Numbers (Part 17)(BST 5-4-08)

Numbers (Part 17)
Bible Study Time 5-4-08
(From James Roberts 5-23-99)

This morning we are going to be looking at three passages of scripture. We are going to begin with Numbers, Chapter 24, and then we will look back at Genesis, Chapter 49, before going on to Isaiah, Chapter 11.

In our study last week we saw that there was a King of Moab by the name of Balak who was afraid of the people of Israel. He tried to hire a false prophet by the name of Balaam to put a curse on the people of Israel, and Balaam was more than willing to do so because he wanted the money that Balak was offering. However, God did an unusual thing. In spite of Balaam’s desire to pronounce this curse, Balaam actually pronounced a blessing upon Israel because God spoke through Balaam. As we look at Numbers, Chapter 24, we see some of the details of Balaam’s prophecy. Verse 15 says:

Numbers 24:15-16 NKJV
15 So (Balaam) took up his oracle and said: "The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, And the utterance of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 The utterance of him who hears the words of God, And has the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Who falls down, with eyes wide open:

In order to understand this first part of Balaam’s prophesy, we need to go back to last week’s lesson in which we saw Balaam’s journey to meet with Balak. He was riding on his donkey and all of a sudden the donkey turned aside out of the path and into the field. The donkey did this because she had seen the Angel of the Lord standing in the path with His sword drawn. Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord so he struck and cursed the donkey.

Later, as Balaam and his donkey were passing through a narrow passageway which had a wall on either side, the donkey once again saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the pathway. When the donkey tried to move around the Angel of the Lord, the donkey crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. Again, Balaam did not see the Angel of the Lord and so he struck the donkey again.

Finally, as Balaam and the donkey headed down the pathway again, they came to a place that was even narrower than before, and when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord in the pathway, she simply lay down under Balaam. When Balaam began to beat the donkey, the donkey spoke to Balaam and Balaam started arguing with the donkey. But this time Balaam’s eyes were opened and he saw the Angel of the Lord with His sword drawn.

The Angel of the Lord then spoke to Balaam and said that if the donkey had not swerved, Balaam would have been killed, so Balaam fell down before the Lord. Later, as Balaam stood with Balak ready to pronounce a curse upon Israel, he said that he spoke as one whose eyes had been opened. Truly, he did speak as one who had seen the Lord and had heard the voice of God. As he spoke, he gave this prophesy in Numbers 22 and verse 17:

Numbers 24:17-19 NKJV
17 "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
18 "And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, And destroy the remains of the city."

This is a prophesy concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Balaam said, I see Him, but not now. He said that the Star that shall come out of Jacob is not yet here, but when that Star does appear, He will bear a mighty Scepter and will destroy all of His enemies. Balaam also said that when this ruler comes, Israel will do valiantly, meaning that Israel will be a mighty force upon the earth.

This reminds us of what we read in Genesis, Chapter 49, where we see Jacob on his deathbed. Jacob gathers his sons around him and gives prophecies concerning the tribes that were to arise from his sons. When Jacob spoke to Judah, he said:

Genesis 49:8-12 NKJV
8 "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion's whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people.
11 Binding his donkey to the vine, And his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, And his clothes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, And his teeth whiter than milk.

This too is a beautiful description of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jacob refers to the Lord Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and we see both His first and second coming. Jacob said that this coming ruler would first come riding upon a donkey, and this refers to the humiliation of the Lord Jesus at His first coming.

As we know, the Lord Jesus did come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey knowing that His crucifixion was at hand. Jacob said that His clothes would be washed in the blood of grapes, and this speaks of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. At His first coming, the Lord Jesus went to the cross to shed His own blood so that you and I might have eternal life.

But Jacob said that this promised one would also come with a scepter in His hand, and this scepter stands for the authority and power with which the Lord Jesus will come at His second coming. At His second coming He will establish His dominion over the nations of the earth. At this second coming the Lord Jesus will truly be revealed as the great Lion of the tribe of Judah.

