Number 14;11

Numbers 14:11 says, And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?  God asked Moses how long He should have patience with the people of Israel, since they didn't believe in Him even though He had shown them His power through signs that they had seen.  We need to pray that God doesn't lose patience with us today as Christians.  Verse twelve adds, I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.  God said He would smite the people of Israel with pestilence and disinherit them, and then make a of Moses a greater nation than they were.  If we are followers of Christ in name only and not by an unshakable faith in Him, God will one day disinherit us.  Verse thirteen states, And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)  Moses told God that if He were to smite the people of Israel, the Egyptians would hear about it.  Since God had delivered them out of Egypt, if He then killed them, the Egyptians would be able to say that following God brought no benefit, and that the people of Israel would have indeed been better off in Egypt.  Today, we occasionally hear someone ask how we benefit from following Christ, as they see things only in material and earthly value.  Verse fourteen adds, And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that thou LORD art among this people, that thou LORD art seen face to face, and that thy cloud standeth over them, and that thou goest before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night.  Moses said that other people, including the Egyptians, had seen His power at work in the people of Israel.  Hopefully, the people of the world today will see His work through us, and we will never question His work in our life.  Verse fifteen declares, Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying,  Verse sixteen adds, Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. Moses said that if God killed the people that He delivered out of Egypt that the world would say that He was unable to bring them to the Promised Land.  Even though they were ready to stone him, Moses was still willing to intercede with God on their behalf.  We should have that same attitude today, and intercede for others before God, no matter how they may treat us.  Verse seventeen states, And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying,  Moses asked God to show His great mercy on the people of Israel, even though they were guilty of sinning against Him.  This is how we are saved today, because of God's great mercy to us in sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.  Verse eighteen adds, The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.  Again,  Moses said even though the people of Israel were guilty of sinning against God and sin brought punishment, he asked God to show them mercy.  It is only by the mercy of God that we can have salvation, the forgiveness of our sins today.  Verse nineteen continues, Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.  Moses asked God to once again forgive His people out of His great mercy.  This is the only reason we can be forgiven today.  Forgiveness is not earned by our actions, but is only possible because of the great mercy of God.

Numbers 14:1

Numbers 14:1 says, And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.  The whole congregation lifted up their voice and cried out, and they literally cried all night after the report of ten of the spies.  Verse two adds, And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!  The reason for their crying out and weeping was because they believed the spies more than they believed God, even as they were on the edge of the Promised Land.  They murmured against Moses and Aaron and questioned God.  As followers of Christ, we are always on the edge of the Promised Land, Heaven, but we still often murmur and question God's power to get us there.  Verse three continues, And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?  They continued to question why God had led them there, even though He had already told them why.  They also said it would be better to return to Egypt than to die by the sword claiming the Promised Land.  If confronted with death because of our belief in Christ, would we be tempted to turn back to the world because we believe it would be safer?  Verse four concludes, And they said over one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.  The people of Israel, in spite of all God had done for them and having seen the power of God decided to select their own captain and return to Egypt.  Even if the overwhelming majority of those who claim to be God's people decide to follow the ways of the world instead of following God, we must remain faithful to God and His word.  Verse five states, Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the children of Israel.  Moses and Aaron fell on there faces before the congregation.  They didn't go to war with them.  Verse six adds, And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:  Joshua and Caleb, the two faithful spies, tore their clothes at the action of the people.  These four humbled themselves before the congregation, and more importantly before God.  I don't believe it does any good to go to war with those who profess to be Christians but follow after the world instead of God.  We are simply to humble ourselves before God in prayer for them.  Verse seven continues, And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.  Joshua and Caleb told the whole congregation that the land that they passed through was an exceedingly good land.  We as followers of Christ have been promised an exceedingly good home, Heaven, if we truly put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse eight declares, If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.  Joshua and Caleb said if the LORD was with them, He would take them into the promised land, which was a land flowing with milk and honey as He had promised.  We need to claim the promises of God today without wavering, and He will give us success over this evil world.  Verse nine adds, Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.  They then told the congregation that since God was with them that the victory was assured.  As long as we are following God's direction in life as Christians, our everlasting victory is assured.  Verse ten states, But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.  The people were ready to stone them, then the glory of God appeared in the tabernacle.  The congregation was not just fighting against Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, but against God.  God was now reminding them of this.  If we are tempted to turn away from God and chase after the things of this world, we need to simply look once again to the power of God.

