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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
NUMBERS 33
LESSON #33
THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE POSSESSION OF GODS PROMISE
v MEMORYVERSE: HEB 13:5b
v READ NUM 33:1
Ø CHAPTER 33 IS A JOURNAL OF THEISRAELITES JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS. IT IS NOT INTERESTING READING BECAUSE ITIS SIMPLY A LIST OF ALL THE LOCATIONS WHERE THEY CAMPED. BECAUSE THERE ARE NO DETAILSGIVEN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED IN EACH LOCATION, IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ. IN FACT, IT IS LIKEREADING A ROAD MAP.
§ WHY DO YOU THINK GOD PUTTHIS CHAPTER IN THE BIBLE?
· BECAUSE GOD LOVED HIS PEOPLE, HEWATCHED OVER THEM EVERY PLACE THEY WENT. HE WALKED WITH THEM EVERY STEP OF THE WAY…EVENWHEN THEY COMPLAINED, REBELLED, AND SINNED AGAINST GOD, HE WAS WITH THEM. CONTINUALLY HEHAD HIS HAND OF LOVE ON THEM.
¨ PERSONALLY, I THINK THIS CHAPTER IS IN THEBIBLE TO SHOW US THE IMPORTANCE OF GODS ABIDING PRESENCE. EVERY MINUTE GOD NOTICESWHERE WE ARE. THATS WHY HEBREWS SAYS THAT GOD WILL NEVER FORSAKE US. (HEB 13:5)
Ø DAVID UNDERSTOOD THIS CONCEPT OF GODSPRESENCE WHEN, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, HE WROTE PSA139.
§ READ PSA 139:1-12.
· WHEN JESUS PHYSICALLY LEFT THISEARTH, HE SAID HE WOULD NOT LEAVE US COMFORTLESS. (JOH 14:18) LITERALLY THAT MEANS HE WILLNOT LEAVE US LIKE ORPHANS. HE LEFT THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO LIVES INSIDE OF US, TO BE AN EVER-PRESENT GUIDE IN OUR LIFE. YOU CANNOT BE ANY PLACE WHERE THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT THERE WITHYOU.
¨ DISCUSSION:
¨ WHY DO WE SOMETIMES FEEL AS THOUGH GOD HASFORSAKEN US?
§ THE POEM, FOOTPRINTSIN THE SAND IS VERY APPROPRIATE HERE:
ONE NIGHT A MAN LAY DREAMING
ON A BEACH OF WHITEST SAND,
AND HE COULD SEE HIS LIFE AS FOOTSTEPS,
SOMETIMES QUICK AND SOMETIMES SLOW.
ON THE HIGHEST POINTS OF HAPPY TIMES,
TWO SETS OF FOOTPRINTS COULD HE SEE:
HE NODDED TO HIMSELF AND THOUGHT,
THE LORD IS ALWAYS WITH ME..
TROUBLED, THEN HE NOTICED
IN TIMES OF SORROW AND STRIFE,
THERE WAS ONLY ONE SET OF FOOTSTEPS
PASSING THROUGH HIS LIFE.
LORD, HE WHISPERED SADLY,
SO MUCH TROUBLE I HAVE SEEN,
DURING TIMES IVE NEEDED YOU MOST,
WHERE, OH WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?
THEN HE HEARD THE LORDS VOICE SAYING,
ALWAYS KNOW THAT THIS IS TRUE,
DURING ALL YOUR SADDEST DAYS
IT WAS I WHO CARRIED YOU.
v READ NUM 33:51-56 THE LAW OF THE POSSESSION OF THE LAND
Ø GODS MERCIFUL INSTRUCTIONS TO THEISRAELITES:
§ -1- THEY MUST DRIVE OUT ALLTHE INHABITANTS OF THE LAND.
· IT IS OBVIOUS THAT TO FULFIL THISCOMMAND, THEY MUST GO TO WAR AND KILL ALL THE INHABITANTS THAT DID NOT FLEE.
· BIBLE SKEPTICS POINT TO THISCOMMAND AS CRUEL, UNJUST, AND INHUMANE.
¨ READ PSA 24:1
Ø TO WHOM DOES THE LAND BELONG? GOD.
§ THEREFORE, IT IS GOD WHODETERMINES WHO IS TO TAKE POSSESSION OF IT. THAT IS NOT ONLY TRUE OF ISRAEL BUT EVERYPLACE ON THIS EARTH. GOD IS THE ONE WHO CREATED IT. IT IS MAN WHO HAS DETERMINED THAT LANDBELONGS TO WHOMEVER HAS THE STRENGTH AND POWER TO POSSESS IT. WHILE GOD HAS CREATED THISEARTH, IT IS ONLY THE TINY LAND OF ISRAEL THAT HE HAS SPECIFIED BY COVENANT WHICH PEOPLESHOULD POSSESS IT.
· WHEN DID GOD PROMISE THIS LAND TOTHE JEWS? (GEN 13:14-17)
¨ EVERY PLACE THAT ABRAHAM WALKED WAS GIVEN TOHIM AND THE JEWS FOREVER. HOW FAR DID ABRAHAM WALK? HE WALKED FROM UR (IRAQ) TO HARAN TOEGYPT.
¨ NOTICE THIS IS A PERPETUAL COVENANT PROMISEDBY GOD.
§ WHO WERE THE INHABITANTS OFTHE LAND?
