Numbers 26-36 - The Life of Moses

(My BSF Notes)

Last week we saw that Balaam was summoned by Balak, the king of Moab to put a curse on Israel.  He had heard about Israel’s defeating the Amorites and feared they would do the same to him.  We learned that Balaam was not a true believer, but used sorcery and loved money.  We saw God use Balaam’s donkey to humble him.  We also saw the immoral seduction of Israel’s men with the Moabite women, which was advised by Balaam resulting in Israel’s worship of their god, Baal.

Numbers 26-27 – Second Census

It had been 38 years since the last census of the people was taken.  Now God had Moses take a second census.  At the last census there were a total of 603,550 and this time there were 601,730.  All the men had died because of the hardships of the desert and the numerous judgments of God.  Only Joshua and Caleb were left.  God’s plan was still intact.  God still provided the men needed for the battles to come.  This census like the 1^st was to count all men over 20 years old who were able to serve in the army.  It was also to assign the land of Canaan by tribes in groups. (Num. 26)  The Levites who were the priests and were to serve God for a lifetime would have no land.  They were to receive no inheritance. 

We see the story of Zalophehad’s daughters.  He had died and had 5 daughters, but no sons.  Inheritances were usually passed to the sons.  The daughters wanted his inheritance and brought their case to Moses asking him to pass the inheritance to them.  Moses took their case to God and He agreed.  The inheritance should be theirs. (Num. 27:1-11) 

Then God told Moses to go up the mountain and see the land the Israelites were to be given.  Remember Moses had sinned against God when he struck the rock 2 times instead of speaking the rock as God commanded.  He dishonored God by taking credit for water coming from the rock.  God told him at that time he would not see the Promise Land.  Afterwards Moses would be gathered to his people.  Moses didn’t worry about himself or complain, but was concerned for the people he loved.  Moses being the great leader that he was, asked God for a successor to be appointed so the people would not be without a shepherd.  God chose Moses’ faithful long time companion, Joshua.  Moses would die, but Joshua would lead the people into the Promised Land. (Num. 27:12-23)

God provided a successor for Moses and Joshua’s relationship with the people would look different than that of Moses.  Remember God equips people in different ways, but we have the same God.

Who was Joshua?  He was the son of Nun and was Moses’ servant and helper since his youth.  He stayed close to Moses and was faithful to serve quietly and without any recognition.   He was one of the 12 spies sent to explore Canaan.  He was one of two faithful spies who returned with faith instead of fear.  He trusted God and His promises.  By being with Moses for all those years, he knew all about Israel’s complaining and that unbelief and disobedience has consequences.  He knew how to approach God appropriately and reverently.   God prepared Joshua to lead as He prepares us to lead.

How faithfully do you serve God?

Do you seek recognition from others?

If you desire God to give you bigger opportunities, be faithful with the small opportunities.  Too many people want to see ministry as popularity.  Ministry is all about serving others.  If you aren’t willing to serve a few people where you are, don’t expect God to give you more people.  Be faithful even if you are serving in the nursery at church or being a greeter at the church door.  Then God will be able to trust you to bigger opportunities.  Because of Joshua’s faithfulness for 40 years, He is getting the promotion of a lifetime!

Numbers 28-30 – Reminder of Offerings, Passover, Feasts and Vows

In Num. 28-30 God reminded the people of His regulations for daily and monthly offerings, the Passover, the different feasts, and vows.  God wanted to be part of their daily lives as He wants to be a part of our daily lives.  This was a new generation and they needed to know God’s requirements and be held accountable.  They would be entering the wicked land of Canaan and needed to know how to worship God and not worship their pagan gods.  All the sacrifices pointed to Jesus Christ who was the sacrifice for all our sins.

Num. 30 addresses vows.  We need to keep our word and our promises.  I think a lot of times we intend to keep them, but don’t.  So be careful what you say so you can keep your word.

Have you made a commitment to serve God, but are getting weary and now you want out of it?  Ask God to give new enthusiasm and energy to follow through with your promises.  God values people who keep their promises.  He is a promise keeper.

Do you remember and follow God’s commands?

Numbers 31 – Vengeance on the Midianites

In Num. 31 God said to take vengeance on the Midianites.  After that Moses would be gathered to his people.  This was the part of the final days before the assault on Canaan.  Here is the account of Balaam’s end.  His advice to the Moabites turned Israel away from the Lord and was the reason he was killed.  God told Moses to have the army kill all the Midianites.  Israel captured the women and children and all their flocks and herds.  They burned the towns and their camps. 

