Feb 24 Mar 1

Moses & Aaron Change Their Moses & Aaron Change Their DestinyDestiny

The Israelites complain and cry out for water

again. In replying to the Israelites Moses & Aaron

change their destiny.


Numbers 20:6 NET So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance to the tent

of meeting.


They then threw themselves down with

their faces to the ground, and the glory of the

LORD appeared to them.


7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses: 8 "Take the staff and

assemble the community, you and Aaron your

brother, and then speak to the rock before their

eyes.


It will pour forth its water, and you will bring water out of the rock for them, and so you will give the

community and their beasts water to drink."


9 So Moses took the staff from before the LORD,

just as he commanded him. 10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the community together in front of the

rock, and he said to them,


"Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock for you?" 11

Then Moses raised his hand, and struck the rock

twice with his staff.


And water came out abundantly. So the

community drank, and their beasts drank too. 12

Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron


"Because you did not trust me enough to show me as holy before the Israelites,

therefore you will not bring this community

into the land I have given them."


Moses and Aaron will not lead the Israelites into the

promised land. I wondered why Aaron was punished because it was Moses who

struck the rock.


Verse 10 gives us a hint that Aaron was consenting in

Moses actions."Listen, you rebels, must we bring water out of this rock

for you?"


Aaron’s fate comes sooner than Moses’.

Numbers 20:23 NET And the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by the border of the land of Edom.


He said: 24 “Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors, for

he will not enter into the land I have given to the Israelites

because both of you rebelled against my word at the waters

of Meribah.


25 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and

bring them up on Mount Hor. 26 Remove Aaron's

priestly garments and put them on Eleazar his son,


and Aaron will be gathered to his ancestors and will die there." 27 So Moses did as

the LORD commanded; and they went up Mount Hor in

the sight of the whole community.


28 And Moses removed Aaron's garments and put

them on his son Eleazar. So Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. And Moses

and Eleazar came down from the mountain.

Fiery SerpentsFiery SerpentsOnce again the Israelites

become anxious and complain.

This time the punishment involves poisonous snakes.

The remedy is very interesting also.

Fiery Serpents Fiery Serpents Numbers 21:4 NET Then they traveled from Mount Hor

by the road to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, but the

people became impatient along the way.

Fiery SerpentsFiery Serpents5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we detest this worthless

food."

Fiery SerpentsFiery Serpents

6 So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people; many people

of Israel died.

Fiery SerpentsFiery Serpents7 Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken

against the LORD and against you. Pray to the

LORD that he would take away the snakes from us."


So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, "Make a poisonous snake and set it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten

looks at it, he will live."


9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a

pole, so that if a snake had bitten someone,

when he looked at the bronze snake he lived.

Bronze Snake Type of Bronze Snake Type of ChristChrist

Jesus talking to Nicodemus sheds a new light on the bronze snake being a type of what will

happen to Him.


John 3:14 NET Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 so that everyone

who believes in him may have eternal life."


16 For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so

that everyone who believes in him will not perish but

have eternal life.


1. That as the serpent was lifted up on the pole or ensign, so Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross.

2. That as the Israelites were to look at the brazen serpent, so sinners must look to Christ for salvation.


3. That as God provided no other remedy than this looking for the wounded Israelites, so he has provided no other way of salvation than faith in the blood of his Son.

4. That as he who looked at the brazen serpent was cured and did live, so he that believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ shall not perish, but have eternal life.


5. That as neither the serpent, nor looking at it, but the invisible power of God healed the people, so neither the cross of Christ, nor his merely being crucified, but the pardon he has bought by his blood, communicated by the powerful energy of his Spirit, saves the souls of men. (Clarke)

Balaam’s Life SparedBalaam’s Life Spared

We read this week the great story of Balaam who was

asked by Balak to curse the Israelites. There is deeper meaning in this story than what is quickly apparent.


Balaam is summoned twice by Balak. The first time God tells him not to go with the men sent to

escort him.


The second time God tells him to go with them, but say only the words God

puts in his mouth.


Apparently there was a stipulation to wait till the men return for him in the

morning before going with them.