Jacob and Balaam both gave prophesies concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus. Balaam lived many years after Jacob but said that the coming of the promised ruler was still not at hand. He said, I see Him, but not now; the Star will come, His scepter will rise and He will cause His enemies to bow down before Him.

There are many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this morning we are going to look at Isaiah, Chapter 11, verses 1 and 2, where we read:

Isaiah 11:1 NKJV
1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

It’s obvious from this verse that the tree of Jesse has been cut down, but the root stock has survived in the ground. This is a subtle but accurate description of the fact that Israel was going to be temporarily set aside and that the throne of David would be left vacant for a certain period of time. During this time David’s throne would not be destroyed, however. The root stock of David would remain viable contrary to all appearances.

This prophecy was first fulfilled when the armies of Babylon carried away the people of Israel into Babylon and left the throne of David vacant. But this prophesy also speaks of the time when Israel and her kingdom program were temporarily set aside at the end of the Acts period, or the time period covered by the book of Acts.

Today, no descendant of David is sitting upon the throne of David in Jerusalem. The tree of Jesse has been cut off because the nation of Israel rejected the Lord Jesus Christ as her promised Messiah. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the prophesies that were given through Jacob and Balaam but was not able to fulfill those prophesies because the nation of Israel rejected the Lord Jesus.

Israel’s kingdom program was set aside, but make no mistake about it, one day there will be a branch that will grow up out of the root stock of Jesse. Someday the Lord Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the Son of David. He will sit upon the throne of David and establish His dominion of righteousness over all the earth. Isaiah 11 goes on to describe the beautiful character of this Kingdom and its King. Isaiah 11, verse 2, says:

Isaiah 11:2-5 NKJV
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

Beloved, do not expect righteousness to come from the governments of this world. There will be no equity for people on this earth as long as men have charge over the earth. In fact, someday all of the governments of the world will end up in anarchy, and the man of sin will seize this opportunity to establish his authority and power over the earth.

The kingdom of the man of sin will be a reign of terror that will last until the Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth from heaven. When the Lord returns, He will slay the wicked with the rod that comes out of His mouth, even the word of God. He will speak the word and the wicked will die. Then He, Himself, will establish His kingdom of righteousness.

Now today, God offers righteousness to all those who are willing to come to the Lord Jesus Christ and trust Him as the One who died, was buried and then rose again so that we might have eternal life. Do you know Him today as the One who is your peace, the One who died for you that you might have eternal life?

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. The Lord willing, we will take up in our journey through the scripture next week. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 16)(BST 4-27-08)

Numbers (Part 16)
Bible Study Time 4-27-08
(From James Roberts 5-16-99)

Last week we saw that God gave a great victory over one of the kings of Canaan, but afterward the children of Israel began to complain against God and Moses. As a result, God sent fiery serpents into their midst, and many of the people died when they were bit by the serpents.

Some of the people came to Moses and asked Moses to pray for them. They recognized that the serpents were a judgment from God and so they asked Moses to pray that God would take them away. While Moses prayed, God told Moses to fashion a serpent of brass and lift it up between heaven and earth. God said that when the people looked at that brazen serpent after having been bit by a poisonous snake, they would live.

The Lord Jesus spoke of this brazen serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus. He said:

John 3:14-17 NKJV
14 . . . as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In John, Chapter 12, the Lord Jesus made reference to this brazen serpent when He said:

John 12:32 NKJV
32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."

After quoting this statement by the Lord Jesus, John said:

John 12:33 NKJV
33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

So that brazen serpent which was lifted up in the wilderness was a picture of the sacrificial death on the cross by our Savior, the Lord Jesus.

