Learning to Follow God, Numbers 13 & 14
Learning to Follow God-Numbers • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 24 viewsWhen we place our trust in God, we begin a journey learning to follow Him. The journey is never wasted time, but it is strategic time.
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Transcript
Welcome and Announcements:
If you are joining us for the first time today, we would like to thank you for joining us. We know you have options, and we are honored that you would choose to be with us today.
We open our Sundays with prayer time at 9 a.m. in the Bryant Center across the street. At 9:30 a.m. we have Sunday school classes, children included. We also typically have a prayer group that meets at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon to pray for the needs shared on Sunday mornings as well as other requests provided. If you have a special prayer need, I would like to encourage you to put a note in the offering plate and we will include it in our prayer time.
In our Sunday services, we have been working our way through the Old Testament. We are currently in the book of Numbers and will continue there through November. The Old Testament is critical to understanding Jesus and why He came and needed to die on our behalf. It also helps us understand what is happening in our world today. The events in Israel right now are directly related to these Old Testament historical events. However, these events also are full of wisdom for our own personal lives. The books of Genesis and Exodus are great reads to understand the background of what we are talking about in Numbers.
If you enjoy listening to your phone, I highly recommend the ap, “Through the Word.” You can do a one chapter a day Bible study in less than 20 minutes. It is a great way to be in your Bible each day, as it helps us to understand how people came into existence and what our ultimate purpose is and our eventual destination.
Before we jump into today’s worship, allow me to share some quick announcements.
• Baby Bottle Boomerang, ends last Sunday of November 10
• Harvest Dinner
• Thank you for all the gifts
Psalm 33:1-11
Psalm 33:1-11
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. 4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Prayer
Worship Set
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Worship Through the Word:
Learning to Follow God
Learning to Follow God
10,000 Sermon Illustrations A Matter of Viewpoint
A Matter of Viewpoint
A shoe salesman was sent to a remote part of the country. When he arrived, he was dismayed because everyone went around barefooted. So he wired the company, “No prospect for sales. People don’t wear shoes here.” Later another salesman went to the same territory. He too immediately sent word to the home office. But his telegram read, “Great potential! People don’t wear shoes here!”
Source unknown
For two years, Israel has been in this desert wilderness. The first year was spent at the foot of Mount Sinai getting on all the instructions that would make them into a nation all their own. Remember, this is all one big family. That is all they have ever been up to this point. They have grown to be twelve tribes of people from the twelve sons of Jacob. God is honoring His promise to Abraham that his descendents would become a nation and God would give them the land of Canaan. God had chosen them so that He could bless them. Through Israel, God would show the world His desire to love and bless all of us.
However, for God to bless them, they needed to cooperate with God. They need to follow His instructions. They need to trust God! Will Israel be able to do this? Their time in this wilderness has been delayed repeatedly because of their inability to trust God. They spent time in Taberah fighting fires due to their grumbling. They spent time digging graves in Kibroth Hattavah due to their cravings for the food of Egypt. They were delayed yet another week in Hazeroth due to Miriam’s healing from the leprosy brought on by her jealousy over her brother Moses’ authority. Now, they have finally reached Kadesh-Barnea on the outskirts of Canaan. Out of twelve spies sent to spy out the land, only two have the faith to trust God to deliver it to them. Just like the salesman who saw the potential to sell shoes, these two men knew God was offering them the ideal land and God would see it through.
Our text is too long to read in its entirety, so I am reading Moses’ account which he wrote later. This account is found in Deuteronomy 1:19-40.
19 Then, as the Lord our God commanded us, we set out from Horeb and went toward the hill country of the Amorites through all that vast and dreadful wilderness that you have seen, and so we reached Kadesh Barnea. 20 Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving us. 21 See, the Lord your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” 22 Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.” 23 The idea seemed good to me; so I selected twelve of you, one man from each tribe. 24 They left and went up into the hill country, and came to the Valley of Eshkol and explored it. 25 Taking with them some of the fruit of the land, they brought it down to us and reported, “It is a good land that the Lord our God is giving us.” 26 But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 27 You grumbled in your tents and said, “The Lord hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. 28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ” 29 Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, 31 and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” 32 In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, 33 who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go. 34 When the Lord heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: 35 “No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, 36 except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the Lord wholeheartedly.” 37 Because of you the Lord became angry with me also and said, “You shall not enter it, either. 38 But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it. 39 And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 40 But as for you, turn around and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea.”
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!
Father, please bless this Word which you have provided and which we now receive. Amen!
I. Paradise Delayed Numbers 13 & 14
I. Paradise Delayed Numbers 13 & 14
I debated over the titles, “Paradise Lost” and “Paradise Delayed.” I finally chose the latter for one reason. Canaan was not entirely lost to the nation. God kept His promise despite Israel’s failure to comply. It was just the older generation who it was lost to. Their children would, in time, enter and claim the land from the Canaanites with God’s help.
