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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
July 17, 2022
Preparing a People for Himself
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Introduction
We had a good Vacation Bible School this week – Mystery Island. It is the Answers in Genesis program for 2020 that we had already purchased and then did not get to use because of the government restrictions. Its teaching theme was the attributes of God beginning with God is Great! Because He is the only true God and the awe inspiring Creator of all that exists. God is Almighty because of His infinite attributes such as being Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent – all knowing, all powerful and everywhere present. God is Ruler! He is the holy, righteous, perfect and majestic king of the universe. God is Emmanuel – Jesus Christ became a man and paid the price of man’s sin with His own death on the cross to redeem man and offer him forgiveness for sin. That act demonstrated for all time and eternity that God is good and His love is incomprehensible. Because of all these attributes and more, God is Trustworthy. He is not only capable of keeping all of His promises, but His character assures us that He will.
By God’s providence our Vacation Bible School this year matched what I have been preaching here the last several months. You can trust God in any and every circumstance you will ever encounter in your life because of who He is and what He is like. The better you know God from what He has declared about Himself along with His precious and magnificent promises and from your experience in seeing His faithfulness, the greater confidence you will have in Him. And the greater your trust in God, the greater peace you will have even when life becomes difficult. As James 1:2-4 points out, God uses the troubles and trials of life to bring you to maturity enabling you to rejoice even when you do not understand or like your circumstances.
If you have missed any of the Trusting God series of messages, I encourage you to go to our website and read or listen to the sermons posted there (www.gracebibleny.org/category/sermons/theology). That is a foundational series for what we will be covering in the current series and when we get to 1 Peter and then Revelation.
Last week I gave a quick overview of Genesis and Exodus with an emphasis on God’s choosing of a particular people for Himself. (See: God Calls a People for Himself) Of particular importance in that sermon was that it was God according to His own character and purposes that choose to make a unilateral covenant with Abram and extend it to a particular line of his descendants. The Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12 involved three essential elements with a fourth implied. The first was God would lead him to a particular land with the reaffirmation of the covenant in Genesis 15 giving the specifics of that land that would be inherited by his descendants. The second is that Abraham would become a great nation though he was 75 and childless at that time. In Genesis 15 God promised the covenant would go through his physical descendant and in Genesis 17 that it would be to a son by Sarah whom he was to name Isaac. That is also when God changed his name to Abraham. Third was the promise of blessing upon him and through him to all the families of the earth. This was the first reference that the promised redeemer, the Messiah, would come through him. Implied in the elements of this covenant is that God would protect him which God then specifically states in Genesis 15.
It is critical to note that this covenant is unilateral and that Abraham’s faith was wavering at first. It is not until Genesis 15 that Abram’s faith is reckoned by God as righteousness because he believed God would give him a physical descendant. It is also in Genesis 15 that the covenant ceremony takes place and God unilaterally affirms it. All the promises are made by God to Abraham without requiring anything from Abraham.
This covenant was affirmed to Isaac in Genesis 26, and then according to the prophecy given to Rebekah when she was pregnant, the covenant would go to the younger twin, Jacob, instead of Esau. God affirmed that covenant with Jacob in Genesis 28, 32 and 35 and his name was changed to Israel. He would have twelve sons whose descendants would become the tribes of the nation of Israel. Genesis concludes with God using the evil meant by Joseph’s brothers for good in preserving many people alive including Jacob’s large family of 70. God had chosen a family for Himself and would protect them.
Exodus records the next chapter in the history of this chosen family. Over 600 years after the prophecy was given to Abraham that his descendants would be oppressed in a foreign land, Exodus 2:24 states that “God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” He then sent Moses to fulfill the next part of the prophecy in bringing that nation to judgment. Pharaoh would not let Israel go except by compulsion, so Yahweh brought ten plagues upon Egypt which humiliated their panoply of gods and goddesses, shattered the Egyptian economy, distinguished the Israelites as God’s people, and magnified the name of Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, among the nations. Upon their departure the next part of the prophecy was fulfilled in God giving them favor among the Egyptians so that they plundered them by simply asking for articles of silver, gold and clothing. Jacob’s family of 70 that first went to Egypt had become a nation of 603,550 men of military age, 20 and older, and so a total population of 1 ½ – 2 million.
