Objective

In this study, we’ll see that God sustained His people in the wilderness even when they were unfaithful.

Key Verse

Numbers 23:19: God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Introduction

Numbers is one of the saddest books in the Bible. It tells the story of how Israel refused to receive God’s wonderful blessings. Instead of entering the Promised Land quickly, they wandered in disobedience in the wilderness for forty long years. Their journey that should have taken just a few weeks stretched into four decades of desert wandering.

When we read this book, we see how Israel sinned against God in many ways. They showed unbelief when God wanted them to trust Him. They complained when God was providing for them every day. They rebelled against the leaders God had given them. They fell into wickedness and idolatry. Yet despite all their failures, something amazing happened. God remained faithful to His people. He continued to care for them, protect them, and prepare them to bring the Messiah into the world.

This teaches us a wonderful truth about our God. Even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. Even when we fail, His love for us never fails. The apostle Paul reminds us of this truth when he writes, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). Numbers shows us this faithfulness of God in action.

As we study this book together, we will see God’s heart toward His people—and toward us. We will learn important lessons about faith and obedience. We will also discover how God uses even our failures to accomplish His perfect plan. In this lesson, we’ll divide Numbers into three main sections that tell the complete story:

• God prepared His people
• Israel was disobedient
• God prepared a new generation

God Prepared His People

The book of Numbers begins with great hope and expectation. God was ready to bring Israel into the Promised Land. After all they had experienced—the plagues in Egypt, the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, the giving of the law at Mount Sinai—it was time for the next step. Moses carefully prepared the people for the incredible blessings that God wanted to give them.

The first thing Moses did was conduct a military census of the twelve tribes. This counting of the population is where the book of Numbers gets its name. God wanted to know exactly how many fighting men were available to conquer the land He had promised to give them.

Numbers 1:19: As the Lord commanded Moses, he counted them in the Desert of Sinai.

The results of this census were impressive. There were over 600,000 men of fighting age, which meant the total population of Israel was probably around two million people. God had kept His promise to Abraham to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore.

✏️ Notebook Moment: Can you imagine trying to organize and lead two million people through the wilderness? What does this teach us about the magnitude of Moses’ leadership challenge and God’s provision for such a massive undertaking?

Next, Moses organized the twelve tribes in their camps around the tabernacle. This was not a random arrangement—God gave specific instructions about where each tribe should camp. Three tribes were positioned on each side of the tabernacle, with the tabernacle remaining in the center of the entire camp.

Numbers 2:17: Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard.

This arrangement was deeply meaningful. By placing the tabernacle at the center of the camp, God was showing that His presence was the most important thing in their community. Everything else in their lives should revolve around their relationship with Him. The tabernacle was where God dwelt among His people, and it reminded them every day that He was with them.

Moses also organized the priests and the Levites for their special duties. The priests would offer sacrifices and serve as mediators between God and the people. The Levites would care for the tabernacle and assist the priests in their work. God gave Moses detailed instructions about how the priests should be set apart for their holy service.

One of the most beautiful parts of this preparation was the blessing that God gave the priests to pronounce over the people:

Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

This blessing shows us God’s heart toward His people. He wanted to bless them, keep them safe, show them His favor, be gracious to them, and give them peace. This same blessing is available to us today through Jesus Christ.

As pastors and teachers, we have a responsibility similar to the priests of Israel. God uses us to bless His people and point them toward Him. The apostle Peter reminds us of this calling:

1 Peter 5:2: Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.

Everything was ready. The people were counted, organized, and blessed. The priests were prepared for their duties. God had made complete provision for their success in taking the Promised Land. All they needed to do was trust Him and obey His commands.

Israel Was Disobedient

Despite all that God had done for them, Israel chose the path of disobedience. Almost immediately after leaving Mount Sinai, they began to complain and rebel against God’s goodness.

Their first act of rebellion came when they complained about their hardships in the wilderness. Instead of trusting God and remembering His faithfulness, they grumbled about their circumstances.

Numbers 11:1: Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

God’s response was swift and serious. He sent fire to burn part of their camp as a warning. But when Moses prayed for the people, God’s mercy was also swift. He put out the fire and spared them from greater judgment.

Soon the people were complaining again, this time about their food. They grew tired of the manna that God provided for them every day. Instead of being grateful for God’s miraculous provision, they complained that they wanted meat to eat.

Numbers 11:4-6: The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”

How quickly they forgot! They remembered the food they had eaten in Egypt, but they forgot that they had been slaves there. They forgot the harsh treatment, the impossible demands, the suffering they had endured. God had delivered them from all of that, yet they were ready to trade their freedom for a different menu.

God gave them what they asked for, but it came with consequences. He sent quail in such abundance that the people gorged themselves until they became sick.

Numbers 11:33: But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

Moses also had to deal with rebellion from his own family. His sister Miriam and his brother Aaron questioned his leadership and complained that God spoke through them too.

Numbers 12:2: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the Lord heard this.

Even Korah, one of the Levites, led a major rebellion against Moses’ authority. He gathered 250 prominent men and challenged Moses’ right to lead the people.

Numbers 16:3: They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

God’s judgment on this rebellion was dramatic and terrifying. The earth opened up and swallowed Korah and his followers, and fire consumed the 250 men who had joined him in rebellion.

But Israel’s greatest sin was unbelief. When they finally reached the border of the Promised Land, Moses sent twelve spies to explore it and bring back a report. Among these spies were Joshua and Caleb, who would prove to be men of great faith.

Numbers 13:2: “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

Numbers 13:17-20: When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.”

