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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
NUMBERS 13
LESSON #15
THE NATURE OF TESTS OF FAITH
v MEMORY VERSE: 2COR 5:7 or PSA 37:5
v THE ISRAELITES CAME TO KADESH WHERE GOD TESTED THEIR FAITH.
Ø PERIODICALLY GOD WILL TEST YOUR FAITH. THE TEST IS NOT BECAUSE GOD ISIGNORANT OF HOW YOU WILL REACT OR THE NATURE OF YOUR FAITH, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE IGNORANTAS TO HOW YOU WILL REACT. OFTEN WE THINK WE HAVE FAITH UNTIL THE TEST COMES AND WE FINDOUT OUR FAITH IS NOT AS STRONG AS WE THOUGHT. IT IS THROUGH TESTS LIKE THESE THAT WE CANLEARN THE MOST ABOUT OURSELVES. THEREFORE, WE SHOULD NOT DESPISE THESE TESTS OF OUR FAITHBUT LEARN FROM THEM.
v READ NUM 13:1-3 THE 12 SPIES
Ø WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO SEND THE 12 SPIES?
§ FROM THE ACCOUNT IN NUMBERS 13, IT SEEMS TO BE GODS IDEA.
· READ DEU 1:20-22
¨ FROM THE ACCOUNT IN DEUTERONOMY, IT SEEMS THAT THE IDEA CAME FROM A MAJORITYOF THE PEOPLE.
§ IT SEEMS WE CAN CONCLUDE THAT THE IDEA STARTED AMONG THE PEOPLE AND GODPERMITTED IT.
· IF THE BELIEVER IS SUPPOSED TO WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT, GODSWORD WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM TO TAKE IMMEDIATE POSSESSION OF THE PROMISEDLAND. THEY DID NOT NEED TO SEND SPIES TO SEE THE LAND BEFORE THEY DECIDED TO CAPTURE IT.
· IN NUMBERS 13, AFTER THE PEOPLE DEMONSTRATE A LACK OF FAITH. GOD PERMITSTHEM TO LIVE IN HIS PERMISSIVE WILL AND DIRECTS THEM HOW TO PERFORM THE TASK OF CHOOSINGTHE 12 SPIES.
· REMEMBER THAT LIVING IN GODS PERMISSIVE WILL BRINGS LEANNESS TO YOURSOUL (PSA 106:15).
Ø WHAT CAUSED THE PEOPLE TO HAVE A LACK OF FAITH?
§ UNBELIEF…THEY DID NOT TRUST GOD ENOUGH TO BELIEVE WHAT HE TOLD THEM.
§ FEAR…USUALLY MAN FEARS THE UNKNOWN. FEAR IS THE OPPOSITE OF FAITH.
Ø THEY SENT A LEADER FROM EACH OF THE 12 TRIBES INTO THE PROMISED LAND TOBRING BACK A REPORT.
§ THERE ARE TWO SPIES FROM THE LIST IN WHICH WE ARE INTERESTED: CALEB FROM THETRIBE OF JUDAH IN VERSE 6 AND JOSHUA FROM THE TRIBE OF EPHRAIM IN VERSE 8.
v READ NUM 13:17-20 THE COMMISSION OF THE 12 SPIES
Ø WHAT WERE THE SPIES TO LOOK FOR?
§ THEY WERE TO LOOK FOR THE CONDITION OF THE LAND
· THIS PART OF THEIR TASK IS MENTIONED 3 TIMES. (VS. 18, VS. 19, VS. 20) THEYSHOULD CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:
¨ IS IT FERTILE LAND?
¨ WHAT KINDS OF CROPS GROW THERE?
¨ ARE THERE TREES?
¨ THE SIZE AND CONDITION OF THE TRIBES WHO LIVED THERE.
¨ THE SIZE, STRENGTH, AND CONDITION OF THEIR CITIES
v READ NUM 13:21-25 THE GEOGRAPHYOF THEIR SEARCH
Ø THE TWELVE SPIES WERE TO COVER ALL THE LENGTH OF THE PROMISED LAND. ITEXTENDED FROM THE WILDERNESS OF ZIN TO REHOB IN THE FAR NORTH. THE SPIES DID A GOOD JOB.THEY COVERED ABOUT 200 MILES IN 40 DAYS.