When Israel’s army returned they brought with them the captive women and children instead of killing them.  Moses was angry and asked why they spared the women since they were the ones who turned Israel away from God.  He said now they were to kill the boys and every woman who has slept with a man, but save the girls who has never slept with a man. (Num. 31:13-18) 

Why would God command a “holy war” against the Midianites?  First of all they worshiped the idol Baal and were involved in all kinds of sin.  God had to get rid of this sin so Israel wouldn’t become corrupt.  These immoral, idolatrous women caused the deaths of 24,000 Israelites.  God knew there wasn’t going to be repentance on their part and they could only do terrible harm to His chosen people.  God used Israel to carry out His judgment on them.  It seems harsh to kill the children, but the boys probably would have grown up to be just like their fathers.  God’s judgments are righteous and true.  The Midianites were wicked, practiced evil and idolatry.  When your body has a virus, it will affect your entire body.  You have to get rid of it.  God knows that the idolatrous and immoral nations were like a virus.    

This was a spiritual battle and God is the only one who can judge.  God is sovereign and it’s hard for us to understand.  God doesn’t have to explain Himself to us.  His ways and thoughts are much higher than ours.  We must trust His judgments.  God loves everyone, but He will not be manipulated.  He defends judgment, mercy and truth.  He is the only one qualified to judge.

Principle:  God is just and will fight battles in His way and in His time.

Israel was to divide the spoils between the soldiers and the rest of the community.   They were to set apart as tribute for the Lord 1 out of 500 of persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats and give it to Eleazar as the Lord’s part.  From Israel’s half they were to select 1 out of 50 and give it to the Levites.  The solders brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles they acquired to make atonement for themselves.  (Num. 31:25-54)

When God asks us to give, it isn’t a flat amount that applies to everyone.  He expects us to give in proportion to our abundance.  If you have more to give, you give more.  If you have less, you give less.  If you are struggling, the portion you give is smaller.  If you are doing well financially, your portion should be greater.

What does God expect from you?

Do you give your right portion to God?

Numbers 32 – The Transjordan Tribes

The Reubenites and Gadites had very large herds and saw the land where they were was suitable for them and didn’t want to cross the Jordan to Canaan.  In a way they seemed selfish and wanted to settle for the easy way.  They asked Moses if he could let this land called Transjordan be theirs.  They explained they didn’t want to escape the fighting, but would go and do their fair share.  They would stay and fight as long as it takes.  Moses grants their request.

Principle:  Is there an area in your life you are settling for?

Do you follow through with your obligations and promises?

Numbers 33 – Moses Records Israel’s Journey

The Lord commanded Moses to record the stages of the Israelites’ journey.  Sometimes it’s good to look back on our lives to see how God has been with us and how He has blessed us.   We can’t live in the past, but we sure can learn from it.  What is not recorded are the plagues, judgments and sins of their past.  God is not a record keeper of wrongs and neither should we be.

Principle:  Recounting God’s past faithfulness anchors our hearts for new challenges and opportunities.

I was in a Bible study several years ago and we were asked to record the events of our lives by different age groupings.  Example 1-15 years old, 16- 26 years old, 27-40 years old, 41-60 years old, etc.  When I did that, I could see God’s hand at work and how I grew spiritually.  It reminded me how He was there in every circumstance and how He had a plan for my life.  It was very eye opening.  You should try it.

How do you record important stages in your life?

What do you do to preserve your traditions?

Do you see how God was with you through it all?

Then God said when you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land.  Destroy all their carved images and idols.  Take possession of the land and settle there.  Distribute the land by lot according to the clans.  (Num. 33)  Any compromise will result in terrible trouble.  The same is true in our lives.  Anytime we only obey God partially, the devil gets a foothold.

When have you compromised with God and what was the result?

When have you partially obeyed God?

Numbers 34-36 – Land Allotted and Boundaries Established

When the Israelites entered the land, God allotted the land to each tribe as an inheritance and gave them boundaries.  These boundaries are described in Num. 34.

