What I Noticed Today (Numbers 14-15)
Numbers 14
Numbers 14 continues in the aftermath of the story of the spy’s report to the nation of Israel.
In verses 1-4, The people turned against Moses and Aaron based on the false report from 10 of the spies. They said they would have been better off dying in Egypt than in the wilderness. They even cried out against the Lord, saying He brought them to the wilderness to die by the sword. They even thought they should pick a new leader and return to Egypt.
Note: Had they already forgotten the oppression they suffered at the hands of the Egyptians? Had they forgotten how the Lord had saved them through the miracle at the Red Sea and provided manna for them every day for two years?
In verses 5-10, Moses and Aaron fell facedown before the Israelites. Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, which was a sign of grief or mourning, and spoke the truth to the people once again. But the people rejected Caleb and Joshua as well. They even planned to stone them all, but the glory of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the tent of meeting.
Note: In rejecting Moses and Aaron, and Caleb and Joshua, the people are rejecting God.
In verses 11-38, God is understandably furious with the people, threatening to kill all those who have rejected Him, and start over with Moses to make a new bigger, stronger nation.
- But Moses stepped in and pled for forgiveness on their behalf.
- God relented and forgave them, but the consequence of their unbelief is to wander the desert for 40 years until all the unbelievers 20 years old and older have died.
- Caleb and Joshua were singled out by the Lord for having a different spirit than the rest of the Israelites. They followed the Lord completely and would be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
- The rest would bear the consequences of their sins; they would wander in the desert 40 years, one year for each day the spies were in the land.
- The ten spies who lied to the people turning them away from God were struck by a plague and killed by the Lord.
In verses 39-45, Moses reported all the Lord’s words to the Israelites, and they were struck with grief.
- They admitted they were wrong and wanted to proceed into the Promised Land.
- Moses warned them not to go because the Lord was not with them because they had rejected Him.
- But they went up to the hill country anyway, and the Amalekites and Canaanites came down, attacked them, and drove them to Hormah (about 8 miles away).
Numbers 15
Numbers 15 begins with God assuring the people that He will take them to the Promised Land and establishes the laws about grain, burnt, peace, and drink offerings they should prepare as they enter the new land.
In verses 1-16, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to instruct the Israelites regarding the burnt and freewill offerings they were to bring to the Lord.
- All the Israelites were to follow these procedures as well as any foreigner who lived among them who wished to make offerings to the Lord.
In verses 17-21, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to give the Israelites instructions regarding first fruits offerings.
In verses 22-29, the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to instruct the Israelites regarding sin offerings the people were to make to the Lord.
Note: The instructions in this section covered sins of omission, whereas the sins offerings in Leviticus 4:13-21 covered sins of commission
- God gives them laws about unintentional sins and the need to atone for their sins through grain and sin offerings.
In verses 30-36, God gives instructions for those who sin defiantly:
- For those who reject God and sin on purpose, God demands they be cut off from the people.
- As an example, one man broke the Sabbath by working (picking up sticks for a fire). The Lord ordered the Israelites to stone the man outside the camp. He was stoned by the community, just as the Lord ordered.
In verses 37-41, the Lord instructed the Israelites to place tassels on their clothing to help them remember the Lord’s commands.
- A tassel with a blue cord was to be sewn on the corners of their garments to help them remember the Lord’s commands and to remain faithful to Him.
Note: There is a dramatic progression in these two chapters. In chapter 14, the people’s unbelief led to rebellion, their rebellion led Moses to intercede for them, Moses’ intercession led to God’s forgiveness, and God’s forgiveness led to their arrogance. In chapter 15, God’s assurance led to their obedience, but their obedience turned to sin, in their sin God gave them a small item (tassels) as a remembrance to seek and obey Him.
Some thoughts for additional consideration:
- How fortunate we are to have God’s grace and mercy! I see people’s lies about God weakening the faith and even turning people away from God, causing them to sin.
- We have Jesus, as our great intercessor, pleading for us before the Father. We promise to do better, we intend to obey, but in our own strong wills, we still run against what God wants for us! We can be so much like the people of Israel, stiff-necked, and stubborn, wanting to follow God but leaning on our own understanding instead of Him!
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