After departing Egypt, it took the sons of Israel three months to journey to Mt. Sinai. Along the way God performed many miracles. The waters of the Red Sea parted enabling them to cross on dry land, but when the Egyptian army followed, the waters closed over them drowning them all and shattering Egyptian military might. God provided water for them in the desert, quail for meat, and then the miracle of manna for their daily food. God was fulfilling the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (See: God vs Egypt) The people God had called for Himself had begun the journey that would take them back to the land promised to them, they had already become a multitude and would continue to multiply, and those that blessed them would be blessed and those that cursed them would be cursed. But before they could enter the land, God had to prepare them to be His people. That is the subject for the rest of today’s sermon.
A Covenant People – Exodus 19-40
The first part of Exodus records God’s work in bringing the nation of Israel out of slavery in Egypt to Mount Sinai. The second part records the covenant that God makes with them there that establishes them as His people. The Mosaic Covenant is based on the unilateral covenants made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and as I pointed out last week from Leviticus 26:44-45, this covenant is also unilateral since even when they break their part of the covenant God will still “remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am Yahweh.” The conditional aspect of the covenant is whether they will obey God and be blessed or disobey and suffer the consequences of God’s chastening as detailed in Leviticus 26 and Deut. 28.
The Ten Commandments and all the various specific ordinances given in the last half of the book of Exodus and in Leviticus were the instructions for them on how to live as God’s chosen people. Some of the laws were specifically related to making them a distinct people from all others. These would include dietary laws about what they could and could not eat, laws concerning the materials used and manner in which they clothed themselves, and laws concerning the various feasts they were to observe. Other laws detailed the moral behavior God expected from a holy people. These are expansions giving more specific application to the general commands given in the Ten Commandments. Those moral laws still help us to understand what is and what is not godly behavior. And then Exodus also gives all the details of the fabrication and construction of the Tabernacle in which God’s presence would dwell and where He was to be worshiped.(See: Living in God’s Presence)
The children of Israel were and are Yahweh’s covenant people, a people of His own possession among all the peoples of the earth. They were to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). The commands given in Exodus were the instructions for how they were to be such a kingdom and nation. Before I go on to God’s additional preparation of the nation, I want to stress again that all of this was of God’s own doing. As I pointed out last week from Deuteronomy 9:5–7, God was not giving them the promised land because they were righteous or upright for they were in fact an obstinate, stubborn and rebellious people as seen in the incident of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32-33. He was giving it to them because 1) He was driving out the Canaanite people who were currently in the land for their wickedness, and 2) because He was confirming the oath which He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
But how can a people who are obstinate and rebellious live in harmony with a holy and righteous God? That brings us to the book of Leviticus.
A Holy People – Leviticus
After the Tabernacle was set up at the end of Exodus, God gave instructions on how He was to be worshiped in both the ceremonial sacrifices and in the manner of life. This pursuit of holiness was a serious matter for God had already warned them in Exodus 33 that if He was in their midst that they were in danger of being destroyed for their obstinacy. Living in righteousness would prevent them from provoking God’s anger over their sin, and the sacrifices were related to receiving forgiveness when they did sin as well as their worship of and fellowship with God. (See: Consequences of False Worship)
Leviticus 1-7 give the details on the five sacrifices that were to be offered. Three of these were voluntary. The burnt offering was a sacrifice of dedication. The Grain offering was a sacrifice of fellowship. The Peace offering was a sacrifice of thanksgiving. The sin and the guilt offerings were obligatory. The Sin offering was for unintentional sins and the Guilt offering of uncleanness, thoughtless swearing and sins done in ignorance.
There is much detail given about each of the sacrifices and the manner in which they were to be offered. Aaron and his sons were consecrated and specific instructions were given to them about how they were to carry out their priestly duties. The seriousness of the worship was demonstrated when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, were killed by Yahweh when they came before Him burning incense that was contrary to the commands God had given to them and fire consumed them. The worship of God is not a casual affair. God is holy and is to be worshiped in a holy manner. Part of the condemnation of the nation of Israel in later years that resulted in their deportation was their false worship.