After this incident with the fiery serpents, God gave Israel two great military victories. He gave them the victory over King Sihon of the Amorites in Heshbon, and then He gave them victory over King Og of Bashan. These victories greatly disturbed King Balak of the Moabites. He became fearful of the Israelites and so he decided to take action. Let’s read Numbers, Chapter 22, beginning in verse 1:

Numbers 22:1-6 NKJV
1 Then the children of Israel moved, and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan across from Jericho.
2 Now Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
3 And Moab was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Moab was sick with dread because of the children of Israel.
4 So Moab said to the elders of Midian, "Now this company will lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field." And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5 Then he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: "Look, a people has come from Egypt. See, they cover the face of the earth, and are settling next to me!
6 Therefore please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed."

Well, while these messengers where staying with Balaam, Balaam got a visit from the Lord. In verse 9, we read:

Numbers 22:9-12 NKJV
9 Then God came to Balaam and said, "Who are these men with you?"
10 So Balaam said to God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying,
11 'Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come now, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to overpower them and drive them out.'"
12 And God said to Balaam, "You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed."

This goes back to the promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis, Chapter 12. In that passage God promised Abraham that his descendants would be blessed. God also promised blessing to those who bless Israel, and He promised a curse to those who curse Israel. So in Numbers 22, God told Balaam in very specific terms that he should not go with Balak’s messengers because they wanted to curse the children of Israel.

Accordingly, Balaam told the messengers to go back to their land without him because God had refused to give him permission to go with them. But when these men returned to Moab without Balaam, Balak refused to take no for an answer. Verse 15 says:

Numbers 22:15-17 NKJV
15 Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than (the first).
16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me;
17 for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.'"

Unfortunately for Balaam, this promise of great reward got Balaam’s attention. Deep down inside Balaam really wanted to take advantage of Balak’s offer, so he went back to the Lord for further instructions. This time, God told Balaam to go with Balak’s messengers. Verse 21 says that:

Numbers 22:21 NKJV
21 . . . Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

On the road to Moab, a very unusual thing happened. Verse 22 says:

Numbers 22:22-28 NKJV
22 Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.
24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam's anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Notice that in this instance God used a dumb donkey to speak to Balaam. It would appear that the donkey had more sense than Balaam. But notice also that Balaam was not even astonished at the fact that his donkey started talking to him. He simply answered his donkey’s question, saying:

Numbers 22:29-30 NKJV
29 . . . " (I struck you) Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!"
30 So the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?" And he said, "No."

One would think that at this point Balaam would surely suspect that something very unusual was going on, but Balaam’s eyes were blind to the things of God until:

Numbers 22:31-33 NKJV
31 . . . the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.
32 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.
33 The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live."

With this said, Balaam acknowledged his sin against the Lord, but he still wanted to curse the people of Israel, so God told Balaam to go to Balak. However, God told Balaam to speak only the words that He would put into Balaam’s mouth.

When the time came, God did put words in Balaam’s mouth just as He had put words in the mouth of Balaam’s donkey, and to Balak’s great displeasure, they were words of blessing rather than a curse. II Peter, Chapter 2, sheds some light upon this event. Peter warned the people about false teachers and said:

2 Peter 2:15 NKJV
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

This lets us know that Balaam wanted to curse the people of Israel because he wanted Balak’s money. Balaam was not interested in the people of Israel. He was not interested in their welfare. He was merely interested in the money. So Peter warned his readers to beware of those come and are only interested in the wages of unrighteousness, who want to please people for profit. Verse 16 says that:

2 Peter 2:16 NKJV
16 . . . (Balaam) was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

Then Peter says that prophets such as these:

2 Peter 2:17 NKJV
17 . . . are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Jude also speaks about false teachers and says:

Jude 10-11 NKJV
10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit . . .

The Scofield Reference Bible distinguishes between the error of Balaam which we see here in Jude with the doctrine of Balaam which is mentioned in Revelation, Chapter 2. In Revelation, Chapter 2, the Apostle John says to the Church at Pergamos:

Revelation 2:14 NKJV
14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Here we see that the doctrine of Balaam had to do with the fact that he advised Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel by tempting them with sexual immorality and things sacrificed to idols. However, the error of Balaam in the book of Jude had to do with the fact that Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness and was willing to go against the plan and purpose of God in exchange for money.

