Travelling towards the promised land

Numbers 9:1-10:36 The Israelites were travelling towards the promised land. As they travelled, they were to celebrate the Passover (Numbers 9:1-14). In their journey, they were being led by the Lord (Numbers 9:15-23). In the course of their journey, they faced opposition from their enemies, the enemies of the Lord. In this situation, they looked …

Overview Of The Old Testament: Numbers

Numbers 1-8 ‘Every man able to go forth to war’ (1:3): God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ! ‘The Lord said to Moses’ (2:1): Let your life be centred on the Word of the Lord - Listen, Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate! ‘Every male from a month old and upward’ (3:15): ,24,28,34,39-40,43): Long before we …

The Message of Numbers (Travelling Through God’s Word: Numbers).

Numbers Numbers is the fourth book of (i) the Pentateuch; (ii) the Old Testament; and (iii) the Bible. (i) Numbers is the fourth book of the Pentateuch. It follows on from Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. It is followed by Deuteronomy. The word, ‘Pentateuch’, is a Greek word. It means ‘five books’. In the Pentateuch, there …

The School of Discipleship (5): The Lord will be with us, every step of the way.

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land …

Responding to God’s Word (4): Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah.

We are journeying to the place of which the Lord said, "I will give it to you" (Numbers 10:29). Forward-looking; this is what God is calling us to be. Forward-looking: what does this mean? Forward-looking: how are we to be forward-looking? Does it mean that everything's going to be wonderful in the future? No! It …

Numbers 21-22

Numbers 21:1-35  -  In verses 5-9, there is an illustration of God’s salvation (John 3:14-15). There is sin and death (Romans 5-6; 3:23, 6:23). Christ prays for our forgiveness (7; Luke 23:34). Lifted up on the Cross, He dies that we might have eternal life. In love, He appeals to us, ‘Look to me and …

Numbers 1-2

Numbers 1:1-54  -  ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of  Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the …

Numbers 3-4

Numbers 3:1-51  -  The Levites were to ‘minister at the tabernacle’ (5-8). Different people were given different responsibilities. They were not to compete with each other. There was to be no overlapping. One was not to interfere with the work of another. The call comes from God. ‘Every male from a month old and upward’ …

Think Back Over Your Life, And Thank God For All That He Has Done.

Numbers 33:1-49 In the history of Israel - Set free by the power of God, failure to learn, wandering, the promised land - , there is a picture of the Christian life - conversion and growth to spiritual maturity by way of learning from our mistakes. We are not to remain in the past. That …

Numbers 5-6

Numbers 5:1-31  -  ‘The Lord said...’ (1): Let us hear and obey His Word. God is holy: His people are not to be defiled (3). Sin is not merely moral. It is spiritual. It is not only a deviation from law. It is an offence against God - ‘breaking faith with the Lord’ (6). God …

Numbers 7

Numbers 7:1-47  -  Why do we bring our offerings to the Lord? - ‘that they may be used in doing the service of the tent of meeting’ (5). We give ourselves to the Lord - ‘Love so amazing, so divine, shall have my soul, my life, my all’ - and we ask Him to put …

Numbers 23:27-26:11; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 38:1-12

There is, in Numbers 24:17,19, a prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel … A ruler will come out of Jacob.” Centuries later, John the Baptist was sent by God as a …

Numbers

NUMBERS 1:1-54  –  ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of  Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the …

Seeking for true happiness… and finding it in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ

We;re drawing near to the end of the year. It's a time for looking back. It's, also, a time for looking forward. We look back, and what do we see? We see Jesus, We look forward, and what do we see? We see Jesus. A week before the new year begins, it will be Christmas, …

Our whole life must be controlled by one thing: ‘Do all to the glory of God.’

Numbers 6:1-27 'Separate... to the Lord,... Separate... from wine and strong drink' (2-3): These two thoughts are closely connected in the New Testament - 'Do not get drunk with wine,... Be filled with the Spirit' (Ephesians 5:18). We are to be 'holy to the Lord' (8). 'Consecrated to the Lord', our whole life must be …

Our Sin? or God’s Blessing?

Numbers  5:1-6:27 We must take sin seriously. It can lead to a withdrawal of God’s blessing. This is the important and challenging message of Numbers 5. We must not lose sight of God’s purpose for our lives. We are to be “dedicated to the Lord” (Numbers 6:6). It is God’s intention to bless. In His …

Numbers 22:21-23:26; Luke 6:37-7:10; Psalm 37:32-40

“God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). God’s Word is truth. To build on the foundation of God’s Word is to build on a rock-solid foundation (Luke 6:47-48). To build on this rock-solid foundation is to be safe in the stronghold of God’s salvation: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; …

We are called to a life of single-minded devotion to Jesus Christ.