§ THE NUMBER 40 IN THE BIBLE IS THE NUMBER OF TESTING.
· REMEMBER JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY SATAN IN THE WILDERNESS FOR 40 DAYS. IN NOAHSFLOOD, IT RAINED 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS. THE ISRAELITES WANDERED IN THE WILDERNESS FORFORTY YEARS.
Ø THE SPIES BROUGHT BACK AN ABUNDANCE OF FRUIT FROM HEBRON. THE GRAPES WERE SOFULL AND HEAVY, IT TOOK 2 MEN TO CARRY ONE BUNCH.
v READ NUM 13:26-30 THE MAJORITY REPORT AND THE MINORITY REPORT
Ø THE MAJORITY REPORT:
§ GOD WAS RIGHT! IT WAS A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.
· WHAT DOES THE PHRASE MILK AND HONEY MEAN?
¨ THE PHRASE IS USED 23 TIMES IN THE BIBLE AND REFERS TO TWO DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES.
Ø MILK REFERS TO ANIMALS AND PASTURE LAND.
Ø HONEY REFERS TO FARMING AND FRUIT TREES.
§ A BETTER ENGLISH WORD FOR TRANSLATING HONEY WOULD BE JAM…THETHICK SYRUP MADE FROM FRUIT TREES.
¨ THE LAND OF ISRAEL GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVIDES ITSELF INTO TWO DIFFERENT LIFESTYLES BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF RAINFALL.
Ø THE NORTHWEST PART OF ISRAEL IS THE FARM LAND WITH THE GREATEST AMOUNT OFRAINFALL–THE LAND OF HONEY.
Ø THE NORTHEAST PART OF ISRAEL IS A MIXTURE OF FARMING AND HERDING. IT HAS THESECOND HIGHEST RAINFALL.
Ø THE SOUTHWEST PART AND THE SOUTHEAST PART OF ISRAEL IS TOO DRY FOR FARMING.IN THESE TWO AREAS THERE IS HERDING. THEREFORE THIS IS THE LAND OF MILK.
§ THE REALISTIC FACTS: (28-29)
· THE HEATHEN PEOPLE ARE STRONG.
· THERE ARE LARGE, WALLED CITIES.
· THEY GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATED EACH OF THE HEATHEN PEOPLES.
· THE HEATHEN PEOPLE WERE VERY TALL.
§ THE NEGATIVE INTERPRETATION OF THE FACTS: (31)
· WE CANT DEFEAT THESE GIANTS!
· THE PEOPLE ARE STRONGER THAN WE ARE!
§ THE MAGNIFICATION OF THE NEGATIVE (THE EVIL REPORT)(32-33)
· THE LAND EATS THE INHABITANTS!
· THE MEN WERE SO TALL, WE LOOKED LIKE GRASSHOPPERS!
¨ USUALLY WHEN FAITH IS LOW AND FEAR COMES IN, WE MAGNIFY THE NEGATIVE. WE MAGNIFY SATANS POWER. WEMAGNIFY OUR OWN WEAKNESS AND FAILURE. WE MAGNIFY THE VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS RATHER THANTHE SPIRITUAL CHARACTERISTICS. IN THE SAME WAY AS THEY, WE LEAVE GOD OUT. OF COURSE, IT ISTRUE THAT WITHOUT GOD, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE.
Ø THE MINORITY REPORT: (30)
§ THERE WERE TWO MOVE-ERS AMONG THE 12 SPIES. THEY WERE CALEB ANDJOSHUA.
· THEY WERE THE ONLY TWO WHO KEPT GOD IN VIEW. THEY SAW THE POSSIBILITIESTHROUGH THE EYES OF FAITH. CALEBS POSITIVE PROFESSION OF FAITH DOES NOT HIDE FROMTHE REALISTIC FACTS THAT SEEM SO OVERWHELMINGLY NEGATIVE, BUT TRUSTS GODS POTENTIALOVER THE REALISTIC FACTS.