False teachers who come in with the error of Balaam will often bring with them the doctrine of Balaam. Because they love the wages of unrighteousness, they preach doctrine that will lead the people away from the righteousness of God.

Today, we need to remember that Satan is our adversary. II Corinthians, Chapter 11, says that:

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 NKJV
13 . . . false apostles, deceitful workers, (transform) themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

We need to be careful about the things that we hear from religious teachers. We need to follow the example of the Bereans, who in Acts, Chapter 17, were said to have received the word of God with readiness of mind but then searched the scriptures daily to verify those things which they had been taught.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 15)(BST 4-20-08)

Numbers (Part 15)
Bible Study Time 4-20-08
(From James Roberts 5-9-99)

This morning, we are going to be looking at I Corinthians, Chapter 10, and then we will return to the book of Numbers where we will see in Chapter 21 one of the most significant events that occurred as the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness.

All of the wilderness events are significant because God uses them in the writings of the New Testament to illustrate spiritual truths. Notice what the Apostle Paul says in I Corinthians, Chapter 10.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NKJV
1 Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,
3 all ate the same spiritual food,
4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.

The children of Israel were baptized into Moses as they passed through the Red Sea and as they followed the cloud. They followed Moses as Moses followed the Lord. In this baptism, it is significant that not a drop of water touched any of the people. The ones who were exposed to the water were the Egyptians who were drowned.

The children of Israel were spiritually identified with Moses as they passed through the Red Sea and as they followed the cloud. In this process, the children of Israel became Moses’ people, and Moses became their intercessor. This means that he was the one who stood as the mediator between them and God.

In past lessons, we have seen God feeding the people of Israel with manna which came down from heaven. This manna was physical food, but because it had great spiritual significance Paul called it spiritual food. In John, Chapter 6, we see that the manna was actually a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ who came as the bread of life.

The Jews in the wilderness not only ate of that spiritual food, but they drank of that spiritual drink which came from the rock. When they were thirsty and started complaining against God, God brought them to the rock. When Moses struck the rock, water came forth and God refreshed them. He refreshed them with that life-giving water, and they were fully satisfied.

The second time they ran out of water, God brought them once again to the rock. This time God told Moses to speak to the rock, but Moses disobeyed by smiting the rock as he had done before. God punished Moses for his disobedience by telling him that he would not be allowed to lead the children of Israel into the land of Canaan.

It was important for the rock to be smitten once because it was a picture of the Lord Jesus who had to die on the cross to save us. It was not enough for Christ to live a perfect life because it was His death that would bring salvation to those who believe.

He had to live a perfect life in order to die the perfect death. But it’s not His life that supplies us with living water; that comes to us as a result of His death.

So, Jesus Christ was smitten once for sin, but there is no need to strike the Rock again and again. Once we believe in Christ, we come to the Rock and speak to the Rock, confessing our sins and seeking guidance. In this fellowship we find the water that satisfies the longing soul. Now, notice in I Corinthians 10:5.

1 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
5 But with most of them God was not well pleased . . .

All of the children of Israel ate the spiritual food but with most of them God was not pleased.

1 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV
5 . . . for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

As they wondered in the wilderness, they died one by one and their bodies were buried in the wilderness. Different people died at different places and wherever they would die, that’s where they buried the body. So their bodies were scattered throughout the wilderness. Now, notice verse 6:

1 Corinthians 10:6-8 NKJV
6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."
8 Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell;

Later in our study we will see this incident in the book of Numbers where 23,000 people died because of their sin, but Paul wanted to remind the Corinthians that God does judge sin very harshly. He said this that incident was recorded so that people would be reminded not follow the example of those who sinned in the wilderness. Now, verse 9:

1 Corinthians 10:9 NKJV
9 nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents;

We’re going to be looking at this incident this morning, when we look back at Numbers 21.

1 Corinthians 10:10-11 NKJV
10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

So Paul says that these Old Testament events happened and were written down as examples for us so that we might learn from them.

