Numbers 10 Bible Study (The Silver Trumpets/Israel Leaves Sinai) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Numbers chapter nine. If you're here with us for the first time, we are going through a bible study in the book of Numbers. We've been going through the entire Old Testament, and we've reached numbers after three years. And we're taking our time because we believe every single chapter has something to say to us about who God is, who we are, and what he has for us even though it's the Old Testament. Numbers chapter nine beginning in verse 15.

Let's pray together. Father, we ask for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to help us understand your word. We pray that this would not just reach our minds, but it would grip our hearts, and it would change us. Lord, we wanna be like Jesus. So help us behold him so that we can become like him.

In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Amen. We've reached the point where the nation of Israel that is encamped at Mount Sinai is now receiving their final instructions before they will head off into the promised land. And this is a monumental part of Israel's history really.

And so what we've noticed up to this point is really how they are obeying everything that the Lord had instructed from Numbers chapter one all the way to Numbers chapter 10. They are on a roll. They are consistent, and it's a beautiful sight to see. And so as the Lord is really giving the final instructions, we come to this portion which really describes more than anything. Not really it's not really instructions, but describes how the nation of Israel was navigated through the wilderness.

How God had designed it for them to be led through the desert to get to where God wanted them to be. And I encourage you today to hold tight to your Bibles because we're gonna this is Bible study, not a sermon. I know some people think it's a sermon. Sometimes it turns into a sermon, but it's not a sermon. And so we're gonna look at our Bibles and see what the scriptures have to say just with the verses.

So we're gonna flip through a lot of different references here. But let's read from verse 15 down. On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tenth of the testimony. Now this already happened in Exodus 40. And at evening, it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning.

So it was always the cloud covering it by day and the appearance of fire by night. Now just visualize this. It's okay to use your mind to visualize what this this was like. And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent after the people of Israel set out and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. So they were literally being led by this cloud that whenever it lifted up from the tent and would move forward, that meant pack up your bags.

God wants us to go. Now that cloud would turn into a pillar of fire by night, and so there was always leading. We're gonna get to the practical implications of this in a moment. At the command of the Lord, the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord, they camped. Verse 19 tells us.

As long as a cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord, they remained encamped. Then according to the command of the Lord, they set out. And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning.

And when the cloud lifted up in the morning, they set out. Or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted, they set out. So this is how God wanted to manifest his presence through this cloud by day, this fire by night. Now God could have chosen so many different things to visualize and to make His presence tangible and visible. Why these two elements?

It's a good question to ask. Does anybody have an idea why? Isaac? Caught for the shade. Caught for the shade?

Yes. And night? Fire, light, warmth. Warmth, light. Now there's a verse to back that up.

So if you have your Bibles, go to Psalms one zero five. Psalms one zero five thirty nine. It tells us what the Lord had in mind. Psalms one zero five verse 39. He spread a cloud for a covering and fire to give light by night.

It's right there. The scripture tells us. So this tells us something about when God leads his people, whether you individually or us corporately, that there is a compassion in his leading. There is care in his leading. He has you and I in mind for our good that through this process called life he wants to protect us.

He wants to give us illumination. He does not want to confuse you. It's amazing when so many people talk about the next step in life, they feel as though God wants to confuse them. God's not the author of confusion. God is a God who has every intention in mind.

Yes, he doesn't reveal things right away so that you can learn how to be dependent upon him. How many of us would not pray if God gave us a blueprint from now until your deathbed? This is what your life's gonna look like. Thank you, Lord. I'll see you when I really need you.

God said, no. In my wisdom, I know that you need me and that you can walk away from me, so let me not give you everything. That's important. There's some principles here too concerning not just his leading, but does this imagery remind you of anything that we've read before? Somebody knows.

Somebody knows. Phoebe, you're nodding your head. Yeah. When he spoke through the cloud? Uh-huh.

So that's his presence. So he did speak through the cloud. This is him. This is the Lord manifesting himself, but there is a specific moment that kind of correlates, kinda gives us a connection between what's happening here and what happened before. Think Genesis.

Think smoke and fire. Genesis. Sodom and Gomorrah. I know smoke and fire gives off Sodom and Gomorrah right away, but it's it's not necessarily Sodom and Gomorrah. You you may not make the link.

Abraham. Is it with Abraham? Abraham. Yes. And the sacrifice when God put him to sleep.

So let's just turn there in Genesis 15. So we go to Genesis 15. This is when the Lord makes a covenant with Abraham. And when he makes the covenant, he makes it with himself. He puts Abraham to sleep, but he does something as he passes through the animals that were cut in half.

Do you guys remember now? Are the light bulbs going off? Genesis 15. Now look at verse 17 of Genesis 15. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between the pieces.

So when God had made this covenant, he used a smoking so there's there's a cloud, a smoking fire pot, and a flaming torch. The same two elements to some degree to a different, obviously, in an enlarged fashion. But I believe that as he's leading them, there's also a reminder of his covenant. There's something about his promise that he made even with his the first one, the father of the faith, that as he's leading to the promise then there's this imagery from Genesis 15 magnified. Now they're seeing that, oh, yeah.

God had made this promise. God had made this promise that he's gonna make a multitude of people out of us. God is going to lead us to this place. It's a wonderful picture. Now Now let's get into the practical implications of this concerning God's leading.

Because they had a cloud, you have something else. What do you and I have in our wilderness journey? The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in us, the tabernacle. Not laying over some building, in you and me.

And the same way that that cloud led them, led this building was manifest, it's manifesting you and me. Romans eight fourteen. What does it say in Romans eight fourteen? For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. All who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of We have the deposit of the Holy Spirit, and part of that is that he leads us in life.

