Numbers 19-21
 
Numbers 20:12-13 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” 13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them.
 
YOU thought Numbers was only about numbers. These three chapters, though, give to us an extraordinary view of God’s enduring efforts to transform Israel into an obedient people, blessing the LORD. Let’s look at a teaching from each chapter to learn more of God’s holiness that points to your relationship with him today.
          First, the Red Heifer: This is different than other sin offerings. A bull or lamb was to be unblemished, but color was no concern. Why is this red, female animal required? Common thought is that the red symbolized blood. And the unyoked heifer represented a strong woman as the one who carries life. This unbroken, unblemished animal would be slain and burned. The innocent animal died to cleanse the camp of death’s stain. I think we can see how the red heifer points to the blood-soaked Christ, full of life, being sacrificed to remove death’s stain from our souls.
          Second: The Judgment: Do you think God was too harsh on Aaron and Moses? After all, they had diligently worked nearly 40 years to lead a sometimes rebellious people into God’s specific commands. But then let’s consider the scriptures before and after Numbers 20:12 (and God’s entire Bible). What does God command? It is perfection, isn’t it? Perfection in worshiping, in following his leaders and even in speaking to the rock. God’s specific command to Moses and Aaron was, “Speak.” The Word of the Lord is sufficient to call water from the rock. But Moses spoke and struck twice. The glory went from God to Moses. Moses, for a moment, disdained God’s commands. As a result, even as he did not intend it, Moses put himself above the Lord. The Lord, indeed, was just to judge his disobedient leaders. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. He repeatedly spoke God’s power into human lives and the natural world. He is our example to trust God’s Word.
          Third The Snakes: Here is another response to disobedience. Again we see Jesus. In Jesus’ powerful declaration on salvation in John 3, he said this: John 3:14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. The Son of God connects himself with the Holy God of the law. He removes death’s stain. He leads in complete obedience. He is our salvation from judgment. Look to Jesus and be saved.
         
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”    
 
 

Read Numbers 13-15
 
Numbers 13:26-29 The 12 spies came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”
 
THE bounty that God promised is in Israel’s hand. The LORD God is prepared to bring them out of the desert where they have complained of God’s perceived shortcomings. The time has come to go to the fertile, plentiful place prepared for them.
    “But” is a big word in scripture for or against faith. Here it speaks of Israel’s fears and doubts. There is testimony of the land’s plenty. “But the people” focus on their enemies and envision defeat even as God’s promised conquest. Why did these Hebrew spies doubt God’s power to overcome? Had these witnesses to his power in Egypt forgotten? Did they doubt God’s power for their future? Doubt takes the fruit out of our hand and tosses it into the dust. Doubt locks us into the desert of destructive habits. Doubt creates the “but” to stop us from the promise. How do we stop and dismiss the doubt?
    We see an example through Caleb’s life-giving faith in Numbers 13:30 “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Ten other spies were saying, “Don’t go.” Caleb believed in God, and he believed God. Caleb’s faith says, “Our enemies are many. But God is our all-powerful warrior.” Caleb knew who God is.
    Be sure you do, too. Be one who walks in God’s power, believing in what God has done and what he will do. When someone says, “I doubt God.” You can reply, “Here’s who God is: ‘When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead (Acts 13:29-30)’”
 
James 1:6-8 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. 