How petty these people feel to us. They had witnessed incredible supernatural events dealt by God on their behalf a multitude of times. God was visible to them, living in their midst, something many, if not all, would love to witness for themselves. God fed them without them needing do anything more than go gather it. And it was no ordinary meal, but was from heaven itself, unlike anything anyone had ever known.
Yet here they are again, doubting God’s word. Let’s review the situation a moment. They are on the borderlands. They are camped and have their army ready. It has been ready for a good year now. Joshua, Moses’ right hand assistant is their general. However, they are unsure. They have heard stories of this land and these people for hundreds of years. The tales have been passed down by the fathers since the time of Abraham. Abraham told Isaac. Isaac told Jacob and Esau. And Jacob told his son’s and it has continued until this time. They are the chosen generation!
With excitement they eagerly set out from the base of Sinai obeying all God’s instructions.
However, along the way they lost site of the goal and only focused on the daily struggles.
They whined, moaned and complained all along the way. Now the time to enter has come and they hedge. “Let’s check it out first. Let’s send some men to investigate.” I bet if I took a poll in this room, most if not all would say, “That makes sense. It seems reasonable.” By men’s rules it is reasonable. When we go to war, we like to get men behind enemy lines to see where their main fortresses are, how many men they have, what their armaments are like. However, they were not an ordinary army. They were led by God. God knew all He needed to know. Their success in this venture was not based on Israel’s abilities, but God’s and God had already proved Himself capable back in Egypt! They were to proceed by faith, not by sight!
Unfortunately, they allowed what they saw to prevent them from walking by faith. Perhaps this is why God often limits the amount of information we have before we proceed. He wants us to trust Him and not be discouraged by what we see. When we get focused on what we see, we forget that it isn’t about what we see, but it is about the power of God. God who created with nothing more than words. If God can create everything with a spoken word, God can take down an army that is made up of His creation, as easily as a technician can turn off a computer he has built.
However, out of 12 men, only 2 had true faith in God’s ability to overcome the Canaanite army. I wish I could say we would do better, but I must admit that even in my own life, with the many miracles I have seen God do, I too often default to doubt.
There were five blatant sins that the Israelites committed at Kadesh-Barnea that we too often fall prey to today.
A. Doubting God’s Word. Numbers 13:1-25
A. Doubting God’s Word. Numbers 13:1-25
17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)
In the account given in Numbers, it sounds like this was instructed by God, but when we look at the account Moses shared in Deuteronomy, it becomes evident that God only allowed them to do what they wanted to do. There was no reason for them to see the land. Oh, I am sure they were eager. Moses would have been eager as well, but when Moses gave his instructions, he took it too far. If they trusted what God had told them, they would already know the land was fertile. They would know who the people were and it would not matter if the people were strong, weak, few or many. It would not matter what the towns were like. Wanting to see the fruit is one thing, but to question these other things were to insult God and His word.
James says,
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
If they had questions, they should have addressed them to God, not spied out the land. They were trusting their own eyes over God’s Word. God had already promised them victory and that was all they needed to know. God would let them know what they needed to know when the time was right. However, their sight was not on God, once again it was on themselves.
By seeking to see it first, they allowed Satan a foothold to discourage them and that is exactly what happened, which brings us to the second sin.
B. Discouraging God’s People. Numbers 13:26-33; Deuteronomy 1:26-28
B. Discouraging God’s People. Numbers 13:26-33; Deuteronomy 1:26-28
Instead of trusting God, these people put their trust in the spies. The spies brought back beautiful fruit and a grand description of the land, however, ten of them peppered it with exaggerated details to create fear. It was manipulation to control the masses to follow their decision. It worked! Listen to the people’s response from Deuteronomy.
28 Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ”
Now the Canaanites were the same peoples that were there in Abraham’s time. Abraham lived among them. He did not fear them, yet even though they have known all along that the Anakites were there, why do they hesitate now? It is what we call “spin.” The spies are spinning things to fit their desires. (By the way, the Anakites were giants. It is interesting that there are many scientific discoveries of giant skeletons that have been found around the world, but the details of such are often squelched from publicity because it does not fit with the popular Darwinian view. However, enough have been found that it is getting harder to keep it from the public).
These spies are not just reporting, they are interpreting. To fit their own agenda, the land is no longer described as the land God “has” given them, but as the land where they were “sent” or have “come to.” God did not force them here. God gave them a choice at Mount Sinai whether or not to follow Him and they said, “We will!” The covenant was an agreement between them and God and they signed it with great enthusiasm!
Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary, “Unbelief is serious because it challenges the character of God and rebels against the will of God.” These men were in rebellion and they were spinning the details in a way to influence the others to do the same and it worked, which brings us to sin number 3.
C. Defying God’s Will Numbers 14:1-10
C. Defying God’s Will Numbers 14:1-10
1 That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
First of all, it is ridiculous to believe they can go back to Egypt. After all the dead they left behind in Egypt, there is no way Egypt would receive them back. They would most likely be met with swords and death sentences. They are really not thinking!
It also makes no sense that God would lead them all this way just to let them die now! Not to mention, following God was their choice. When things look good they do eagerly, but the moment things get a bit tough, they pull back. How many times do we do the same thing? How many times have you found yourself spinning or exaggerating details to encourage people to follow you?
Have you ever noticed that when we allow fears to drive us, we often turn away from the people that are the wisest and make the most sense, only to listen to those who are utterly outlandish. In this case, they are listening to ten spies suggesting more than a years “nasty” wilderness travel back to Egypt, where they probably face death! Yet there are two men who are saying, “Stay the course! You have already fought against the odds to get here! Do not give up yet! God has got this and He has already proven Himself!”
Too often we listen to outrageous arguments because of fear. We think emotionally instead of using our brain. Do not misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with emotions, but they should not rule us. We need to exercise brainpower over our emotions. That is what is wrong in our society today. They want to give into their emotions but they do not recognize that too often in doing so, we create great heartaches later. A moments emotional passion can have a huge negative effect on the rest of our lives!
In this moment, Israel is determined to defy God’s will by not entering the very land they have been so eager to get to. They really do not have any other real viable options but they are not really thinking, they are responding to the spin of the 10 spies emotionally.
Now, instead of receiving the gift that God is wanting to give them, they find they are...
D. Deserving God’s Judgment Numbers 14:11-38
D. Deserving God’s Judgment Numbers 14:11-38
11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?
And here is where we all fall. We fail to believe. We ignore God and go our own way only to fall flat on our face. The nation of Israel did and we still do today. Even when we desire to believe, we often fail. Notice, Moses was culpable here as well. However, Moses believed in God and was willing to go into the land. In God’s frustration, He suggests destroying these people and making Moses a nation instead. But Moses calls on God’s glory and honor. Here we see Moses as the shadow of what Christ becomes for all of us, because just like Israel, we all fail. Israel is not some estranged people from us. Israel represents everyone of us. When we point at them and accuse them, we have four fingers pointing right back at us. There is nothing they have done that we haven’t done. And yes, that deserves judgment. However, God doesn’t want it to end there. God purposely baited Moses because God had confidence that Moses would do the right thing. God had no intention of reneging on His promise to Abraham and his descendants. Israel did wrong and there was judgment but there was also intercession and forgiveness, and they would in time reach the Promised Land!
First, we find...
1. Intercession for our sins. Numbers 14:11-19; Hebrews 7:23-25
1. Intercession for our sins. Numbers 14:11-19; Hebrews 7:23-25
19 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.”
Moses loved his people. As frustrated as he was with them, he never turned his back on them and always made intercession on their behalf. An intercessor is like a public defender pleading the cause of a defendant before a judge. Jesus now stands in God’s court (the holy temple in heaven) and pleads for His people (that being those people who have chosen to believe in Him and follow Him).
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Just as Moses repeatedly made impassioned pleas for his people Israel, Jesus makes impassioned pleas for each of us that have placed our trust in Him. The great news is that God listens to those intercessions and offers...
2. Forgiveness for our sins. Numbers 14:20; Isaiah 53:12
2. Forgiveness for our sins. Numbers 14:20; Isaiah 53:12
20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked.
God’s willingness to forgive speaks to His love for people. He really longs for us to be His children. He has wonderful plans for us. He created us specifically for His purpose. When we give our hearts to God and grow in our relationship with Him, we feel a sense of purpose. It is because we are discovering exactly what we were created to be!
However, forgiveness is not fulfilled if people continue in their own way. One of the biggest reasons people struggle to forgive another is because they are afraid they are allowing the offense to continue. This is not true. We can forgive, but not necessarily continue in a relationship with the person who has offended us. A relationship can only be maintained if the offensive actions stop and change.
When it comes to sin, this is not so easy. We cannot do anything to change by ourselves. We may have a desire to do so, we may even make an effort, but no matter how hard we try we will fail on our own because of the nature of sin that is in us. It is an infection that we cannot get rid of. So, Jesus stepped in. He died on the cross so that His blood could cover our sins past, present, and future. However, more than that, through His death, His Spirit was released to come live within us to help us to over come that nature of sin. His Spirit changes us from within.