· WHEN WE UNDERSTAND WHO THESEPEOPLE WERE, WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND GODS COMMAND.
¨ THESE PEOPLE WERE PAGAN PEOPLE CALLEDNEPHILIM (THE HEBREW WORD MEANS = FALLEN ONES) OR ANAKIMS OREMIMS (DEU 2:10) = THESE ARE ARELATED RACE OF PEOPLE TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH AS GIANTS. WE FIRST SEE THEM INTHE BIBLE IN GEN 6:2-4. THEY WERE THE DESCENDANTS FROM EVIL ANGELS THAT HAD SEX WITH HUMANWOMEN. SATAN SENT THEM TO POLLUTE THE BLOOD LINE OF CHRIST. IT WAS BECAUSE OF THEM THATGOD SENT THE FLOOD. THESE GIANTS WERE TOTALLY DESTROYED IN THE FLOOD OF NOAH. HOWEVER,THEY EVIDENTLY RE-POPULATED THE EARTH AFTER THE FLOOD BECAUSE WE FIND SUCH A RACE OFPEOPLE IN NUM 13:33. THEY HAD 6 FINGERS AND 6 TOES AND WERE VERY TALL AND POWERFUL. (2SAM21:20 1CHR 20:6) THE MOST FAMOUS ONE WASGOLIATH WHO WAS KILLED BY DAVID. JOSHUA FOUGHT AGAINST THESE PEOPLE WHEN THE ISRAELITESTOOK POSSESSION OF THE PROMISE LAND. AT THAT TIME JOSHUA DESTROYED MOST OF THEM (JOS11:21-22) BUT NOT ALL. THAT IS WHY SOME STILL LIVED IN THE LAND WHEN DAVID KILLED GOLIATH.
¨ JUST LIKE THE FLOOD DESTROYED ALL THESEGIANTS, THE ISRAELITES WERE TO KILL ALL THESE PEOPLE WHEN THEY TOOK POSSESSION OF THEPROMISE LAND. THEY DID NOT FULLY COMPLETE GODS COMMAND. THEREFORE, SOME, LIKEGOLIATH, REMAINED TO PERSECUTE THE JEWS. AFTER DAVIDS TIME, THIS RACE OF GIANTSEVENTUALLY DIED OUT.
§ -2- THEY WERE TO DESTROYALL THE PAGAN IDOLS AND OBJECTS OF PAGAN RELIGION.
§ -3- THEY WERE TO DESTROYALL THE PLACES OF PAGAN WORSHIP. IN THE BIBLE THESE LOCATIONS ARE CALLED HIGHPLACES. PAGAN RELIGIONS BUILT TEMPLES AND ALTARS ON MOUNTAIN TOPS.
· WHAT WAS THEIR PAGAN RELIGIONLIKE?
¨ THEIR PRACTICE OF WORSHIP INCLUDEDPROSTITUTION AND THE MOST VILE OF SEXUAL SINS. THESE PEOPLE WERE FILLED WITH A NUMBER OFSEXUAL DISEASES.
¨ THESE PAGAN PEOPLE WERE LOCATED AT THECROSSROADS OF THE WORLD. ALL TRADE ROUTES BY LAND AND SEA WENT THROUGH THE LAND OF THEPHILISTINES AND ALL ARMIES MARCHED THROUGH THIS LAND TO CONQUER NEW TERRITORIES. THESE PEOPLE WERE AT THE CROSSROADS WHERE THEYCOULD PERVERT ALL OF HUMANITY. GOD WANTED THEM REPLACED WITH GODLY PEOPLE. BECAUSE GOD ISA MERCIFUL GOD, HE MADE A TOUGH DECISION TO DESTROY THESE PEOPLE TO PRESERVE THE NEXTGENERATION.
Ø NOTICE THE PROPHETIC PROMISE IN VERSE 55 THATIF ANY OF THESE PEOPLE REMAINED THEY WOULD BE PRICKS IN YOUR EYES AND THORNS IN YOURSIDE. THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY DAVID HAD TO FIGHT GOLIATH.
v APPLICATION:
Ø WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS CHAPTER?
§ GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US.
§ WE MUST NOT JUDGEGODS WAYS. WHEN WE DO, IT IS USUALLY BECAUSE WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THEM.
§ GOD IS A JUST GOD AND AMERCIFUL GOD WHO ALWAYS ACTS IN LOVE TOWARD THOSE WHO HAVE A HEART FOR HIM.
§ WE, AS CHRISTIANS, MUSTFREE OURSELVES FROM PAGAN RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN ORDER TO BE FULLY COMMITTED TO GOD ANDPOSSESS HIS PROMISES.
v HOMEWORK
v NUMBERS34-36
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY.PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER.
v APPLICATION OF NUM 33
Ø HAVE YOU FELT, AT TIMES, THAT GOD HADABANDONED YOU?
§ WHAT CAUSES YOU TO FEELTHIS WAY?
§ FIND SOME BIBLE VERSES THATPROVE TO YOU GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU.
v PREPARATION FOR NUM 34-36
Ø READ THESE THREE CHAPTERS
§ NUM 35:6-15
· WHAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THECITIES OF REFUGE?
· WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENTSIGNIFICANCE OF THE CITIES OF REFUGE? (A PREFIGURE OF CHRIST)
MEMORY VERSE: PSALMS 9:9 OR PROVERBS 14:26
