Numbers 22-24

• Numbers 22:1-4 – Balak was scared of Israel’s army.
  • See Numbers 26:51 regarding the size of Israel’s army – over 600,000 men capable of going to war.
• Numbers 22:12 – THIS is the bottom line from God. They are blessed – do not curse them.
• Numbers 22:19 – Trouble starts. Balaam decides to see what else God will say. See II Peter 2:15-16; Jude 1:11.
• Numbers 22:20 – God allowed Balaam to use his free will and go anyway.
• Numbers 22:22-35 – The angel and donkey intervene to work against Balaam.
• Numbers 22:41-23:12 – Balaam’s first blessing.
• Numbers 23:13-26 – Balaam’s second blessing.
• Numbers 23:27-24:13 – Balaam’s third blessing.
  • Numbers 24:9 – See Genesis 12:1-3. God was working to protect them. See Deuteronomy 23:3-6; Joshua 24:9-10; Micah 6:1-3.

Numbers 25

• Numbers 25:1-9 – The Israelites start to turn toward Baal, but Phineas kills a man and woman caught in sin, stopping the plague. See I Corinthians 10:8.
• Numbers 25:10-18 – God promises a priestly lineage through Phineas because of his zeal. God orders violence against the Midianites.
  • Numbers 31:7-12; Revelation 2:14 – Balaam apparently advised Balak how to get Israel to sin.
• Lessons for us:
  • Beware of the danger that comes from inside.
  • We should line our morals up with our religion instead of “religion” up with our morals.

Introduction

• II Peter 3:17

Reading the Bible regularly

• Psalms 19:1-11
• Psalms 119:1-8
• John 6:66-68 – Jesus has the words of eternal life!
• A free daily Bible reading plan to read the entire Bible in a year, reading five days a week: https://www.fivedaybiblereading.com/
• Acts 17:11
• Recommendations:
  • Try a Bible reading plan
  • Try a different translation
  • Try a new Bible that is specifically for daily Bible reading

Praying all the time

• I Thessalonians 5:16-18
• Numbers 14:1-4 – Wasn’t this the perfect time to pray, rather than rebel?
• Numbers 20:2-5 – Another great time to pray!
• What about us? Isn’t it better to pray than complain?
• James 5:13
• Daniel 6:7-10
• We read of people praying in all situations and postures.
• Luke 3:21-22; 5:16; 6:12; 9:16, 28; 10:17, 21; 23:46 – Jesus prayed often!

Worshiping with renewed sincerity

• Jeremiah 17:20; 20:9 – Jeremiah wanted to prophesy. We should feel the same about worship.
• Luke 17 – The leper offered sincere worship after being healed.
• Romans 1:20
• Our worship should be an overflow of love for God.
• It’s important to worship in the right way, but we must worship in sincerity. The heart should be there.
• Matthew 14:32; 28:8-9 – How sincere was this worship?
• Luke 24:50
• John 9:35
• Good worship is an overflow of the heart.
• Hebrews 9:11; 10:12

Turning our conversations to spiritual subjects

How to train people for spiritual conversations:

• Don’t tell people it’s easy.
• Encourage people to value pre-evangelism.
• Train people to tell their stories of coming to faith.
• Remind people evangelism can be a “team sport.”
• Adopt the mindset of an ongoing coach rather than a one-time seminar presenter.
• Find ways to regularly enamor people with the wonder of the gospel.

Addiction

• I Corinthians 10:13
• Philippians 3:17-19
• What is addiction?
• Why does addiction begin?
• What are the symptoms of addiction?
• Can addiction be treated?
• Christians struggling with addiction: there is hope
  • Hope comes through:
    • Honesty
    • The gospel
    • Help
• Christians don’t struggle with our addictions – we deny their existence by Linda Larson Schlitz

Introduction

• Genesis 6:6

Love God

• Deuteronomy 6:1-6 – Jesus references this when asked what the greatest command is (Matthew 22:37-40).
• Ephesians 2:1-6 – We are saved because of God’s great love.
• I John 4:19 – Our natural response is to love God back once we learn of His love for us.
• Psalms 84:2
• I John 2:15
• I John 5:3 – If we love God, we will keep His commandments. Loving God means constantly turning away from sin. If loving God is not your priority, you must repent!

Love your neighbor

• Matthew 22:37
• Romans 13:8-10 – Owe nothing to anyone except to love your neighbor.
• We can’t fix the world, but we can fix ourselves.
• Matthew 7:12 – The golden rule.
• Matthew 5:23, 44
• Matthew 6:1; 7:5

Love the truth

• John 8:44 – Satan is the father of lies!
• II Corinthians 11:3-4
• Colossians 2:6
• James 1:16 – Don’t be deceived!
• II Timothy 3:12-17 – The deceivers are coming, so stick to the truth!
• God’s truth:
  • Genesis 1:27 – God created male and female.
  • I Timothy 1:9-10
  • Psalms 139:13-14 – What does this say about abortion?
  • II Corinthians 5:10
  • Psalms 130:3-4 – There is forgiveness!

Numbers 18 – Levites and priests

• Numbers 18:1-7 – God reminds them of their roles.
• Numbers 18:9-19 – The priests get the portions of the offerings and sacrifices.
• Numbers 18:20-24 – The tribe of Levi would have no land inheritance in Canaan. They would have the tithe.
• Numbers 18:25-32 – The Levites would need to give a tithe of the tithe to the Lord.

Numbers 19

• Numbers 19:1-9 – This was to be purification from sin, but seems to also have been for hygiene. See Exodus 15:26.
  • None of These Diseases by S.I. McMillen, MD and David E. Stern, MD
• Numbers 19:11-13 – Uses for the water of purification.
  • Germ theory – Dr Ignaz Semmelweis
• Numbers 19:14-22 – Rules for uncleanness. All of these are spiritual laws, but make sense as rules for hygiene as well.

Numbers 20 – Meribah

• Numbers 20:1 – Miriam dies and is buried.
• Numbers 20:2-13 – Moses sins in bringing water to the people.
  • Exodus 17:1-7
  • Psalms 106:32-33 – Moses “spoke rashly with his lips.”
• Numbers 20:14-21 – Edom refuses passage of Israel through his land.
• Numbers 20:22-29 – Aaron dies. Moses sets up Aaron’s son Eleazer as his successor.

Numbers 21

• Numbers 21:1-3 – God gives Israel victory at Hormah, the same place they had lost a battle forty years earlier.
• Numbers 21:4-9 – The bronze serpent.
  • II Kings 18:4 – The Israelites started worshipping this serpent and were still doing so 700 years later!
  • John 3:14-15
• Numbers 21:21-35 – Israel starts defeating kings of Canaan.