Numbers 13:1-33

👉 The Lord spoke to Moses (v 1)

The Lord instructed Moses to gather a chief from each tribe to go and spy out the land that the Lord “was going to give the people.”

Notice – it was not to see if they thought it was possible – they were to go and see the land.

👉 The Mission

• go up into the hill country
• see what the land is like
• see if the people are strong or weak
• see if the people are many or few
• is the land good or bad
• do they have camps or strongholds
• is the land rich or poor
• are there trees or not
• be of good courage
• bring back some fruit of the land

👉 The Report

The 12 men went and spied out the land. When they returned – ten of the men brought a bad report. The land flowed with milk and honey, but…

• the people were strong
• the cities were fortified and large
• the people were “stronger than us”
• we are like grasshoppers before them
• we are not able to go up against them

👉 But Caleb…

Good ol’ Caleb said, “Let’s go at once.”

The Lord said of Caleb – in the next chapter – that he had “a different kind of spirit.” It was a kind of spirit that “fully followed” the Lord.

Caleb didn’t disagree with the report of the land. He didn’t say that the people weren’t that strong. Or the cities weren’t that fortified.

Caleb’s objection was to the people’s conclusion.

The ten said, “We are not able to go up against them.”

Caleb said, “We are well able to overcome them.”

A different spirit doesn’t make someone deny the facts. It enables them to see the facts through the lens of faith and not fear.

Canaan was not the potential land.

Or the possible land.

Or the probable land.

It was the promised land.

The land that God just told them, “I am giving it to you.”

In Caleb’s mind – it was as good as done.

That’s a different spirit.

You are loved.

Numbers 12:1-16

👉 Miriam (Moses’s Sister) and Aaron (Moses’ Brother)

• spoke against Moses
• bc of his Cushite wife
• questioned the authority of Moses
• the Lord heard it

Much like the situation in Numbers 11:1, the Lord heard the complaining – this time in the form of personal attacks against Moses.

👉 The Lord Described Moses ♥️

• my servant
• faithful in all things
• spoke with the Lord face to face, clearly, not in riddles
• saw the form of the Lord

Think of all the dreams and visions in the Old Testament when people had to seek out others to interpret or explain. Or the parables in the New Testament when even the disciples needed Jesus to help them understand.

Not so with Moses. He heard the Lord clearly. He spoke with the Lord like a man speaks with a friend (Exodus 33:11).

👉 God called Miriam and Aaron forward and told them, “Moses has seen me in a way no one else has ever seen me. He has heard me in a way no one else has ever heard me.”

Then – possibly the scariest question ever asked – “Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Once again, the Lord heard the complaining and the grumbling and the criticizing. He heard it when the people were complaining about meat and he heard it when Miriam and Aaron were speaking unwarranted criticisms against Moses. And he came down to take care of business.

Miriam was struck with leprosy. Aaron confessed that they had acted foolishly and sinned. He asked Moses for mercy. Moses cried to the Lord on behalf of his sister and she was healed.

1. We should be very careful about who we feel comfortable speaking against.
2. We can trust the Lord to defend us when we are the ones being spoken against.

Happy Sunday, sweet friends.

Numbers 11:1-35

👉 And the people complained…

• in the hearing of the Lord
• about their misfortune
• and it angered the Lord
• the fire of the Lord’s anger burned
• the people cried to Moses
• Moses prayed to the Lord
• the fire died down

I’m thinking the Lord does not approve of ungrateful complaining. It wasn’t sorrowful suffering. It wasn’t praying for perseverance. It was complaining. And the Lord wasn’t having it.

The people complained, “There is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

Nothing but manna.

Nothing but miracle bread provided daily by the hand of God.

Nothing but provision in the midst of the wilderness.

Nothing but life sustaining cake that tasted like honey.

Nothing but God…and God wasn’t enough for them.

