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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
November 4, 2007
Consequences of Rebellion
The Book of Numbers
Introduction
Over the last couple of weeks we have examined the book of Leviticus and the laws God gave to the sons of Israel concerning sacrifices, ceremonial purity and the moral standards by which they were to live. God was now dwelling in the Tabernacle in the midst of their camp. This placed the sons of Israel in danger of being destroyed if they did not approach the Lord properly or lived in a manner of continuing sin. The sacrificial system and purity laws allowed them to approach the Lord properly, and the morality laws defined for them God’s standards for their behavior as well as the penalties for various sins. God is loving, merciful, kind, gracious, patient and longsuffering, but He is also holy, righteous and just. Sin cannot continue in His presence without His judgment coming upon the unrepentant sinner. That is still true today. (See: The Sacrificial System and God’s Moral Standards)
When Moses had presented God’s laws to the people they had said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” (Exodus 19:8; 24:3,7). Those words would ring in their ears when they failed to keep them. The book of Numbers records incident after incident of the people continuing to grumble, complain and rebel against the Lord. There would be consequences for their willful and continued sin, yet even in the God’s judgments we will see that there was also mercy and grace extended. It seems that people want to believe that God is either one extreme or the other – either all judgment and wrath or all love and forgiveness. The reality is that His character is made up of all those attributes and always applied in perfect righteousness and justice. His love, mercy, grace, forgiveness as well as his righteousness, justice and judgment are always in perfect balance and harmony with each other. Perfect love demands perfect justice to accompany it.
Overview
The book of Numbers is broken down into three basic sections. The first 22 chapters cover a period of nearly 39 years as the generation that came out of Egypt is replaced by their children who will go into the promised land. The second section covers the prophecies of Balaam which confirmed that the descendants of Israel were a people that God would bless because of the Lord’s promises made to their foregathers. The third section is the preparation of that second generation for entering into the promised land.
The first section of the book begins with a census of those that came out of Egypt. The third section of the book begins with a census of their children in preparation for entering the lands God had promised to them. These censuses are the reason the book was given the title, “Numbers.” A comparison of the two censuses shows that after 40 years in the wildernesses, though there was variation within the various tribes from a gain of 64% to a loss of 62%, the total change in population was only a loss of 0.3 %. That is a demonstration of God’s faithfulness to them.
The second chapter of Numbers gives the arrangement of the camp which is as follows.
On the East side of the Tabernacle, the side of the entrance, were the families of Moses and Aaron and then the tribe of Judah with the tribes of Zebulun and Issachar on either side. On the North side were the families of Merari and then the tribe of Asher with the tribes of Dan and Naphtali on either side. On the South side were the families of Gershon and then the tribe of Manasseh with the tribes Ephraim and Benajmin on either side. On the West side were the families of Kohath and then the tribe of Simeon with the tribes of Reuben and Gad on either side. (See illustration below).
When the camp would set out to move they would be in the following order. Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Reuben, Simeon, Gad. These would have been a total army of 388,750 fighting men. After them would come the camp of the Levites with tabernacle and all of its objects and implements. They would be followed by Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Dan, Asher and Naphatali with a total army of 265,700 fighting men in that group. (See Illustration below).
Numbers 3 & 4 also explain the duties of the Levites. Aaron and his sons would serve as the high priests and minister inside the Tent of Meeting. When the camp was to move they were responsible to take down and set up the Tent of Meeting, and they had to carefully wrap all the objects and utensils used in it for anyone else that touched them would die. After everything had been wrapped, the Kohathites were responsible for moving it and everything in it. These were all holy objects and so had to be carried on their shoulders. The Gershonites were responsible for the all curtains for both the court of the Tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting itself. The Merarites were responsible for boards of the tabernacle along with their pillars and sockets and also for the pillars and sockets for the court along with their pegs and cords.The Gershonites had two ox carts and the Merarites had four ox carts to help transport all of the things for which they were responsible. In the years to come these would be used a lot as they traveled from place to place.