In Num. 35 God commanded them to set up towns for the Levites.   Six of those towns were to be towns of refuge to be used for anyone who has killed someone to flee to and await there for a fair trial.  In that culture when a family member was killed, you were obligated to honor them by tracking down the killer and kill him.  God is setting up a place of refuge for people who killed unintentional.  We call that manslaughter.  If the murder was premeditated, there was no place for refuge.  They were to be killed as they had killed.  God instituted capital punishment back in Gen. 9:6, “Whoever shed the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God has God made man.”

Where do you turn for refuge?

Num. 36 deals with Zelophehad’s daughters who were granted their father’s inheritance.  If they married outside their tribe, the land would pass to another tribe and upset tribal portions.  So it was decided they should marry within their tribe to avoid problems.  The daughters married within the clans of the descendants of Manasseh and their inheritance remained in their tribe.

God has divided all human beings into 2 tribes – believers and unbelievers.  “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?   What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?” – 2 Cor. 6:14-15.  (Belial means wickedness.)  We are not to marry outside of our tribe like in the days of Zelophehad’s daughters, because it creates problems.

All these chapters deal with Israel’s preparation to cross over into the Promised Land, Canaan.

Principle:  God will accomplish the work He began.

Are you prepared to cross over from life to death?

How can you be prepared?

Do you pray and study God’s Word?

Do you have a true relationship with God?

Do you obey only when it’s desirable to you?

In these chapters we see many attributes of God.  He is a just God.  He guides.  He is holy.  He is a promise keeper and He always provides.  He saves us, but doesn’t leave us there.

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Leviticus 16 - The Life of Moses

(My BSF Notes)

Last week we learned that we can’t approach God in an unauthorized way.  We can only approach Him through Jesus.  Living a good life is not good enough.  We need Jesus.

Leviticus 16 – The Day of Atonement

We learn in the earlier chapters of Leviticus of the various types of sacrifices offered for sin and how they were to be offered.  In this chapter we learn about a unique day, the Day of Atonement.  On this special day sacrifices were offered by the high priest for the sins of the entire nation of Israel.  This parallels with what was to be accomplished by the death of Jesus, our High Priest.

Sin is universal.  It is a lack of conformity to the will of God.  When we sin, we are offending God, because we are breaking His laws.  We have missed the mark of God’s holy standards.  We are sinning against God Himself.  It is an outrage against God.  It subjects us to the wrath of God and has eternal consequences.  All people have sinned.  Therefore, all people are under God’s judgment except those who have trusted in God’s provision to escape that judgment.  That is through having faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ?

Do you know where you will spend eternity?

On the Day of Atonement the high priest, Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting and only on this day could he enter the Most Holy Place.  Before he could enter he must sprinkle the blood of the bull on the atonement cover and enter with a censer of coals and incense.  The smoke from the coals was to conceal the atonement cover above the Ark where the presence of the Lord would be.  He was to do this or he would die. (Lev. 16:12).  

Aaron was to sacrifice a bull for his own sins.  Then do the same for the entire nation by presenting 2 goats before the Lord.  1^st a goat was to be slaughtered and the blood was to be sprinkled on the covering of the Ark.  “In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been.” – Lev. 16:16.

The 2^nd goat, known as the scapegoat, was not slaughter.  Instead it was allowed the die in the desert.  Aaron laid his hands on the goat and confessed over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites – all their sins – and put them on the goat’s head.  Then the goat was sent away into the desert.  This symbolized what Jesus Christ did for us.  Jesus is our scapegoat.  He took the penalty for our sins away and we never have to face it again.  “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood.” – Heb. 13:12.  True atonement was provided by the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Aaron laid his hands on the scapegoat and confessed all the sins of the Israelites, we too must confess every single one of our sins to God and repent and then the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all our unrighteousness.  Jesus did to perfection what the Old Testament ritual could only do in symbol.

People today are unclean and rebellious.  They murder, hate, lust, and disobey God.  They are selfish and arrogant thinking only of themselves.  They think they don’t need Jesus.

The 1^st goat that was to be sacrificed was to serve as an atoning sacrifice before the Lord.  It pictures the propitiation (to turn aside the wrath of God) for sins by death.  The living goat, the scapegoat, was to serve as a substitute for the people.  It symbolized the complete removal of their sins.  Christ is our substitute for those who receive Him by faith.  He removed our sin and our guilt of sin and He has removed it forever!  When a sinner comes to Jesus by faith, his sins are not only paid for, they are taken away forever!  Thank you, Jesus!  Now we have the assurance of heaven and can enjoy fellowship and communion with God.  We can enter His presence in prayer and we are no longer under condemnation.  “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” – Rom 8:1.