Specific instruction was given concerning what was and what was not unclean (Lev. 11-12) and what to do concerning something that had been contaminated by something unclean including leprous diseases of the body and molds and mildews in fabric or in a house (Lev. 13-5). In Leviticus 16-17 God gives specific instruction concerning sacrifices for atonement of sin and the related restrictions on eating blood for “the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (Lev. 17:10-11). That is why a deadly blood sacrifice was required as the payment for sin and explains why Jesus was scourged before crucifixion and then had a spear thrust in His side after He died on the cross so that the blood and water flowed out. (See: The Sacrificial System)
Leviticus contains many additional commands concerning immoral sexual relationships (18), idolatry, personal behavior (19), human sacrifice, spiritism, and sexual immorality (20), revenge (24), redemption and treatment of the poor (25). It also gives additional details on rules for priests and sacrifices (22), religious festivals (23), sabbatic years and years of jubilee (25). It then concludes by listing the blessings of obedience and the penalties of disobedience as both an encouragement and warning. All of these laws were given at Mt. Sinai to that first generation that came out of Egypt as detail in how to obey the general command in Leviticus 19:2, “You shall be holy, for I, Yahweh your God am holy.” I quickly add here that this same general command is applied to how Christians are to behave in 1 Peter 1:15-16. (See: God’s Moral Standards)
God had chosen a people for Himself and prepared them to live as His people by the commands He gave to them on how to properly worship Him and live in holiness. But that first generation proved to be obstinate and rebellious, so Numbers recounts the purging of that generation in preparation for a succeeding generation to inherit the blessings of the covenant God had made with their forefathers.
Purging an Obstinate People – Numbers
The book of Numbers gets its name from the census that is taken at the beginning of it. There an accounting of each tribe for a total of 603,550 men age 20 and older that could go out to war. This did not include the Levites, women or children, which is why the total population could easily have been 1 ½ to 2 million people. The camps of each tribe were arranged around the Tabernacle. While this was a good military arrangement to protect the Tabernacle, that was not its purpose because God does not need to be protected. This placed God’s presence at the physical center of the camp.
Numbers 3 & 4 describes the duties of each of the Levitical families, the Gershonites, the Kohathites and the Merarites. Numbers 5 explains what to do about defilements including the unclean having to stay outside the camp until they were clean again, restitution, and the test of adultery and jealousy. Numbers 6 explains the laws concerning those who take the vows of a Nazarite. Chapter 7 & 8 lists the offering given by each tribe for the service in the tent of the meeting and then the consecration of the Levites to that service. Chapter 9 records the first memorial Passover. It had now been a year since they had left Egypt. In chapter 10 two silver trumpets are made by which signals would be given to summon the congregation or have the camps set out. This would be in addition to the pillar of cloud that was over the Tabernacle that indicated the presence of the Lord that would lift when they were to move out. It was not until the second year in the second month on the twentieth day that they finally left Mt Sinai.
The instructions had been given, the Tabernacle was built and functioning, the people had been prepared. But Numbers 11 records that it did not take long for the complaining to begin. It began with those who complained about adversity, and the fire of the Lord started to consume some on the outskirts of the camp until Moses intervened and prayed to Yahweh. Next were the rabble who had greedy desires who complained about not having meat. This concluded with Yahweh sending such an abundance of quail that they gathered them for two days and they would eat it for a whole month, but that also came with a severed plague that killed the greedy people.
In Numbers 12 Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses resulting in Yahweh striking Miriam with leprosy for seven days. When she was healed the camp moved from Hazeroth to the wilderness of Paran which is due south of the land of Canaan, and from there twelve spies were sent out to secretly investigate the land. When they returned they brought glowing reports of a land flowing with milk and honey and samples of the abundance of fruit, but ten of the spies spread fear telling about the sons of Anak who were giants who lived there (12). This resulted in the people rebelling and wanting to return to Egypt despite the pleas of Joshua and Caleb to trust Yahweh and go up to take the land. Though they had seen all the miracles Yahweh had done to Egypt and in their journey so far, yet they still did not trust Him. Only the intervention of Moses kept Yahweh from destroying the people right then. He then pardoned their immediate rebellion, but also condemned them to wander in the wilderness until all of those 20 and older had died and it would be their children that would go in to conquer and posses the land. Only Joshua and Caleb from that generation would enter it. The next morning the people foolishly rebelled against what Yahweh had just pronounced and decided to attack, but they were badly beaten just as Moses had warned them. Trust in Yahweh is demonstrated by obedience to what He says. Some of those that were part of this rebellion were purged as they were struck down in battle (Lev. 14).
In Leviticus 15 a man who flagrantly broke the Sabbath was stoned for his willful disobedience. Leviticus 16 records the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, On and 250 other leaders of the congregation against God’s choice of Moses and Aaron. God purged these men when fire came from the incense pans to kill the 250 and the ground opened up and swallowed the others and their families. That should have been a severe enough warning to the rest of the congregation, but the next morning they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. Yahweh sent a plague and only the intervention of Moses and Aaron kept that plague from killing more than the 14,700 that were purged by it.