At least this is what many of the commentaries say.

In comparing different translations I don’t get

this idea.


At any rate, Balaam saddles his donkey in the morning and goes with the princes of Moab.


Now we get into the fun part of the story. God’s anger is against Balaam and he sends an angel to

destroy him.


Balaam’s donkey sees the angel and does its best to avoid it. Each time the

donkey gets beat by Balaam. Finally the

donkey’s had enough.


Numbers 22:28 NET Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten

me these three times?"


29 And Balaam said to the donkey, "You have made

me look stupid; I wish there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you

right now."

Balaam’s Life SparedBalaam’s Life Spared30 The donkey said to Balaam, "Am not I your donkey that you

have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I

ever attempted to treat you this way?" And he said, "No."


31 Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw

the angel of the LORD standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand;


so he bowed his head and threw himself

down with his face to the ground.

Balaam’s Life SparedBalaam’s Life Spared32 The angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you because

what you are doing is perverse before me.


33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If she had not turned from me, I

would have killed you but saved her alive."

Balaam’s Life SparedBalaam’s Life Spared34 Balaam said to the angel

of the LORD, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me in the road. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go

back home."

Balaam’s Life SparedBalaam’s Life Spared35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam,

"Go with the men, but you may only speak the word that I will speak to you." So Balaam went with the

princes of Balak.

Has God Stepped In To Save YouHas God Stepped In To Save You

Can you point to a time in your life when God

stepped in to save you? You know I can, and not only in saving me from a plane crash that should

have killed me.

Has God Stepped In To Save Has God Stepped In To Save YouYou

Looking back I can see God redirected my life by turning my world

upside down in surviving that trauma.


I was faithful in attending worship services on

Sunday. But, I would have to say my main focus was gaining experience needed

to move up in aviation.


In fact, that was the whole reason my buddy and me purchased the

airplane I crashed.


It was a cheap means to gain the few pilot-in-

command flight hours I lacked required by most pilot positions I desired.


Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think God caused

my plane to crash, I think He used the crash to re-

direct me.

Balaam’s DisobedienceBalaam’s Disobedience

Back to our story...Balaam did do as God directed and

ended up blessing the Israelites several times.

This isn’t the last we hear of Balaam.


It seems when Balaam goes home he has some involvement in the men of Israel being immoral

with the women of Moab.


Numbers 24:25 NET Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home,

and Balak also went his way.

Israel’s Sin With Moabite WomenIsrael’s Sin With Moabite Women

25:1 When Israel lived in Shittim, the people began

to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab.


2 These women invited the people to the sacrifices of

their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods.


3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, the anger of the LORD

flared up against Israel.Moses sends Israel’s army to

wipe out the Moabites.

Campaign Against the MidianitesCampaign Against the Midianites

Numbers 31:6 NET So Moses sent them to the war, one thousand

from every tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who was in charge of

the holy articles and the signal trumpets.


7 They fought against the Midianites, as the LORD commanded Moses, and they killed every male.


8 They killed the kings of Midian in addition to

those slain — Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba — five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor

with the sword.


Even Balaam, who we saw obey God wasn’t spared,

not this second time.To get a better perspective of

Balaam I think we need to read Peter & John’s

writings.


2 Peter 2:15 NET By forsaking the right path they have

gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,


16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a

dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice,

restrained the prophet's madness).


The church in Pergamum is being addressed when some of their people are

said to be following Balaam.


Revelation 2:14 NET But I have a few things against you:

You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam,


who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before

the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to

idols and commit sexual immorality.

What Are Our Findings?What Are Our Findings?

What are our findings? The most holy people, who interact personally with God, are not above

His commands.


Moses and Aaron, God’s chosen men, if there ever were any, disobeyed and

were denied entrance into the Promised Land.


From Jesus own mouth we find out the antidote

for the snake bite inflicted on the Israelites,

the bronze snake on a pole,


is a type of the antidote for sin we enjoy because he was lifted up on the

cross.


Just because God miraculously saves you from destruction once

doesn’t mean He will do so again if you are not

obedient.

Spiritual

Feb 24 Mar 1