Transcription
Well, hello everyone. This is Mike Howard and I am here with Beverly Howard. We're going to do a Bible study. We're in the book of Numbers. Numbers chapter 20. Title of the lesson is lack of trust. And one thing we're going to find out is that not only did the first generation of Israelites need water to drink, but the second generation did as well. And from a spiritual perspective, every generation needs the water that God provides.
Amen.
So faith and trust. I've always thought of faith and trust as synonyms, but they're slightly different. Faith is the foundational belief in God's character and his promises. Trust therefore ste flows from faith and it is the active reliance or the action that we take that stems from our faith. So faith is our belief in God and trust is how we live out that faith. It's often demonstrated through our obedience and our surrender to God's will. Especially in difficult times, our faith is sometimes tested and therefore our trust.
So where are we in the book of Numbers? Well, remember last week's lesson, we saw that the 12 spies came back and 10 of the 12 said that the people were too big, too strong, cities too fortified for Israel to be successful entering into the promised land. So the nation decided they did not want to go in. Well, that did not go over well with God. So God said, "For that lack of trust, lack of faith, you will wander in the desert until you everyone who is 20 years of age or older dies. And then the next generation after you will I will take into the promised land." So let's see what happens from chapter 14. And that was last week's lesson till chapter 20 this week's lesson.
Well, in chapter 15, the laws were refined or given. Uh, the Sabbath e, there was a person who violated the Sabbath and they were executed. And then there was a scripture verse about putting tassels on your clothing. And every time you saw the tassels, you would remember not to live a life that was sinful. So they would remind you of God and his promises. In ver chapter 16, there's a famous rebellion called Kora's rebellion. And Kora rounded up 250 leaders that want they wanted to take over the authority that God had given Moses. God didn't like that. So, they wound up being swallowed up by the earth. And then in chapter 17, uh, God says, "I need to make sure that everyone understands that Moses is my chosen leader and that Aaron is the chosen priest." So they did a trial and they put everybody put their staff into uh, the middle and then Aaron's staff the next day had not only budded but had had blossomed into almonds. So verse chapter 18 uh defines the duties of priests and Levites. Chapter 19 talks about purification rituals and the times uh, that they needed to be observed.
So when you take a look at where we were last week and where we are this week, not a lot is told to us. The Bible is pretty quiet in terms of where they went, where they camped, how they uh, lived. Uh, and so we see in chapter 20 that they have gone a great distance so far. Matter of fact, it 40 years have have elapsed. I've got sever a map here and I want to point you at their journey. And when they first came out of Egypt, they're over here. And the first thing that happened after they uh, crossed the Red Sea is that they after about the third day, they were thirsty. And so God told Moses to strike the rock and he did and water gushed out of the rock and they were satisfied. They then go from that location and they spend a year down here at Mount Si where they received the law and they set up camp. They built the tabernacle. So after a year they're headed to the promised land. But last week we found out when they got to the promised land at Kadesh here they decided that they were too afraid to trust God to take them in safely. So they rebelled. Now from that chapter 14 to chapter 20, zoom ahead and what we find is that they have wandered in this wilderness for 40 years without an awful lot of information from from the Bible. And then we see that they are gathered this new generation. The old generation, this is 40 years later. Everyone from that generation has either died or is about to die in the next year or so. And including, by the way, uh, Miriam and Aaron and ultimately Moses. All three of that leadership team, they're going to die in the wilderness without going into the promised land.