The book of Numbers also contains laws concerning defilement (Numbers 5:1-1), a law and test for dealing with a jealous husband (Numbers 5:12-31), the laws concerning Nazirites, (these were people who made special vows of dedication to the Lord – Numbers 6:1-21), the details of the offerings made for the dedication of the Tabernacle (Numbers 7:1-89), and the cleansing of the Levites for service (Numbers 8:5-26). By the fourteenth of that month the Tabernacle had been dedicated and they celebrated their first Passover in the wilderness. The rest of the book of Numbers chronicles some of the events that occurred while they were traveling in the wilderness. When the cloud of God’s presence over the Tabernacle would move, they would move to where the cloud would lead. When the cloud remained over the Tabernacle, they would stay in camp. At night the cloud would have the appearance of fire. That was the way God led them all the years they were in the wilderness.
Wilderness Wanderings
To Taberah – Numbers 10:11-11:3
After staying at Sinai for 11 months they resumed their journey. It was now the 20th day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year since leaving Egypt. They formed in the order the Lord had directed them and set out. Then it came about when the ark set out that Moses said, “Rise up, O Lord! And let Thine enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Thee flee before Thee.” And when it came to rest, he said, “Return Thou, O Lord, To the myriad thousands of Israel” (Numbers 10:35-36).
After three days journey they came to a place of rest, but the people “became like those who complain of adversity” and the grumbling that had existed before they arrived at Sinai resumed. This kindled the anger of the Lord and He sent fire among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp until the people cried out and Moses interceded. So they named that place Taberah (burning) because of it.
To Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11:4-35)
After this they traveled a little farther, but the complaints arose again. This time the greedy among them wept saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” This again kindled the anger of the Lord and it also got to Moses who became despondent for he clearly recognized that he could not satisfy these people. He in turn brought his own complaint to the Lord which was basically that it was too much of a burden upon him and he could not provide the meat the people were demanding. He then said to the Lord, “So if Thou art going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Thy sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness” (Numbers 11:15). At the heart of Moses’ complaint was the recognition of his own inadequacies and not that the Lord had done something wrong.
The Lord directed Moses to first gather 70 of the elders of the people to the Tent of Meeting. God would place His spirit upon them so that they would share the burden with Moses. Next, Moses was to have the people consecrate themselves for the Lord had heard their complaints and was going to give them meat. However, the Lord said that it would be for “a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” (Numbers 11:20). This surprised Moses because he did not know how such a thing could be done. The Lord reminded Moses that the Lord’s power was not limited (vs. 21-22).
An insight into Moses character is seen in Numbers 11:24-30. After the elders had gathered at the Tent of Meeting the Lord placed His spirit upon them and each of them prophesied. However, two of the elders had remained in camp and they also prophesied. Joshua found out about it and came and told Moses that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp and he asked Moses to restrain them. Moses’ answer reveals his humility. Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” Moses’ interest was the glory of the Lord and not his own prestige. That characteristic is still the way to distinguish a truly godly leader from everyone else.
The Lord did provide meat. He sent a wind that brought quail that dropped around the camp for a distance of about a days journey and about 3 feet deep. The people then spent the next couple of days just gathering the quail. Even those who gathered the least had 60 bushels. However, Numbers 11:33,34 tells us While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, (which means “graves of the greedy”) because there they buried the people who had been greedy.
To Hazeroth – (Numbers 11:35-16)
After this they moved to Hazeroth where Miriam and Aaron began to murmur against Moses. The cause of it was their bias against Moses’ wife who was a Cushite woman. Miriam spoke out and said the Lord had spoken through them as well as Moses. She was seeking to assert herself and Aaron as Moses’ equal. However, as verse 3 points out, Moses was very humble, more than anyone else living at that time. The Lord suddenly called all three of them to the Tent of Meeting where He told them, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream. 7 “Not so, with My servant Moses, He is faithful in all My household; 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, Even openly, and not in dark sayings, And he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”
When the Lord departed, Miriam was left leprous. Aaron intervened with Moses confessing his own sin and begging for mercy on Miriam. Moses in turn interceded with the Lord who extended mercy to heal her after she had suffered her shame outside the camp for seven days.