He nudges us in life. He makes things clear. He warns us. He protects us. He makes circumstances happen so we don't go into the wrong direction.

Praise be to God. So as I read this, I read it with a new covenant lens, and I go, I have something better. I have that cloud living inside of me. And not only that, but I see something of God's faithfulness and God's guidance for me? What would you pull out of this text as you're reading this before you go to work in your devotions?

What would you say, Lord, what do I see you here saying to to the nation of Israel for me? I would say this, that God's leading and guidance is available twenty four seven. God's leading and guidance and protection is always available. Remember this cloud. Remember in Exodus 14 that before they came to the Red Sea and Pharaoh and his host are coming after them, they see the sea before them.

They look back and they see this army chasing them. It says that that cloud came behind them and kept Pharaoh on the host from coming to Israel and hurting them. So it's a picture of protection. It's a picture of protection that as you're walking to the wilderness and the enemy wants to pursue you, I'm sure that when we get to heaven, I'm this is just a just a guess. I'm sure the Lord will somehow show us all the things that could have happened but did not happen because of his faithfulness in our lives.

His protection, his leading, his stop here, go here, rest here, move forward here is constantly available to us twenty four seven. It never goes off. Unless unless you and I decide not to walk in his ways, and we don't wanna do his will. Because what happened to the Israelites at one point, unfortunately, even in the book of Numbers, when it came to a place where they wanted to do it their way, where Egypt came back into their hearts and they wanted to go their own direction. What happened to the this generation?

What happened to this first generation? How long did they wander? Yes? They died in the wilderness, but what did they do? They wandered for thirty eight years.

So you know what that tells you and me? That if we grieve the Holy Spirit, you know what life will feel like? You're just wandering. If you really don't want to do God's will, you know what it will feel like? You feel like there's no control, you feel like there's no safety, you feel like there's no assurance, you feel like there's no confidence that the days ahead God will lead me.

You and I need to know that the only way we should feel fearful in this life concerning our future is when we wanna do it our way. But if you have it in your own heart that you've committed your life to Christ and for his purpose and glory no matter what he asked of you, you don't have to worry a thing. Even if he tells you to stop in one moment and go in another moment, even if you're going to a place where you don't know where you're going, as long as you you know in your heart that you're completely surrendered to his will, his leading is perfect. Is the if your heart is divided, I would be scared too. I would be scared too.

But there is a safety to know that as I'm surrendered, he will guide me perfectly. Now look what happens here. Look what happens here. Look how close is the picture of the new believer in the new covenant. Go to Psalm seventy eight forty, and we're gonna find out how this is closer to us than we think.

Psalm seventy eight forty, turn those leaves over. The awesome sound of rustling of leaves on a Friday night. Psalm seventy eight forty. If you've ever noticed in your reading of Psalms, there are some lengthy portions that describe the wilderness journey. Isn't that amazing?

Have you ever read that in Psalms? How so much is dedicated to to comment, giving comments on how the wilderness journey was experienced? Psalm seventy eight forty. How often they rebelled against him, who's him? God, in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert.

Grieved him in the desert. Now you you read up Psalm 78, and you'll see that it's talking about the most high. We're talking about God here. But look how this is awesome. This is how you can see the Trinity in the Old Testament.

Go to Psalm six sorry. Isaiah sixty three ten. Isaiah sixty three ten and see how this connects even to us. It's talking about the same group of people in Psalms seventy eight forty, and it connects with Isaiah sixty three ten. Now when somebody's there, would you read it out loud?

Isaiah sixty three ten. But they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit. Therefore, he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. Do you see that? Bible tells us that it's not just God.

They grieve the Holy Spirit. Do you see the trinity? You wanna see if the Holy Spirit's God. There it is right there. Psalm seventy eight forty tells us that they grieved God.

Isaiah sixty three ten tells us it was the Holy Spirit. So when we come to us in the new covenant, this this is where Paul borrowed Ephesians four thirty. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit. He's taking out of these texts. And so the idea there is that when we do grieve the Holy Spirit, we forfeit these wonderful things that he wants to give us.

His leading, his protection, his guidance. I would love to know that for the rest of my life if I just walk in his ways. Now this grieving is a unrepentant sin. This grieving is a continuous sinning that does not cease, and and rarely seeks to get right with God to the point where the Holy Spirit gets so quiet. Thank God that if we sin or mess up, we can run to him, and he's not gonna say, you know, I'm gonna hold off on my leading for a week.

He doesn't put put us in the spiritual time out. He's willing to take us right back up. But there is a point in a believer's life that he can so grieve the Holy Spirit that he'll let him wander until he gets it right. And so we see here that his leading is always available if we want it to be. Secondly, what do I see out of this text?

God's leading is not always according to my plans. God's leading is not always according to my Now look at verse 19 of of Numbers chapter nine. Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days So when it settled, it could it could have settled for many days, months. Look at verse 20. Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle.

And go to verse 21, and sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. One night. Now, we think of that say, yeah, that's great. K. Think about what they have to do physically.

Think about every single time they would have to take apart that tabernacle, lift it up, and all the people have to pack up their tents, and get their kids on, and get their animals off, and and take all their possessions, and the Lord would stop for an evening. You're like, okay. Finally, we made it here. Three weeks do you think? I have no idea.

Let's just find out. The next day the cloud lifts up, like, really? The next day we have to go? It's not always comfortable allowing the Lord to lead you, but it's always worth it. And this is the wonderful thing that in life, the Lord will allow us to go through certain seasons longer or quicker than we would want sometimes or expect.

Some of us in here are single longer than we wanna be, but God is in control. Some of us in here have experienced something quicker. Some people in here, we even know that love so much that had to leave here because God was leading them somewhere else and maybe they didn't want that right away. It it just it just God's leading is perfect, and it's why does he lead this way? Why why is he like this?

