A God You Can Trust: Numbers—Deuteronomy
February 14, 2019
We’re moving through the book of Numbers in our 2019 Bible Reading Plan. If you’ve fallen behind or you’re interested in starting, view the reading plan HERE, pick up at today’s chapters, and follow along with us!
Last month, we traced the beginning of the Bible’s storyline from Genesis to Leviticus, from Adam’s fall into sin to Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt. We saw that God has been at work throughout history to fulfill the promise He made in Genesis 3:15 to raise up a Redeemer who would crush Satan, sin, and death and bring new life and hope to His people. Through this promised Redeemer, God would restore His original purpose for creation by dwelling with people who reflect His character and fill the whole world with His glory.
Our reading yesterday (February 13) marked another major step toward the fulfillment of God's plan as we followed Israel’s departure from Mount Sinai toward the Promised Land (Numbers 10:12). We pick up today in the wilderness of Paran.
When Faith Failed
The Hebrew name for the book of Numbers comes from the words “in the desert” in Numbers 1:1. The name in our English Bible, “Numbers,” refers to the two censuses that are taken near the beginning and the end of this book. As God prepared to lead Israel out of the desert and into the land of Canaan, He commanded Moses to number the people for war. Conquering Canaan required Israel to trust in the Lord, something they weren’t always willing to do.
After God had delivered them out of Egyptian slavery, after they had committed themselves at Sinai to love God and trust Him as His people, the Israelites still doubted God’s provision and care. In today’s reading (February 14), we see the people complaining and Moses reaching the end of his rope. As we’ll read tomorrow, Israel’s continual distrust of God and their unwillingness to follow Him into Canaan resulted in a solemn declaration of judgment.
As a consequence of their faithlessness, God caused His people to roam the desert for 40 years until the complaining generation passed away (Numbers 14:33). Because they would not trust in God to guide them, they would not enter the Promised Land, but their children would.
Faithful Among the Faithless
We might be tempted to side with the Israelites on this one. They were former slaves, after all, not hardened soldiers. The prospect of fighting their way into Canaan was terrifying. Even Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land after he lost his temper and dishonored God as His prophet (Numbers 20:9-13). Couldn’t God cut them a break?
Like Exodus and Leviticus, the book of Numbers reminds us that God takes the sin of His people seriously, and we should too. The Israelites’ grumbling and complaints weren’t just empty venting. Their ongoing mistrust of the Lord grew into an outbreak of faithlessness that threatened to destroy the entire nation.
On more than one account, Israel’s complaints nearly brought the camp to ruin. A man named Korah tried to mutiny against the leadership of Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16:1-3). At other times, the people rioted, accusing God of injustice and demanding that He return them to slavery in Egypt (Numbers 21:4-5). When Israel grew dissatisfied with the Lord, they even indulged in sexual sin and offered sacrifices to the idols of the surrounding nations (Numbers 25:1-3). Time and time again, the people God set apart for Himself wanted nothing to do with Him.
In the face of Israel’s faithlessness, the book of Numbers shows us God’s patience, love, and mercy toward His straying people. While the rest of the nation feared to enter Canaan, God promised to raise up Joshua and Caleb as leaders who would guide Israel into the Promised Land after Moses’ death (Numbers 14:30). When His people brought a plague of serpents upon themselves through their rebellion, the Lord provided miraculous healing to everyone who expressed repentance by looking toward a bronze snake statue (Numbers 21:4-9). While the foreign King Balak sought to curse and destroy the Israelites, God only blessed His people further and granted them victory in battle, even when they deserved the complete opposite (Numbers 22:2-24:25).
This is the God who split the Red Sea and released Israel from Egypt’s chains, the God who fed them day by day in the desert for 40 years, the God who chose them out of the whole world to dwell in His presence and experience His love. He only asked for Israel’s trust in return, yet they were often unwilling to give it. Over the course of a generation, the Israelites discovered the faithfulness of God through their own failure. In the desert, they finally came to realize that their relationship with Him was one of absolute grace.
Age to Age the Same
Only when we firmly grasp the grace of God will we experience true joy and freedom in serving Him. This is what the book of Deuteronomy is all about, as we’ll see later this month.
Deuteronomy, meaning “second law,” records two lengthy speeches given by Moses at the end of his life. In these speeches delivered to Israel after their 40-year desert detour, the prophet reminded a new generation about God’s faithfulness in the wilderness and taught them how to serve the Lord in light of His grace. Because God saved His people in love, He expected His people to keep His law. Their parents had learned the hard way that distrusting God proved fatal. Now on the edge of the Promised Land, the next generation faced the opportunity to trust the Lord, follow His commands, and depend on His grace to deliver them through the trials ahead.
The words of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 echo through the rest of Scripture as Israel’s ancient anthem: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” The God of Israel is one. He is the same one who promised to deliver Adam's children from sin, the same one who promised to bless the world through Abraham's children, the same one who carried His adopted children of Israel out of captivity when they offered only complaints in return.
Age after age, generation after generation, the Lord remains the same. This God of infinite might and enduring compassion deserves to be trusted in any wilderness. Those are the words Moses left to his children. They’re words we should pass on to ours.
Trust Him
Do you find yourself in one of life’s deserts, where the road winds on and there’s no end in sight? Are you tired, worn out, and can’t imagine how you’ll make it to the other side? Allow the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy to tell you the truth: You won’t make it. You can’t. But it’s here in the wilderness that God offers you the sweetest manna. It’s here that He extends the true Bread of Life. God will carry you into the Promised Land of His presence, but only by the nail-scarred hands of Jesus Christ. Trust Him.
Numbers and Deuteronomy remind us that even great men like Moses need a Savior to redeem them, and God has graced us with salvation in His Son. Where Israel’s faith failed in the desert, Jesus’ trust and dependence on the Father did not waver when He faced temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2). When Satan beckoned Him to abandon God in the desert heat, Christ remained faithful to His Father’s Word, quoting the book of Deuteronomy to defeat His enemy’s attacks (Matthew 4:3-11). From there, Jesus went on to crush Satan completely at the cross, fulfilling all the promises of God to His weary, wandering people.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) If He was worthy of Israel’s hope, worthy of His apostles’ devotion, worthy of the Church’s worship in every new generation, Jesus is worthy of your trust, too. Lay down your anxiety and unworthiness before His cross, receive His grace with repentance and faith, and give your life over to the freeing, all-satisfying joy of trusting and serving Him.
“I will proclaim the name of the LORD.
Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.”
Deuteronomy 32:3-4
CLICK HERE to view Southeast’s 2019 Bible Reading Plan.