When murmuring and grumbling become dominant within any group, then even the leaders can start to succumb to it resulting in divisions in what should be a unified body. Why? Simply because at the heart of grumbling is selfishness and the quest to get what you desire. This is always compounded by the fact that selfish human desires will never be satisfied. There will always be something else to gain while the things that were gained become ordinary and lose their satisfaction so that something new is sought. The first few days of eating a new food is great, but if you have the same thing every day for a month, it does become loathsome to you. The cure for grumbling is contentment in what God provides and in seeking His will and His glory instead of your own. This does not occur naturally. It takes a conscious effort of training yourself to submit to the Lord.
To Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 12:16 – 14:45)
From Hazeroth they journeyed north into the wilderness of Paran and to Kadesh-Barnea which is just south of the lands of Canaan. From there they were in a good position to begin the conquest of the lands God had promised to give to them as the heirs of Abraham. The first step in that conquest was to reconnoiter the land and prepare a plan for invasion. One man from each tribe was sent into spy out the land to see what is was like, the condition of the people living there, what fortifications they might face and to bring back some of the fruit of the land (Numbers 13:1-21).
The men went up and spent forty days going through the land. The time of year was early fall when the fruit was ready for harvest. They brought back a branch with a single cluster of grapes that they had to carry on a pole between two men. They also brought back pomegranates and figs (Numbers 13:21-24).
When they returned they reported the land was good for it did “flow with milk and honey” and the examples of the fruit proved their words. However, they had a different kind of report concerning the people. They reported that they were strong people living in fortified cities and that the descendants of Anak, who were very large, also lived there. Caleb, one of the men who has spied out the land, immediately encouraged the people saying, “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we shall surely overcome it.” However, ten of the other spies argued against him saying “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us,” and that it was a “land that devours its inhabitants; and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. “There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:25-33).
This report discouraged the people so that they began to complain again that they should have stayed in Egypt and that their “little ones will become plunder.” They then started saying to one another that they should appoint a new leader that would take them back to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4). Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before the assembly while Joshua and Caleb, who has spied out the land, tore their clothes and began to argue against the rebellion that was taking place, and that they should go up for Lord would bring them into it and give it to them for the Lord was with them and had removed the protection of the people of the land (vs. 5-9). But the congregation continued in their rebellion and began to call for them to be stoned. At this point the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting.
For the second time the Lord stated His intention to smite the people because of their disbelief and spurning Him and to make of Moses a nation greater and mightier than they (vs. 11-12). For the second time Moses interceded for them and argued that the Lord’s glory would not be served in slaying all the people, for the Egyptians and Canaanites would conclude the Lord was unable to bring the Israelites into the promised land. Moses pleaded for the Lord to pardon the iniquity of the people based on the very attributes that the Lord had declared to Moses when He had shown him His glory in the cleft of the rock on Mount Sinai (Exodus 33:18 – 34:7 See: Consequences of False Worship). “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He will by no means clear [the guilty,] visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations” (Numbers 14:13-19).
The Lord did pardon them from the penalty due, but there would be severe consequences. They would wander in the wilderness over the next forty years All those twenty and older that had seen the Lord’s miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness but still grumbled against Him would not see the promised land. Instead, until they would die in the wilderness. The only two exceptions would be Joshua and Caleb because they had trusted the Lord and had argued to enter into the land. It would be their children, the very ones they had feared would become plunder, that would enter into the land and conquer it. In addition, the ten spies that had brought the bad report died by a plague before the Lord (Numbers 14:20-38).
To this point the Lord’s judgements on them had been limited to just those that had rebelled or a small portion of them. This was the most serious of all His judgements because it was applied to all of them except Joshua and Caleb. It did not have to be that way, but the people chose to believe the ten with the bad report instead of the two with the good report. If any of them had made the choice to believe Joshua and Caleb and place their trust in the Lord they would also have been excluded from the judgement.
