“You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.”

Numbers 15:22-31

“You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.” Numbers 15:29-31

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 15:22-31 - where God gives Moses instructions for the people to atone for unintentional sin.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Believers should understand that since the Fall (Genesis 3), when sin entered the world, all sin and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).  Sin is both intentional (v30) (or via commission) and unintentional (omission), yet both are sins and all sin disappoints God, creates separation between us and God, and only Jesus can forgive us and save us from sin, restoring and reconciling us back to Him.  Here in the text today, God gives Moses instructions for how to atone for unintentional sin.  Through Jesus we not only have forgiveness of sin, but also freedom from sin as He works through us to mold us into more of His image - sanctification.  We are a new creation and no longer defined by our sin.    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Before Jesus, the people, as the text describes, had to make sacrifices through the priest to atone for sin.  Now, with Jesus, we approach Him directly and with confidence - Hebrews 4:16. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid willful and intentional sin.  Claim the promise that we can approach Him directly and He forgives and saves...and molds us into more of His image. Claim God's mercies that never cease and are new every morning.  God to God daily and allow Him to work in and through You.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, forgives, and saves. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love and save!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD. Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations.

Numbers 15:1-21

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land to which I bring you and when you eat of the bread of the land, you shall present a contribution to the LORD. Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it. Some of the first of your dough you shall give to the LORD as a contribution throughout your generations. Numbers 15:18-21

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 15:1-21 - while Israel remains in the wilderness, God gives Moses and the people laws for sacrifices that they are to make upon entry to the Promised Land.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God seeks a relationship with Him and one of complete dependence on Him, recognizing that all that we have is because of Him and not of our own effort - see James 1:16.  Read along with Deuteronomy 26:1-11, the text focuses on how the people are to remember, celebrate, and be thankful for how God rescued the people from bondage in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land.  God heard Israel's cries, responded and delivered them.  Of course, we should daily be thankful for God, who He is, what He has done, how He provides, and how He saves!  God is good!  Our response should be joyful and we should give as the text directs the people to do - and we are to give freely as a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7). 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The people up to this point have been grumbling and complaining and now God is turning their attention to a promise He made and how He is going to be faithful and bring them into the Promised Land.  We need constant reminders of God's goodness and faithfulness - otherwise, we are prone to wander, grumble and complain as Israel did.  God gives us His Word as His Daily Bread and we are to consume it!
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid grumbling and complaining.  Claim the promise that God delivers us and He is saving a place for us in Heaven - whatever we are experiencing is temporary and God is good....all the time.  Follow the example of those who responded joyfully upon entering the Promised Land and gave cheerfully.  Consume God's Daily Bread!   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah.

Numbers 14:39-45

But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, although neither the ark of the covenant of the LORD nor Moses departed out of the camp. Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them and pursued them, even to Hormah. Numbers 14:44-45

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 14:39-45 -  in the face of a sharp rebuke and punishment from the Lord, the people mourn stubbornly proceed to the Promised Land even though in v25 God directs them back into the wilderness (punishment).  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God is just and any punishment we get is for good - we may not like it but God works all things for good (Romans 8:28).  My previous post described the punishment meted out by God for the people's grumbling, complaining, and lack of trust in God.  See also Hebrews 12:9-11 where the text shares how we should view discipline for our good. 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: People often seek their own will vs the will of God.  This never ends well. See also Proverbs 19:21 - God's will is not to be thwarted - He punished the people by keeping them in the wilderness vs allowing them to enter the Promised Land.  In the text today, the people set out for the promised land but are defeated by the Amalekites and the Canaanites.  
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid pursuing your own will vs the will of God.  Claim the promise that God punishes us for good - discipline as training.  Follow the example of Christ who willingly surrendered His live to follow the will of the Father.  Trust God.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But my servant Caleb [and Joshua vv30, 38], because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.