How have you been rebellious toward God?

What sin do you need to banish in your life?

What guilt do you need to get rid of?

Who is your scapegoat?

After the scapegoat was driven away, burnt offerings for Aaron’s sins and the sins of the people were made.  “This is to be a lasting ordinance for you:  On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work – whether native-born or an alien living among you – because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you.  Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.  It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.” – Lev. 16:29-31.

“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you:  Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.” – Lev. 16:34. 

“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” – Heb 10:4.  God provided a way to atone for our sins.  It’s through Jesus.  We need to know that Jesus accomplished this for us and that nothing else or no one else can do this for us.  The sacrifices in the Old Testament system could not do this.  Their sacrifices had to be done over and over again.  They pointed us forward to Christ who would do this for us once and for all time.  We must believe in Jesus to approach God for salvation.  No good works, moral life, no suffering, no self-sacrifice can save you.  You must believe on Jesus to be saved.

When Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two from top to bottom.  This showed that God opened the way into His presence for those who believe in Jesus.  We now have access to God through Jesus’ sacrifice.

Do you believe in Jesus and have you confessed your sins to Him?

If not, will you do it now before it’s too late?

Who do you need to tell about God’s grace?

Principles: 

God provided a way to atone for our sins.

Jesus’ blood was sacrificed once and for all to take away our sins.

Because of Jesus, we have hope?

How can you show your gratitude to Jesus for what He has done for you?

My friend Janice Beers expresses it this way in a prayer:

Jesus, You shed Your blood for me;

   in agony, suffered on the tree.

You did it all to set me free

   that I could have eternal life with Thee.

I'm thankful sin offerings are no longer done;

   through Your perfect sacrifice, the victory is won.

I'm grateful You have made me clean;

   so, on Your work at the cross, I will lean.

You gave me new life through a second birth

   so I can serve You here on Earth.

I pray You will teach me and guide my ways,

   and I'll share the Gospel and give You the praise!

n  By Janice Beers of Versailles, KY

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Leviticus 1-7; 11-15; 17-24 - The Life of Moses

(My BSF Notes)

Last time we saw how the cloud of God’s glory filled the Tabernacle.  Now God is giving laws and instructions to the priests for offerings that are to be presented to Him since He is holy and would be living with them.  Leviticus is a handbook for the priests.  It contains many rules they needed to do their work like worshiping God, making sacrifices and handling everyday problems concerning cleanliness.  The theme of Leviticus is holiness.  God wants His priests to be holy as He is holy.  Holiness is to be a characteristic of all God’s people.  A key verse in this study is Lev. 20:26 – “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”

Leviticus 1-7 – Holiness through Offerings

There are 5 types of offerings:

Burnt Offering – The purpose was to make atonement for sin.  This offering focuses on how the animals were to be handled.  The worshiper was to offer a male animal without defect from the herd or flock or a dove or young pigeon.  He was to present the animal at the entrance of the tent so it would be acceptable, lay his hands on it and it would be acceptable to make atonement for him.  Then it would be slaughtered before the Lord.  Its blood was sprinkled on the altar by the priests, but into pieces, burned on the fire so the aroma would be pleasing to the Lord.

Grain Offering – The purpose of this offering is not explained, but thought to be an offering of thanksgiving that might be called a gift to the Lord.  It was finely ground flour or grain that was mixed with oil and incense.

Fellowship Offering – The purpose was for peace and fellowship with the Lord.  It too was a sin offering and similar to the burnt offering involving an animal and sprinkling of blood on the altar.

Sin Offering – The purpose was to make atonement for sins the worshiper had committed.  It was a bull without defect, killed, and its blood sprinkled on the altar.

Guilt Offering – The purpose was to make restitution and atonement for wrongs committed unintentionally and against the Lord.  It was a ram without blemish, killed, blood sprinkled and restitution of 1/5 of its value.

Anyone could present an offering.  The sacrifice is to be costly to the worshipper and only the best could be offered.  Jesus has fulfilled every part of this law, and we do not repeat these offerings today.  Salvation is through the Lord Jesus Christ and anyone can come to Him.  Salvation is a free gift for us, because Jesus paid the full price of our sins.  God still calls us to offer sacrifices to Him – our praise, our gifts, our service, our worship, our time, etc.