Well, chapter 20 starts out at with the death of Miriam. Now, Miriam was Moses's Moses's older sister. We think she was about seven, maybe even 10 years older than Moses because back in Exodus, we find out that she's the one that told the Pharaoh's daughter that she would have the baby nursed uh, back in the Israelite camp. And so she was old enough to to speak and to deal with that and took the baby Moses back to her mom to be nursed. So now Miriam dies and the next thing we see with Miriam is that after they cross the Red Sea, she sings this wonderful song and she's declared in the Bible to be a prophet. So Miriam is not only his older sister but also a prophet. She's going to die here uh, at CA at Kadesh. They're back to Kadesish. They're about ready to to do what they should have done 40 years ago, but God is going to direct them around to a different location. In the meantime, the this generation, this new generation becomes thirsty. So, after they crossed the Red Sea, they were thirsty. Moses struck the rock. Now, here we are 40 years later, they're thirsty again. But it's not the same generation. It's the new generation. And they're asking Moses for water to drink. So from here they're going to go they're going to break camp after they get the water which is today's lesson. They're going to break camp and they're going to go to Mount on their way to up here to Jericho or across the Jordan from Jericho to enter in the promised land. They get to Mount and Aaron dies. We think that Miriam was probably 126 127. Uh, we don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us. But Aaron is going to die here. And the Bible tells us he was 123 years old. In next week's lesson, we're going to find out that the nation of Edom, which by the way is descended from Esau. And remember, Israel was Jacob. And Jacob and Esau were twin brothers. But this nation of Edom over here, which really is right in here, they refused to let is Israel pass through their territory. So, Israel had to go around Edom up around through Midian and Moab to get to the place where they were going to enter the promised land. All that is history of where they were. But today, we're going to focus on chapter 20 when a new generation says that they're thirsty.
So, in chap Oh, okay. So, I I went ahead and put that in. So, uh, chapters 20 through 36, Israel is going to make that journey all the way up. So, we're going to spend the next 16 chapters taking a look at that journey. Interesting promised land journey part two. Remember, the new generation is right where the old generation was about 40 years earlier. And now they're going to thirst the same way the first generation did as after they got across the Red Sea.
Now, verse two of chapter 20. Now, there was no water for the community. And the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and they said, "Look, if only we had died when our brothers, that's our parents, okay, our aunts, our uncles, brothers fell dead before the Lord." In other words, we wish we now that we had died with them in the wilderness because now we're dying of thirst here. And they said, "It's your fault, Moses and Aaron. Why did you bring the Lord's community, so at least they've got enough faith to think of themselves as the Lord's community, into this wilderness that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of the out of Egypt to this terrible place? Now they're beginning to think because they've lived their whole lives they've lived in the wilderness and their whole lives they've heard about God's promised land which is filled with milk and honey and giant grapes and all these wonderful things and that's the report of the spies. They came back and said fix and pomegranates and and grapes and it's just great. Uh, so but their life has never experienced any of that. They said look why did you bring us out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain. It has no figs. It has no grape vines. It has no pomegranates. And oh, by the way, we're about to die of thirst. There's no water here to drink. So, they're confused about we thought that we were serving a God that's taking us into this abundant promised land. And yet, all of our lives, all we've seen is this desert. And oh, by the way, now we don't even have water to drink. We've been eating this mana but no water to drink.
So Moses, as he always does when the people rebel, goes to God, he and Aaron. Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and they fell face down, which was normal for them. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. They're going to have a conversation with God about this. The Lord told Moses, "Take the staff. You and your brother Aaron, gather the assembly together." Now, Moses is thinking back at this point in time, I think, to the last time they were thirsty after they crossed the Red Sea and God told him to take his staff and strike the rock. But listen to what God actually says. He says, "Take your staff." But don't strike the rock. Speak to the rock. Speak to the rock in front of them before their eyes. And when you do speak to the rock, it will pour out its water. And then you will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink.
So Moses took the staff. And remember, last time this happened, Moses struck the rock. This time he's older. He's 120 years old and he's been told not to use the staff but to take the staff and with the staff in his hand to speak to the rock. So Moses took the staff from the Lord's presence just as he had commanded him. So he's doing okay so far. He and Aaron gathers the community together in front of the rock. And Moses says to them, instead of saying, "I've spoken to God." And God says, "He's going to bring you water out of the rock if we speak to the rock." Instead of saying that, here's what he says. You can tell there's a 40 years of frustration built up with Moses here. Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock? And we here means Moses and Aaron. Not God, but Moses and Aaron. And then instead of speaking to the rock, Moses raises his arm and he strikes the rock not once but twice with his staff. You already know that Moses is going to be in trouble. And let's find out how much. Well, guess what? Because of God's grace, even though Moses did it wrong, God instead answered their request. Water gushed out, the community and all their livestock drank. But God's going to have to have a conversation with Moses and Aaron. He says, "Look, because you did not trust me enough." Okay, so their faith, they know. Moses knows God. If you remember last week's lesson, he told God, "Look, you are a loving God, quick to forgive, long-suffering. He knows God." And then God gave him a command to speak to the rock, but he didn't trust enough to live out that faith. And this is a huge giant of the faith because you did not trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites. Guess what? you Moses will not bring this community into the land that I give them. And he's speaking to both Moses and to Aaron.