Numbers 27:1-23 The daughters of Zelophehad were concerned about the continuation of their father's name (1-11). Our first concern must be the glory of God, our Heavenly Father. We are to honour our parents, loving them deeply. We must not allow such love to compete with our love for Christ. He must come first. We …

Christ has triumphed over the world, the flesh and the devil. In Him, we have the victory.

Numbers 11:4-13:25; Luke 3:23-4:13; Proverbs 7:21-27 We must contend with the world, the flesh and the devil. In Numbers 11:4-6, we read about the pull of the flesh. This becomes the lure of the world, as men, living in the flesh, speak to Moses as men of the world (Numbers 11:10-15). In Luke 4, we …

Weak in ourselves, strong in the Lord – this is meekness, and it is blessed by the Lord.

"The meek shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 29:19).  "Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth" (Numbers 12:3). "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). The work "meek" rhymes with the word, "weak" - but the two words are …

In the wilderness

Numbers 9:1-23 God's people were 'in the wilderness' (1) - No longer in the land of bondage, not yet in the land of promise. This is our situation - We look back to what the Lord has done for us. We look forward to what the Lord will yet do for us. The Passover directs …

Beyond our suffering

Times of suffering change the way we look at life. What kind of change does suffering bring to us? Does it make us bitter? or Does it make us better? When we're going through hard times, it is difficult to "always look on the bright side of life." What does suffering do to us? Does …

This is My Son – whom I have chosen; listen to Him.

Numbers 35:1-36:13; Luke 9:28-56; Psalm 40:9-17 To come to the end of the book of Numbers is to sense the great significance of the man, Moses. To read the transfiguration of Jesus is to realize that the glory of “Moses and Elijah… in glorious splendour” isnothing compared with the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Of Christ …

Exactly What The Lord Commanded

Numbers 17:1-18:32 Moses, the priests, the people – All of them were to honour the Lord in everything. (i) “Moses did exactly what the Lord commanded him to do” (Numbers 17:11). (ii) The priests were “a gift, given by the Lord, to do whatever work is necessary at the tent of meeting” (Numbers 18:6). (iii) …

Worshipping the Lord, and winning people for Him.

Numbers 31:25-32:42; Luke 8:40-9:9; Psalm 40:1-8 In Moses’ time, the people of God were to “arm themselves before the Lord for battle” (Numbers 32:20). In Jesus’ time, His disciples were given “power and authority to drive out all demons... ” (Luke 9:1). In every generation, the Lord’s people are to sing “a new song... a …

A mighty work of God

Numbers 33:1-34:29; Luke 9:10-27; Proverbs 8:22-31 The sheer dimensions of what God was doing with His people, Israel, are most impressive. This was no small thing. This was a mighty work of God. The feeding of the 5,000 was a mighty miracle. It was impressive because of the sheer numbers involved in it. When we …

What About This Generation?

Numbers 14:1-45 The problems continue. The problems increase (Numbers 14:1-4). Again, there is the Word of encouragement – “this time from Joshua, as well as Caleb” (Numbers 14:5-9). The people bring judgment upon themselves. They will not enter the promised land. Of the older generation, only faithful Caleb and Joshua were to enter the land. …

It’s time for a new beginning.

Numbers 14:1-45 'All the congregation raised a loud cry... ', 'all the people of Israel murmured... ', 'all the congregation said to stone them... ' (1-2,10). Was there any 'light at the end of the tunnel'? Yes!: 'The Lord... will bring us into this land' (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: 'Do …

The blessing of the Lord

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us" (Psalm 67:1). In these words, we hear an echo of the words of Numbers 6:24-26, "The Lord bless you and keep you... ." This is a prayer that we need to pray for one another. Throughout our life, from …

Let’s sing “a new song, a hymn of praise to our God.”

Numbers 31:25; Luke 8:40-9:9; Psalm 40:1-8 In Moses’ time, the people of God were to “arm themselves before the Lord for battle” (Numbers 32:20). In Jesus’ time, His disciples were given “power and authority to drive out all demons… ” (Luke 9:1). In every generation, the Lord’s people are to sing “a new song… a …

Blessed and kept

"The Lord bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24). The Lord blesses us. The Lord keeps us. How wonderful this is! There are plenty of times when we don't feel very blessed, and we don't feel very kept. What does God say to us when we feel like this? He says to us, "You are blessed." He …

We’re living in changing times. God is equipping His people for new challenges.