Numbers 13:26

Numbers 13:26 says, And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land.  The spies returned and showed Moses and all the congregation of the people of Israel the fruit of the land as they gave their report.   This was undeniable proof that what God had promised them was true.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it.  They then even told Moses that the land that they were sent to spy on, God's Promised Land for them, was flowing with milk and honey.  As we go through life as followers of Christ, we should see His promises to provide for us fulfilled.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there.  Then, the spies said nevertheless.  This usually doesn't indicate that something good is going to be said.  The spies then started to tell of the strength of the cities and the people, including seeing giants, the sons of Anak, there.  As Christians, we too often focus on the size of our problems instead of the size of our God.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. They then told of the various groups of people living in the land and where they were located.  The land was almost entirely populated.  In effect, they were saying that the land was all that God promised it to be, but that they would be unable to claim it.  How often do we fail to claim the promises of God because we see all the problems standing between Him and us?  Verse thirty declares, And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. Even as the other spies were talking about the impossibility of claiming the land, Caleb said they should go up at once and possess it.  No matter if the majority of the world tells us the impossibility of claiming something that God has promised us, starting with salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we need to be like Caleb and go ahead and claim it.  This is true of anything God promises us.  Verse thirty-one states, But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  The other spies, except for Joshua as we know, said that they were unable to possess the land, because they focused on those who stood between them instead of God Who had promised them the land.  We need to always keep our focus on God and not on the problems of the world, even if they seem impossible to overcome.  Verse thirty-two adds, And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.  The other spies brought an evil report, telling of the impossibility of the people of Israel taking the land.  They forgot about God, His promises, and what He had already done for them.  If we focus on the size of the problems before us instead of the size of God Who is with us, we may be the same way.  We must live by faith as followers of Christ, and never allow the problems of the world to overpower our faith in God.  Verse  thirty-three continues. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.  The other spies said they were like grasshoppers before the people in the land, especially the giants there who were descendants of Anak.  Once more, thay had forgotten God's promise to give them the land.  I believe we too often miss out on the promises of God when we live sight and not faith.

Numbers 13:17

Numbers 13:17 says, And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain:  Moses sent the spies into Canaan, the Promised Land, and instructed them on the way to go.  They were to go in the closest way and to check out all the land.  Verse eighteen adds, And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;  In addition to checking out the land, they were to check out the number and strength of the people.  We should always check out the power of the opposition to God's people today so that we will know what we are up against.  Still, this is not our Promised Land, but Heaven is, so we can never hope to be totally victorious.  Verse nineteen continues, And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds;  Moses also told them that they were to check out the strength of the cities, whether they were living in tents or fortified cities.  Verse twenty concludes, And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now the time was the time of the firstripe grapes.  The spies were also to check out whether the land was full of trees and fruit or not, though God had told them it was a land flowing with milk and honey.  We don't have to wonder about Heaven, because it will be all that God promises it will be.  As Moses told the spies then, we just need to be of good courage here in this old sinful world until we are called home to heaven. Verse twenty-one states, So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.  The spies went into the land and began to search.  Verse twenty-two adds, And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)  They went into several cities, one of which was older than some of the cities of Egypt.  Verse twenty-three says, And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs. When they got to Eshcol, they cut down a brach with one cluster of grapes that took two men to carry, and also got some figs and pomegranates.  The land was indeed rich in food as God had promised it would be.  God always fulfills His promises, and when we get there Heaven will be all that God has promised it will be.  Verse twenty-four adds, The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence. They called the place where they got the grapes Eschol, which meant Valley of the Cluster according to Matthew Henry.  Verse twenty-five continues, And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.  They searched the land for forty days then returned to Moses.  As Matthew Henry points out, they hadn't been sent because Moses doubted the richness of the land, but to show the rest people the richness.  We cannot show people the richness of Heaven, nor can we send spies to verify it richness, so all we can do is tell people what God has promised.  Many may refuse to believe it without proof, but all we can do is point them to Jesus Christ, and if they accept Him as their Savior and Lord, then they will know the truth of His promises. 

Numbers 13:1

Numbers 13:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse two adds, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.  God told Moses to send spies, one from each of the tribes of Israel, into the land of Canaan.  God already knew what was there, but He wanted the people to see for themselves that they could defeat the people of Canaan under God's power.  God still knows where He is sending us today, so the question is whether we see the power of the world or the power of God in every situation.  Verse three continues, And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel. Moses did as God instructed him to do, and so must we today.  Verse four states, And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur.  We are then given the names of those sent in the next few verses, beginning here with man from the tribe of Rueben, Shammau.  Verse five adds, Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori.  Verse six continues, Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.  Verse seven says, Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph.  Verse eight adds, Of the tribe of Ephraim, Oshea the son of Nun.  Verse nine continues, Of the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu.  Verse ten states, Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi.  Verse eleven adds, Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. Verse twelve continues, Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli.  Verse thirteen says, Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael.  Verse fourteen adds, Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi.  Verse fifteen continues, Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.  Verse sixteen concludes, These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.  Moses called and renamed Oshea, which means the prayer of salvation to Joshua, which mean the promise of salvation, according to Matthew Henry.  If we are praying for salvation today, we can claim the promise of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Numbers 12:10

