1. Read 1 Cor. 10:1-11. With that in mind listen to the following Keith Green song (late 70's) while filling out the chart on grumbling
Passage What they grumbled about God's response Lesson for me
Exodus 15:22-27
Exodus 16:1-
Ex. 17:1-7
Num. 11:1
Num. 11:4
Num 14:1-4
Num. 16:3
Num. 16:41
Num. 20:2,3
Num. 21:5
2. Read Hebrews 3:7 - 4:7. What 2 things is the promised land symbolic of
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
What is the wilderness symbolic of ?
List 4 ways a person gets stuck in the wilderness:
Heb 3:19_______________________________________________________
Heb 4:2_______________________________________________________
Heb 4:6______________________________________________________
Num. 32:11__________________________________________________
Read Heb. 3:13. What practical tip does the author of Hebrews give to avoid this trap?
Read Num.21:8,9 and John 3:14,15. Once in the wilderness, how do we get out?
3. Read Num.20:7-12. Give 4 reasons why Moses wasn't allowed to go into the promised land:
Num 27:14____________________________________________________
________________________________________________Num 20:10,12
Heb 6:4-6___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________Gal 3:11
4. Read Numbers 22 - 24. If Balaam hung a sign outside his house, what would it say? (Josh.13:22)
Do we have people with similar occupations today?
Why do you think God was going to kill Balaam after telling him he could go? (2Pet. 2:15, Jude 1:11)
Do you think angels, today, stand ready to kill believers who are getting ready to defect?
Can you think of any illustrations of people you know of where that may have happened?
What did Balak do after Balaam blessed the Israelites?
Read Ps. 119:89. Balak thought God's word would change from different views. What do we learn about God's word from this passage in Psalms?
In Num 24:14 Balaam appears to give Balak some advice. Look at 31:15,16. What advice does it appear he gave? (Rev.2:14)
What happened to Balaam in the end?
5. After the Israelites defeated the Midianites, the commanders did something that illustrates that this may be a whole new breed of Israelites, ready to go into the land. Read Num. 31:48-50 and explain what they did and why.
6. Who was the next leader of the Israelites going to be? Look at the following passages and tell how he was exquisitely trained for this job.
Exodus 17:9-14
Ex. 24:13
Ex. 32:15-18
Ex. 33:11
Num. 11:24-29
Num. 14:1-9
7. Read Numbers 32. What did these 2 1/2 tribes ask Moses for?
Was Moses happy with this request?
What do you suppose (guess) made them settle for this land?
What were some warning signs that they were doing the wrong (less than the best) thing?
Read 1Chron 5:24-26 and Matthew 8:28-34. What eventually happened to these 2 1/2 tribes?
Note to teachers/students
It is amazing the amount of grumbling the Israelites did. To think that God wasn't able to feed them or give them water after miraculously delivering them from Egypt is astounding. We get warnings in the NT that we can become just like this, too, so we need to be careful. It is important to be in fellowship so we can encourage each other during the tough times. It is helpful also to write down answers to prayer so when we forget all the things He has done or His power, we can refer to those. Just remember, in the NT when anyone would ask Jesus for a sign or prove Himself, Jesus would refer to the sign of Jonah basically saying "I'm going to die for you and raise from the dead - what else do you need." The Israelites except for Joshua and Caleb didn't know God - they knew Him second hand through Moses which won't get you through the tough times. How well do you know God? He tore the curtain so we can boldly go into His presence. Are we taking advantage of that wonderful blessing? If not, expect grumbling and wilderness living in your future.
Speaking of the wilderness, it symbolizes a life of unfulfilled, restless, aimless living of the person who has trusted Christ for salvation but yet due to unbelief, lack of faith, disobedience, and half-hearted commitment to Christ just won't go "all in" for Him. They are scared of total commitment - leaving everything behind and despite their fears and feelings of inadequacy go full speed ahead into the promised land of the abundant radical Christian life. We can only guess at why the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Mannassah settled for the land outside of the promised land but I would guess they were just weary of being a sojourner and settled for suitable rather than incredible. We are in danger of the same thing, too. It is very easy to get comfortable on Earth and make our home here rather than Heaven. We need to continue to encourage our brothers and sisters not to lose heart and remind them of the reality and immenence of Heaven. How do we know if we are settling for less than God's best? Are we doing things now that God has forbidden in the past? Does it seem that the rest of the church is headed in a different direction than you? Are you missing out on fellowship? Are you continually having to build up "walls" to protect you from the influence of the World because you are so close to it? Balaam was playing both sides and you see how that worked out for him. Because of their proximity to the world (see Lot study in Genesis), they were the first to be picked off by the Assyrians and in the NT we see them as pig farmers who begged Christ to leave when He revealed His power to them.
One other thing to learn from this passage is the importance of discipling people. Moses took a young man named Joshua under his wing and took him into God's presence with him, taught him to distinguish between good and evil, taught him when he had success it was not because of his ability but because of God, taught him to be humble and look out for spiritual pride, and then he was able to have faith in God when the whole nation cowered. When the time was right, Moses gradually gave him more and more jobs until Joshua was able to replace Moses. Do we have anyone in our lives that we are mentoring/ discipling. Or do we need to be mentored. If so, find a Godly role model, and ask them if they would disciple you.
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