Now let’s look back at Numbers, Chapter 21. In the first few verses we see God giving the people a great victory over one of the kings of the Canaanites. But then, as they continued their journey, they became discouraged and began to complain against God and against Moses. They said:

Numbers 21:5 NKJV
5 . . . "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

Even today we often see people blaming God for the terrible things that are happening in our world. They blame God for the tragic events in Kosovo and also at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. It was refreshing to hear Billy Graham in his interview with Larry King. Billy Graham said that God is not the one who is doing these terrible things; there is an enemy of God called Satan and the book of Hebrews tells us that Satan has the power of death.

Sin originally entered into the world because Satan deceived Eve and caused Adam to disobey God. Because of Adam’s disobedience, sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men. There is confusion and death throughout the whole universe because of the entrance of sin and Satan uses this situation to bring about the terrible things that we see in our world.

But, the children of Israel blamed God for their meager existence in the wilderness, and they asked:

Numbers 21:5 NKJV
5 . . . "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread."

This is a reference back to the manna that God was providing for them. This manna was precious in the sight of God because it was a picture of Jesus Christ, but the people said, our soul does loathe this worthless bread.

To them, this bread was worthless. It was such a light thing for them and they got tired of eating it. This is so significant because this is the attitude that many people have today about Jesus Christ. Even though He is the bread of life, they think of Him as worthless, of no value whatsoever. They count Him as nothing.

When Jesus came to the earth, He came to be the cornerstone of the building of God. He came to fulfill all of God’s plan and purpose. However, He was rejected by the Jews. They considered that Rock to be worthless, and they said, away with Him, crucify Him, we have no king but Caesar. Sadly, people today still count the Rock of Ages as worthless, and they refuse to come to Him that they might have eternal life. But God says that the stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. He is the one who will someday bring to completion the sum total of God plan and purpose.

The people counted the manna as worthless, so the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. Many people died when they were bit by the serpents. Numbers 21:7 says:

Numbers 21:7 NKJV
7 Therefore 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 take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

Here again we see the identification of the people of Israel with Moses. They had become identified with Moses as they passed through the Red Sea, and now Moses was in a position to make intercession for them.

What a wonderful thing it is to know that we have one who intercedes for us who is greater than Moses. The Bible says that Moses was a great servant in the house of God, but we have one who is greater than Moses. Our intercessor is the Son of God who sits at the right hand of the Father and He alone makes intercession for us.

Today, there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Those of us who trust Him as Savior are baptized by the Holy Spirit into Christ and are identified with Him. Accordingly, He is in a position to pray for us and make intercession for us.

Now Notice what the Lord said:

Numbers 21:8-9 NKJV
8 Then the Lord said to Moses,"Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."
9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Lord Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Then the Lord mentioned this incident with the bronze serpent. He said:

John 3:14-15 NKJV
14 . . . as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus was telling Nicodemus that He, like the bronze serpent, was going to be lifted up between heaven and earth that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Then Jesus said:

John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter 12, the Lord Jesus said that He would be lifted up so that He might draw all men unto Himself. This too showed that Jesus was going to be lifted up between heaven and earth and John said that this signified the kind of death that Jesus would die. Jesus Christ was lifted up as the mediator between God and man. No man can come to the Father except through faith in Jesus Christ.

As we close the program, I wonder if there is one listening who has never looked to the one who was lifted up between heaven and earth, never looked to the Rock who was smitten at Calvary, never looked to the one who bore our sins in His own body on the tree and was raised from the dead to give us eternal life.

If you have never looked to the Lord Jesus Christ for your personal salvation then you are still dying in your sins. Won’t you turn your eyes toward Him today and trust Him as the one who died for you and was buried and rose again that you might have eternal life? These events that we’ve been studying all happened and were recorded in the word of God so that we might learn from them and be drawn to Jesus Christ.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 14)(BST 4-13-08)

Numbers (Part 14)
Bible Study Time 4-13-08
(From James Roberts 5-2-99)

This morning we are going be looking at several different aspects of Numbers, Chapter 20. We have already seen in the first few verses how that the children of Israel were in the wilderness with no water. As far as they could see, they were going to die of thirst. They began to complain against God and against Moses and Aaron.