Numbers 12:10 says, And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.  When the cloud, which represented God's presence, moved away from the tabernacle, Miriam was leprous, and Aaron saw it.  Since both had been questioning why Moses alone could speak for God, I can't really say why only Miriam was leprous, unless it was because Aaron had been called to speak for him when God spoke to Moses, and Miriam hadn't.  Whatever the case, their jealousy did not go unnoticed by God, and neither will ours.  Verse eleven adds, And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.  Aaron asked Moses to not hold them accountable for their foolish sin, acknowledging that they were both accountable, but Moses hadn't punished them.  God had.  We will be held accountable for even our foolish sins as Christians I believe.  We will not lose our salvation, but we may lose the joy of our salvation and some of our heavenly rewards, though I do't profess to know how that works exactly.  Verse twelve continues, Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb.  Aaron asked that Miriam be healed of her leprosy.  I personally believe that he may have been feeling guilty that they were both guilty and only she seemed to be being punished.  Feeling guilty because someone else seems to be being punished for a sin that we are guilty of as well does not relieve them or use from the consequences of that sin.  In such a situation, we can only confess our sin and pray for their forgiveness as well.  It is up to God how He deals with each individual.  Verse thirteen states, And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.  Moses cried out to God begging God to hear him.  God is always there to hear the prayers of His people, those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, and I don't believe we ever have to beg Him to listen to us.  Verse fourteen adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.  God told Moses that if Miriam had spit on her earthly father that she would have been shamed for seven days, so she would be punished for seven days by being shut out of the camp, and then she would have been received again.  Her punishment may have seemed harsh, but it was temporary.  Whatever earthly punishment we may receive as a consequence of our sins as Christians, it is temporary, even if it last the rest of our life.  Verse fifteen continues, And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.  Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, but she was not left behind.  Even if we are shut out of fellowship with other Christians because of some sin we have committed, we will not be left behind when Jesus Christ returns for His people, if we have truly put our faith in Him.  Still, it is not up to us to decide which Christians we will associate with and which we won't, because we are all but sinners saved by grace.  Verse sixteen concludes, And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.  After the seven days when Miriam was healed, the people moved once more by God's direction.  Our sins as Christians affect the whole congregation of God's people, whether they ever know it or not.  Whatever the situation, we should never question God.

Numbers 12:1

Numbers 12:1 says, And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, God's chosen leader, because he had married an Ethiopian woman.  We may at times want to criticize those whom God has put in power today because we don't like who they are married to, but if God called them, He knew all about them, as He did about Moses, so we need to simply support them.  Verse two adds, And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.  Miriam and Aaron were basically jealous of Moses, and that is where a lot of problems in the church, the family of God, come from today.  They asked if God spoke only through Moses, or if He didn't speak through them too.  We should never be jealous of anyone because the fact that God is doing more through them than He is through us.  God heard what they were saying, just as He hears our complaints about others today.  Verse three continues, (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)  Moses was the most meek man in the world, yet God chose him to lead the nation of Israel out of bondage and to the promised land.  We sometimes may feel that a preacher should be a more forceful person, but they just need to be who God wants them to be.  Verse four states, And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.  God called Moses, Aaron, and Miriam into the tabernacle of the congregation.  Since they were the three people involved in this, God called them all together.  God may call us together with those we have a problem with if we are listening to Him.  Verse five adds, And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.  God came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle and called Miriam and Aaron to Him, and they stood before Him.  One day, God is going to call everyone before Him, but in this lifetime He may call us together spiritually if not physically with those that we have problems with, and if He does, we would be wise enough to respond.  Verse six continues, And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. God said that if there was a prophet among them, it would be because God had spoken to them first through a vision or dream.  Verse seven declares, My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.  God then said that He had not spoken to Moses through dreams or visions, but had spoken to him face to face.  As followers of Christ today, we can speak directly to God and He can speak directly to us.  That doesn't mean that He will never speak to us through dreams or visions though.  We just have to make sure that we know beyond a doubt that is really God Who is talking to us.  Verse eight adds, With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?  God continued to tell Miriam and Aaron how He spoke personally with Moses, then asked how they were not afraid to speak against Moses.  We should never speak against anyone that God has called to serve Him because we don't like the way they are doing it, or because we feel that we can do it better.  Verse nine continues, And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.  God was angry with Miriam and Aaron and departed from where the were.  We need to pray that our actions as Christians will never cause God to leave our presence.  Though we are saved forever if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ, we can still act in such a way that we lose His direction in life at times.  We should never act out of envy or jealousy for how God is using someone else.