In the days of Moses, this was not yet accomplished. Therefore, the people and the priests were continually offering sacrifices for their sins committed, and they did not have the Spirit of Christ to live in them giving them the strength to overcome sin.
The prophet Isaiah encouraged Israel. As God’s prophet he shared God’s word about Jesus becoming our representative.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Many years later, Paul tells us...
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
However, no matter how much we regret our sin. There is still...
3. Discipline required. Numbers 14:23-38; Romans 3:21-31
3. Discipline required. Numbers 14:23-38; Romans 3:21-31
Discipline is necessary. It helps us to learn and to grow in understanding. That is why we discipline our children. We know a little discipline now can save them from much greater heartaches later!
For the children of Israel, the judgment is threefold.
The nation will wander in the wilderness for 38 more years. They will spend 40 years in this "nasty wilderness” for the 40 days the spies were in the land. They were days away from success and now they have postponed success by years!
All those 20 years and older will die at some point in the wilderness during this time. The only ones to be spared our Caleb and Joshua, who believed and trusted God.
The 10 spies who exaggerated their findings to convince the people to disobey God would die immediately. After all, they ignored God and provoked God’s people to rebel. They then became the first casualties.
We do not like discipline, yet we understand the need of it when our own children disobey us. Yet, God made a way for us to escape the worst discipline of all. The natural consequence of sin is death. God loved us enough to send His own Son (who willingly complied) to die on our behalf.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
How much better we have it today, compared with what the Israelites had back then. However, it all served a purpose. It is through the Old Testament history that we come to understand why Jesus had to come and die, as well as what we gain through His death. I am so thankful for the Old Testament history and what I learn about God through it. God may seem severe in the Old Testament, but through His offering of His Son on our behalf, we realize God’s deep, deep love for all of us.
To make clear our deep issue with sin, we come to our final point in this sermon. How did Israel respond to God’s discipline? By...
D. Disobeying God’s Command. Numbers 14:39-45; Deuteronomy 1:41-46
D. Disobeying God’s Command. Numbers 14:39-45; Deuteronomy 1:41-46
They learned nothing! They sinned yet again. Like a child who has had a tantrum and failed to get their way, instead of accepting the punishment, they feel they can get their way by finally doing what they had been originally told. Israel now suddenly decides they can take the land. They could have, if they had originally gone with God. Now they are presumptuous enough to think they can do it on their own. No priest blows the silver trumpet. The cloud of God’s glory remains stationary at the Tabernacle. The priests remain in camp with the Ark of the Covenant. Yet the army marches. They think they can remove the penalty. However, they just made it worse. They are defeated and driven 100 miles into the wilderness.
They were determined to have their way, so God let them. That is the worst judgment of all. After they regathered, they turned and went back into the wilderness toward the Red Sea. What a story of defeat!
Conclusion
However, their defeat does not have to be ours. Just as they were a chosen generation who participated in a significant time in Israel’s history. I believe we are a chosen generation. God is our creator. He places each of us in the generation He wants us for a specific purpose. The world around us is changing at an incredible rate of speed. Even those who deny God will tell you that something is different in our world. Things are changing globally! National powers are shifting! Morality is shifting! There do not seem to be any “ethics” in our world anymore.
What does that mean for those of us who put our trust in God? Well for one, our trust in God doesn’t change. We live by faith, not by sight! We seek God’s wisdom for how He would have us participate in this world. What is it He is calling us to do? We listen, and we follow, and we obey. You see, we also have a Promised Land. It is the purpose and destination that God has for each of us. We seek out through His Spirit what that is, and we do it! We stay the course! We obey to the end and we will be like Joshua and Caleb who did in time, reach the Promised Land. If we stay with God, we too will reach ours.
This morning as we close this sermon, I want to take time to honor our intercessor. Jesus Christ died on the cross that we may have total forgiveness and one day enter the true Promised Land. A heavenly place flowing with milk and honey. A place where the lion will lay with the lamb and a child may play near a cobra with no fear. These are descriptions given us by Isaiah the prophet.
Today, we honor Jesus by obeying His instruction to remember Him and the price that He paid on our behalf.
If you are visiting with us this morning, and you have not yet made that decision to follow Christ, you are not required to participate with us. We will not judge you. The church is a place where you can come and learn and explore what it is all about. However, for the Christian, we are called to take Communion on a regular basis and so we do so today. It is a privilege for us because we acknowledge that because of Jesus death on the cross, we will one day share in His paradise. We encourage you to observe and hopefully begin to understand how deeply personal this is for all of us. However, I would add, that if you decided today that you want to have this same relationship with our Lord and Creator, you may pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and to be your Saviour as well. In so doing, you too, may join us in receiving this Communion.
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