Numbers 26:23-65 There is real sadness in the final words of this chapter: 'There was not left a man of them, except Caleb and Joshua' (65). There is also a sense of expectation. So many had died in the wilderness. This was now a new generation. We're living in changing times. God is equipping His …

The Lord Never Changes – He Remains Unchanged, Unchanging And Unchangeable In His Love.

Numbers 20:1-29 No man or woman is indispensable. God’s work goes on, with or without us! (a) Miriam(Moses’ sister) served and worshipped the Lord (Exodus 2:7-8; 15:20-21). Now, her time had come. She was not to enter the land. She ‘died’(1). (b) Moses had been the leader of God’s people. He sinned, and he was …

We Will Do As The Lord Has Said.

Numbers 30:1-32:42 In the various areas of life: personal faithfulness (chapter 30), our relationship with the world (chapter 31), our relationship with the Lord’s people (chapter 32), there is one thing which is of the utmost importance, “we will do as the Lord has said” (Numbers 32:31). This is the most important thing: obedience to …

Let us hear and obey God’s Word.

Numbers 5:1-31 'The Lord said...' (1): Let us hear and obey His Word. God is holy: His people are not to be defiled (3). Sin is not merely moral. It is spiritual. It is not only a deviation from law. It is an offence against God - 'breaking faith with the Lord' (6). God is …

We Need The Power Of The Holy Spirit.

“The Spirit of God came upon him” (Numbers 24:2). There needs to be empowering by the Spirit of God. Without His power, our words will never speak to people as the Word of the living God. With His power, everything changes. It is His power that carries home His Word to the hearts of our …

From Victory To Victory

Numbers 21:1-35 The Israelites are journeying with the Lord. He is leading them from victory to victory. Salvation for Israel, salvation from the God of Israel, the true and living God, meant “destruction” (Numbers 21:3) for those who opposed God and His people – “How horrible it is for you, Moab! You are destroyed, you …

God’s people are being called on to maturity, to be men and women of faith.

Numbers 25:1-26:65 God's people are being called on to maturity. This is the significance of the phrase, "at least twenty years old" (Numbers 26:2,4). There are, however, many dangers. We are easily sidetracked - putting other "gods" before the Lord our God (Numbers 25:3). This turning away from the Lord is a serious matter, leading …

Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Numbers 14:1-45  -  ‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all the congregation said to stone them...’ (1-2,10). Was there any ‘light at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this land’ (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not …

God’s people are being called on to maturity.

Numbers 25:1-26:65 God's people are being called on to maturity. This is the significance of the phrase, "at least twenty years old" (Numbers 26:2,4). There are, however, many dangers. We are easily sidetracked - putting other "gods" before the Lord our God (Numbers 25:3). This turning away from the Lord is a serious matter, leading …

Speaking The Word Of Truth, Walking In The Way Of Truth

Numbers 22:1-24:25 The story of Balaam concerns the challenge of speaking God’s Word in truth. God is the God of truth (Numbers 23:19). His messengers must speak the Word of truth.. Before we can speak God’s Word in truth, there needs to be a confession of sin, an acknowledgment of how far we have deviated …

God Speaks To Us. We Speak For Him.

“Speak only the Word that I tell you” (Numbers 22:35). If we are to bring the Word of God to others, we must pray that He will speak to us. We must pray that He will give to us His Word – “the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth” (Numbers 23:5). At the heart …

In The Wilderness

"In the wilderness (or the wild country)" (Numbers 1:1). "Stage by stage" (Numbers 33:2) - Moses kept a record of Israel's journey. "In the wilderness", "stage by stage" - When we read these two phrases, and think about our own journey through life, we are invited to think about where we've been, where we are, …

The Lord bless you and keep you.

"He placed a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see this and worship. They will trust the Lord. Blessed is the person who places his confidence in the Lord ... " (Psalm 40:3-4). Our worship brings joy to the heart of the Lord - and it, also, brings blessing …

The Sin, the Suffering, the Supplication, the Salvation

(1) The Sin "They spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’" (Numbers 21:5). (2) The Suffering "Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people …

Forty years in the wilderness… Is there more than this?

Forty years - it's such a long time. We look back. We try to remember what happened down through the years. We've forgotten so much more than we, still, remember. Have we forgotten the Lord? or Do we, still, remember him? We ask about our remembering and our forgetting, but there are more important questions …

Before we can hear the Lord speaking to us, we must stop speaking against Him.