Well, because he has something in mind. Always has something in mind. Knows exactly how long you need to stay, exactly how long you need to go, and if you trust and if your heart is completely surrendered, there should be no fear or anxiety in that. Can I give you a New Testament example? Go to Acts 16.

This is a verse that's always made me wonder concerning the New Testament. We're not talking about Old Testament. Old Testament, I can wonder about a lot of things. But you come to Acts 16 verse six. This is Paul on his missionary journey.

Like wherever Paul stepped foot, he wanted to preach the gospel. And look what it says here in verse six. And they went out through the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. So wait, they're going to Asia. They want to preach.

They don't wanna fool around. They want to preach the gospel. The Holy Spirit goes, no. Lord, really? Okay.

So what happens? Verse seven. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. Okay, Lord. What's happening here?

You're stopping us. And how do the Holy Spirit I believe it was circumstantially. I believe it was so clear, it was so obvious. Doors were shutting, things were not happening, and they were it was obvious that the Lord did not want him to do this. And you look at this and you go, why?

Why did the Lord want this? And we know that there was a Macedonian call that the the Lord really wanted them to go somewhere else, and he made that clear. But there's even something so subtle that we could miss. Read on. We see here in verse eight, then we come over here.

Go to verse 11. After Paul knows that he has to go to Macedonia, after all, there's that call in the vision, come to us and help us. Look at verse 11. See, this is why it's so important to read slowly. We can miss details.

So setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage. I might even gonna try to pronounce that Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis. Did you see it? Let's read it again. So setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis.

Did you see it? What? Yeah. Okay. Look even carefully more carefully.

There's one word. It's a two letter word. So setting sail from Troas, here's the word we. We. Why is that significant?

Because up to this point, Luke has been narrating the book of Acts. He's been saying they. He's been saying him. He's he's writing the story as a narrator, and all for a sudden now he includes himself in the story. And this is what people would call the we passages.

That for a few chapters after this now, Luke includes himself in the story. Why? Because Luke was a part of this part. And I believe this is the first place where you see the we passages. I believe this is where Paul first met Luke.

If it had not been for the Holy Spirit to say no, no, he would never have met the beloved physician, and this beloved physician would have been a part of this missionary team. So God knows when to say no. God knows when to say yes. God knows exactly how long you need to be in wherever you need to be in because he needs somebody to be added to your life. He needs somebody to be taken out of your life, He needs to take something out of you, He needs to put something in you.

It may not be according to plan, but it is always for our good and His glory. So if you get fidgety and frustrated, and if you've been praying about whatever you're praying about wanting to see acceleration or wanting to see whatever it may be, trust that He is there. Trust that He knows, and He'll make it so clear, as clear as my voice is on this microphone is as clear as God's leading is. It's not an audible voice, but he does make it obvious. Lastly, God's leading is always perfect.

He's the perfect guide. We see okay. Again, why does he make him stop here and go here? Why longer now, not longer than? Remember that story in Exodus 13?

If you could turn there even just to see with your own eyes. Exodus 13. There was a cloud back then too when he was first leading them out of Egypt. Look what it says in Exodus 13 verse 17. Remember this?

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. Now scroll down to verse 22. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. It's the same thing.

The pillar of cloud, pillar of fire. And what do we see here? That he could have taken them a certain way that would have been quicker, but he took them a longer way. Why? Because he knows you, and he knows me, and he sees ahead of you, and he sees ahead of me.

And we've said this so many times before, but it's worth saying again that there are prayers that you and I might have already prayed or will pray and later on see and realize, God, I'm thankful that you didn't answer that prayer. Because he knows what we need, and he knows exactly what we can handle, and he's the perfect guide. And that's what we learn from this. This is what the scriptures are trying to tell us. We come to chapter 10 of Numbers.

Before they're about to literally set foot now for the first time, look what it says here. The Lord spoke to Moses saying, make two silver trumpets of hammered work, and you shall make them. And you shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp. And when both are blown now here's the instructions. Two silver trumpets.

Here are the instructions for these trumpets. Okay? What happens? When you bow blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather themselves to you at the entrance of the tent. But if they blow only one, then the chiefs, the heads of the tribes in Israel shall gather themselves to you.

So we're gonna about rather find out there's only four four reasons for the people why these trumpets are made, and two reasons for God why these trumpets were made. Here are the first two. One, if you blow both of them, all the people come to the answers. Okay? It's it's to gather everybody.

If you blow one of them, only the leaders come. When you blow an alarm, I'm assuming that's something that goes it's kind of like one noise after the other. It's not a long blast. The camps that are on the East Side shall set out. And when you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are on the South Side shall set out.

An An alarm is to be blown whenever they are set out. But when the assembly is to be gathered together, you shall blow a long blast, but you shall not sound an alarm. So that those are the instructions. It's to gather the people. It's it's to give more specific instructions of how they are to be organized as they walk through.

So those are the reasons for the people. God is an organized God. But here are the two reasons for them towards the Lord. Look at verse nine. And when you go to war in your land against the adversary who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets.

Why? That you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and you shall be saved from your enemies. So every time they go to war, take that trumpet, blow it as an alarm, not necessarily for the people, but for God to remember and to come and now intervene. And then there's a second reason. On the day of your gladness, not oppression.

On the day of your gladness also and at your appointed feast and at the beginning of your month, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before God. I am the Lord your God. And this is just a practical whenever you come through a very dense text like this, take the text, chop it up, take a piece of paper or something, and write down the different commands for everything, and this is where things are gonna pop out. And just studying this this morning, realizing the different instructions, I see at least two things concerning the the last two commands.

