This week we shall continue the
study of the book of Numbers in the Old Testament.
“That night” obviously refers to the night following the giving of reports by the spies.
14:1-4—The Rebellion
(1) Within the first two verses, the Bible mentions who the grumblers were.
a. Where were they?
b. Why the emphasis?
(2) Let’s consider the contents of their complaint in vv. 2-4.
a. Who said that they were going to die in the wilderness?
b. Whom were they clearly blaming: Moses or God?
c. They appeared to be particularly worried about their wives and children: What part did their family play in their rebellion directly or indirectly?
d. What did they decide to do now? Why?
e. Did they know that they were rebelling against God?
f. Did their rebellion make any sense to you?
14:5-10—The Pleading of the Godly
(3) What did the two leaders do? What did they mean by their action?
(4) Why didn’t they plead with the people?
(5) What did the two godly spies do?
(6) What was the focus of their pleading?
(7) Do you think their pleading would have any impact on the people? Why or why not?
14:11-12—God’s Direct Intervention
(8) Since God is Omniscient, why did He say, “how long?”? What does it really mean?
(9) What was God’s verdict?
(10) What was God’s pronounced judgment?
(11) Do you think God really meant to bless Moses instead?
(12) Your response if you were Moses:
a. How would you feel about continuing to lead such people?
b. How would you respond to God’s inclination to use you to inherit Abraham’s covenant (after all, Moses was a descendant of Abraham)?
14:13-20—Moses’ Great Intercession
(13) Part 1 (vv. 13-16): God’s reputation is at stake
a. What has the Exodus event contributed to the Egyptians and the people in the region in their knowledge of God? (In other words, what did they know about the God of Israel)?
b. How unique is this God of Israel?
(14) Part 2 (vv. 17-19): Asking God to display His strength
a. In what way was Moses asking God to display His strength: by punishing the guilty or forgiving them?
b. How then did God demonstrate His strength other than in punishment?
(15) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared.” (Num. 14:17)
This was not the first time that the people had a wholesale rebellion against the Lord. The making of golden calf at Mount Sinai had enraged the Lord in such a way that He wanted to destroy them and make Moses instead into a great nation (Exod. 32:10).
Now at the discouraging report of the ten spies, the Bible emphasizes that it was not just a small group of Israelites who decided to rebel against God, it was “all the members”, “all the Israelites” and “the whole assembly” that turned against God (14:1-2).
God’s anger, again, burnt against them, wanting to destroy all of them and make Moses “into a nation greater and stronger than they” (14:12).
Moses, indeed was a very humble person. As much as he loathed leading these rebellious people for the rest of his life, he had learned to love them as his flock, and above all, he cared for the reputation of God in the world. Like he did the last time, as he reminded God of His reputation among the nations, he also urged God to remember Who He is: “The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” (14:18)
Now, with such a reminder, Moses asked, “Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared” (14:17). But how would God display His strength? We normally associate God’s strength with His power over nature or in punishment; however, Moses urged the Lord to display His strength, “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now” (14:19).
Indeed, for God to display His power over nature, or in completely destroying those who oppose Him is easy — after all He is Omnipotent — there is nothing too hard for Him! However, Moses understands that the ultimate greatness of God does not lie in the demonstration of His might but in the demonstration of His love in forgiveness! Keil and Delitzsch is right in paraphrasing Moses’ request to God as equivalent to “show Thyself great in power in forgiveness” (K&D, 713).
14:20-25—God’s Forgiveness
(1) God did say, “I have forgiven them” and yet He would also punish them.
a. What was the punishment?
b. What then does “forgiveness” mean?
(2) God commended that Caleb “has a different spirit”? How different was his from the other spies?
14:26-38—God’s Punishment: It is according to their complaints.
(3) They
had said, “if only we died…in this desert!”.
a. What was the punishment as a result?
b. Did you detect grace in the midst of this punishment?
(4) They had said, “our wives and children will be taken as plunder”.
a. What was the punishment as a result?
b. Did you detect grace in the midst of this punishment?
(5) Why did God mandate the length of their wandering with the length of the exploration?
(6) The Lord pronounced His judgment, so that they would “know what it is like to have me against you” (v.34). What kind of a warning it is to you?
(7) What was the punishment to the ten spies who gave a bad report? What lesson can we learn from them?
14:39-45—The People’s “Repentance”
(8) How did the people wish to express their change of mind?
