Numbers Lesson #23

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RETURN TO SYLLABUS
NUMBERS 20
LESSON #23
MOSES’ GREAT DISOBEDIENCE AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ITSCONSEQUENCES

MEMORY VERSE: 1COR 10:4

v     FROM CHAPTERS 13-20 A LOT OF TIME HAS PASSED,APPROXIMATELY 37 YEARS. THE ISRAELITES HAVE BEEN WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS OF UNBELIEFAND REBELLION. THERE ARE NOT MANY DETAILS ABOUT THIS 37-YEAR PERIOD BECAUSE NOTHING OFIMPORTANCE HAPPENS. THE ISRAELITES DID NOT ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING IMPORTANT WHEN THEY WEREOUT OF GOD’S WILL.

Ø      THE SAME IS TRUE OF US TODAY. WHEN WE AREWALKING IN GOD’S PERMISSIVE WILL, WE DO NOT ACCOMPLISH MUCH OF IMPORTANCE.

v     NOW IN CHAPTER 20 THEY ARE BACK IN KADESH. REMEMBERTHAT 37 YEARS EARLIER THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE THEY HAD SENT OUT THE 12 SPIES INTO THEPROMISED LAND AND THEN REJECTED GOD’S PLAN TO ENTER AND CONQUER IT.

Ø      THIS TIME THERE ARE SEVERAL VERY UNFORTUNATEINCIDENTS THAT OCCUR AT KADESH.

v     READ NUM 20:1 MIRIAM DIES

Ø      NO DETAILS ARE GIVEN OF HER DEATH OR THEEFFECT THAT HER DEATH HAD ON MOSES AND THE ISRAELITES. THE INCIDENT OF HER DEATH SHOULDREMIND THE ISRAELITES OF GOD’S JUDGMENT SPOKEN IN KADESH THAT ALL ADULTS EXCEPT CALEBAND JOSHUA WOULD DIE IN THE WILDERNESS.

v     READ NUM 20:2-6   THE SEVENTH MURMURING

Ø      WHAT WAS THEIR COMPLAINT? THERE WAS A LACK OFWATER.

§         WHY IS THIS INCIDENT SOSURPRISING?

·        YOU WOULD THINK THE PEOPLE WOULDHAVE REMEMBERED KADESH AND THEIR PREVIOUS FAILURE TO TRUST GOD HERE.

·        YOU WOULD THINK THE PEOPLE WOULDHAVE REMEMBERED THIS SAME LACK OF WATER BEFORE IN EXO 17.

¨      READ EXO 17:1-7

·        YOU WOULD THINK THE PEOPLE WOULDHAVE LEARNED SOMETHING FROM THEIR 37 YEARS OF WANDERING.                                    

§         HOWEVER, THESE PEOPLE ARENO DIFFERENT THAN WE ARE. HUMAN NATURE BEING WHAT IT IS: DEPRAVED, SELF-CENTERED, ANDCONTENTIOUS; IT IS NOT SURPRISING THAT THEY CONTINUE THE SAME SIN PATTERNS OF THE PAST. IFWE DO NOT TRUST GOD, WE ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT THE SAME SIN PATTERNS JUST AS THEY DID. IT ISBY A DETERMINATION OF OUR OWN WILL AND THE GRACE OF GOD THAT WE DECIDE TO DO THINGSDIFFERENTLY.

·        HOW TO BREAK THE SIN PATTERNS OFTHE PAST:

¨      DECIDE, CHOOSE, AND DESIRE A DIFFERENT LIFE.

¨      RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR INADEQUACY.

¨      CALL ON GOD FOR WISDOM, STRENGTH, AND MERCY.

Ø      WISDOM TO RECOGNIZE THE SAME WARNING SIGNSTHAT SET YOU UP TO REPEAT THE SIN.

Ø      STRENGTH TO RESIST THE DEVIL AND COME CLOSETO GOD SO THE DEVIL WILL FLEE.

§         READ JAM 4:7-8

¨      TRUST IN THE MERCY OF GOD TO CONTINUE TO HELPYOU.

Ø      TRUST GOD BY MAKING FAITH DECISIONS EVEN WHENYOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT.