That these trumpets were a way for the people to amplify their voices in some way, to amplify their cry before God. And God wanted the people to cry out to him in two instances. One, when they were oppressed, and two, when they were celebrating. There's something there about our relationship with God, that God wants you and I to know how to cry out to him in moments where we feel attacked, in moments where we feel oppression, and in moments where we feel joy, in moments where we feel like we can celebrate life. He wants us to know how to cry out to him in both ways.

Isn't that amazing? I want to hear your voice, God says. I wanna hear it loud and clear. Some of us do it one or the other. We do it in times of celebration.

We cry out to God and we thank him. That's great. But what about times of oppression? Some of us do it in times of oppression. We cry out to God, but when it comes to times of thanksgiving, we kinda hold ourselves back for some reason.

We kinda forget the Lord. And God says, no. In both these moments, which kinda tells me that he probably wants it a lot, I want you to be able to just lift up your voices to me. What a beautiful picture. Here we go.

The moment we've been made waiting for for weeks now. We've talked been talking about instructions. We've been talking about leading. We've been talking about all the things that have come up to this point right here in verse 11. In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud lifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, and the people of Israel set up by stages from the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran.

Look at verse 13. They set up for the first time at the command of the Lord by Moses. So what's happening here? Look at the date. Look at verse 11.

It says here that they were lifted off, or the cloud did, the second year, the second month, and the twentieth day of the month. When you go back to Numbers chapter one, it was what? Look at Numbers chapter one verse one. The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year. So we have, like, nineteen days.

So between this chapter and chapter 10, it's been a little under three weeks that they've been receiving instruction and receiving what God wanted them to do. And now they get up to go. And what happens here? It literally gives us a detailed account of how each tribe got up according to how God had organized them to move forward. And again, you could read that and say, okay.

Well, that's very detailed. Why did the Bible not just say, and they got up according to their order and moved on according to how God had commanded them? Because there's something tucked in here that the Lord wants to speak. When you go back to Numbers chapter two, remember we talked about Numbers chapter two? What was Numbers chapter two about?

About whenever the tent would settle in a place, God had given instruction about how the tribes were to camp around the tabernacle. So you have three tribes on the east side, three tribes on the south side, three tribes on the west side, three tribes on on the north side. And not only just says that in Numbers two, it says that by that arrangement are the people to get up and set out. And so now we come to Numbers chapter 10, and what does the Bible wanna tell us again? They obeyed to the t.

They actually listened to what God had said in Numbers chapter two. And again, this should stir our hearts and say, obedience, obedience. Oh, the beauty of obedience. In the beginning of our journey, unfortunately. But I won't go there yet.

That's coming up in Numbers chapter 11. Look at verse 14. The standard of the camp of people of Judas set out first by their companies. And all it's doing now from now on, it's telling us how they obeyed exactly how God had instructed them. We look at verse 17.

And when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari who carried the tabernacle set out. So after the the East tribes got up. Right? Remember there's four sides, East, West, North, South. Those are numbers chapter two.

Right? Three three three. But in this chapter, it tells us where the Levites were to set out. Who who were the groups under the Levites again? Three families.

Gershon, Mirari, Kohath. Okay. So these three families are included in how they are to be moving along with the tribes. And it says here in verse 17, and when the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari who carry the tabernacle set out. Okay.

So they took the the actual structure and they move forward. Then you come to verse 21. Then the Kohathites set out carrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before the arrival. Do you see God's wisdom here? You see what God has in mind here?

I believe God wants to show us something. So this is what happened on a practical sense. Gershon and Mirari would go ahead almost first. So by the time they go where the cloud settled, they would set up the tent so that when Kohath would come, they would immediately drop the holy things off into the tent. And I believe God says something very practical here that's so so so vital that in a corporate setting, when you do your part well, I can do my part well.

When I do my part well, and when I obey to whatever God has given me, it makes the whole system flow easily. It allows you and I to be able to do what God's called us to do because here's the reality of the corporate setting, we're all linked whether we like it or not. Your giftings, your call, your attendance, your participation, all of that affects the entire flow of how and where God wants to take us. So imagine if Gershon and Mirari were just not into it that day. That would have affected how would have done his business.

So these guys would have come up like, alright they did their things. What's going on? Nothing set up. And it would prolong the process, and God's trying to show us in a practical real way, in a very detailed way that every single person connects to the other person's role. Every singles every single person's assignment affects the other person's assignment.

And it goes to show that the Lord wants everybody to really take what he has given them seriously. It's another just picture of that. Do you guys see anything else there? Does that make sense? Obedience.

Obedience. Obedience. Nineteen days, and if you include Exodus and all the other moments there, it's just under a year of really good track record. Verse 29. They're setting out.

They're getting on their journey, and Moses says to Hobab, the son of Reuel, the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, so this is his brother-in-law. We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come with us, and we will do good to you, for the Lord has promised good to Israel. But he said to him, I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.

And he said, please do not leave us for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and we will serve you will serve as our eyes for us. And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to you to us, the same will be done to you. So Moses here sees his brother-in-law. I guess his brother-in-law was there. He says, listen.

Come with us. Join us. God is gonna do so much good to us, and we want you to be a part of the blessing. Would you come? So I read verse twenty nine and thirty, and I see what?

There's there's a there's a certain ring to that. What ring do you get out of that? Angels? Yeah. Plain and clear.

Knowing that the if if you and I really believe that the lord is good and he has good in mind for us, if we really believe that this salvation is a great salvation, we should not hold back from inviting others to join the journey. And this is exactly what he's doing here. Family member, he goes, hey. Listen. I'm about to move on, but I wanna just invite you.