"We have spoken against the Lord" (Numbers 21:7). Before we can hear the Lord speaking to us, we must stop speaking against Him. How can we hear what the Lord is saying to us if we keep on speaking against Him? If we are to speak for God, we must begin with listening to Him. …

True worship is, always, more than just words. It is the offering of ourselves to the Lord.

Numbers 7:66-9:14; Luke 2:41-52; Psalm 35:11-18 At the time of the book of Numbers, worship took place in the Tent of Meeting. By the time of Jesus, worship took place in the Temple. The Passover was being celebrated in the Desert of Sinai in the days of Moses. The Passover was being celebrated in Jerusalem …

God hasn’t stopped speaking to us through His Word – but have we stopped listening to Him?

Some people say, “Surely, you don’t believe the Bible.” They say that the Bible belongs to the past. It’s not for us today. This kind of talk takes us right back to the Garden of Eden – “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1).  The Bible says that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God?” …

Standing in Christ’s strength alone, we resist the devil.

Numbers 11:1-35 'The people complained in the hearing of the Lord' (1) - Remember: All our words are spoken 'in the hearing of the Lord'! There was 'a rabble among them' (4): What problems there are when such people are mingling with God's people! What are we to do when this happens? - Pray for …

The Perfect Sacrifice

Numbers 28:1-29:40 The people of Israel were given an extremely elaborate and detailed description of the sacrifices they were to bring to God. We no longer need to bring such sacrifices to God. God Himself has provided the perfect Sacrifice. The Son of God has given Himself for us. He has put away our sin …

The fire of the Holy Spirit: burning away our sin and brightening up our lives

Numbers 9:15-11:3; Luke 3:1-22; Psalm 35:19-28 From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire” (Numbers 9:15). "Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp” (Numbers 11:1). “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in …

God Says To Us, ‘I Am The Lord Your God.’ We Say To Him, ‘Yes, Lord, You Are Our God.’

Numbers 8:1-26 The Levites were ‘set apart’ for God (14). They were ‘a gift to Aaron... to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting...’(19). We are to work together as a team. ‘Yield yourselves to God...’(Romans 6:13): Help each other to be better servants of Christ. The ‘lampstand’(1-4): ‘Thy …

Learning From The Past

Numbers 22:1-41 Learn from the past. In 2 Peter 2:15-16, Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14, we are encouraged to learn from the events of this chapter. Each passage contains a warning. (a) 2 Peter 2:15-16 - Don’t leave ‘the straight way’ and follow the crooked way! (b) Jude 11 - Don’t let making a profit …

Not An Easy Pathway

Numbers 12:1-13:33  In his leadership of God’s people, Moses faced problems. It was not an easy pathway towards the promised land. There was opposition from Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12:1). There was an unbelieving report, brought back from the land of Canaan by most of the spies (Numbers 13:31). Alongside these problems, there was the …

Let us press on to know the Lord and enjoy His blessing.

Numbers 13:26-14:45; Luke 4:14-37; Psalm 36:1-12 In Numbers, there were those who grumbled against the Lord and those who pressed on to know the blessing of the Lord. In Jesus’ time, there were those who despised the Him and those who received the “good news” with gladness. What a difference there is between the two: “See …

Let us go on to maturity.

Numbers 32:1-42  -  Some look for an easy life. They know that there will be conflict on the other side of the Jordan. They opt out - ‘do not take us across the Jordan’ (5). They think they’ve travelled far enough. God says, ‘Let us go on to maturity’ (Hebrews 6:1). ‘My happiness’ - This …

Listening to the Word of God

Numbers 15:1-16:35; Luke 4:38-5:16; Psalm 37:1-9 In Numbers, we read much of the way of opposition to the Lord and His Word. It is a way that leads to judgment. There is, however, a better way. It is the way of “listening to the Word of God” (Luke 5:1). Which way are we to choose? …

Christ saves to the uttermost.

Numbers 19:1-22  -  The sacrifice was to be ‘without defect’. There was to be ‘no blemish’ (2). Here, we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘without sin’, He offered Himself ‘for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 4:15; 2:17). The gathering of ‘the ashes’ (9-10) speaks of the completeness of Christ’s work …

Pressing on to a greater enjoyment of God’s blessing

Numbers 30:1-31:20  -  Vows (30:1-16): Be careful what you say - You may live to regret it (Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6; Matthew 12:36-37; James 3:6-11). Learn from Balaam. Full of good intentions about speaking God’s Word (22:18; 23:12), he hoped to ‘die the death of the righteous’ (23:10). He did not live up to his good …