Numbers
The feast of tabernacles
Types of offerings continued:Feast of Trumpets – first day of the 7th month – 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat (vv. 1-6).Day of Atonement – 10th day of 7th month – 1 bull, 1 ram, 7 lambs, 1 goat (vv. 7- 11).Feast of Booths – 15th to 22nd days of 7th month – priest offered over 200 s …
A reminder of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt
The record here in chapter 9 deals with the second Passover. The first was instituted in Egypt and recorded in Exodus 12. At the first Passover event, the Israelites were given the command to “observe this day throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever” (Ex. 1 …
The difference between vows and oaths
There is a difference between “vows” and “oaths.” The vow was a promise to do a certain thing for the Lord, while the oath was a promise not to do a certain thing. Moses reminded the people that their promise to God was a very serious matter and must be kept ( …
The loyality of people to each other.
The Israelites had been camped in the plains of Moab. From this position, they were ready to enter the Promised Land. Up to this point, all the tribes of Israel had fought together, traveled together, and sometimes had sinned together. But now things were changing as two of the t …
God’s judgment on the Midianites
Moses’ last assignment was to carry out the Lord’s vengeance on the Midianites; then he would meet “the last enemy” which is death. The Midianites (v. 2) were a nomadic people who descended from Abraham through his second wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1). Because the Midianites …
Servants of the Lord deserve to be supported by His people
The principle emphasized in this passage is clear and is often given in Scripture. Those who serve the Lord and His people should be supported from the material blessings God gives to His people. An example is where Jesus said “The laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 1 …
Israel refuses to enter Canaan
After the the twelve men returned from Canaan and said there were giants in the land, the people cried all night and complained to Moses and Aaron, “ We wish we had died in Egypt or somewhere out here in the desert (vv. 1-2)! Why does the Lord bring us to this land to fall b …
Organizing the Tribes
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers present a striking contrast between how much we can accomplish when we obey God and how little we can accomplish when we don’t. The organization of the Israelite camp was ordered by God. By obeying the commands of God for organization t …
The transition from one generation to the next
God-Ordained Authorities are:Government: Rom 13, I Pet 2:17Employer: Eph 6, I Pet 2:18Husband: I Pet 3:1, Col 3:18, Eph 5:22Parent: Eph 6The events described in this chapter probably occurred shortly after Israel’s tragic failure at Kadesh-Barnea, and they reveal clearly that the …
The people complain.
The human heart is so sinful that it soon forgets God’s blessings, ignores God’s promises, and finds fault with God’s provisions. Just three days after the great praise service by the Red Sea, the people complained against Moses and God because they didn’t have water to drink (Ex …