You wanna come with? We shouldn't be embarrassed about this gospel. There's nothing embarrassing about our relationship with God. And if it really is as good as we believe it is and sing it is, we should not be ashamed of inviting. Yes.

In wisdom. Yes. In the right timing. But I see Moses' sincerity here. I see Moses seeing the goodness of God ahead of him.

I see him seeing the promised land in his mind, and he's saying, would you come with us? Why stay back? And he says, no, no, no. And he's still going for it. He he's not giving up.

He's saying, please come with us. And I believe this is a picture of simply inviting people that we know to join the journey that you and I are in. And here's a question, we don't get an answer. Hobab doesn't give an answer. We don't know if they want Who believes he went with him?

One person. So everybody else doesn't believe that Hobab went? We always have this where nobody answers. Who believes that Hobab went? Now we have two, three hesitant hands, four, five, six, seven.

Why not? Right? Who believes that HOBAB didn't go? Anybody have an insight about HOBAB that we don't know about? We have an answer.

Again, the necessity of including all the scripture in our reading. Judges chapter four eleven. Judges chapter four eleven. That's one reference. And if you're there, that's fine, but I want you to actually turn to first Samuel fifteen six, which is a neighbor to this text.

First Samuel fifteen six. This is a beautiful one too. Then Saul said to the Kenites, go depart. Go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, for you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up out of the out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

I think who are the Kenites? Go back to Judges four eleven now. So when when God had called Saul to destroy the Amalekites, this this tribe called the Kenites were there and he says get out of here. You did good for the people of Egypt, people Israel when they came out of Egypt, so you don't wanna be destroyed with the Amalekites. Judges four eleven tells us now, Herbert the Kenite had separated from the Kenites, the descendants of Hobab, the father-in-law of Moses.

And had pitched his tent as far away as the Oak Of Zanimim, which is near Kadesh. So he did go in. He followed suit. He entered in, and they they had a people. In fact, they were there was much favor from God for this nation for this nation for this group of people.

So you have no idea what your invitation can do. Moses invited, we don't get an answer, but as you keep reading the Bible and don't give up on your systematic devotion, you'll see, ah, they did end up going. I think the Bible does that on purpose so we can just keep reading. But I see something else here concerning the man Moses in verse 31 of Numbers chapter 10. I know we're flipping around a lot, but this is good.

And he said, please do not leave us for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. That kind of sounds bad a little bit because there was someone else who was supposed to be their eyes. God? God was the one who's gonna find their resting place. God was the one who's gonna say you can stop here.

You have to move from here. And now he comes and he says, be eyes for us. Now here here's why I believe this is not a bad thing. I believe this is something to teach us about when we need direction in our lives. Because you come down to verse 33 and it says, so they set up from mount the mount of the Lord three days journey, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in three days journey to seek out a resting place for them.

Okay. And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day whenever they set out from the camp. And whenever the ark set out, Moses, arise, oh Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you. And when it rested, he said, return, oh Lord, to the 10,000 thousands of Israel. So it's not like he's saying, lord, thank you for the cloud thing, but we're just gonna use Hobab over here.

I believe there's something that the lord wants to speak in his wisdom concerning how we receive guidance in life. Were you guys making the connection? How do we marry these two things right here? Guidance in our life throughout this wilderness journey, the stops and the goes, is primarily led by the Lord. He is the main guide.

He is the one that is supposed to be number one. He is the one who who leads us. But even in this and throughout so many scriptures, God wants us to seek people who've had experience to also be a part of that, to be supplementation to his leading. Hobab had was a desert man. He he was a man who lived in the wilderness, so he would have known the exact locations where to avoid, where to find water, where to find food, where where these people were.

And and the cloud and the fire would have really provided that general location, but Hobart would have had the the exact places in mind. And here is an invitation to you and I, and even the humility of Moses is seen here, that as we trek through life in unfamiliar terrain, we have every right to talk to those who've walked those places before us. That's wisdom. So the same Holy Spirit that in Romans eight tells us that he leads us because we're sons of God and daughters of God is the same Holy Spirit in Proverbs eleven eleven says that in the council of many there is safety. And so I I see something here.

I I don't see Moses stepping out in disbelief. I see Moses stepping out in humility and wisdom. That as he knows that God is going to lead, he's also wanting to take any human resource possible to only make his leading more secure and more accurate. And so what does that mean? You and I need to seek those whose eyes have seen things that you and I have not seen yet.

Older people. Experienced people to say, I haven't seen this part about life yet. You have. Can you give me some wisdom? And you know what God doesn't say?

Lack of faith. Some people say, I just let the spirit lead me. They seek no counsel. Moses did it. If Moses did, and he had a literal visible cloud and fire, how much more you and I?

And so I I see something of of his humbleness here. I need you. Come with us, and God honored it. God honored it. I love the people of Israel up to this point.

I love Moses up this point. I love I just love it all. I mean, week after week, chapter after chapter, oh, this is awesome. That's how I wanna live my wilderness journey To the t. Oh, even to the little things like carrying the bases and the poles so that my fellow brother in Christ can do his role right.

Oh, yes. I want it all. And then entire narrative changes in the next chapter. Before we read, realize this, that what verse one of Numbers 11 shows us is the reason why what is so precious and beautiful literally nosedives, crashes, and burns. What do you think it was?

Murder? Genocide? Another exodus 32 moment where there is orgies and a bunch of weird stuff. One thing literally led this ship to crash. What is it?

And the people complained. Complained. Out of all things, the one thing that literally changed the entire narrative was complaining. That's terrifying. I was thinking about this earlier.

I don't think the hardest command is go and make disciples of all nations. I think the hardest command is Philippians two thirteen and fourteen. Do everything without grumbling or disputing. That's a whole another command. Make disciples of all nations, that's exciting.