How often have you gone with the majority opinion simply because it was easier than carefully thinking through the issue and then possibly being the only one to do what was right before God. The Christian is to carefully consider the Lord’s will as revealed in the Scriptures in every area of life and in everything they do. This includes school, work, recreation, hobbies, family, friends and adversaries, and in light of Tuesday’s election, politics too. What the majority of people think should have little influence on the Christian, for the only opinion that should really matter for the Christian is the Lord’s opinion.
You would think that after this they would have taken the lesson to heart, but immediately they decided to do things their own way again. Since the Lord was angry because they refused to go up, they decided to do so as their means of repentance. Moses warned them not to do it because the Lord was no longer among them, but they did it anyway and ended up being defeated by the Amalekites and Canaanites (Numbers 14:39-45).
In the Wilderness – Numbers 15-19
In the years that followed while they were wandering in the wilderness there were continued incidences of rebellion. Numbers 15:32-36 records the story of the man that was caught gathering wood on the Sabbath and was judged by the Lord according to the law He already given them (Exodus 31:14-15), and so he was stoned to death.
Numbers 16 records the rebellion of Korah and some of his relatives. They were Levites that were part of the families of Kohath. In short, they decided that they were equal to Moses and Aaron and accused them of exalting themselves over the congregation. They claimed the Lord was with every one in the congregation and so each one was holy. The Lord set up a test to distinguish who was His and who was holy through an incense offering. The Lord choose Moses and Aaron and he told the congregation to get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abiram who were the leaders of the rebellion. Moses then warned that they would know the Lord had sent him if the Lord would bring about an entirely new thing and the ground opened its mouth and swallowed them to descend alive into Sheol. As soon as Moses stopped speaking that is exactly what happened. The earth opened up and swallowed the rebels and then closed. In addition, the other 250 men that were part of the rebellion were consumed by fire that came forth from their incense pans.
This should have been enough warning for the rest of the congregation, but the very next day they were grumbling against Moses and Aaron blaming them for the death of Korah and those who had aligned themselves with him. When the congregation had assembled before the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared and He sent a plague among the people. Moses directed Aaron to quickly take his incense pan and run into the midst of the assembly as an atonement for them, and Aaron checked the plague and became the division between the living and the 14,700 that died from the plague.
God judged severely those who sought to exalt themselves against the servants He had chosen and against those who then falsely blamed His servants for the deaths of those whom God killed as a direct result of their own rebellion. Be very wary of those that seek to exalt themselves and those who try to transfer the blame for the consequences of sin.
The Lord then set up another test to put an end to the grumbling against Moses and Aaron. The leader of each tribe was to bring an almond rod with their name written on it to the Tabernacle. The rod that sprouted would indicate who the Lord had chosen. The next morning Aaron’s rod had not only sprouted, but it also had buds, flowers and ripe almonds.
Return to Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 20)
The 40 years of the wilderness wanderings were now nearly complete. They had returned to Kadesh-Barnea and it was there that Miriam died and was buried. It was there that they once again faced the problem of a lack of water and once again they grumbled and complained about it. Once again the Lord gave Moses directions on how He wanted the need to be met. This time Moses was to take his rod and then assemble the congregation and then speak to the rock at Meribah and water would then come out. However, this time Moses did not carefully follow the Lord’s commands and instead of speaking to the rock, he hit it with his rod saying, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” The Lord still graciously provided the water, but in that action Moses did not believe the Lord or treat Him as holy, and so he lost the privilege of going into the promised land. He would only be able to see it from a distance.
To Mount Hor and around Edom (Numbers 20:22-21:3).
From Kadesh they went to Mount Hor because the nation of Edom refused to let them pass through their territory. It was at Mount Hor that Aaron died and was buried, and his son, Eleazer, took his place as the High Priest. After mourning for 30 days they resumed their journey around Edom by way of Ezion-Geber at the tip of the Red Sea.