Additional instructions concerning the Levites and the consecration of Eleazar as the next High Priest are given in Leviticus 18 & 19, and chapter 20 records the death of both Miriam and Aaron. Leviticus 21 tells about the conquering of Arad, and then because they set out into the wilderness to go around the land of Edom, the people grumbled again about the lack of water, variety of food, and having to eat manna which they called “miserable food.” Yahweh sent fiery serpents among them and many died until Yahweh had Moses set up a bronze serpent on a pole so that everyone that would come look upon it would live. Jesus would use this as an illustration in John 3 of the faith needed in Himself in order to receive eternal life. Yahweh continued to provide water for them, and they conquered both Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan. By this time most of the first generation had died in the wilderness and the second generation has conquered the territory on the east side of the Jordan and are preparing to cross it to conquer the rest of the land. (See: Consequences of Rebellion)
Numbers 22-24 records the efforts of Balak, king of Moab, to get the diviner, Balaam, to curse the Israelites, but he kept blessing them instead. However, he did tell Balak how to bring a curse upon the Israelite by having their women go in among them as harlots. The result is recorded in Numbers 25 with 1,000 executed for joining themselves to Baal-Peor and 23,000 that died of a plague sent the Yahweh. This final purging was of those in the second generation whose selfish lust would have been a stumbling block to the rest of the people.
A new census is taken in Numbers 26, and though the numbers for the specific tribes varied from an increase of 20,500 for Manasseh and a decrease of 37,100 for Simeon, the total population of men 20 and older ready for war had dropped only by 1,380, which is less than one quarter of a percent (.23% ).
The rest of Leviticus records additional laws concerning inheritance (27 & 36), offerings (28-29), vows (30), and instruction on apportioning Canaan, Levitical cities and cities of refuge. Leviticus 31 records the conquering of Midian. Joshua is officially commissioned to succeed Moses as the leader that would conquer the rest of the promised land. Moses final task was to go over the history of the nation and teach the second generation the law which is the purpose of the book of Deuteronomy.
Final Preparations – Deuteronomy
If a nation does not know its own history, it does not know how it got to where it currently is nor where it is going. Their current situation was that the second generation was about to cross the Jordan river to enter Canaan to conquer it. Those who were in their late forties and fifties would have had faint memories of Egypt and the many miracles God performed in the wilderness, but those younger would not remember or were not even alive at the time of those events. It was important for them to know their history to be encouraged and resolute in what they were about to do, and that is what Moses does in Chapters 1-4 as he gives them a quick overview of the more significant events of the Exodus and the wanderings in the wilderness.
Those who had been 20 years old and older at the census at Mt. Sinai had died in the wilderness just as God had declared would happen because of their obstinacy and rebellion against God’s commands. The final straw for that generation was becoming fearful at the report of the ten unbelieving spies and refusing to go into Canaan to conquer it. The exceptions were Joshua and Caleb who urged the people to believe Yahweh and go forward. They would be the only two people older than 59 that would enter Canaan. Even Moses would die without crossing the Jordan because of his disobedience at the waters of Meribah (Numbers 20). It would be the “little ones” that the first generation were fearful would become prey to the Canaanites that would enter there and possess it for God would give it to them (Deuteronomy 3:39).
As Moses went through this history he was careful to point out the unbelief and rebellion of that first generation that led to their failure as well as the many victories the Lord gave them as the second generation came of age and they defeated the enemies that came against them and conquered the eastern lands that had been promised to them. This was preparing them for what was still ahead by warning them not to be like their parents and encouraging to continue on the course they had begun.
The second aspect of the final preparation of the people was for Moses to retell them the laws of God, from which the book gets its name for Deuteronomy means “second law.” He begins with general commands such as the Ten Commandments in chapter 5 and then moves to specific ordinances starting with the laws of the sanctuary in chapter 12. He will intersperse this retelling of the law with specific historical events as well in order to emphasize his points. (See: How to Live in God’s Blessing)
Much of what Moses will do throughout Deuteronomy is summarized in chapter 6 in which he explains the purpose of the law, how to teach it to the next generation, and the importance of being diligent to keep it.
Verses 1-3 give the purpose of the law. 1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it, 2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.” The purpose of the law was to bring about God’s covenant blessings on them.