That's thrilling. Do it without complaining. Okay. That's a whole another standard. Everything changed for Israel because they complained.

And I believe this is a awesome picture of James chapter three that talks about the tongue. How it's such a small thing, but it's like a rudder that can take a ship down. It's like a spark that can literally combust an entire forest in flames. Such a small thing can do so much damage. And this is exactly the lesson here that they've come to a place where somehow they complain.

And when they complain, it goes spiraling spiraling down for these people. So what happens here? God judges them. The people complained in hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes. And when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, then the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. So the name of that place was called Taberah because the fire of the Lord burned among them. Verse four. Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving, and the people of Israel also wept again. This is insanity.

Think about it. You complain, and fire comes down from heaven and consumes people, kills people. And they pray. They said, Lord, we're sorry. We're sorry.

And then within a few moments, you have this group called the rabble. They start complaining, and then the people of Israel start complaining again, like as a fire did not rain from heaven. You know why? Complaining is contagious. Isn't it amazing how your day can switch when you just get around somebody who complains?

Isn't it amazing how you can look at an entire thing like church, your job, your family, the the things that you have or don't have, and you have a person that's really tight with you in life, and they experience the same environment and the same circumstances you are, and they begin to complain, and you know what? You begin to feel, yeah, you're right. Yeah. It is like that, isn't it? Yeah.

It's contagious. And so, unfortunately, because of the wrong people, their attitude rubbed off on them. And it didn't take very long. It is amazing how your disposition in mind can affect for the good or for the bad. And not only was that complaining contagious, cravings are contagious.

Who were the rabble? Does anybody know, Isaac? Mixed multitude from Exodus twelve thirty eight. It wasn't just the Israelites that came out of Egypt. It tells us that a mixed multitude followed them.

Who were they? They were probably those that married Egyptians, Israelites who married Egyptians or were mixed breed. It was probably other slaves from different nations. All we know is that they're bad news. They join along with them, and as they join along with them, they begin to have a strong craving, and the people of Israel also wept again and said, oh that we had meat to eat.

This is scary. We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing. The cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but look how they speak about this manna, but this manna to look at. What do you take out of that?

They remembered the food, but they didn't remember the harshness. Yeah. Isn't that amazing? Isn't it amazing how selective temptation is in memory? That when temptation comes and you feel that urge, you don't remember the bondage that you were in when you were in that temptation.

You just remember the thrill. You remember the sensation. You remember how it made you feel good, not about the guilt afterwards. No. No.

Of course not. The melons, the leeks, the onions, it costs nothing. It's amazing how this flesh is so selective in remembering these things, and not remembering the whips, the cries, the brokenness, the sleepless nights, the anxieties, the fears. No. Sin and temptation always packages itself as harmless.

Always. And right behind it is a dagger. There's a there's so many pictures of this, and I I we can go to these different pictures. Remember Joab when he grabbed the the beard of that one man and he came in to kiss him? And as he came to kiss him, he actually stabbed him in the stomach.

That's a picture of sin. That it comes in to embrace you and to seem like a friend, but it really wants to take out your guts from the inside out. So we see here that all they remembered was the satisfaction or at least the temporary satisfaction. But, it shows something here about this idea of craving that when a person has a certain craving, that that it become, it can become your craving too. Just because you're around them, just because they're in your circle of friends, their craving that manifests in conversation can become your craving without you even knowing it.

And this is true for both good and for bad. This contagious effect of craving can be for the glory of God or for the glory of the flesh. And that is why you and I have to be sure we surround ourselves with those who crave the things of God. It's just as contagious as those who crave sin. When you get a isn't isn't it amazing when you see a man or woman burning for Christ, it makes you wanna burn for Christ.

When a person even in conversation that's telling you maybe even about a circumstance that they're going through, they begin to say, you know, but I've been praying and seeking God on that. And I believe God will answer you a man. That's a man of God. I wanna be like that when I face a circumstance like that. And when you see somebody that talks about the relationship with God and you know that it's beyond just bible study, they know God, she knows God.

When you surround yourself with people like that, it can be contagious, and you begin to crave God in that same degree. And the same is true in the opposite sense. That is why I personally this is a personal thing. Take it or leave it. I personally love reading books of men and women that lived for the glory of God because it makes me crave the same thing they craved.

When I read about men in their twenties and how they live for God and lay down their life when nobody else wanted to, I go, yes, Lord. I wanna be like that. It begins to produce an appetite. It's quite discouraging when you're in an environment or a place where nobody is like that, but when you surround yourself with that, it something happens. It rubs off on you.

And the same thing with the flesh. Same thing with the flesh. When you have even nominal Christians that are talking about the things of this world, all for a sudden it seems like that the glory of Christ seems to be veiled now and all you talk it's just flesh stuff now. And your flesh comes alive, and and you begin to neglect the things of God, and you begin to pursue in your mind and your heart the things of the world, and it just blankets it. Surround yourself with people who crave God and watch how you crave God.

If you know a man or woman that burns for Christ, get close to them. Just watch how that fire will rub off on you. Get around cold people, you'll get cold. 100%. 100%.

So they had to rabble around them, and they unfortunately came to a place where they cried out for the flesh. And what's amazing here is how Paul gives commentary on this scene, and we're almost done here. If you go to first Corinthians ten, first Corinthians 10 verse six, look how Paul gives commentary on this exact scene. I believe it's this scene, and many would agree. First Corinthians.

Now these things took place as examples for us that we may not desire evil as they did. Now there are many instances where the people crave evil, and Numbers chapter 11 is one of them. But here's the automatic question I make in my mind. Paul says evil. I go to numbers 11 and I see melons and leeks and onions.