Atonement means the reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus.  These various sacrifices are a picture of what Jesus accomplished through His perfect life and His death on the cross.  He was without blemish or sin, His blood was spilled and spattered, our sins were laid on Him, and He became the sacrifice for all who believe in Him.

God dwells in His people today by His Holy Spirit.  We are His Tabernacle made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for the atonement for our sins.  Give God thanks for sending Jesus to be your sacrifice and for sending His Spirit to live in you to guide and protect you.

Principle:  A holy life is characterized by a right relationship with our holy God.

What does a relationship with God look like?  A relationship with God includes confession, repentance, worship and spending time with Him.

What do you need to do to have a relationship with God?

Is there something in your life your are ashamed of that you cannot talk to God about?

What sacrifice have you offered God this week?

Leviticus 11-15 – Holiness through Clean Living

These laws in chapters 11-15 do not directly apply to us today, but we can learn from them.

Another key verse is Lev. 11:44 – “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”

This is a list of purification laws for Israel.  I have listed a practical or health or benefit for each.

11:1-17 – Clean and unclean animals - these were to help them learn to obey God and not please themselves.

12:1-8 – Purification following childbirth – this allowed a new mother to rest after childbirth.

13:1-46 – Skin diseases – it is good to quarantine a person to keep others from getting the disease.

13:47-59 – Mildew contamination – mildew and mold is very unhealthy making you have all kinds of sickness just by breathing it.

14:1-32 – cleansing skin diseases –today we take care of skin problem by visiting the doctor for medication.

14: 33-57 – cleansing from mildew – today we wash it away; Fema is called when there is critical contamination for clean up.

15:1-33 – Uncleanness from bodily discharges – this could be an example of contagious sexual transmitted diseases.

The New Testament shows the primary purpose of these laws as not physical health.  Mark 7:15-18 – “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.”  The people were learning about God and themselves from these laws.  God wanted them to be holy just as He is holy.  It also reminded them of how He rescued them from Egypt. (Lev. 11:44-45).

Principle:  A holy life is characterized by inward and outward, public and private purity.

What draws you closer to God?

Does something enter your mind that is not pure?

What do you need to change to bring purity in your life?

What is your life reminds you of truths about God?

Leviticus 17-24 – Holiness through Choices

This section teaches lessons about living a holy life.  It contains prohibitions against eating blood, unlawful sexual relations, various laws and punishments, unacceptable sacrifices, a new listing of yearly feasts and rules governing oil and bread used in the tabernacle.

A key verse here is Lev. 17:11 – “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for ourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.”

The blood was important part in sacrifice.  The life is in the blood.  Blood is a symbol of life.

God needed them to live differently.  In Lev. 18 God teaches about every kind of sexual immorality.  He considers it detestable (verses 22,26,29,30), wicked (verse 17), defiling (verse 20), and a perversion (verse 23).  He gave other reasons for these commands.  He said they should not practice what they use to practice when they were in Egypt.  He said they are to be holy and His is holy.  God set them apart from every other nation and they are not to be like other nations.

Homosexuality is very relevant today.  “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.” – Lev. 18:22.  This is not the only sin God talks about here in chapter 18, but is in a large list of sins and sin separates us from God.  Why is it wrong?  It is wrong, because it is not in God’s plan just like any other sin is not in His plan.  If you struggle with this or someone you know does, ask God to teach you why this is wrong.  Study His word.  We all struggle with some sin and we all fall short and we all need Jesus.

Sin brings guilt and requires a punishment.  It separates us from God.  Holiness is our Christian destiny.  One day we will be like Jesus.  But for now, we are to pursue holiness.

Lev. 19:37 says it all. “Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them.  I am the Lord.”

What sin do you need to rid yourself of?

Do you strive to be holy?

Chapter 21 and 22 gives rules and high standards for Priests.  We all need to be praying for our church leaders.

Principle:  A holy life is characterized by intentionally representing God through holy choices.

Where in life are you not representing God?  Is it what you read, watch on TV, how you respect the elderly?

Do you make holy choices?

It is impossible for us to be completely holy as God is holy.  We are to continue pursuing holiness.  So for now fix your eyes on Jesus and one day we will be like the holy Jesus. 

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