Verse 13 is a summary verse. These were the waters of Mirabah. Meabah means the waters where they quarreled with Moses and God and Aaron. Where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them. So that's the first time they thirsted after they crossed the Red Sea and the second time they thirsted with a brand new generation, not the same generation. So then the summary is really what do you do with thirsty people? And the answer is you've got to ask God to give them living water.
Let me read to you. This is too small for you to read, but let me read the story of the first time because there are so many similarities, but the first time is an important time for us because I'll share with you in just a second. It's really not about striking a rock with a stick. They, this is the Israelites, camped at Rafidium, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarrel with Moses and they said, "Look, Moses, give us water to drink." Moses replied, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test? But the people were thirsty for water, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to make us and our children and our livestock die of thirst?" Then Moses cried out to the Lord, "What am I to do with these people? They're ready to stone me." And the Lord answered Moses, "Go out in front of the people, take with you some of the elders, and take your in your hand the staff." Remember, same staff with which you struck the Nile and and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horob. Strike the rock and the rock will and water will come out of the rock for the people to drink. So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Masa or Meabbah. Meabbah means quarreling. Okay? Because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord by saying the Lord is not among us.
So you see the first time God told Moses to strike the rock with his staff with wood. So, is this really about a rock in the wilderness and a staff in Moses's hand? And the answer is, of course, not. This is about a rock who is Jesus and about a staff that is a cross. And because he was struck by the cross, he gushed out the water, which was the living water for everyone. So let's take a look at how that happens. John 12:32, Jesus said, "And I when I'm lifted up from the earth," in other words, when I'm crucified, I will draw all people to myself. Jesus said this to show the kind of death that he was going to die.
What do you do with thirsty people? Well, you show them where they can find the water. Not just drinking water, but living water. You remember John chapter 4 when he asked the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. And she said, "Okay, why are you asking me?" And he said, "Look, if you knew who I was, you would ask me for a drink, and I would give you water that would be living water, and you would never thirst again. What do you do with thirsty people? You don't point them just to regular water. You th point them to living water.
How do we apply it? Well, first stage is we got to know that everybody needs water. You need water. I need water. We only can live a few days without water. That's physical water. And we can't live at all without spiritual living water. Every generation. This is the this is the point of this story. Why does this happen twice? It happens with the first generation and then it happens with the second generation. And the answer to that is it happens for every generation. Every generation must be thirsty because every generation needs the living water. We all are in need of water to live. But what we really need is living water. God actually in issues the invitation in Isaiah 55 verse1 where he says come all of you who are thirsty come by and eat. Jesus then gives us that water of life. And I told you the story about the Samaritan woman. Well, let's look at the first generation because that's an important generation for this living water. The spiritual water came from the rock. That would be Jesus. When he was struck, that means he was crucified. The staff in Moses's hand stands for or represents the cross of Christ. Now, the staff in Moses's hand is a type. It represents a lot of things and and throughout Exodus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. Remember, it was the staff that he threw down is Aaron's staff. Same staff, same type. Throws the staff down, it turns into a snake, and that snake ate the other snakes of the pharaoh. So that staff was more powerful than any other staff. That cross is more powerful than any other death. Remember when they crossed the Red Sea, which is God's judgment, he puts the staff in the water, the water separates. Remember when they're in a battle and Moses is told to hold the staff up over his head? As long as the staff is held up, remember if you lift me up, I will draw him into me. Aaron and her hold both of his hands because he got tired. But as long as the staff was lifted up, it was as God provided the victory. As long as we lift up the cross of Christ, he will provide our victory.
