Bible Study March 1

Wednesday March 1, 2023

We begin today in chapter eleven and read through chapter twelve. Fire, quail, Miriam and Aaron rebel, and the spies are sent out.

Chapter 11 –

God delivered the Israelites from Egypt but the soon forget all that He has done for them and begin complaining they do not meat to eat saying “Who will feed us meat?” The Lord gives them meat in the form of quail intending to feed them for a month until it was coming out of their nostrils, it would literally make them sick. They said they were not rejecting the Lord only His provision but in fact they were complaining about Him.

Moses was tired, exasperated, and frustrated with the complaining he had to deal with. God rebukes Moses the all-powerful Creator can sustain Moses and He can us. Moses carries out the consecration service for the seventy elders God told him to select. As god promised, He took some of the Spirit that ws on Moses and placed the Spirit on the them.

Meat was delivered as God had promised quail started showing up and the people spent all day and night and all the next day gathering the birds.

Chapter 12 –

 Unfortunately the death of the cravers of meat in chapter eleven did not end the complaining about Moses. Things were really bad as Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married. Moses’ wife. Like Moses had placed their faith in God,

Apparently, Miriam and Aaron f=did not like the fact that Moses had married what we would call an interracial marriage and they did not like it. There may have been some jealousy because their brother was over them. Who knows for certain?

That evening God called all three to the to meet Him at the tent of the meeting a woodshed experience for the two complainers. He has them move and begins to brag on Moses. Miriam received her reward. She had leprosy for a week and was banished from the camp. Miriam condemned Moses for the color of his wife skin so she received punishment of a new white skin with leprosy.

The cross of Christ is the answer to the root of all differences.

Chapter 13 –

Numbers thirteen and fourteen are pivotal chapters in the history of God’s people. Israel was on the outskirts of the promised land God had promised them. God instructed Moses to send men to scout out the land of Canaan (He was) giving to the Israelites. The twelve spies included Joshua and Caleb, who would become two great heroes in Israel’s history. Joshua one day would succeed Moses as leader of the clan.

Moses’ instructions to the scouts included a series of questions he wanted answered.

• What was the condition of the land?
• What were the inhabitants like?
• How fortified were the cities?

They did their work and returned and reported the land was flowing with milk and honey but all was not well with the report. Only Joshua and Caleb were optimistic that they could take the land. The Israelites were ready to enter the promised but gave in to the report of the ten not heeding the words of Joshua and Caleb.