(9) Did such a change of “mind” represent a change of “heart”? Why or why not?
(10) How would you define “true repentance”?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The LORD replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked'.” (Num. 14:20)
Given the wickedness of the entire
community “which (in the words of the Lord) had banded together against me”
(Num. 14:35), it is quite amazing that in response to Moses’ intercession the
Lord would forgive them (14:20). However, His words of forgiveness were followed immediately by the word,
“Nevertheless”, meaning they would still face punishment from God and that
included the following:
- Those who “disobeyed and tested” God, i.e. those “twenty years or more” would not be able to enter the Promised Land; instead they would all die in the wilderness, which was what they said they wished for (14:2).
- Their children would suffer with them in wandering in the desert for forty years before they would enter into the Promised Land.
One might wonder what kind of forgiveness it was, if it still carried some kind of punishment. But this is exactly a great example of what God’s forgiveness means. God’s forgiveness means that He wipes away our sin so that His presence and His communion with us would be restored. That was what happened to the Israelites. God would continue to be with them, as evidenced by the continuous presence of the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; and He would continue to reveal His presence and His word through speaking to Moses at the Tent of Meeting.
However, it does not mean that the consequences of our sinful actions could be avoided. While God did forgive David of his awful sin of adultery and murder, he did suffer consequences in the death of his son born out of adultery and a really broken family life. And, in the case of these Israelites, God’s punishments were exacted according to their complaints.
I had shared in another article that a certain seminary professor’s wife was encouraging the students saying that it was okay to complain or vent our anger to God. This particular incident of the Israelites shows us that it is never okay to vent our anger or complaint to God in such a rebellious fashion. While God will ultimately forgive us as we repent, our actions (and our words of complaint or anger) can carry consequences that we cannot afford to face. Sometime later after her speech, the local papers carried the headline of the fight she had with her husband, ending with both (or one of them) being admitted to the hospital!
Although this is a fairly lengthy chapter, the bulk of it (first 31 verses) deals with the supplementary regulations of ceremonial offerings already covered in Leviticus. It is however worth reflecting on why they were being mentioned right after the horrific judgment pronounced by God, including the killing of the ten spies:
15:1-12—Grain and Drink offerings
15:17-21—Heave-offering
(1) According to v. 2 when would the stipulations concerning grain and drink offerings apply?
(2) What might be the message to this congregation who must have felt guilty and defeated?
(3) Supplementary regulations over burnt or freewill offerings etc. already covered by Leviticus 2 ff:
a. What accompanies the offering of a lamb
- Grain offering of 1/10 of an ephah of fine flour mixed with 1/4 of a hin of oil,
- Drink offering of 1/4 of a hin of wine
b. What accompanies the offering of a ram
- Grain offering of 2/10 of an ephah of fine flour mixed with 1/3 of a hin of oil
- Drink offering of 1/3 of a hin of wine
c. What accompanies the offering of a young bull
- Grain offering 3/10 of an ephah of fine flour mixed with 1/2 of a hin of oil
- Drink offering of 1/2 of a hin of wine
What might be the reason for the “incremental” quantities required with each kind of animal being sacrificed?
In each of the cases, these grain and drink offerings are said to be offered as “a pleasing aroma to the Lord”: What is the significance of such an emphasis at a time like this?
(4) Heave-offering has been briefly referenced to in Exodus 22:29 and 23:19. When would this additional rule begin to apply?
(5) What might be the message to this congregation who must have felt guilty and defeated?
15:13-16—Universality of the Regulations: In order to understand the need for the universality of these regulations, perhaps, we should ask the following questions:
(6) Without such a universal rule, what might be the reason that they would allow foreigners not to observe the same laws and regulations?
(7) What might be its long-term impact on the Israelites themselves?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“With a ram prepare a grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with a third of a hin of olive oil, and a third of a hin of wine as a drink offering. Offer it as an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” (Num. 15:6-7)
We have just read about the horrific sin committed by the entire assembly of the Israelites in response to the negative report given by the ten spies. Their bitter complaints had been such that the Lord saw them as acts of contempt and unbelief (14:11). The result was very tragic: Not only were the ten spies who were struck down by a plague and then died (14:37), but the entire population of over 20 would die one by one in the wilderness and would not see or enter the Promised Land. Even the children were cursed in that they would be “shepherds” (meaning wanderers) for 40 years as well before they could enter the Promised Land.