¨ CALEB AND JOSHUA WERE THE ONLY TWO WHO TRUSTED GOD ENOUGH TO TAKE IMMEDIATEPOSSESSION OF THE LAND. AS A RESULT, OF ALL THE PEOPLE STANDING THERE THAT DAY, THEY WOULDBE THE ONLY 2 PEOPLE WHO WOULD ENTER THE PROMISED LAND 40 YEARS LATER. IN FACT, THE LANDTHAT WAS LATER GIVEN TO CALEB WAS NEAR HEBRON WHERE THE GIANTS WERE LOCATED. BY THEN CALEBWAS AN OLD MAN AND THE LAND WAS HILLY, BUT CALEBS FAITH REMAINED STRONG.
v DISCUSSION:
Ø WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A POSITIVE CONFESSION OFFAITH AND A VERY REALISTIC VIEW OF THINGS?
§ CAN YOU BE REALISTIC AND STILL MAINTAIN STRONG FAITH? HOW?
v HOW CAN YOU RECOGNIZE AN EVIL REPORT?
Ø REMEMBER AN EVIL REPORT IS THE MAGNIFICATION OF THE NEGATIVE REALITIES THATDESTROY FAITH. IT IS A CONCENTRATION UPON THE NEGATIVE ASPECTS.
§ HOW TO DETECT A PERSON CARRYING AN EVIL REPORT:
· A CARRIER WILL TEST YOUR SPIRIT FOR RECEPTIVITY. IF YOU ENCOURAGE HIM, HELLTELL YOU HIS REPORT.
· HE WILL CHECK YOUR RECEPTIVITY BYSAYING ONE NEGATIVE THING BEFORE GIVING YOU THE FULL DETAILS.
· HE WILL GET YOU TO ASK FOR THEEVIL REPORT BY RAISING YOUR CURIOSITY LEVEL.
· HE WILL COVER THE REPORT WITHWORDS OF CONCERN OR COUNSELING.
· HE WILL USE EVIL REPORTS TOOBTAIN YOUR ADMIRATION FOR HAVING INSIDE INFORMATION.
· HE WILL USE VIVID DETAILS OFEVIL.
§ BEFORE ACCEPTING A REPORT,TEST IT. ASK:
· WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS?
· WHERE DID YOU GET THEINFORMATION?
· HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT ALL THEFACTS?
· CAN I QUOTE YOU, IF I CHECK ITOUT?
v APPLICATION:
Ø STEP #10 IN BECOMING A MOVE-ER INTHE KINGDOM OF GOD.
§ ALWAYS KEEP GOD PRIMARY INTHE SITUATION.
· YOU CANNOT AVOID HEARING EVILREPORTS THAT DESTROY FAITH, BUT YOU CAN AVOID MAKING THEM A PART OF YOU, AND YOU CAN AVOIDPASSING THEM ON TO OTHER PEOPLE.
v HOMEWORK
v NUMBERS14
THIS IS A SELF-STUDY.PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER.
v APPLICATION OF NUM 13
§ IN WHAT AREAS OF YOUR LIFEHAVE YOU BEEN LISTENING TO AN EVIL REPORT THAT HAS DEFEATED YOUR FAITH?
§ CHOOSE THE MOST IMPORTANTAREA OF YOUR LIFE WHERE YOUR FAITH IS BEING TESTED. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
· WHAT HAS GOD PROMISED YOU INREGARD TO THIS SITUATION?
· WHAT ARE THE REALITIES OF THESITUATION, BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE?
· HOW CAN I KEEP GOD PRIMARY INTHIS SITUATION AND BUILD UP MY FAITH?
v PREPARATION FOR NUM 14
Ø READ NUM 14
§ WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUTINTERCESSORY PRAYER FROM MOSES IN THIS CHAPTER?
· WHAT WAS THE BASIS FOR MOSESPLEA ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE (13-20)?
· WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT GOD FROMTHIS CHAPTER?
· WHY WAS THE PEOPLESCONFESSION IN VERSE 40 UNACCEPTABLE TO GOD?
· IF GOD FORGAVE THE PEOPLE FORTHEIR NEGATIVE THINKING, WHY DID THEY LOSE THE BATTLE WITH THE AMALEKITES AND THECANAANITES?
v MEMORY VERSE: HEBREWS 3:19