1 Corinthians chapter 10:4, Paul tells us that this is not regular water and are not a regular rock and not a regular staff. He says they drank, they being the Israelites, drank from the same spiritual drink that would be the water from the rock. For they drank from the spiritual rock and that accompanied them. And that rock was Christ. Every generation has to have that same drink. We're all dead in our sins until we drink from that living water. Until we drink from the water that was provided because Christ was lifted up. Because he was struck. Hebrews 7:27 says he w he Christ was sacrificed for everyone's sins once. Just once. He was only sacrificed once. Strike the rock once.
The next time we simply place our faith in the rock and then the water, the living water, the Holy Spirit comes out for us once for all when he offered himself. John 3:16b for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes not strikes him. He's been struck. He's been crucified. That's the first generation. Every other generation when they're thirsty, we don't strike. We speak to the rock. We speak to Christ. We believe in Christ. Then we shall not perish. Then we have the water the ever the water that Jesus promised the Samaritan woman.
So what was the sin of the people? Well, we pretty clear they blamed their leaders for their lack of water. But look, they lived in a desert. Only God can provide living water in a desert. They're not satisfied with the wilderness life. Well, they shouldn't be satisfied with the wilderness life. God has promised them a promised land only because they lacked faith. If they had faith, then he would let them into the promised land. They wanted more. All of us do. Look around you at all the lost people. They're not happy with their lives. Why? They're living in a desert. God promises a promised land filled with milk and honey. They need to trust God.
What was the sin of Moses? Well, Moses, the people weren't trusting God. But guess what, dude? At 120, after living a wonderful, wonderful, faithful, trusting life as their leader, you lost your trust. He needed to trust and obey. And after 40 years of this wandering in the wilderness, it even got to poor Moses. He was frustrated that this generation was just like the last generation. And that's an important lesson for us. Every generation is going to be a generation that rebels against God. Just look at what's happened in the last few weeks here in the United States. Every generation rebels against God. They all need the rock with the water. He assumed that God's authority. Moses assumed God's authority and took credit for producing producing the living water. Only God's grace can produce the living water, not the law. Moses here represents the law. The law cannot give you the living water. No matter how many times Moses struck the rock, that living water was going to come because of God's grace, not the strike. Christ cannot be crucified again. Paul tells us, actually the writer of Hebrews tells us he can't be crucified again.
So what can we learn from this? Well, number one is finish well. Oh, you I feel so sorry for Moses here. I know it was part of God's plan and he was 120 and even if he did lead him in, he wasn't going to be alive for very long, but still what God was showing us here is the importance of grace versus the law. And to finish well, Paul talks about that a lot. He says, "I have run the race and I have kept the faith." Paul finished his race. And he encourages us to finish our race. But our race isn't about what we do. It's about who we believe in.
Important thing here, each generation is going to be thirsty. We must trust in God and trust in his promises. But just like God told Moses to take the staff, even though he wasn't going to use the staff, the staff was what gave him God's power to speak to the rock. Hear me when I say this. Without the staff, he didn't have the authority of God to speak to the rock. Without the cross of Christ, we don't have forgiveness of sin. We don't have the living water. We don't have the authority to speak to God. We take the staff, the cross with us in prayer every time. This is our only hope. We are saved by the cross, the blood of Jesus on the cross. That is our salvation. We take it stat the the cross of Christ everywhere. It's not about us. That's the other lesson we can learn here. The glory in our lives always goes to the rock that was struck. Paul said in Philippians, he said, uh, I I have determined that I only want to know Christ and him crucified. I'm only going to preach Christ and him crucified. That's all that's important is Christ and him crucified. It's really all about Christ, the rock that was struck. It's all about Jesus.
Pray with me.
Father, this looks like a just an ordinary lesson where people got thirsty and you provided water, but it has a much deeper spiritual significance. It's a lesson about how the rock, that would be your son, Jesus, when he was struck by the staff, which was really the cross, his death because he was lifted up. That's what this lesson's about. It's about not providing regular water out of a rock. It's providing living water because of the cross of Christ. Father, help us to share with every generation. They're all going to be thirsty because they're all living in this fallen world which is nothing but a wilderness. And help us to believe to have faith and to trust that this is not our home in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen. Join us next week and we'll follow the Israelites as they go through around Moab and into around Edom and into Moab. Till then, know that we love you guys. Bye bye.
Bye.