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“Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.” ~Numbers 11:1-3 “How can it be that a nation so blessed can still complain? God had done so much in and for Israel; yet...

“The Lord said to Moses, `Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.ʼ" Numbers 13:1,2 Here we come to the longed for day of standing ready to go in to the Promise Land!!!! God needs the people of Israel to trust completely in Him. So far these people have seen first hand the goodness of God. They have seen the 10 plagues in Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, the provision of food & water in the wilderness...

"`Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 'The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love & forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the 3rd & 4th generation.' In accordance w/your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.ʼ The Lord replied, `I have forgiven them, as you asked.ʼ" ~Numbers 14:17-20 “`Of great...

The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites & get 12 staffs from them, 1 from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be 1 staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet w/ you. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, & I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites...

“`The community is to have the same rules for you & for the foreigner residing among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You & the foreigner shall be the same before the Lord: The same laws & regulations will apply both to you & to the foreigner residing among you.'" ~Numbers 15:15,16 God doesn't have 2 sets of rules, & He does not compromise. He knew that when people besides the Israelites saw His love they would be drawn to Him. They would want to be near others who s...

“`You must present as the Lord's portion the best and holiest part of everything given to you.'" ~Numbers 18:29 From Mathew Henry commentary on “18:20-32 As Israel was a people not to be numbered among the nations, so Levi was a tribe to be distinguished from the rest. Those who have God for their Inheritance and their Portion for ever, ought to look with holy contempt and indifference upon the possessions of this world. The Levites were to give God his dues out of their tithes, as well as the I...

“The Lord said to Moses, `Make a snake & put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it & live.ʼ"~Num 21:8 `God is in control of the issues of our lives, thus, any murmuring over our circumstances is ultimately to murmur against God. These people had developed the habit of murmuring & complaining. It is a dangerous thing to develop a critical spirit. You begin 2 look for something 2 criticize - everything. Nothing is done up 2 your standards. You become an inveterate fault-finder. The ...

"Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, & Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled w/dread because of the Israelites." ~Numbers 22:2-3 Thru out the book of Numbers there have been times when the Israelites have fought & God conquered the people the west side of the Jordan River. The news of what happened to Egypt is still being told. In our verses today we find Balak the Moabite king & his people afraid because Israel is camped ...

"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak & then not act? Does he promise & not fulfill?" ~Numbers 23:19 We find this in Balaam's second attempt to curse Israel. Balak will continue to try to get Balaam to curse Israel even after he is told: " He (Balaam) answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?" ~Numbers 23:12. Balak thinks by moving Balaam's postion that will change what comes out of his mouth. It doesn't work. Ag...

"How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!" ~Numbers 24:5 Looking out over Israel's camp Balaam is moved to express this praise of the dwelling place of God's people. Israel is a nation chosen by God to be His own, and so is beautiful and blessed amidst the turmoil. Christians are adopted into this nation by believing in the same God, they to are the dwelling place of God, beautiful and blessed amidst the turmoil. So today we pray for our brothers and sisters around the...

“So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them.” ~Numbers 25:3 “The people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab: The women of Moab, coming among the men of Israel, seduced them 2 both sexual sin & idolatry (& bowed down t2their gods). The 2 were commonly connected in perverse forms of idol worship in the ancient world. In this chapter, the women & their people are sometimes described as Midianites & sometimes as Moabites. This is because the...