How often do we complain and – if we were brutally honest with ourselves – our complaint is “God, what you have so graciously and miraculously provided for me is not enough. You are not enough.” Oh, we wouldn’t say it that way – but is that the essence of our grumbling?

👉 The grumbling and the pressure of ministering to the mass of people overwhelmed Moses.

• Why? Why?
• I can’t meet their needs.
• I am not able…
• the burden is too heavy
• kill me at once

Okay, Moses.

“Lord, if this is how you’re going to treat me, kill me at once.”

I tear up a little when I think about the Lord’s response.

Not, “You’re being dramatic.”

Not, “Who do you think you are?”

The Lord said, “I will come down and talk with you.”

Oh, the kindness of God toward his children.

I don’t know what you’re dealing with today. The loneliness or loss. The disappointment or discouragement. The broken dreams or wasted years. The could have beens or should have beens.

What I do know is – whatever wilderness you’re in – you can cry out to God. He hears you and can handle your overwhelmed pleas.

And his answer to you is, “I will come down and talk with you.”

A God who descends – who comes down – to our level – enters into our pain – and talks with us.

And he walks with me
And he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share
As we tarry there
None other has ever known

You are loved.

Numbers 10:1-36

👉 The Lord spoke to Moses (v 1)

👉 Two Silver Trumpets

• made of hammered work
• for summoning the congregation
• for breaking camp
• both are blown to gather the whole congregation
• one is blown to gather just the chiefs
• short, alarm type blasts are the the call to set out
• one long blast is the call to assemble
• the trumpet was the sound of war and of worship

👉 Israel Leaves Sinai

The people had been in Sinai for almost a year. They have been receiving the rules, finding out how to set up and break down camp, learning when to go and when to stay – all the things.

Now – the cloud lifts – the ark moves – and the people set out as they have been commanded to do. This is what they have trained for, people. Moses sets out with all the false hope of a parent at the beginning of a long road trip with littles.

The camps set out just like they have been commanded. I love that the presence of the Lord – the ark – goes before the people seeking a resting place for them. Even before the people have begun the journey – the Lord is preparing a resting place for them. That is the kindness of the Lord.

Happy Monday, friends. You are loved. ♥️

Numbers 9:1-23

👉 In the Wilderness

• the Lord spoke
• the people worshiped

The Lord is in the wilderness with His people. The enemy will attempt to make you feel alone but your God is right there. And he is speaking.

👉 Certain men came to Moses with concerns regarding permission to participate in Passover.

They were unclean but desired to take part in worship. This may seem like not a big deal. Moses’ could have said, “I’m sure it’s fine.” Or, perhaps, “Nope, unclean is unclean. Away with you.”

But Moses knew that how a person approached God was a huge deal. So his response was:

“Wait.”

“I need to hear what the Lord says about this.”

This spoke volumes to me. Here are some things that the Lord revealed to me through Moses’ response.

• Moses did not know the answer to their question. We are not going to have all the answers to the hard questions.
• Moses – though he spoke face to face with God daily – did not presume to speak for the Lord.
• Moses was not impulsive in his response. We don’t need to be flippant with people’s concerns.
• It’s okay to not have an “instant answer.”
• Moses paused and prayed before he answered.
• Moses didn’t give his own response, what he thought, or what he would do in their place. He wanted to know what God commanded regarding the issue.

👉 God’s Answer

• the unclean and the out of town could observe Passover the next month – like picture make up day at school 😃
• BUT (I love that he included this even though no one asked – it’s like he knew it would be an issue) – anyone who is present at camp and able to worship but chooses not to…cut off and left to bear their sin. That’s bad.

👉 When to Move – When to Stay

The people only moved when God moved. They only stayed put when God stayed put.

“Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time…”

It can feel like time stops when we’re in the wilderness. We want to just get out – not set up camp there. But the people learned to keep an eye on the Lord. They had to be focused on him to know when he moved and when he didn’t.

If you’re in the wilderness – keep watching. Keep waiting. Keep worshiping. Don’t waste the wilderness.