Read Numbers 10-12
 
Numbers 11:4-6 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
 
THE desert was a most unfriendly place for God to send his people, don’t you think? Although they were slaves in Egypt, the Hebrews ate vegetables from the garden, fish from the sea and meat from their herds. But now they had only a sweet-tasting flat bread and little else. As indicated, their herds were not sufficient to feed them.
    They lived in tents, not the type of shelter they had known. Israel also had many new rules to follow. This is freedom? They preferred slavery with a satisfied stomach.
    But wait a minute; the God of the universe is at work. He is the freedom giver, manna provider, tentmaker and rule maker. What’s he doing? When we review the Bible, we will see few people who entered into God’s “born again” freedom easily. God is so far above us, we can never become closer to him until we “take up our cross” through the “valley of the shadow of death” – until we deal with loss to know we can only rely on God’s merciful providence.
    Remember God’s promise. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Psalm 23:4-6) Through the valley is a feast of life!
    Know, too, God calls you into his freedom for an eternity of joy and wonder, feasting in his love. On our way there, we must recognize the valleys are strengthening times. These are times to conquer evil, to “resist the devil” and to proclaim Christ crucified, risen and ascended. We lean on him to learn from him.
    Yes, sin can look inviting and comfortable. But even as the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye (Genesis 3:5a) we must know objecting to God’s law is death. In Christ, our lives are not slaves to sin. We are free to love and worship our eternal God, so we can join the feast forever!
 
The Flowing Cup: Luke 22:18-19 “For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Read Numbers 7-9
 
Numbers 9:21-22 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.
 
THIS is faithfulness – a total commitment to God’s leading. Oh, may it be our desire to live such a life! Out in the desert, a place the Israelites had never been, over 1 million people were attentive to God’s leading. Is there any place or any time in history such determination to obey God’s direction by so many people? What a wonder it must have been to see God act so personally and clearly with his people.
    Do you wonder how their minds responded to God’s intimate presence? Perhaps they thought of the future. Where was God leading them? Would their new home be better than Egypt? Would their children thrive? Would this difficult life in the desert lead to a land fertile for crops, bearing fruit and olives for oil? Can we believe the LORD God’s promises? Would the LORD always be such a personal God, faithful to lead us?
    These are questions we may have.  Do you wonder if God will provide for your rent, your daily food, your work and your family? Will he lead you in times of trouble and suffering? Will he be personal, intimate with me, so I can see him clearly?
    We can praise God for the answers to these questions. We know the Hebrews struggled in many ways. And we all know struggles and uncertainty in our own lives. And this we also know: God has always shown he is with those who follow his leading. Yes, the Christian life guarantees suffering in some form. Sometimes faithful Christians die because God leads them into the enemy’s camp. This is the way of God. Knowing Christ, we know who we are: a people led by Jesus: Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
    The one Lord has opened the one way for you to eternally go with him. Out of sin’s desert, he surely, leads us into eternal glory. Are you totally committed to wait on the Lord, then to go with him?
 
Praise the Leader: Galatians 3:24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.  

Read Numbers 1-3
 
Numbers 1:1-5 The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: 2 “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. 3 You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. 4 One man from each tribe, each the head of his family, is to help you. 5 These are the names of the men who are to assist you.”
&
Num 1:53 The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony.
 
AGAIN, we may be tempted to move past Numbers. How does counting relate to your salvation?
    Let’s first use the numbers to note God’s precision. He says, “Count.” Then he commands who is to do this and how it is to be done. He also appoints the Levites to care for the tabernacle of the Testimony. You could say, “He’s counting on them to care for his house.” God’s way is holy; he is an orderly, precise Creator. How else could he be? The universe operates with mathematical exactness. When he speaks, count his words as vital to your life.
    But our nature is reject God’s accurate truth, even as we proclaim him, “Lord and Savior.” For example, we don’t want to believe his precise commands to love the unlovable – even our enemies – to give to the poor, to give to God, to be prayerful, to be humble to our spouse, to worship him only, to live in faith…and so many more good commands to demonstrate his true love. Why do we prefer the imprecision?
    Perhaps as we are tempted to discount God’s Way, let’s stop to do some counting in our hearts. Think of this: Romans 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This is incredible counting!
    Then see 2 Thessalonians 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. God’s precise counting includes his response to your faith. And note how God counts suffering: Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. What do you think? Can you be more eager to count on God, who counts you his own in Christ Jesus?
 
Be Grateful for God’s eternal counting: Romans 4:8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”