Last time I checked, I didn't think those things were evil. Onions and leeks are evil according to Paul. Do you see the apparent dilemma here? Or does Paul have an insight that we need to get get on? How how do I make sense of that?

They crave food. Is food evil? Are these ingredients evil? I hope not. So so what what is this all about?

Don't be afraid. Yes? Due to their circumstances, they gave into the lust of the flesh. Yes. To the lust of the eyes that they had.

Absolutely. And I think it's as simple as this. What was on the menu for the Israelites from God? Manna. That was the will of God.

The will of God for the people was manna and manna almost. But the people began to crave something outside of the will of God. And anything you and I crave that will pull us away from the will of God is evil. Even if it's a watermelon. Would you agree with me on that?

If the man, if this was God's will, that your diet will be manna. That was his will in this conference. Whatever would pull them to a place where they would forsake the will of God, forsake obedience to God, forsake devotion to God, whatever that may be. It could be anything. It could be as harmless as a lemon.

It could be evil if it does that effect. It causes us to do that. It causes us to despise the things of God in ignorance and neglect and downright rebellion. Package it how you want. Paul says, it's evil.

It's wicked. What a what a thing to say about this. But it's not about the thing, it's about how our heart relates to it. And this is they had this craving and it pulled them away. And here's where it gets even deeper, that the manna in the old testament is Jesus in the new testament.

He's the bread of life. He's the bread from heaven. John chapter six. And this is a greater insult to God because it has prophetic implication that they wanted the things that were found in Egypt over the things that God had sent from heaven, namely his son. Craving that makes us forsake and abandon the bread of heaven is evil.

Forsake, God wants us to enjoy, God wants us to embrace, God wants us to plan, God wants us to dream. But anything in life, anything that would draw us away from the master, Paul says, decree thee, Paul. We're gonna end this bible study in a very different way. Not in Exodus. Song of Solomon.

Go to Song of Solomon chapter five as we close with that text. We'll continue in Numbers chapter 11 next week or the week after rather. Song of Solomon. Chapter five, but begin in verse two. Here's a picture of the bride who's sleeping and the beloved comes to the door to knock.

Look how the look how the beloved speaks. I slept, this is the woman, but my heart was awake. A sound, my beloved is knocking open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night. Now, I'm not one to allegorize every single thing that's found in the book of Song of Solomon, but I believe there are clear pictures that point to the relationship between Christ and the church.

Not every instance. I wouldn't try to interpret every single thing as all this color means this and this. So we see, and this is obvious, the title being Revelation, where the Lord is knocking on the church, his door. He comes, he knocks, she doesn't answer, so she begins to look for him now because when she opens the door finally, he's not there. And so she begins to go on this pursuit after her beloved.

And you come to a place where she asks the daughters of Jerusalem. Verse eight. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved that you tell him I am sick with love. I'm sick with love. I miss the nearness of my beloved.

I long for him to be close to me. God, I long for my heart to know that he's close again. Do you know who he is? And if you know, would you tell me, please, it's a cry to know how to get back to that place where you were intimate with the beloved angel. That's the cry.

But look how the daughters of Jerusalem answered. Verse nine. What is your beloved more than another beloved? Oh, most beautiful among women. What is your beloved more than another beloved that you thus adjure us?

You know what they're saying there? What's the big deal? Why are you frantic? Why are you so crazy about finding this person? What about him would cause you to run around the city streets and to come to us and say, have you found him?

What is the big deal? Law. Now, if the world were to ask you that about your relationship with Christ, how would you answer? Not even the world. Let's talk about wholehearted Christians that do not have a concept of intimacy with Christ and knowing that this is about relationship with Jesus and not following a bunch of rules.

If that kind of person would come up to you and say, what's the big deal? Or, better yet, let's get more specific. Who's Jesus to you? Who's Jesus to you? Now, just just where you're sitting right now.

If somebody, just one on one, you're sitting across a coffee table. And somebody asks you, what's the big deal about Jesus? How would you answer? How would you answer? Think about what words would come out of your mouth and not just out of your mouth like doctrinal law of e is this.

No, no, no. What would come out of your heart? Now, I'm not talking about sloppy emotionalism, I'm talking about how would you describe the Lord? And you know what she does with the beloved? She begins to from verse 10 down to verse 15.

Verse 16, she begins to describe Him from head to toe. Just listen to this. My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among 10,000. There is none like you. No one else can touch my heart like you do.

I hope we meant it tonight. His head is the finest gold. His locks are weighty, black as raven. His eyes are like dust beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool. His cheeks are like the beds of spices.

Mountains of sweet smelling herbs. His lips are litties dripping liquid myrrh. His arms are rugs of gold set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, the deck with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns set on bases of gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, oh daughters of Jerusalem. I read that and go, okay. This if this person can describe her husband to me in such a way, how how would I describe my relationship with Christ?

What is he to me? Who is he to me? My savior. My friend. Faithful leader, my protector, lover of my soul.

He answers my prayers. I'm talking to you one on one over the top. He answers my He is more real to me than you my friend. He speaks to me through this word in a way that melts my heart. He has given me purpose beyond anything I can give myself to no matter what the world promises.

His promises are greater. He's the treasure in the field in which I sold everything with joy to buy that field. There's no one like him. And I can have him and I can lose everyone else, as painful as that would be, but I'd rather lose everyone else than lose him. He is my all in all.

He's not just my savior, he's my beloved and my friend. Amen. Now, look at this. Talk about contagious. Talk about contagious.

Talk about contagious. The very daughters of Jerusalem who ask them, what's the big deal about your beloved? Look how they answer in verse one of chapter six. Where does your beloved God, all those beautiful? Where does your beloved turn?