Ø      KEEP IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH GOD AND OTHERBELIEVERS FOR CONTINUED STRENGTH AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

v     READ NUM 20:7-11  GOD’S INSTRUCTION AND MOSES’ DISOBEDIENCE

Ø      WHAT DID GOD TELL MOSES TO DO?

§         GOD TOLD MOSES TO SPEAKTO THE ROCK (7-8)

·        PREVIOUSLY IN EXO 17 GOD TOLDMOSES TO STRIKE THE ROCK ONE TIME WITH THE ROD HE HAD USED TO PART THE RED SEA.(EXO 17:6)

Ø      WHAT DID MOSES DO IN NUM 20?

§         HE STRUCK THE ROCK 2 TIMES.(NUM 20:11)

·        WHY DID MOSES REBEL AGAINST GOD’SCOMMAND IN NUM 20?

¨      HE TOOK HIS EYES OFF GOD AND PUT THEM ON THEPEOPLE.

Ø      WHEN YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF GOD AND HIS PLANFOR YOUR LIFE, THE SURROUNDING DISCOURAGING HUMAN CIRCUMSTANCES WILL OVERWHELM YOU.

§         PERHAPS MOSES BECAMEDISCOURAGED BECAUSE IN 37 YEARS THEY HAD MADE NO PROGRESS TOWARD THE PROMISED LAND.

·        WHAT WERE MOSES’ FEELINGSTOWARD THE PEOPLE?

¨      MOSES HAD A TEMPER THAT HE USUALLY KEPT UNDERGOD’S CONTROL. HOWEVER, AT THIS TIME, HE LET HIS DISCOURAGEMENT SPARK HIS TEMPER.

Ø      IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT WHY WAS IT NOTFORGIVABLE? WHY WAS GOD SO ANGRY WITH MOSES?

§         DISOBEDIENCE ALWAYS ANGERSGOD. (11)

§         THE POSITION OF LEADERSHIPALWAYS DEMANDS A HIGHER STANDARD.

§         GOD DID NOT LIKE MOSES’PRIDE AND ANGER (10)

§         GOD DID NOT LIKE MOSES’UNBELIEF (12)

·        REMEMBER THAT UNBELIEF ISCONTAGIOUS.

·        WHY DID THIS ONE INCIDENT OFDISOBEDIENCE PREVENT MOSES FROM ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND.

¨      MANY PEOPLE THINK IT IS AN EXTREMELY HARSHPUNISHMENT AFTER ALL HIS YEARS OF FAITHFUL SERVICE TO GOD. YOU CAN IMAGINE MOSES’DISAPPOINTMENT BECAUSE THIS WAS HIS ONE GOAL AND PURPOSE FOR HIS LIFE STARTING BACK INEGYPT.

Ø      TO UNDERSTAND THIS PUNISHMENT WE NEED TO SEEIT FROM GOD’S PERSPECTIVE AND NOT FROM MOSES’ PERSPECTIVE.

Ø      GOD’S PERSPECTIVE AND THE ETERNAL PLAN:

§         FROM THE BEGINNING OFGENESIS (GEN 3:15), GOD’S PLAN WAS TO BRING REDEMPTION TO MAN FROM ADAM’S SINWHICH HAD BEEN PASSED DOWN TO ALL GENERATIONS. HE WOULD BRING THIS REDEMPTION BY PROVIDINGA SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, WHO WOULD DIE ON THE CROSS AND FULFILL THE PROPHECY IN GEN 3:15.

·        HOWEVER, BECAUSE THERE IS ADECEPTIVE ADVERSARY, SATAN, AND BECAUSE OF MAN’S LIMITED SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE, HOWWOULD MAN RECOGNIZE THIS REDEEMER WHEN HE CAME?

¨      GOD SOLVED THIS PROBLEM IN A VERY UNIQUE WAY.HE PROVIDED “CLUES” OR “DESCRIPTIVE INCIDENTS” THROUGH ISRAEL’SHISTORY. THEREFORE, BY THESE CLUES, THOSE SPIRITUALLY MINDED JEWS WHO DESIRED TO KNOW GODWOULD RECOGNIZE JESUS WHEN HE CAME.