Again the people complained about the lack of water and how much they loathed the manna. This time the Lord sent in fiery serpents among them so that many died. The people finally repented and confessed and asked Moses to intercede for them to remove the snakes. But instead of removing the snakes the Lord instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a standard so that anyone that was bitten could look on the bronze serpent and live.
Jesus later used this incident to point to His own ministry saying in John 3:14,15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life.” The people were saved from death by the serpent only by believing God’s promise and acting upon it. If they did anything other than go look upon the bronze serpent they would die from their snake bite. There was no other cure possible for there was no medicine, no therapy, no act of righteousness, or other act of repentance that could substitute. Looking upon the serpent could provide no physical means of a cure. Looking was only a demonstration of their belief in God’s promise, and it was God that cured them. (See: You Must Be Born Again)
In the same way it is our belief in God’s promises through Jesus Christ’s substitutionary death that provides salvation from sin and hell. There is no work of righteousness or substitute act of repentance by which we can save ourselves from sin and its consequences. We come to God according to His plan or He will not accept us. All we can do is believe God’s promises and cast ourselves on His mercy and grace. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
To the Plains of Moab (Numbers 21-36)
The book of Numbers ends with the sons of Israel on the plains of Moab directly across from Jericho. The tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had settled in the lands on the east side of the Jordan river. They were ready to cross the Jordan and conquer the rest of the lands promised to them. Along the way they defeated and destroyed the Canaanite king of Arad (Numbers 21:1-3), Sihon the king of the Amorites (Numbers 21:21-32), Og the king of Bashan (Numbers 21:33-35), and the kings of Midian (Numbers 31). There were also the prophecies of Balaam by which the Lord confirmed His blessings on the sons of Israel (Numbers 22-24). There were also other acts of sin on their part for which God judged them. At Peor they played the harlot with the daughters of Moab that had invited them to the sacrifices of their gods. The resulting plague killed a total of 24,000.
Conclusions
1 Corinthians 10 specifically points to the years of Israel in the wilderness and some of the specific incidents that occurred during that time as examples that were written down for our instruction that we should not crave evil things as they had. We are not to be idolaters, nor act immorally, nor grumble. The children of Israel suffered God’s judgements because of their sins in these very areas. We also could suffer the Lord’s judgements if we continue in willful sin as they did. God will chastize those that belong to Him (Hebrews 12:6f) and that may include even sickness and death (1 Corinthians 11:30).
The Lord had declared to Moses that He would “by no means clear [the guilty,] visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generations.” God will judge all those who sin defiantly and that includes Christians. It adds to the just condemnation of the non-Christian, and the Christian will suffer loss. The Christian is still saved from the ultimate condemnation of Hell, but it will be a salvation as if through fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).
The Lord also declared to Moses at the same time that He was “slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression.” The hope of the non-Christian and Christian alike for forgiveness is in the in character of God in these areas which are extended to them as they repent and place their faith in Jesus Christ, and we receive God’s blessings as we walk in obedience to Him.
There are three types of people found among the children of Israel in the book of Numbers. There are those who defiantly sin and suffer God’s judgement. There are those who sin and then repent whose lives are spared. There is also Moses and Aaron who intercede with God to spare the lives of those in sin. Which category are you in? I pray that repentance marks your life and that you are progressing on in your walk with God to become an intercessor on behalf of others.
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help.
Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times God had to judge the Israelites for their rebellion. Talk with your parents about how God uses them in your life when you rebel.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What does it mean that “perfect love demands perfect justice to accompany it”? What was the physical arrangement of the Levites and Tribes when in camp? When moving? What were the duties of each of three major families of Levites? Why did the people grumble at what was God’s judgement at each of the following places: Taberah (Numbers 10:11-11:3); Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11:4-35); Hazeroth (Numbers 11:35-16); Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 12:16 – 14:45). What was the reason for Korah’s rebellion and what were the consequences (Numbers 15-19)? Why did God restrict Moses from entering the promised land? Why did God send fiery snakes among the people? What was the cure for being snake bitten? How did Jesus compare that to Himself (John 3)? What happened at Peor? What were the consequences? How do you respond when people grumble? How does understanding Numbers help you understand the application of 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 in your own life? What characterizes your life? Defiant sin, repentance for sin, or intercession for those who sin?