As wicked as the people were, in the face of the instant and unmistakable judgment of the ten spies, they had to believe the rest of the judgment pronounced by the Lord through Moses. The harsh judgment plus the harsh words of rebuke would undoubtedly usher them into not only a deep sense of guilt, but also doubt — wondering if they were truly forgiven by God as He had said (14:20).
Obviously, God did not just forgive them, but He wanted them to know that they were truly forgiven. As a result, right after this tragic event, the Lord gave supplementary regulations concerning the burnt offerings and freewill offerings which basically have already been covered in Leviticus 4:13ff. Why would God make such a rather unnecessary repetition and at such a time?
Indeed, God is such a God of compassion who is, “slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion” (14:18). He desired that His people understand that as much as the punishment was severe and they certainly deserved that, His love for them had not changed, nor had His promise to them. Therefore in making these supplementary rules, He emphasized that they were to apply “after you enter the land I am giving you as a home” and “when you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat the food of the land” (15:2, 18-19).
Not only that, the supplementary regulations also point to the offering of grain and drink offerings as “a pleasing aroma to the Lord” (15:3, 7, 10).
The message is clear: “you will not only enter into the land that I have promised, make it your home and have food to eat, I am pleased with you. Your worship will be a pleasing aroma to me.” This is how good our God is, not only to the Israelites, but to all of us — erring children! Once we repent of our sins, our communion with the Lord will be restored in such a way that our offerings to Him will be a pleasing aroma to His delight!
15:22-31—Unintentional versus Intentional Sins: Leviticus 4:13ff has already dealt with the specifics of such regulations concerning unintentional sins of the community and of an individual; except that the emphasis here appears to be “One and the same law applies to...a native-born Israelite or a foreigner residing among you”:
(1) What is the difference between unintentional and intentional sin?
(2) What is the regulation concerning the latter?
(3) Why is it so harsh?
15:32-36—Life Example of Intentional sin:
(4) What might be the purpose of recording this incident right after v. 31?
(5) Obviously this was a first occurrence. But with such clear regulations (e.g. Exod. 31:14), why did Moses think it necessary to enquire of the Lord?
(6) What might be the example that Moses set for us?
15:37-41—Tassels on Garments
(7) This stipulation follows right after the above incident: How are the two related?
(8) Why should tassels be blue in color? (See the garment of the priest in Exod. 28.)
(9) Where should they be put? Why?
(10) What was the purpose of this stipulation? (vv. 39-41)
(11) Do you think it would work? Why or why not?
(12) Why then would God make such a rule (which, as we know, has been turned into some kind of Pharisaic pride)?
(13) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“You and the foreigner shall be the same before the LORD.” (Num. 15:15)
Given what we read in the New Testament, we have come to understand that the Jews did not really consider Gentiles as their equal before God. Even after the death and resurrection of our Lord, Peter still clung to their traditions in trying not to associate with the Gentiles (Acts 10). They were basically skeptical about whether Gentile believers were saved just as they were, if it were not for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Gentile believers (Acts 11:15-17).
If such was the case in the New Testament time, we can imagine how the Jews in the Old Testament looked upon the “foreigners” in their midst, even though they might wish to worship their God, Yahweh. I believe, God foresaw such misunderstanding, or perhaps discrimination, by His people. As a result, in chapter 15 of the Book of Numbers, He reiterated the universality of all His regulations in that “The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the foreigners residing among you.” (15:16). On the face of it, such words seek to ensure that the Israelites would not violate His laws and regulations in any shape or form, but in reality, it was an epoch-breaking declaration that “You (the Israelites) and the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord” (15:15). As a result, they should present a food offering as an aroma pleasing to the Lord and so could any foreigner living among them (15:14); they should make atonement for their unintentional sin and be forgiven, and so could a foreigner residing among them (15:29).
Indeed, the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament. Forgiveness was offered to all then, and forgiveness is of course offered to all now through faith in Jesus Christ.
(1) There were two different groups who came together to oppose Moses and Aaron: Who were the two groups and their makeup? (16:1-2)
(2) Do you think the 250 leaders likely included the 70 who had a one-time experience of being anointed by God’s Spirit and prophesied? (11:25)
(3) According
to their words (16:3), answer the following:
a. What were they opposing?
b. What were the bases or justification (of their opposition)?
(4) According to the words of Moses, what were the Levites asking for? (16:4-5)
(5) How wrong were they (i.e. have they really gone too far?)?