Ø      WE CALL THESE CLUES “TYPES” OR“PREFIGURES” OF JESUS CHRIST. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THEM THROUGH THE OLDTESTAMENT BEGINNING IN GENESIS.

§         WHY ARE THERE SO MANY? WASN’TONE OR TWO ENOUGH?

·        THERE ARE SO MANY BECAUSE ONECLUE DOES NOT GIVE US THE FULLNESS OF THE PERSON AND MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST.

Ø      THE “CLUE” OR “TYPE” INNUM 20:

§         READ 1COR 10:4

·        THE ROCK THAT MOSES STRUCK TOOBTAIN WATER IN EXO 17 WAS A CLUE ABOUT OUR REDEEMER, JESUS CHRIST. WHAT DOES IT TELL US?

¨      IT TELLS US THAT JESUS PROVIDES THE SPIRITUALWATER OF ETERNAL LIFE

Ø      READ JOH 4:14

¨      IT TELLS US THAT ETERNAL LIFE WOULD ONLYBECOME AVAILABLE IF JESUS WAS STRUCK BY CRUCIFIXION. (JOH 3:15-17)

Ø      JESUS HAD TO DIE ONCE FOR OUR SINS.

§         EXO 17 AND NUM 20 TOGETHERTELL US THAT JESUS WAS TO DIE ONLY ONCE AND THEN NEVER AGAIN. (HEB 9:28)

·        WHEN MOSES STRUCK THE ROCK TWICEIN NUM 20, HE MESSED UP GOD’S CLUE ABOUT HIS ETERNAL PLAN OF ONE CRUCIFIXION. THEROCK HAD ALREADY BEEN STRUCK IN EXO 17. MOSES ONLY HAD TO SPEAK TO THE ROCK.

¨      WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPEAKING TO THEROCK?

Ø      WHEN WE IDENTIFY OURSELVES WITH JESUS CHRISTAND HIS CRUCIFIXION AT THE TIME WE ARE BORN AGAIN, WE RECOGNIZE THE ONE CRUCIFIXION WHEREHE WAS STRUCK. AFTER THAT WE NEED ONLY PRAY AND SPEAK TO HIM ABOUT WHAT WE NEED. HE DOESNOT NEED TO BE CRUCIFIED EVERY TIME WE HAVE A NEED.

§         THE IMPORTANCE OF THESETYPES:

·        BECAUSE JESUS WAS CRUCIFIED ONCEAND NEVER AGAIN, IT WAS SUFFICIENT. WE DO NOT HAVE TO KEEP CRUCIFYING HIM EVERY TIME WETAKE COMMUNION. THE BREAD AND THE WINE DO NOT MIRACULOUSLY TURN INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OFJESUS WHERE WE CRUCIFY HIM AGAIN AND AGAIN FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS. ONCE, 2,000YEARS AGO WAS ENOUGH.

¨      DID MOSES KNOW THIS WAS TO BE A “TYPE”OR CLUE?

Ø      IN ACTS 26:22-23 IT SEEMS HE DID. WE CAN’TBE SURE. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT THE UNDERSTANDING OF ALL GOD’S WAYS THAT IS IMPORTANT.THE IMPORTANT THING IS OBEDIENCE EVEN WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT ALL.

Ø      GOD’S MERCY:

§         NOTICE THAT DESPITE MOSES’DISOBEDIENCE, GOD HAD MERCY ON THE PEOPLE. HE GAVE THEM ABUNDANT WATER FROM THE ROCK.

§         WHILE MOSES DID NOT ENTERTHE PROMISED LAND DURING HIS LIFETIME BECAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT OF DISOBEDIENCE, HE DIDENTER THE PROMISED LAND LATER.

HOMEWORK
NUMBERS 20 continued

THIS IS A SELF-STUDY.PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER.

v     APPLICATION OF NUMBERS 20:1-11

Ø      WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED IN YOUR LIFEAND LATER FORGOT THAT YOU HAD TO REPEAT?       

v     PREPARATION FOR NUMBERS 20:14-22

Ø      READ NUM 20:14-22

§         WHAT DID MOSES DO WRONG INTHESE VERSES?

v     MEMORY VERSE: PROVERBS 16:7