Verses 4-9 explains how to teach the law to the next generation. 4 “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! 5 “You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
This is called the shema, from the Hebrew “to hear.” It summarizes the identify and character of Yahweh and the great and foremost commandment of loving Him with all your heart, soul and might. The rest of the commands that God gives will be easily obeyed if God is first loved in this manner, but a parent cannot teach a child to do this if such love for God is not on the parent’s heart. It will also take diligence to do this so it must be done in all the circumstances of life with strategically placed reminders of the need to teach these truths.
From the negative side, the importance of keeping God’s laws is the way to prevent kindling His anger and Him destroying them because they forgot Him and turned to idolatry when they became prosperous (Vs. 10-15). And from the positive side, it would go well for them if they did what was good and right before God and He would drive out their enemies so that they would possess the land promised to their fathers (vs. 16-19). They were to teach the importance of Yahweh’s laws to their children by telling them of their history in Yahweh freeing them from slavery in Egypt by His many miracles and then bringing them to the good land He swore to give to their fathers. They were to obey Yahweh’s commands for their good, their survival and for righteousness.
Moses summarizes what Yahweh was requiring of them in Deuteronomy 10:12–13, 12 “Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” They were to “circumcise their hearts and stiffen their necks no more” (Deut. 10:16), so keeping the commandments was done by faith in willfully following and not by forced effort.
After recounting the various laws, commands, ordinances and statues, in Deuteronomy 27-28 Moses gave very specific blessings they would receive if they were diligent to obey Yahweh their God and very specific curses they would suffer if they did not. And though in chapter 31 through Moses Yahweh warns that future generations would not obey and suffer the curses as detailed in the Song of Moses in chapter 32, He had already promised future restoration of a generation that would follow that one who would once again turn to love and follow Yahweh. He would then circumcise their hearts.
Deuteronomy closes with Moses blessings on the people and then the account of his death on Mt Nebo from which he was able to see the promised land.
In Deuteronomy 10:20–22 Moses told the people, 20 “You shall fear Yahweh your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name. 21 “He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. 22 “Your fathers went down to Egypt seventy persons in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven.”
Yahweh called the children of Israel be His own people and to be a holy nation. That was the purpose of all the commands He had given them. The first generation that came out of Egypt failed to love and trust Yahweh and so they died in the wilderness. The second generation was already proving to be more faithful. Moses’ retelling them of their history and the laws of God along with encouragements to obedience and warnings of disobedience were the final steps in preparing them to enter the land, conquer it, and fulfill God’s promises to their forefathers.
Closing Thoughts
It is common for people to think that if they could see God do all sorts of miracles such as those that are recorded in the Scriptures, it would be easier for them to love and trust Him. The history of Israel proves that is not true. That first generation saw Yahweh do many miracles in both Egypt and in the wilderness. The very food they ate on a daily basis, Manna, was a reoccurring miracle, yet they trusted God very little. Their children did not see nearly as much, yet, as we will see next week, they had great trust in God because they learned the simple truth that God is who He claims and He does what He says He will do.
The Christian life is based on that same premise. Jesus is who He claims to be and He will do everything He has promised. If you believe that, then obeying God may be frightening at times, but it is not that difficult. His ways are best, so you will do things His way and trust Him for the outcome. It is a life motivated by love for God from which arises obedience to Him. And since the Christian is called by God to be holy and blameless, then you can also be assured that is a life in which He is preparing you to be more like Jesus in both the present and for eternity no matter what circumstances of life you may be facing. Be like that second generation and continue to grow in your trust of God and then see what He does in and through you.
One final observation. As I pointed out last week, God raises up and puts down nations according to His own purposes and will, but the general truth of Proverbs 14:34 has always held. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
The rich heritage and history of these United Stated is one of God’s blessing on a people that sought God and pursued righteousness however imperfectly. However, it is no surprise that as our society and nation has rejected God and pursued sin that we are seeing His curses upon us. While politics are important, the only hope this nation has is revival. Without repentance of sin and turning back to God, this nation will remain under God’s judgment and it will only get worse. When the leadership of a nation demonstrates they have the depraved minds of Romans 1 as our own do, the usual outcome is destruction, yet there are also examples of a change of course due to spiritual revival. Such revival always begins with those who profess to be followers of God becoming serious in seeking Him and living for Him. Continue to pray for God’s mercy to grant revival even as your own personal commitment to know and follow the Lord increases.