The spies spent forty days exploring the land. When they returned, they brought back evidence of the land’s incredible fertility—grapes so large that it took two men to carry a single cluster. But ten of the twelve spies brought a discouraging report.

Numbers 13:27-28: They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.”

Only Joshua and Caleb disagreed with this fearful assessment. They had seen the same giants and the same fortified cities, but they had also remembered God’s promises and His power.

Numbers 13:30: Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Numbers 14:7-9: And they said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

Sadly, the people chose to believe the fearful report rather than trust in God’s power. They refused to enter the land that God wanted to give them.

✏️ Notebook Moment: Think about times when you have faced a “giant” problem or challenge. How did you respond—with fear like the ten spies, or with faith like Joshua and Caleb? What made the difference in your response?

Because of their unbelief, God pronounced a sobering judgment. That entire generation would wander in the wilderness for forty years—one year for each day the spies had explored the land. They would not enter the Promised Land.

Numbers 14:23: Not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

The people’s rebellion continued throughout their wilderness journey. They complained about water, they complained about leadership, and they complained about God’s provision. When they were bitten by poisonous snakes because of their sin, God provided a means of healing, but only for those who would look in faith at the bronze snake that Moses made.

Numbers 21:8-9: The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

Even when they were near the end of their wilderness journey, they faced another challenge. A false prophet named Balaam was hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel.

Numbers 22:5-6: He sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”

But God intervened in a miraculous way. He even used Balaam’s donkey to speak to the prophet and rebuke him for his disobedience. Instead of curses, God put words of blessing in Balaam’s mouth.

Numbers 23:11-12: Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!” He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

This shows us that no one can successfully curse what God has blessed. His purposes for His people will not be thwarted, even when enemies try to stand against them.

Throughout this sad middle section of Numbers, we learn important lessons about ministry and leadership. We see that Moses could not carry the full weight of leadership by himself. God instructed him to share the burden with elders who could help him guide the people.

Numbers 11:16-17: The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.”

We also see Moses’ heart as an intercessor. Again and again, when the people sinned and faced God’s judgment, Moses prayed earnestly for them. This is the kind of heart we need as leaders—a willingness to stand in the gap for those who are falling into sin.

Numbers 14:13-19: Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, Lord, are with these people and that you, Lord, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day. If you put all these people to death, leaving none alive, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, ‘The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed, just as you have declared: ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’ In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.”

Even Moses was not perfect. He too sinned in the wilderness by disobeying God’s specific command. When the people needed water, God told Moses to speak to the rock, but instead he struck it in anger. Because of this disobedience, Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land himself.

Numbers 20:10-12: He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

This teaches us that even godly leaders are not exempt from the consequences of sin. God’s standards apply to everyone, and those who lead others are held to a high level of accountability.

God Prepared a New Generation

The generation that refused to believe God’s promises wandered in the wilderness for forty years, just as God had said. But God did not abandon His plan. At the end of Numbers, we see how He prepared a new generation to enter the land and receive His promises.

This new generation had learned from their parents’ failures. They had seen the consequences of unbelief and rebellion. They were ready to trust God and obey His commands. Moses prepared them carefully for the great task ahead.

First, the people were counted once again. This second census showed that God had maintained their numbers throughout the forty years of wandering. He had not forgotten His promises to Abraham about making his descendants numerous.

Second, the people received detailed instructions about how the land would be divided among the tribes. God had specific plans for each family’s inheritance, and He wanted them to understand exactly what He was giving them.

Third, the people were given a new leader. Moses would not enter the land with them, so God appointed Joshua to take his place. Joshua had been one of the two faithful spies, and he had served faithfully as Moses’ assistant for many years.

Numbers 27:18-19: So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.”

Fourth, the people were reminded about the feasts and sacrifices that God had established for them. These celebrations would help them remember God’s goodness and maintain their relationship with Him in the land.

Finally, the people made practical preparations to cross the Jordan River and divide the land among the tribes. They were ready to possess what God had promised their ancestors.

✏️ Notebook Moment: What practical steps can you take in your own life to prepare for what God wants to do through you? How can you learn from past failures and position yourself to receive God’s blessings?

How Do We See Christ in Numbers?

Even in this sad book about Israel’s failures, we see beautiful pictures of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul reminds us that “where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20). In Numbers, we see how God extends grace to us through several powerful symbols.

The pillar of fire and cloud that guided Israel through the wilderness speaks to us about Jesus, who is the light of the world and our faithful guide through life’s journey.

The manna that sustained them every day points us to Jesus, who said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).

The water that gushed from the rock reminds us of Jesus, who offers us living water that satisfies our deepest spiritual thirst. Paul tells us that “they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Most beautifully, the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up on a pole gives us a picture of Jesus on the cross. Just as anyone who looked at the bronze serpent was healed from the snake bite, anyone who looks to Jesus in faith is saved from the deadly bite of sin.

John 3:14-15: Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.

Conclusion

Numbers teaches us that we often fall short of the best God has for us. Like Israel in the wilderness, we sometimes choose fear instead of faith, complaining instead of gratitude, rebellion instead of obedience. But this book also teaches us about God’s amazing faithfulness. Even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful to His promises.

God’s desire is that we live the abundant life He has planned for us. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). We can only experience this abundant life through faith and obedience to His Word. The new generation of Israelites learned this lesson and were ready to enter the land. We too can learn from their example and choose to trust God completely.

Isaiah 1:19: If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land.

As we continue our study of the Old Testament, we will see in Deuteronomy how Moses prepared this new generation with final instructions about obedience from the heart. The lessons from Numbers remind us that God’s faithfulness never fails, even when ours does.

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