We are back in the book of Numbers this week. We see the consequences and struggles the people of God endure as they disobeyed the Lord by not entering the promised land.
Numbers 20: The Death of Miriam
1 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And Miriam died there and was buried there.
The Waters of Meribah
2 Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people quarreled with Moses and said, "Would that we had perished when our brothers perished before the LORD!
4 Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?
5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."
6 Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them,
7 and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
8 "Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle."
9 And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
Moses Strikes the Rock
10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?"
11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.
12 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."
13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.
Edom Refuses Passage
14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met:
15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers.
16 And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory.
17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King's Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory."
18 But Edom said to him, "You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you."
19 And the people of Israel said to him, "We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more."
20 But he said, "You shall not pass through." And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force.
21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him.
Numbers 21: Arad Destroyed
1 When the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.
2 And Israel vowed a vow to the LORD and said, "If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction."
3 And the LORD heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called Hormah.
The Bronze Serpent
4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.
5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."
6 Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
7 And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.
8 And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
The Song of the Well
10 And the people of Israel set out and camped in Oboth.
11 And they set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise.
12 From there they set out and camped in the Valley of Zered.
13 From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
14 Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the LORD, "Waheb in Suphah, and the valleys of the Arnon,
15 and the slope of the valleys that extends to the seat of Ar, and leans to the border of Moab."
16 And from there they continued to Beer; that is the well of which the LORD said to Moses, "Gather the people together, so that I may give them water."
17 Then Israel sang this song: "Spring up, O well!---Sing to it!---
18 the well that the princes made, that the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs." And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah,
19 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth,
20 and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah that looks down on the desert.
King Sihon Defeated
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
22 "Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory."
23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel.
24 And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.
25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages.
26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon.
27 Therefore the ballad singers say, "Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed the heights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So we overthrew them; Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished; and we laid waste as far as Nophah; fire spread as far as Medeba."
King Og Defeated
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites.
32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
34 But the LORD said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon."
35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.
Things to think about…
1. Have you ever been really frustrated beyond reason? In Num 20:1-13 we see the people complaining so unreasonably that they wish they were part of the crowd that got swallowed up by the Lord’s judgement when the ground opened up, Num 20:3. Totally unreasonable. Moses gets so frustrated with the people that rather than speak to the rock as he is commanded, he strikes it – twice. He did not accurately reflect the holy character of God. Moses the humblest man on earth got frustrated and angry before the people. As such he was not allowed to enter the promised land – a heavy punishment upon him. Paul would later say “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”, Rom 12:21. It is in the heaviest seasons of trial and temptation that we need to lean upon the promises of God and show His character. But even when we blow it – the water of the Lord’s blessing and abundance still flows. Praise God for His mercy, He is faithful when we are faithless, 2Tim 2:13. Thankyou Lord Jesus for your grace and mercy.
2. Woe, woe to Edom. Someone once said that the mill of God grinds very slowly, but it grinds exceedingly fine. God never forgets! Edom refused to even allow Israel, his brother, to pass through by using the King’s Highway, a common trade route that was available to all. Much like the Iranians are presently blocking the international shipping trade route through the Strait of Hormuz. Even when Moses had promised they would not take anything from the land or even use the water, the Edomites would not allow them to pass through. Would Edom be judged for this? Yes they would, as prophesied mainly in the book of Obadiah, but also by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Today we see Israel is growing and Petra is no longer an Edomite (Idumean) empire.
3. Israel starts winning, Num 21:1-3. Here they start making vows and the Lord hears and blesses them with victories. Sometimes the only time we see the Lord give us victories is when we are faced with a battle. This is the case even where parts of our lives have been taken captive, Num 21:1. If God is for us, who can be against us, Rom 8:31.
4. The complaining does not stop. Even after the mighty miracle of water from the rock, (note this is the second time water from the rock has happened for the Israelites) the children of Israel complain again because they were going the long way around to avoid going through Edomite land Num 21:4. They also complain about what they considered worthless food, vs 5. This of course was the miraculous provision of manna. Never presume upon God’s grace. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As such the Lord sends in fiery snakes and many died – Num 21:6. Only then do they cry out in repentance. Be content and Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation” Phil 2:14, 15.
5. Even now the Lord provides grace – Moses makes a bronze snake, Num 21:8. All who look to the snake after being bitten, live, vs 9. All who look to Christ, who was also lifted up upon the cross shall live, John 3:14, 15. It’s interesting this snake survived until the reign of Hezekiah over 700 years later. Hezekiah destroyed it because by this time it had become an idol, 2 Kings 18:4. We now should all look to Son will be saved, “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith”, Heb 12:2.
6. The Lord provides water for His people again, Num 21:16-18. This time there is a spirit of unity and joy as they work. This is in contrast when the people complained and Moses struck the rock. Here they sing as they work and the Lord blesses. This is how godly families and Christ centred churches are built. Living water flows from within from the One who supplies us from the water of life – Christ Himself.
7. Two Amorite kings are defeated, Num 21:21-35, Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of Bashan. This time the Israelites would not go around. The Amorites were not distant relatives to Israel as the Edomites were. No grace was to be given to them. Israel defeats both kings. It’s interesting that Israel would not enter Canaan initially because the land was full of giants. Yet we read that Og the king of Bashan had a bed that was nine cubits (13 feet) in length and four cubits (6 feet) wide, Dt 3:11. This man is estimated to have been well over 9 feet tall, more likely around eleven or twelve feet tall. That’s way taller than Goliath who was nine feet six inches tall, 1Sam 17:4. A reminder, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”, Rom 8:31. When we are desperate and have no options but to fight, we fight. But even though we have defeated giants in the past, if there are giants ahead of us, we would much prefer to rest where we are. But that is not our home. Our Lord calls us into Canaan. Yes, there are giants, but there is eternal security and blessing. Be obedient and the Lord will take care of the giants.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray for the local family that lost their 7yo daughter to drowning at Colleges Crossing recently. Pray as a church we might even be used as an instrument of healing and grace.
2. Pray for our Mother’s Day event
3. Pray for Iran and the overthrow of a wicked regime.
May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
4. Pray for the Sacred Minds podcast – starting to come online.
5. Pray for One for Israel and their witness in this time of challenge and conflict.
6. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
7. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
8. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
9. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
10. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
11. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
12. Finances to cover our needs
13. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise the Lord for the encouragement the Word of God brought people over the weekend.
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy and those who supply it every week Eg Ros - Milk.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Peter, Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Ministries back - Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church. Life group begins at 6:30pm. Going through the book of Romans.
2. All Life Groups - Wednesdays.
3. Kids@Church starts up this week.
4. Mother’s Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. What is meant by the Atonement? A. Christ satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.
