Week 5
Monday - 09/19/22
Numbers: From Death To Life
- Checking out the land: God instructs Moses to send in spies to gather information about
Canaan
- Consequence: The Israelites were punished to wander the wilderness for forty years, or
until everyone over 20 had died. God will give the people the land he promised and fulfill
his promises, but he will punish those who disobey him
- The disobedient Israelites failed to enter into God’s provided rest
- When we respond to God in faith and obedience we come to know the rest he
provides
- As we trust and obey God we find that He gives us peace despite the dangers
and relieves our stress despite our fears
- Leading a Rebellion: Korah and some other Israelites try to overthrow the leadership of
Moses and Aaron
- 250 died in the rebellion
- 14700 died because they complained about God destroying Korah
- Complaining (about the water): There was no water. God instructed Moses to speak to a
rock and it would provide water for them. Moses strikes the rock instead of speaking to it,
disobeying God. Because of this, he is not allowed to enter the promised land
- Complaining (about Moses and the worthless food): God brings a plague of snakes that
kill of some of the complaining people
- Jesus uses this story to explain how he will be lifted up to save the world
- Balak, Balaam, and the talking donkey: Balak plays Balaam to curse Israel but finds that
he can only bless Israel
- Numbered: A census of fighting men was taken, coming up with a number of 601,750
- Previous: 603
God’s Promise to Abraham: Land, Nation, Blessing
- Land: A new Israel is on the brink of the promise land and God has reaffirmed his
promise to Israel
- Nation: Israel is a mighty nation - as numerous as the stars in the sky
- Blessing: God has reaffirmed his promise to bless Israel, not because theta re so
righteous but because of his promise to Abraham
- A leader will come “in the latter days”
Wednesday - 09/21/22
Deuteronomy - Instructions for faithful living in the promised land
Deutoronomy Historically and Biblically
- Deutoronomy highlights the renewal of the covenant
- Focus is on entering the land, life in hand
- Moses is about to die (120 years old)
- Deutoronomy is a series of 3 sermons from Moses
- No section of the Bible helps explain the rest of the Old Testament better than
deuteronomy 27-33
- Paul used the book of Deutoronomy heavily as a reference point for the book of Romans
- Jesus quoted Deutoronomy more than any other Old Testament book. This includes
resisting Satan in the wilderness
The Purpose of Deutoronomy
- God’s grace in the past serves as context and motivation for Israel keeping the law
- God’s grace in the future serves as the context and motivation for Israel keeping the law
Deut. 1-4
- An educational sermon
- Remember God’s grace in the past
- The Israelites Rebellion: Moses tells the story of Israel’s failure to enter the Promised
Land
- God’s Faithfulness: Moses reminds the people that God has met their faithlessness with
faithfulness
Deut 5-26
- The 10 Commandments Restated: Moses reminds the Israelites of God’s law
- The 10 Commandments Practiced: Moses explains how each of the 10 commandments
should be lived out
- A sermon of acton: Pursue holiness in the present because of God’s grace in the past
Deut 27-34
- Renewing the Covenant: The new generation of Israelites renew the covenant their
parents and grandparents made at Sinai
- Changing the leader: Joshua is appointed as the leader of the Israelites
- Predicting the Future: Moses predicts htat the Israelites will turn away from God and
taken into exile
- A sermon for the future: God will meet your failure with his grace
Deut and the Israelites
- Israel is called to love God from their hearts
- Deut. 6:4-5
- Heart, soul, strength
- Your entirety must love God
- Listen to what I’m saying; Love God
- Prediction: Israel is not going to be the best at this cycle. This is predicted by Moses and
God
- They have a heart of stone
- Result is Divine Judgement
- They will be put into exile
- Response: Divine Love
- God cures Israel’s hearts of stone so they can return to him
- God will replace the heart of stone with a heart of flesh
- The New Heart:
- Deut. 30:6
- Living in the presence of God means you have the fullness of life
Deut. and the Christian
- When we turn to God in faith, we are given a new heart
- We will be given a new heart by God when we come to him
- A new heart, not a change in heart
- This change enables us to do great things in the Lord
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