numbers class 04 from sinai to kadesh barnea

Study of Numbers

Class 4

The Departure from Sinai

From Sinai to Kadesh Barnea

Study of Numbers – Chapter 9-10The departure from Sinai

After a year and two months from leaving Egypt the people were now prepared to depart from Sinai to Canaan (10:11). Since the beginning of Numbers God was prepareing his people for the journey towards Canaan.

First he took a census and built an army.


Then he organized the army and consecrated the office of the Nazirite, the tabernacle, the levites and the whole congregation.

The last directions they received before departing was that they should celebrate the passover, follow the cloud and heed the sounding of the silver trumpets.


1. The Passover After the first Passover the children of Israel were strong

enough to leave Egypt. After a year they would again be strengthened in order to depart from the Sinai.

The Passover was celebrated with unleavened bread, bitter herbs and a lamb whose bones could not be broken.


The Passover lamb was a symbol of the Lord Jesus, whose bones were not broken and whose blood was shed to free us from the condemnation of sin.

Before the army can move out we must have the blood of the Passover, since when we march we need a conscience free of the accusations of Satan and the strength of the Lamb as our food.


2. The cloud Numbers 9:15, says that the day that the tabernacle was

erected, the cloud covered it. This cloud hovered above it day and night. During the day it was like a cloud and at at night it gave light and heat as a pillar of fire.

God guided the people by way of the cloud. When the cloud lifted, they began to march; when the cloud rested, they knew that it was time to set up camp.


The people only moved in accordance with the move of the cloud.

The cloud represented the Holy Spirit abiding among us. He guides us and gives us the direction that we must follow; where we should camp and for how long.


2. The silver trumpets Numbers 10:1-2, besides speaking of the cloud in the

fire, also makes reference to the silver trumpets. Silver represents redemption, a message that must be trupeted (announced). Today we trumpet the message of redemption to the world.

The blowing of the trumpets represents Jesus Christ speaking through man.


We not only need the orientation of the cloud, but also the sound of the trumpets. There is coordination between the cloud and the trumpets.

According to Numbers 10:9, blowing the trumpet causes the Lord to defeat the enemy and we know that we defeat the enemy by the Word of our confession (Revelation 12:10-11).


"When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the Lord your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. Numbers 10:9

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11


At the end of chapter 10 we see Moses asking Hobab to come with them (29-32). This request can be seen as something negative or positive.

On the positive side, it can symbolize the humility of receiving help from more experienced people.

On the negative side it would be a mistake for Moses to ask anyone for help since the cloud was there to guide them.


Verses 35-36 is a prophecy with respect to the Lord. So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

“Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.” And when it rested, he said: "Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel." Numbers 10:35-36


The Ark of the covenant pointed to the Lord himself. To be lifted up refers to his ascension to heaven. When he was caught up to heaven he led captivity captive and overcame all of his enemies.

For this reason Moses said: “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”


The Lord was not only caught up into heaven but will also return. Therefore Moses said: “Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel." This is our voice and this is our cry. The Lord has already ascended to heaven, but now we wait for his return.

Study of Numbers – Chapters 11-14From Sinai to Kadesh Barnea

After Numbers 10:11, the children of Israel departed Sinai, after dwelling there for almost one year. God’s cloud began to guide them to Kadesh-Barnea.

On this journey to Kadesh, we can point out four important facts concerning the crisis of Kadesh-Barnea.


1. The murmuring at Taberah - 11:1-3 Consider some negative experiences that the people of

Israel went through in their journey to Kadesh-Barnea. Such experiences are a warning to us, so that we don’t fall into the same error (1 Corinthians10:11).

The people first murmured at Taberah. The people of Israel had murmured against the Lord, complaining about their circumstances in such a way that the fire of God’s wrath was kindled on the outskirts of the camp.


Those who murmured were the people who lived at the edges of the camp. They are people who lived within the camp but they did not have the same spirit as the rest of Israel. They were similar to those today who refuse to be part of a small group or to submit to a discipleship relationship.

These are spiritually fragile members who live in the realm of the soul, they easily fall into murmuring against God and the leadership.


2. Complaints about food - 11:3-5 This time the murmuring came from the ‘‘mixed

multitude’’ that was among them. It is not easy to define who this mixed multitude was, but the most widely accepted explanation is that they were people who were not included in the official genealogy of Israel. They could not prove their ties to the nation of Israel; thus they were called a mixed multitude.


Inclusion in the genealogy today equals discipleship ties within the local church. People outside of the relationships of discipleship are more readily influenced by the enemy to murmur against the leadership.