Sermon Notes – November 4, 2007
Consequences of Rebellion – Numbers
Introduction
The sons of Israel had committed themselves to be ______________ to the Lord’s commands.
Perfect love demands perfect ___________ to accompany it.
Overview
1) _____________ the First Generation in the Wilderness (1-21)
2) Prophecies and Peril of _______________ (22-25)
3) _______________ of the Second Generation (26-36)
After 40 years in the wilderness, the net change in population was _________ less.
On the East side were the families of Moses and Aaron and the tribes of __________, Zebulun & Issachar
On the North side were the families of Merari and the tribes of ___________, Dan & Naphtali
On the South side were the families of Gershon and the tribe of ______________, Ephraim and Benajmin
On the West side were the families of Kohath and the tribe of ____________, Reuben & Gad
Aaron and his sons took down the Tabernacle and __________ the holy objects
The _______________ moved the Tent of Meeting and the Holy Objects
The Gershonites moved all the __________________
The ________________ moved the boards, pillars, sockets, pegs and cords.
The moved with the ____________ moved and stayed when it stayed.
Wilderness Wanderings
To Taberah – Numbers 10:11-11:3
They grumbled because of adversity and the Lord consumed some by ____________
To Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11:4-35)
They grumbled because of ___________________________
The Lord sent ___________ to last for 30 days and _______________ to judge the greedy.
To Hazeroth – (Numbers 11:35-16)
Miriam and Aaron grumbled against Moses because of his wife who was a _______________
The Lord struck Miram with ______________ for seven days
The cure for grumbling is ________________ in God and seeking His will
To Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 12:16 – 14:45)
The spies spent ______________ days in the land and brought back grapes, pomegranates & figs
Ten of the spies gave a bad report because they were ______________ of people who were of great size.
Caleb & Joshua gave a good report because they _______________ God to bring them into the land.
The people sided with the ten and wanted to ___________ Joshua & Caleb
Moses interceded citing the Lord’s _________________, so God did not destroy them.
They would wander in the wilderness for _________ years and all ________ and older would die there.
The only exceptions to the judgement were __________ & ______________
Christians are to make their decisions based on the ____________ & not the majority opinion of others.
In the Wilderness – Numbers 15-19
The man who gathered on the Sabbath was ______________
Korah & some of his relatives accused Moses & Aaron of _________ themselves over the congregation
Korah & those with him were swallowed by _____________
The other 250 who rebelled were consumed by ___________ from their incense pans
The people blamed ___________ for the death of Korah and the other rebels.
God sent a plague that killed _____________, but it was stayed by Aaron’s incense offering.
Aaron’s rod was the only one that sprouted, and it also had buds, blossoms and _______________
Return to Kadesh-Barnea (Numbers 20)
Miriam died and was buried, then the people grumbled because of ____________________
Moses did not obey the Lord. Instead of _____________ to the rock, he ___________ it to get water
To Mount Hor and around Edom (Numbers 20:22-21:3).
The people complained about a lack of water and that they loathed the _______________
God sent ______________________. They would live if they _____________ at the bronze serpent.
People are saved from their sin if they will _____________________________________________
To the Plains of Moab (Numbers 21-36)
They defeated __________ king of Ammon, __________ king of Bashan and the kings of _________
Balaam’s prophecies centered on God’s _____________ on Israel
___________ died at Peor because they went with the daughters of Moab and _________ to their gods.
Conclusions
1 Corinthians 10 cites these incidents to instruct us to not be idolaters, _____________ or grumblers
God judges those who ______________, but ____________ those who repent.
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