(6) What did Moses ask them to do? For what purpose? (16:6-7)
(7) Perhaps, Moses was trying to dissuade them one last time before morning came (16:8-11):
a. How did Moses remind them of their special privileges given by the Lord?
b. Why then was it not enough to be Levities only?
c. Were they dissuaded? Why not?
(8) Now Moses also wanted to dissuade the Reubenites (16:12-14):
a. How did they ridicule Moses?
b. How unreasonable was their ridicule?
c. What was their core problem?
(9) How did the usually humble Moses respond to their ridicule? Why? (16:15)
(10) How would you have responded to the challenge by the Levites and the Reubenites if you were Moses and Aaron?
(11) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?” (Num. 16:3)
In all these years of ministry, I have heard something rather similar to the above over and over again in churches. The basis of such opposition to the pastoral leadership is mostly based on 1 Peter 2:5, 9, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession…”
However, Peter was not really talking about anything new; he was quoting from the O.T., “you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod. 19:6). We are priests, just like the Israelites were priests, or in the words of some commentators, we are the “spiritual Israel”.
And just like the Israel of old (the royal priesthood), God still called a particular group of people (Aaron and his descendants to be exact) to be set apart to serve as priests on behalf of the whole people; God too calls a special group of people to serve Him full-time today as His servants—some call them priests and others pastors. No, they are not holier; they do not and cannot set themselves above the Lord’s assembly. However, the fact remains, they are called by God to serve Him on behalf of His people, just as Aaron and his descendants were set apart for the same reason. Therefore, we need to heed the word of Ambrose, as unpopular as it is today:
“Let the dissidents learn to fear the agitation of the Lord and to obey the priests. What does this mean? Did the cleft in the earth not swallow Dathan and Abiram and Korah because of their dissention? For when Korah and Dathan and Abiram incited 250 men to rebel against Moses and Aaron and separate themselves from them...You are considering then what the causes of their offense were. They were willing to exercise the priesthood unworthily, and for that reason they dissented. Moreover, they murmured and disapproved of the judgment of God in their election of their priests. [As a result] The guilty are snatched up and removed from every element of this world, so that they will not contaminate the air by their breath, or the sky by their sight, or the sea by their touch or the earth by their tombs...For that reason, too, [God] himself chose Aaron as priest, in order that not human cupidity but the grace of God would be the preponderant force in choosing the priest. It would not be a voluntary offering or one’s own assumption but a heavenly vocation. The one who can suffer on behalf of sinners may offer gifts on behalf of sins, because ‘even He Himself,’ Scripture says, ‘bear infirmity.’ No one should assume the honor for Himself but be called by God, just as Aaron was. In this way even Christ did not claim the priesthood but received it.”
(ACCS, OT III, 228-9, 234)
As the two groups sought to challenge both Moses’ leadership and the sole priesthood of Aaron and his sons, the challenging Levites gathered before the entrance of the Tabernacle while the rebelling Reubenites only stood in front of their tents (to the south of the Tabernacle), refusing to come forward:
(1) The opposing Levites headed by Korah came before the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly:
a. Were they really confident that they were just as holy and that Moses’ mandated priesthood (only to be served by Aaron and his sons) was not a command by the Lord?
b. Obviously, their censers were not part of the utensils consecrated by Moses (Exod. 40:9; Lev. 8:10; Num. 7:1). Where do you think they might have obtained them?
(2) Why did God appear to intend to kill the entire assembly? (v. 21)
(3) How did God allow them to show their disagreement with the rebels? (v. 24)
(4) What should Korah, Dathan and Abiram do at this time? Would it be too late for them to repent? Did they? Why not?
(5) Why was it necessary for the Lord to carry out a judgment in a “totally new” way to put these wicked men and their families to death? (vv. 29-31)
(6) How did God judge the 250 leaders with censers? (v. 35)
(7) What important lessons were being learned by the entire people?
(8) What important lessons are there for us today?
(9) What did the Lord tell Moses to do with the censers of the 250 leaders? Why?
(10) From the entire incident, can you define what “holy” is?
(11) How did the “whole” Israel react to the death of these wicked men? (16:41-42)
(12) How could you explain their reaction?
(13) What did Moses do immediately? Why?
(14) Was it a people who deserved to be saved?
(15) Why did Moses still want to preserve them?