Numbers 14:20-38

But my servant Caleb [and Joshua vv30, 38], because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. Numbers 14:24 [30, 38]

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 14:20-38 - the Lord responds to Moses' prayer of intercession on behalf of the people - He is full of righteous anger as He describes the punishment for those who do not trust in Him and instead grumble and complain.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Based on Moses' prayer in vv13-19, God relents from the punishment described in v12 to disinherit the people.  Yet God still plans punishment for those who did not trust and instead grumbled and complained - including those among the spies that shared a bad report from the promised land.  They (and their children will suffer until their parents die) will not be able to enter the promised land and will die in the wilderness (vv22-23, 29-30, 32-35).    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Unlike the spies and the people who did not trust God to fulfill His promise to give the people the promised land (by giving Israel victory over the existing inhabitants), Caleb and Joshua were men of a different spirit as they followed God fully.  This description in scripture reminds me of similar descriptions from scripture for not just David, but other men such as Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Job, and Daniel, among others (see Genesis 5:24, 6:9, 6:22, James 2:23, Job 1:1, Daniel 10:19, 1 Samuel 13:14).  While none of these men are perfect - no one is (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8) - we do see for each of these men a portrait of Godliness where there is fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).  See also this post on Job.  For Caleb and Joshua, it was trust in God.  For believers, we know that Jesus is faithful and that we can trust in Him - 2 Corinthians 1:20.
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid fear. Claim the promise that God is faithful.  Follow the example of Caleb, Joshua, Moses, David, Daniel, Enoch, Job, Abraham, Noah, etc. Trust God. He is with us always. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that is always with us and with You who can stand against us?  No one or no thing!  Thank You Jesus that You have already defeated sin and death and removed their sting.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

Numbers 14:13-19

And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ Numbers 14:17-18

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 14:13-19 - Moses intercedes on behalf of the people who continue to grumble, complain and fear that they will not be overtake those who inhabit the promised land.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: The Lord listens to Moses intercede on behalf of the people - He responds to prayer - reinforcing how prayer is a critical part of relationship with God. Moses' prayer also tells us that God "is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression" (v18). We see again that although God forgives, this by no means that there are no consequences.  
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Moses prays to God and the most important prayer here is that he cares about God's name - Moses seeks for God's name to be great.  This is consistent with how Jesus seeks for all believers to pray - see Matthew 6:5-15 Jesus seeks for the Father's Name to be hallowed.  This is why we exist - to bring glory to Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid grumbling and complaining but instead be thankful for what God has done and go to Him with your cares and concerns.  Claim the promise that He will not only hear your cries but He will respond and help you carry the burden of your cares (1 Peter 5:7).  Follow the example of Moses who sought God's glory. In all that we do, bring glory to God.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who is slow to anger and abounding in love, forgiving sin, saving, and giving life now to the full and for eternity.  Thank You Jesus!  Incredible - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of my salvation, nor the blessings You pour out daily for me.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their and savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.”

Numbers 14:1-12

“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” Numbers 14:7-9

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 14:1-12 - we see the people of Israel rebel against God and His wishes to enter the promised land, despite how it is occupied and fortified.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God is full of righteous anger in vv11-12 as the people grumble and rebel against his desire to take the promised land God has given the people.  
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The people of Israel cry, weep, and grumble once again against Moses and Aaron (and God) - vv1-4.  They are in fear because of the reports of the other spies who have reported back that although the promised land "flows with milk and honey" and fruit, the inhabitants are strong and their cities fortified (vv13:27-29).  Clearly Moses and Aaron are frustrated and desperate - seeking to calm the people from their fear.  Two of the spies appointed by God - Joshua and Caleb - exhort the people (once again) to be of good courage and to not fear as "the Lord is with us" (v9).  As the people moved to stone Joshua and Caleb - God steps in (vv11-12).   
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid grumbling, complaining and rebelling against God (including His appointed leaders).  Claim the promise that if God is with/for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31). Follow the example of Caleb and Joshua were of good courage.  Trust God.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who has done everything for me - giving Your life - so that I can have life to the full now and for eternity.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

 Numbers 13:21-33

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Numbers 13:30 

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 13:21-33 - we see the spies appointed by God report back after scouting out the promised land.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God is implied as silent in the text today but we should recall that God referred to the land to be scouted as land God is "giving to the people of Israel" (v1).  God again is omniscient and He knows who occupies the land and that the spies will report back and be concerned about how the people are stronger. Moses - as God's messenger and the leader of the people - directed the spies to be of "good courage" (v20).    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: The spies - except Caleb (and Joshua) - fall prey to what many of us do when we are not in fellowship with God where we quickly forget all that God has done for us and able to do.  They fear the people of the Promised Land - rejecting God's guidance to be of "good courage." 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid not seeing how God is with you - always.  Claim the promise that You can never be separated from His love.  Follow the example of Caleb and Joshua to be of good courage.  Trust in God that not only is He with us but He is our strength and refuge.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, saves, and is our strength.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love me nor how You bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and strength, and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.