God told Moses to gather the people around the rock so that they could receive water. All of this was very familiar to Moses because this same situation had occurred earlier. On the first occasion, God told Moses to strike the rock to produce water. When Moses did strike the rock, water came gushing out. There was enough water to satisfy all of the people and their cattle. But on this second occasion, God told Moses to speak to the rock.

Like so many of the things that we read about in the book of Numbers, these events picture spiritual truths which are so important for us to understand. The rock points to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was first smitten upon the cross of Calvary. He came to the earth as the Rock of Ages to die on the cross for our sins.

On the cross, the Lord Jesus cried out, it is finished, because the work of redemption had been accomplished. Nothing that we do today can add to what Christ accomplished on the cross. To receive God’s gift of eternal salvation, we must simply put our faith in the finished work of Christ upon the cross.

Oh, how God loves you and me. He proved His love by sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. John 3:16 says:

John 3:16 NKJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 8:32 assures us further that God not only saves us, but He is willing and able to supply our every need. It says:

Romans 8:32 NKJV
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Christ as the Rock of Ages was smitten to bring us the living water that flows from the Holy Spirit of God. His blood was shed to open the floodgate of God’s blessings to those who believe. However, there are times even after we are saved when we get thirsty and need to be refreshed. At such times we can go to the Rock, but we don’t have to smite the Rock again. Christ died once for all, and now we have the privilege of speaking to the Rock. John says that:

1 John 1:7 NKJV
7 . . . if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

It may be that there is one listening today who has never experienced the living water that flows from Jesus Christ. To experience this living water, you must first put your faith in the effectiveness of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. You must believe that His shed blood can cleanse you from all sin. Then after you believe, if you find yourself in a spiritual wilderness with no water to quench your thirst, you can go to the Lord Jesus and speak to Him, and He will refresh you with more of the living water that satisfies the thirsting soul.

Now, we see in Numbers, Chapter 20, that Moses came to the rock the second time and struck the rock instead of speaking to the rock as he had been told to do. This was an act of disobedience before the Lord, but God did not allow Moses’ disobedience to keep Him from supplying the needs of His chosen people. God caused water to flow from the rock, but Moses was told that he would not be allowed to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

Moses is a picture of the Law which has no power to take its followers into the realm of God’s blessing. Even the most ardent followers of the Law will fall short of its perfect standard of righteousness. Many people will be disappointed when they stand before the Lord Jesus on the Judgment Day because all of their attempts to live a righteous life will prove futile without a personal faith in work of Christ on the cross.

Moses did not inherit the Promised Land during his lifetime, but we know that he did ultimately enter into the land. In Mark, Chapter 9, we read about Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration where Peter, James and John were allowed to see the true glory of Jesus Christ. As they beheld His glory, suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared in their midst.

Clearly, Moses had entered into the Promised Land, but he did not enter in by the power of the Law. He was ushered in by the Spirit of God after his death. He entered in because of His relationship with Jesus Christ. The only way that anyone can gain access to the blessings of God is by coming to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ is the smitten Rock who paid for our sins. He is the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father except through Him. Only after we accept by faith the smitten Rock can we have fellowship with the Rock. Only then can we speak to the Rock of Ages and experience the joy of a relationship with Him.

Now, as we move on in our study of Numbers, Chapter 20, we see that Moses sent messengers to the king of Edom. They told the king of the hardships of the children of Israel in their wilderness journey. They asked the king to let the people of Israel pass through the land of Edom, and they assured the king that the children of Israel would not take anything from the land as they passed through. They said that the cattle that belonged to the Jews would not even graze upon the pastures of Edom.