(16) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Take your censer and put incense in it, along with the burning coal from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them'.” (Num. 16:46)
We have reflected on how humble a leader Moses was earlier, in that he did not get jealous that God poured His Spirit on 70 other leaders and he wished that, “all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them” (11:29); and he did not seek his own vindication when his own sister and brother (i.e. Miriam and Aaron) challenged his leadership.
As a result, we are not a bit surprised that at the opposition by Korah and his Levite associates together with the Reubenites, he immediately fell face down before them (16:4) — a sign of great humility indeed by a leader. While he knew God would vindicate him the next morning, he sought to dissuade both groups to no avail (16:8-12). He was really trying to avoid the inevitable — the death of these wicked men, because, as he said, “It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together.” (16:11). All along, he loved his people, even those who opposed him bitterly.
If we still have any doubt, see how he dealt with the entire rebellious assembly after the death of these wicked men.
How could these Israelites not fear for themselves as they witnessed the divine punishment which befell these wicked men! And yet, we read that “the next day, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron, 'You have killed the Lord’s people' " (16:41). The fire that consumed all 250 leaders was from heaven; the swallowing up of the rebels and their families was by the earth — were these not divine judgments?
The only explanation one could have for their action is that they were determined to reject Yahweh as their God, even though they knew He is God!
How can anyone blame God for wanting to “put an end to them at once” (16:45)?
But amazingly, it was Moses whom the people also rejected and perhaps wanted to stone (as he turned toward the Tabernacle), who immediately took steps to atone for the people and barely put a stop to God’s judgment which, by then had killed 14,700 of them!
Why would Moses seek to preserve such a people is beyond me, but it is obvious that Moses’ love for his people is also beyond me! What a great leader he was! To me, he was truly a servant after God’s own heart — he knew the heart of God well. What he did reflected the true heart of God for His people! What God did here was to allow His servant to learn of His heart, and he did!
(1) What had preceded this chapter?
(2) What was this affirmation about? (see 17:3, 8)
(3) What did the Lord hope to achieve? (17:5, 11)
(4) What steps did this entire process involve? (17:2-4; 6-7)
(5) Why should there be such care taken to ensure there was no room for dispute?
(6) During this process, what should have been the response of the leaders to Moses?
(7) Do you think anyone of the leaders might secretly hope that his staff would sprout? What do you think?
(8) What was the result the next morning? How miraculous was it?
(9) What was the message of this miracle?
(10) Do you think this would really rid the people of their grumbling?
(11) Why then would God bother to do this?
(12) What was the immediate reaction of the people to this miracle? Why?
(13) What does this say about the people?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Aaron’s staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.” (Num. 17:8)
What goes around comes around.
Out of jealousy, Aaron the priest opposed Moses because God spoke mainly to Moses when giving directions to the Israelites. As much as he was the high priest, everybody knew that Moses was the true leader.
Now, it was the Levites’ turn to be jealous of Aaron and his sons, because they could enter into the Tabernacle to serve the Lord. As much as the Levites were also chosen by God as His and were given the sacred trust of the guarding and moving of the Tabernacle, everybody knew they were not the priests who could approach God on their behalf through the presenting of the offerings.
Now, with the death of Korah and the Reubenites who opposed both Moses and Aaron, and the further punishment of the rebellious congregation (with some 14,700 having died from the ensuing plague), it was the Levites’ turn to be affirmed of their sacred role, lest they became the next target of jealousy by the people.
The miracle of the budding of Aaron’s staff should send a powerful message, not only to the people, but also to the Levites in that even though their role might not be looked upon as significant as the priests’, nevertheless, their combined role with the priest in serving in the Tabernacle — the very presence of the Lord, is a life-giving ministry. Just as the staff is a piece of dead wood taken out of a (nut) tree, their service in the Tabernacle could be seen as purely outside of or around the Tabernacle, not the very heart of worship. However, as the staff is chosen by God and put within the Tabernacle, it becomes a life-giving branch that blossoms and produces almonds. This affirms the ministry of the Levites as a life-giving ministry in that their service does contribute toward making the offering of sacrifices of the people possible in order to be accepted by God, and thus it helps bring about atonement and forgiveness to the people.
It is the same with all our services to the Lord: As long as we are chosen for our service by the Lord and we do so for the Lord, irrespective of what role we might be playing and what gifts we might be exercising, in the hands of the Lord, it will not only be pleasing to Him, but will become a budding and blossoming staff that gives life!