The Heart of God: Exodus through Joshua (5)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Numbers 10, 13, 14, 21.1-9, and chapter 33.
Numbers tells us about what happened with God’s people between the time He renewed His covenant with them at Mt. Sinai, and they actually reached the land of Canaan to enter it. Poised to enter the promises of God’s covenant, Israel demurred – only to be led back to the brink years later.

For reflection
1.  Getting to the promises of God’s covenant involved Israel in a journey. They had to move in a particular direction, by a particular means, in order to gain what God had promised. What is the significance of Numbers 10.33-36, and how should we apply Israel’s Numbers experience to our own life in God’s covenant?

2.  What kept the people of Israel from laying hold on the promises of God as they first approached the land? What warning is there for us in their failure?

3.  We note that of the two spies who kept alive the hope of gaining God’s promises, one was named Joshua. See if you can find what the name Joshua means. Is it significant that the Greek form of that name is Jesus?

4.  God may be seen to have been testing Moses in the first part of chapter 14. What did Moses invoke so that God would not destroy His people (Num. 14.15-17)? What does this suggest about Moses’ understanding of God’s covenant? How did God show that Moses had passed the test?

5.  Reflect on the episode of the brazen serpent (chapter 21). What situation created the need for this? What was it about merely looking at that serpent that saved sinful men and women? In view of Jesus’ comment in John 3.14, 15, what do we learn from this episode about God’s people and God’s redemptive plan?

Summary
We’ve raced through Numbers, bypassing along the way many important aspects of God’s Law which His people would need in order to be a people holy to the Lord. But Numbers shows us two things: First, that we can expect many obstacles in our pursuit of God’s promises. And, second, that God will never fail us as we turn and seek Him faithfully, according to His Word. Suggest one application of the book of Numbers for your own walk with and work for the Lord.

Closing Prayer
Then they despised the pleasant land;
They did not believe His word,
But complained in their tents,
And did not heed the voice of the LORD.
Therefore He raised His hand in an oath against them,
To overthrow them in the wilderness,
To overthrow their descendants among the nations,
And to scatter them in the lands.
They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor,
And ate sacrifices made to the dead.
Thus they provoked Him to anger with their deeds,
And the plague broke out among them…
Save us, O LORD our God,
And gather us from among the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the LORD!

Psalm 106.24-29, 47, 48

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understand the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your God develops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.