Numbers 33: Final Warnings
Sadly, the Israelites lost faith not only in themselves, but in their God. Because of that, a whole generation of them lies buried in the peninsula known as Sinai. References to the "desert wanderings" crop up again and again in the Bible. The period of rebellion left an indelible mark on the Jewish people. The apostle Paul points out that these failures "happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Cor. 10:11-12)
Numbers 20-36 concerns a whole new generation of Israelites, who were making final preparations before the invasion. Because Moses had disobeyed God (20:1-13), he was not allowed to enter the promised land. In 27:14, he seems to accept his punishment without complaint, quietly turning over his leadership to Joshua. Later in 33:50-56, just before the dramatic crossing into the promised land, God gave a clear statement of his priorities and a warning of what would happen if the Israelites failed to obey. His words would one day come back to haunt them, for they failed to carry out fully any of his orders.
Life Question: Of the many thousands who had left Egypt, only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, would make it into the promised land. Are there times in your life where you want to just ask, "Is this fair?"
Yeah, and rather often too. But, God's plan may not always be the same as the one that I have laid out in my mind. More often than not, when I think that I got stuck with a raw deal, I tend to overlook an indiscretion that I committed that may very well be the cause for my "grumbling". If nothing else, the Book of Numbers is an awesome lesson for us all to place our entire lives in God's hands and trust in him for guidance and counsel.
Sadly, the Israelites lost faith not only in themselves, but in their God. Because of that, a whole generation of them lies buried in the peninsula known as Sinai. References to the "desert wanderings" crop up again and again in the Bible. The period of rebellion left an indelible mark on the Jewish people. The apostle Paul points out that these failures "happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Cor. 10:11-12)
Numbers 20-36 concerns a whole new generation of Israelites, who were making final preparations before the invasion. Because Moses had disobeyed God (20:1-13), he was not allowed to enter the promised land. In 27:14, he seems to accept his punishment without complaint, quietly turning over his leadership to Joshua. Later in 33:50-56, just before the dramatic crossing into the promised land, God gave a clear statement of his priorities and a warning of what would happen if the Israelites failed to obey. His words would one day come back to haunt them, for they failed to carry out fully any of his orders.
Life Question: Of the many thousands who had left Egypt, only two adults, Joshua and Caleb, would make it into the promised land. Are there times in your life where you want to just ask, "Is this fair?"
Yeah, and rather often too. But, God's plan may not always be the same as the one that I have laid out in my mind. More often than not, when I think that I got stuck with a raw deal, I tend to overlook an indiscretion that I committed that may very well be the cause for my "grumbling". If nothing else, the Book of Numbers is an awesome lesson for us all to place our entire lives in God's hands and trust in him for guidance and counsel.
1 comment:
I do not process God's dealing with me in terms of fair or unfair. Many times the things that I thought were best for my situation, would have been the wrong thing at the wrong time. Like a child who wants to have all candy all the time I would make myself ill on what I think is fair in my eyes. I guess it is the growth in my heart the God is most concerned with. He has a desire to train each of us with choices that do not necessarily makes us happy. He has bigger fish to fry.....He wants me to learn that obedience is the way to enjoying the life He gives me.
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