When this ‘‘mixed multitude’’ began to murmur, many among the people were influenced by them. Then they began to remember the food of Egypt.


What a terrible situation. We should not waste time remembering our old life because this is offensive to God.

The people got tired of eating manna. It was in God’s will that they fed upon manna for the rest of their lives. God wanted to introduce them into the land that flowed with milk and honey: Canaan.


Beginning with verse 31, we read that God sent so many Quail that they piled up to a height of 1 m above the land. Those who gathered the least collected 10 homeres, or about 40 kg.

Those who murmured against God were judged with a great plague.


3. The displeasure of Moses (11:10-30) Because of so many complaints and murmuring, Moses

complained to the Lord because of the heavy burden caused by the complaining of the people. It seems as though the advice of Jethro mentioned in Exodus chapter 18 was not put into practice for a long time. By this time of Moses felt tired and in need of help.


God listened to Moses’s request and commanded him to separate 70 men, respected among the people, to serve him as helpers. God said that he would take the spirit that was over Moses and distribute it over those 70 men.

Experience demonstrates that it is not God’s will that the leadership of a local church exercise absolute authority. There must be a plurality of ministries because the Lord’s service is always corporate.


a. Train others to help I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the

burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now - if I have found favor in Your sight - and do not let me see my wretchedness!“ Numbers 11:14-15

God hates clericalism. Clericalism is the attitude of a leader who does everything himself thinking that God can only use him.


God did not want Moses to act like a dictator, making all the decisions by himself. This type of leadership should not be exercised in a healthy church. The pastor should always have a team of leaders with him in order to share the responsibility of leadership.

So the Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Numbers 11:16


b. Choose the right leaders So the Lord said to Moses: " Gather to Me seventy men

of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; Numbers 11:16

God commanded Moses to observe the elders who were recognized by the people.


c. Transfer of anointing So the Lord said to Moses: "Gather to Me seventy men

of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. Numbers 11:16-17


Moses did not transfer anointing, God transferred the anointing from Moses to the 70, when this happened the text says they prophesied, but this never happened again. This shows us that the anointing that is transferred must be cultivated with discipline and personal effort. They merely received an initial anointing.


d. Don’t be afraid to delegate And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, "Eldad

and Medad are prophesying in the camp.“ So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, "Moses my lord, forbid them!“ Then Moses said to him, "Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord 's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!" Numbers 11:27-29


A great hindrance to God’s work is our envy of those who have more anointing than we have. May God raise up many more to do a better job than we do. The joy of every leader should be to see the whole flock being more greatly used than him.


4. The rebellion of Miriam and Aaron - Chapter 12 The leadership responsibility of the people of Israel in

those days was on the shoulders of Moses. But there were others that participated in his inner circle of leadership, Miriam was the oldest sibling Aaron was next in line and Moses was the youngest.


a. The test of authority Aaron and Miriam were older than Moses. So within the

family, Moses should have been submissive to them, but in God’s work Moses was the head. Even though he was the youngest, God designated Moses as the leader. Although he was the youngest, in the work of God, Moses was the authority.

Moses took an Ethiopian wife. It was right for Miriam and Aaron to deal with the matter on the family level, but they erred when they touched God’s figure of authority.


Miriam and Aaron erred: "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" (12:2). And the Lord heard it.

We must be careful with the matter of authority. God may tolerate other sins for a time, before he sends judgment, but rebelliousness directly touches the throne of God, and his discipline comes swiftly.

All those who rebel against constituted authority, rebel against him who constituted the authority (Romans 13:1-5).


If the matter had been treated in the realm of the family, where Moses should have submitted to Miriam and Aaron, there would have been no problem. Miriam however, rebelliously claimed for herself the authority that belonged to Moses. God heard her words and she became leprous.

It wasn’t God’s will for Moses to marry an Egyptian, but he used the situation to reveal the rebelliousness in Miriam and Aaron. God permits mistakes in the lives of his leaders to test the submission of the helpers.


b. Rebellion produces leprosy - 12:10 Miriam immediately became leprous. Leprosy results in

removal from and loss of fellowship. Those who walk in rebelliousness must be isolated.


c. Rebellion hinders the move of God - 12:15 The people could not continue their journey while Miriam

was leprous. God’s word says that the cloud stopped and did not move until the problem of rebellion was solved.

Rebellion is a hindrance to the move of the people of God. Wherever there is rebellion, the work of God is blocked. Whenever we notice that the church is not growing we must make sure that there is no rebellion.

numbers class 04 from sinai to kadesh barnea

Spiritual

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