Sermon Notes – 7/17/2022
The Rise & Fall of Israel: Preparing a People for Himself – Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Introduction
You can trust God in every _______________of life because of who He is and what He is like
Review
According to His own purposes, God chose to make a _____________covenant with Abram
This ____________was extended and affirmed to Isaac, and then Jacob
The Exodus took place because God ____________His covenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob (Exod. 2:24)
God performed many ____________to bring them out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai
God called a people for Himself, now He had to prepared them to be a __________nation
A Covenant People – Exodus 19-40
The Ten Commandments & various ordinances were instructions on how to live as ________ chosen people
God was giving them the promised land because of His ________with Abraham & the evil of the Canaanites
A Holy People – Leviticus
Righteous living would prevent them from provoking God to ________& the sacrifices were for atonement
The Burnt, Grain and Peace offerings were ___________and were for dedication, fellowship & thanksgiving
Sin & guilt offerings were required and were for _____________- forgiveness
Worship of God is to be done in ________, Nadab and Abihu died because they did not obey the commands
Blood sacrifice were required because “the _________of the flesh is in the blood”
All the laws in Exodus & Leviticus were given to the first generation at Mt. Sinai so that they would be ___
Purging an Obstinate People – Numbers
The census in chapters 1-2 came to 603,550 men for war, so a total population of __________million people
They had been at Mt. Sinai for 9 months and received all the ______________needed to proceed to Canaan
_______________began very quickly resulting in deaths from fire on the outskirts & a plague on the greedy
The spies told of a good land flowing with milk & honey, but 10 of them prodded the people to _____giants
Fear removed _________of Yahweh despite the miracles they had seen, and they rebelled
All those 20 and older would ______in the wilderness wandering over 40 years except for Joshua & Caleb
Korah’s rebellion (Lev. 16) resulted in the __________of all those who participated & their families
They conquered Arad, but complaining about the food & lack of water brought ________by fiery serpents
Yahweh provided water, and they ___________the Sihon and Og and occupied the lands east of the Jordan
Balaam blessed Israel, but the sins at Baal-Peor with the Moabite women resulted in __________ deaths
A new census showed a decrease in population of 1,380 ( 0._____%)
Final Preparations – Deuteronomy
Moses recounted the _________of the nation from leaving Egypt to the present for the next generation
Moses was careful to point out the unbelief & rebellion of the first generation as a __________to the second
Moses would retell the ___________of God to the second generation
Deut. 6:1-3 – the purpose of the law was to bring God’s ______________ upon them
Deut. 6:4-9 – The Shema – summarizes the identity & character of Yahweh & gives the _________command
The parent must love God in order to teach their children to love Him – and that must be done ___________
Keeping God’s law prevents kindling His anger & destruction while bringing His _____________upon them
Deut. 10:12-13 – They were to fear Yahweh, walk in His ways, love & serve Him – which was for their ____
Deut. 27-28 – Promises of blessings for obedience and _____________ of curses for disobedience
Deut. 10:20-22 – Yahweh had done great & awesome things for them – and made them ____________people
Closing Thoughts
Seeing great ______________did not produce faith and trust in God for the first generation
The Christian life is based on _______________Jesus is who He claims & that He will fulfill His promises
The Christian is called by God, so He will ____________you to be like Jesus both now & for eternity
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 – 1) Count how many Bible passes are specifically referenced. 2) Talk with your parents about the importance of believing and trusting God.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. What is the basis for being able to trust God? What were the elements of the Abrahamic covenant. What is the importance that it was made unilaterally by God? Why was that covenant passed down to Isaac and not Ishmael, and then to Jacob and not Esau? What did God do that caused Him to bring about the Exodus? What was the effect of the ten plagues on Egypt, Israel and the name of Yahweh? What miracles did they see on their journey to Mt. Sinai? What was the basis of the Mosaic Covenant? What was its purpose? What was the purpose of all the commandments? Why would it be dangerous for them to live with God’s presence in their midst? What were the five sacrifices and the purpose of each one? Why is a blood sacrifice required for atonement? What was the population of Israel when it left Egypt? List the various acts of rebellion by the generation that came out of Egypt and God’s response to each one? Why did God have them wander in the wilderness for 40 years instead of immediately conquering Canaan? Why did Moses recount the history of the nation to the second generation? Why did he retell the law to them? What was the purpose of the law (Deut. 6:1-3)? How was the law to be passed down to the next generation (Deut. 6:4-9)? Why was it important to keep the law (Deut. 27-28)? What did Yahweh require of Israel (Deut. 10:12-13)? How had Yahweh prepared the people to conquer the land and be a holy nation? The first generation saw God perform incredible miracles, so why didn’t they trust and obey Him? Would seeing a miracle enable you to trust the Lord more – why or why not?
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