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?
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?
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?
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?
(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?
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?
(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?