That we may seek him with you. You see what happened there? The very ones that asked him what's the big deal are the ones now that are saying, where is he? We wanna follow you to find him. I don't know about you.

I read something that I say, lord, I know this is the context, the immediate context between a woman and a husband and and the lord wants to celebrate marriage and even sex. I know that's a crazy thought, but it's true within the context of marriage. But I see something here. Lord, would my relationship with you be so real and so intimate? Not for this purpose, but would it be so real that other people would want it when they see it?

They said, we want to find it now. If this is who you If you're being for real, I want this for my life. And the Lord can bring you to that place. I don't want a Christianity that's so stale that it turns people out. I don't want want a Christianity where people look at me and they see that I love the leeks and the lemons of Egypt and I'm not satisfied with manna and manna alone.

I want people, by God's grace, that when they they see me feasting on manna, they go, what's the big deal? I go, let me tell you about this this manna. He satisfies. Amen. I don't need anything else.

They go, I want that manna to be healed. That we may seek him with you. You don't have to be a preacher to have a contagious relationship with Christ. Just burn for him. Just fall in love with him.

Just look at him from head to toe in the scriptures. See him. Walk with him daily. And and just watch what will happen. Whether it happens or not, who cares?

It's just an exciting byproduct. But what would it look like if every person here had that kind of relationship with Christ? Or when somebody sat with you and asked you who's Jesus to you, it's more than a Sunday morning attendance. It's more than just a teaching that you hear that doesn't affect your heart. Let's close on that note.

We're gonna sing in a moment, but this is what I love about this bible study is that it's not just about getting up and letting everything spill out of our ears. Not for long. We're not gonna do this for long, but just where you are, keep me do the opposite of what the Israelites did. Say, lord, the bread of heaven is enough. You satisfy me, lord.

And even if there's a platter of every riches in the world, I would say no to it for the dew that turns this bread into my sustenance. I want more of Christ. Lord, let my relationship be so real with you. And whenever anybody asks of my relationship with you, they would know it's a true relationship. It's not just some doctrine.

It's not just some attendance I have on weekends. No. It's a real vibrant living relationship. Lord, help me know what it feels like to be sick with love. Let my soul know the aching pain when I miss some time alone with you.

This is so foreign, but it's so real that if you can miss your devotion time in such a way where you don't feel guilty because you think, oh, now God's gonna be angry at me. You miss your devotion time for whatever reason and God forgives it, he's gracious. But you know what you can feel? Oh, Lord. I miss you.

I miss out on you speaking to me this morning. Lord, I'm gonna be there tomorrow morning. I'm out here to run after you again. I want that kind of relationship with the lord. If you feel like you're missing your time alone with the lord, it may gives you bad points for him and makes you look bad in front of others.

You missed it. You've completely missed what this is all about. This is what the Lord is saying, let me speak to you. Come speak to me. And you missed that for whatever reason.

I've been there, busyness. Oh, I've been there. I know what it's like. But you know what you guys should feel throughout that day? Love's sick.

Yeah. I'm doing all this stuff, I'm so busy but I'd rather be in my room right now reading my bible. I know I have necessities in life to be about Lord, whatever even if it's five minutes, I just need to get along with you and just tell you how much I love you. You can get there. Ask God to give you that tonight.

You might have had a busy week this week. You might have come in here tonight in this bible study overwhelmed, exhausted. You probably have things that are on your plate that are so it's just there and you can't think about anything else. But you know what? Right now, maybe we even came here complaining.

But right now, in this moment, let's just give to the lord what he deserves. Adoration. True adoration from the heart. I look at that woman in the song of the song and I say, lord, I wanna be that kind of person towards you. Lord, I wanna be love sick.

And when the moments where I feel like you knocked and I was too tired to get up, That's what that book is about right there in chapter five. The blood came and knocked and she was like, why do I have to get up now? I have to put on my stuff again, open the doors. I'll do it another day. And he wasn't there.

And those moments where he doesn't seem to be there, I wanna be the one that's willing to go crazy and chase after him wherever he is. And so wherever you're at tonight, just in this place, as we sing to the Lord, just look to the Lord. He forgives you. He knows what you're going if you just call out to him, he will forgive you and he's right there. I gotta do this.

I'm sorry. You know what happened after this woman went? She was the one that ignored him. You realize that, right? She was the one that was chasing after him, she was the one that was they neglected him really at first.

And as she's chasing him and looking around her, frankly frankly, look what happens here. Song of Solomon chapter six verse two. After the the daughter of Jerusalem said, where is he gonna be compliant? This is the woman that they let them this this man was standing out there and tears went with dudes out there in the cold knocking. He's pursuing her and she's like, I'm too tired.

We've all been like that. No. Lord, I'll do it tomorrow. Pray, read your Lord, I already did so much for you this week. I'll do it for you.

Right? And he walks away and she's fine. She goes, I'm sick with love. And she finally finds him. And when she finds him, what do you think he would have been like in the natural sense?

Did you not hear me knocking when I knocked? Do you know that my hair was what I did? I came to pursue you, like you would think that was kind of the response. No. Song of Solomon chapter six verse two, my beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies.

I am my beloved and my beloved is mine. He grazes among the lilies. You know what he was doing? Picking flowers for her. Even when she neglected him, even when she was too lazy, even when she was too tired, when this man wanted to spend time with her, you know what he was doing while she was trying to find him?

Picking up flowers to give to her when she would find him again. You know what the lord does every single time you and I? Come up with excuses. Get so busy with life. When you find your place again and you realize how far you've fallen, you realize for a day or two that you slipped and you you know what he's doing?

I've been waiting for you. I've been waiting for you. Go back to chapter two. I've been waiting to hear your voice. Thank God that we serve you.

A God that's worthy of us singing to him.