Now, the Edomites were the children of Esau, who was Jacob’s brother, so the Edomites were relatives of the children of Israel. But the king of Edom still refused to allow the Jews to pass through his land. He said that if they did pass through, he would meet them with his sword drawn. As a result, God judged the Edomites.

This is a picture of the period of great tribulation which the Jews will go through before they enter into the Promised Land of the worldwide earthly kingdom. In the book of Daniel and in the book of the Revelation, we read a great deal about this period of great tribulation. During this time, the antichrist will try to completely destroy the nation of Israel because he will be aware of God’s plan to use the nation of Israel to establish His worldwide kingdom of peace and righteousness.

The antichrist will know that his time is short, and he will throw all of his fury against the nation of Israel. In the book of Matthew, Chapter 25, we see that there will be certain nations that will be kind to Israel during this tribulation period. These nations will feed the Jews and clothe them and visit them, and because of their willingness to do this, God will invite them into Israel’s glorious kingdom.

Other nations, like Edom and Moab, will not be kind to Israel during the tribulation period, and they will therefore be judged by God. They will not be allowed to enter into the kingdom.

Now, as we move on in Numbers, Chapter 20, we see the death of Aaron. Moses was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land and neither was Aaron. Miriam and Aaron both had to die and be buried in the wilderness. The significance of Aaron’s death is the subject of Hebrews, Chapter 7, where we read that:

Hebrews 7:22-28 NKJV
22 . . . Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant.
23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing.
24 But (Christ), because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
25 Therefore (Christ) is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
27 (Christ) does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

Aaron symbolizes the weakness of the Levitical priesthood which was established by the Law. Even though Aaron was the great High Priest of Israel, he was not able to take the children of Israel into the land of promise. All of the priests who followed after Aaron in the Levitical priesthood ultimately died. Because they were unable to continue in their priestly duties, other priests had to be appointed to take their place.

When the Lord Jesus Christ died, He died once for all. He died for all of the sins of all people. But then He was raised from the dead and taken up into heaven. He became Israel’s great High Priest in heaven, and He will continue as such forever. He is the High Priest who ever lives to make intercession for His people.

Today, the Lord Jesus Christ is not technically officiating as the great High Priest of the Church to which we belong to day. His duties as the High Priest relate specifically to the nation of Israel. However, Christ does make intercession for us today in His exalted position as the Head over all things to the Church which is His Body. Romans 8 says:

Romans 8:34 NKJV
34 . . . It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

What a comfort it is to know that Christ ever lives to make intercession not only for the nation of Israel but for us as well.

Well, I see our time is gone for this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/

Numbers (Part 13)(BST 4-6-08)

Numbers (Part 13)
Bible Study Time 4-6-08
(From James Roberts 4-25-99)

We’re going to be looking at Numbers, Chapter 20, again this morning as we continue our journey through the scripture. Last week we saw the significance of Miriam’s death in the wilderness. Then in verses 2 through 6, we found the children of Israel complaining about the fact that they had no water. They were truly afraid that they would die of thirst.

First, the children of Israel blamed the Lord. The Lord had severely judged some of the people in previous rebellions, and now those who had survived were saying that it would have been better if they had also died.

Then, the people accused Moses and Aaron, saying that Moses and Aaron had not lived up to their promises. They pointed out that the wilderness had no pomegranates, no grain, no vines, and it didn’t even have water.

Well, the fact is that Moses and Aaron were not responsible for the fact that the children of Israel were still in the wilderness. It was the children of Israel who had refused to go into the Promised Land at Kadesh Barnea. Because they had refused to go in by faith, God had shut up the gate, as it were, and had turned them back. God had sentenced them to wonder in the wilderness for forty years.

Blaming others for our own failures is a characteristic of the old Adamic nature, and it is very displeasing to God. God wants us to acknowledge our sin so that we can confess it to the Lord and be forgiven.

In our study today, we are going to begin reading with verse 7 of Numbers, Chapter 20, where we read:

Numbers 20:7-10 NKJV
7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
8 "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals."
9 So Moses took the rod from before the LORD as He commanded him.
10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock . . .

So far, Moses and Aaron were doing exactly as God had instructed them to do. They took the rod and gathered all the people around the rock. But notice what happened next:

Numbers 20:10-13 NKJV
10 . . . (Moses) said to them,"Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?"
11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.
12 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."
13 This was the water of Meribah, because the children of Israel contended with the LORD, and He was hallowed among them.

As we study this passage, we need to recognize first of all that Moses and Aaron are representatives of the Law. The Law came by Moses, and Aaron was the first High Priest under the Law.

Moses was a great man. He was one of only two people whom God referred to as “my servant.” God called Moses, “My servant, Moses.” But as great as Moses was, even he failed under the Law. He was weak in the flesh and did not obey the Lord.

This is a picture of all people who try to come to God by keeping the Law. They all fail to live up to the perfect righteousness of the Law. No one has kept the Law perfectly except the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. Christ came to fulfill the righteousness of the Law so that we might be made righteous in Him.

Romans 8:3-4 NKJV
3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of his disobedience, but that does not mean that Moses was lost for all of eternity. His life is simply a picture of those who are lost because of their misplaced confidence in the Law. The fact is that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and therefore, faith in Christ is the only way to gain the approval and acceptance of God.

The second point that we need understand as we study this passage is that when Moses struck the rock, he was operating in the flesh. He was frustrated with the children of Israel because they were blaming him for all of their problems. As a result, he was not fully relying on the Lord, so he said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?

Previously, the people had accused Moses of taking too much upon Himself. They thought he was grabbing too much glory for himself. However, God said that of all the people that were living on the earth at that time no one was as meek as Moses.

One of Moses’ strengths had been that he was humble. For the most part, He had recognized his own weaknesses, and he had recognized that his strength came from the Lord. However, it does seem at this point that Moses became overconfident in his own strength. He said, must we bring water out of this rock for you?

Moses and Aaron had no power to bring a drop of water out of that rock. Only the Lord could do that. Moses was operating in the flesh, so rather than speaking to the rock as God had told him to do, he struck the rock. However, God revealed His faithfulness and His mercy by allowing water to flow from the rock in spite of Moses’ disobedience.

God had a plan and a purpose for the children of Israel, and Moses’ disobedience could not derail that plan. Israel got their water, but Moses was told that he would not be allowed to lead the people into the Promised Land.

The third thing that I want us to keep in mind as we study this passage is that this was not the first time Moses had come to the rock for water. On a previous occasion, when the people were out of water, God had brought the people to the rock and had instructed Moses to smite the rock. When Moses obeyed God and struck the rock, water came rushing out.

It would appear that as Moses came to the rock the second time, he was relying too heavily on his previous experience because he simply struck the rock as he had done before. There is a danger in trusting too much in past experiences. What a wonderful experience that was the first time, when Moses struck the rock and water came gushing out. But this time, God’s instructions were different. This time Moses was to speak to the rock.

As we serve the Lord, we need to look at the past and learn from the past, but we should not expect God to work today in exactly the same manner that He has worked in the past. We need to recognize this principle particularly as we study the scriptures.

II Timothy 2:15 says that we should study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen who need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. God does not do everything today as He did in the past, and He expects us to make Biblical distinctions based on this principle. Making these distinctions will make it possible for us to serve the Lord with confidence, knowing what things are for us and what things are for the people of other ages.

During the few moments that we have left this morning, I would like to ask if you know the Lord Jesus Christ as the Rock who was smitten for you on the cross so that you could then speak to the Rock? Do you know Him as the one who was buried and then raised from the dead so that you could have fellowship with Him throughout eternity? I trust that you do.

It’s been good to be with you this morning. Thank you for studying with me in this another broadcast of Bible Study Time.

Church links:

http://www.peacechurch-ok.org/

http://www.eleventhavenuechurch.com/

http://gracebiblechurch-fw.com/