring them out of Egypt, He was not able to put them into the land. God then agrees to go ahead with them and put the next generation of Israel into the land.

God will complete the plan He had for you when He saved you.  And He will complete the plan He is working on now for the entire earth, because the time is coming when the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord.

The generation that complained did not enter the land.  Joshua and Caleb are the only ones whom God singles out from the people.  God promises that they shall enter the land. Their children were brought safely into the land they had despised. God tells the parents that they will wander in the wilderness for forty years – one year for each day the spies were in the land. The ten spies who brought the evil report and led in the rebellion died of a plague. They had lost their opportunity.  Now they parents presume to go up.  This is presumption.  Faith is not presumption! They again want to go their way rather than God’s way.  There can be no victory when there is no submission to the will of God.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Misinterpretation of Facts Numbers 13

 

Numbers 13 Misinterpretation of Facts

 

If you read Deuteronomy 1:20-22 you will see that it was not God’s idea to send spies into the land of Canaan. God was leading Israel to the land He had promised them.  Their request for spies reveals a lack of faith on their part.  They are not trusting Him: God had already been in and spied out the land.  He knew all about it.  He would not have sent them into the land unless He knew they could take it.  When they finally did enter the land, the giants were still there; all the difficulties and problems were still there, yet they took the land. “Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.”  Psalm 37:5.

God yields to the desires of His people.  He permitted Israel to send spies into the land. We are told the places they went and that they saw the children of Anak. They were giants. They brought back samples of the fruit to show what a wonderful land it was.  The report confirmed that God was accurate when He said it was a land flowing with milk and honey.  They were right in their facts, but they misinterpreted the facts. There were giants, but the men thought they were bigger than they were.  They looked bigger because these men were afraid.  They forgot to include God!  They compared themselves to the giants as grasshoppers.  That is the way they saw themselves.  If only they had put God in, what a different story it would have been.

The minority report was “Let’s go in and take the land.  We are well able to do it.”  The majority report was “We can’t do it.”  The people believed the majority report.  They didn’t believe they could take the land because they lacked faith in God.

When we are forced with storms in our life, with problems we perceive to be too big for us to handle, we must turn it over to God.  He knows all about it and knows how to handle it. Don’t tell God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is. Relax God is taking care of everything.

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

Jealousy Numbers 12

 

Numbers 12 - Jealousy

 

“And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses?  Has He not spoken also by us?  And the Lord heard it. This is Aaron and Miriam complaining and being jealous of Moses’ relationship with God.  God tells them it is He that chooses the prophets.  Also, He says that Moses is greater than the others – he is faithful in all My house.  God says that He deals differently with him than with any other prophet. He speaks with Moses directly. God appeared in dreams to Abraham.  He appeared in dreams to Joseph.  But God dealt with Moses face to face.

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”  Deut. 18:18.

Because of Miriam’s jealousy, Miriam became leprous which was God’s severe judgment on her. Moses prayed to the Lord for her – how forgiving and gracious Moses was! Although God healed her, she had to be shut out from the camp for seven days, and the people could not journey while she was out of camp.  Aaron was not struck with leprosy because he was God’s High Priest.  If he were a leper he could not serve in that capacity; Israel would have had no intercessor to stand between them and God. It was Aaron who pleaded with Moses.  The judgment was caused by the jealousy in both, but Miriam was the leader in it.

If you are in leadership, expect criticism, even from your family. Moses did not defend himself, he waited for God to act. If we defend ourselves, we may be hindering the Lord from defending us. The sin of criticism is far more serious than most people realize.  Let us turn to God when we are criticised.  He sees, He knows, He conquers.  He is our great defender.

 

 

Please read the chapter listed so that you can understand God’s Word better.

If you have missed any lessons, you can go to: God Plans For You at https://sherrysouthard.blogspot.com.

J. Vernon McGee Commentary and Nelson’s Quick Reference Commentary.

 

 

The Complaint of the People Numbers 11

 

Numbers 11 – The Complaint of the People

 

Every time the people complained, the glory of the Lord appeared.  He was displeased with their groaning and their complaining. Who started this? It was the mixed multitude. They were products of mixed marriages.  Each of them had one parent back in Egypt and one parent in the camp of Israel.  They were Egyptian enough to like Egypt, and they were Israelite enough to want to go on the wilderness journey.  We have people in our churches like that today.  They want to be moral and live upstanding lives; so, they join a church. Then during the week, they run with the world.  They are a mixed multitude. They are not sure if they are born again- they don’t know their pedigree.  They are not quite clear about what they believe.  They are never happy when others are having a real time of spiritual blessing.  They’re uncomfortable in the church, but they are also uncomfortable in the world.

The children of Israel became infected with this complaining, and they began to weep along with the mixed multitude.  They start to complain about the manna.  They have the manna to eat, and it is miraculously provided by God every day, but they don’t like it. When they went through the wilderness, their feet did not swell. They did not get sick from the manna.  That manna had all the necessary vitamins in it. It was God’s food. That manna speaks of Christ. How many Christians get tired of manna today?

Moses wasn’t a perfect man.  He was just a plain human being who was mightily used of God.  Moses said he would rather be dead than go through what he was going through with this crowd! Moses made a mistake in complaining like this to God.  Moses said that he was the one who was bearing all these people. Well, he wasn’t.  God was bearing them and bearing Moses. God very patiently, provides some assistance for Moses. Seventy elders were appointed. God had called Moses to lead the people, and God would provide the strength for Moses to do that. If you feel that you are overworked or that you are doing too much, maybe you really are.  Maybe you are doing more than God wants you to do. When they asked for Quail God answered their prayer but gave them leanness in their soul. God tells Moses that for a whole month they will eat flesh until it becomes loathsome to them. They demonstrated real gluttony. God judges those things. “For if we judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”  I Cor. 11:31-31.