Numbers 30-31

Review…

• Numbers 1-12 – Organize the Children of Israel to travel / Journey to the Promised Land…
• Numbers 13-16 – Refusing to enter the Promised Land / Rebellion of Korah…
• Numbers 17-21- Rod of Aaron / The role of the Priests-Levites / Red heifer / 40^th year…
• Numbers 22-25 Balaam the prophet…
• Numbers 26 – The 2^nd Census…
  • God commanded Moses to count the next generation of the children of Israel…
  • Only two of the men were counted in both Census – Joshua & Caleb!
  • Numbers 27-29 – A new leader for Israel…
  • The Law of inheritance – the five daughters of Zelophehad…
    • Their father died without any sons – they’d receive no inheritance in the Land…
    • Moses asked the Lord and God gave a new Law – granting an inheritance…
  • God told Moses to go to Mt. Nebo – there he would see the Promised Land – then die…
    • Moses didn’t argue with the Lord – instead he asked for God to raise up a shepherd…
    • God gave Israel Joshua – a man full of the Holy Spirit – to lead them into His land!
  • The many required sacrifices of Israel…
    • Israel had to offer regular sacrifices to the Lord – daily / Sabbath / new month…
    • They were also required to offer special sacrifices on the feast days – Leviticus 23
    • All of these were in addition to their own burnt / grain / peace / and sin offerings!

Chapter 30 – True to your word…

• Be a man/woman of your word… vs. 1-2 Read: Numbers 30:1-2
  • If you swear to bind yourself to an agreement…
    • We have a tendency to ‘swear’ to assure others we will keep our word…
    • If someone doubts we are going to do something/pay back – we ‘swear’ we will!
    • If we really want to reinforce the point – we may ‘swear by God’ or ‘heaven’…
    • In Matthew 5:33-37 – Jesus clarified God’s Law on ‘oaths’…
    • Do not swear at all! Neither by heaven (it is God’s Throne) or by earth (His Footstool)…
    • And do not swear by your life – you cannot make one hair on your head grow back!
    • Instead let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’…
    • The only reason you have to take an oath – because men know you are untrustworthy!
    • In other words just be true to your word – then you don’t have any need to ‘swear’…
  • If you make a promise/vow…
    • God does not treat your words lightly – He expects you to fulfill your promises…
    • If you do not follow through with your promise – then it is sin…
    • * Deuteronomy 23:21 – “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, be prompt in doing whatever you promised him. For the LORD your God demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows. If you don’t, you will be guilty of sin.”
    • If you are not sure if you can keep your promise – better to say nothing at all…
    • * Ecclesiastes 5:5 – “It is better to say nothing than to promise something that you don’t follow through on.”
  • Not just a vow / or even a promise / be true to anything you say…
    • The encouragement is to make sure you think before you speak…
    • Don’t throw out words carelessly – it could end up costing us dearly…
    • Too often we speak – then we stop to think about what we said…
    • Better to think first about what we are going to say – the consequence of our words…
    • It is easy to say something – it is almost impossible to take our words back…
    • James 1:19 – “My dear brothers, be quick to listen, slow to speak…”
    • The vows of a woman… vs. 3-16 Read: Numbers 30:3-16
  • God gives Moses 3 categories of women in regards to making vows/promises…
  • 1^st – If a daughter who is still living in her father’s house makes a vow/promise…
    • She is under the authority and protection of her father…
    • Whenever he first hears about the vow/promise – he has the right to overrule it…
    • Suppose a young girl decides she likes on of the boys at her school…
    • And the boy happens to innocently touch her hand while they are playing a game…
    • The girl makes a vow/promise – ‘I will never wash my hand again!’
    • A silly emotional vow – of course a father would tell his daughter – ‘wash you hand!’
    • But if the father says nothing – then the vow/promise stands…
    • The daughter is bound by her words and must fulfill the vow she has spoken…
    • Many fathers do not get involved in their daughter’s lives – don’t pay attention…
    • Because they don’t take the time to listen – they are not there to protect them!
    • This is why so many young girls end up making VERY poor choices…
    • Ending up pregnant – or in bad relationships – because Dad was not there for them…
    • Dad’s listen to you little girls – talk to them – ask them how their day went…
    • They need you direction – they need your wisdom to guide them through life!
  • 2^nd – If a married woman makes a promise/vow…
    • She is under the authority and protection of her husband…
    • Whenever he first hears about the vow/promise – he has the right to overrule it…
    • Suppose a wife gets into a disagreement with another woman in the church…
    • She is so upset she vows she will never speak to that woman again!
    • It is a vow based on an emotional reaction – the husband tells the wife to ‘talk it out’…
    • But if the Husband says nothing – then the vow/promise stands…
    • The wife is bound to her words and must fulfill all the words she has spoken…
    • Husbands it is important you take the time to listen to your wife…
    • Women talk a lot more than men – 20,000 words in a day / vs. 5,000 words…
    • Too often men sit – but don’t really listen to their wives – ‘are you listening – yup’…
    • But our wives need us to take the time / makes the time to listen to them…
    • They look to us as a sounding board to bounce their emotions off of…
    • If the husband tried to break the vow after the first day he heard about it..
    • If a husband did not pay attention – was not listening to his wife…
    • Then a week / month / year later there were consequences because of her promise…
    • It was too late – the vow/promise stands – it was too late to overrule…
    • The results weren’t the fault of the wife – but the Husband who did not pay attention!
    • Men God holds us responsible for our family – the decision our girls and wives make…
    • Be involved – be there for them – God has called us to be the High Priest of our home!
  • 3^rd – If a older single woman / divorced / or widow makes a promise/vow…
    • Then they are bound by their word – because they are not under any man’s authority…
    • God has given women a covering – father/husband – to help protect them…
    • There is a real advantage to being a daughter/wife – a buffer given for bad decisions…
  • Why does the Bible single out the vows/promises of women…
    • I Corinthians 11:3 – God has given men as a covering for their daughters/wives…
    • God is God of order – I Corinthians 14:33 – He created order within relationships…
    • God the Father is the ‘head’ / authority over God the Son – Jesus…
    • God the Son – Jesus – is the ‘head’ / authority over every man…
    • The married man is the ‘head’ / authority over a his wife/daughters…
    • This is the reason why only men are called to be pastors within the church…
    • * I Timothy 2:13 – “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”
    • The presumably is because women are more emotional/compassionate…
    • Women experience deeper emotions than men – but it does have a down side…
    • Easily deceived – Adam was not the one deceived by satan – Eve – I Timothy 2:14
    • God has gifted women with a heart to love and nurture / men with logic to lead…
    • I Corinthians 11:8-9 – Men were created to serve God – women to help men…
    • Genesis 1:27 – “God created man in His own image; in the image of God…”
    • Genesis 2:22 – “The rib the LORD had taken from man He made into a woman.”
    • Man was not created for women – women were created for men…
    • God created Eve to be a helpmate for Adam – Genesis 2:18
    • I Corinthians 11:12 – Equal in Christ…
    • But – men are not greater/more important than women…
    • Just as the first woman came from man – all men now come from women…
    • Galatians 3:28 – “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all Christians—you are one in Christ Jesus.”
    • Ultimately we are all equal under God – all sinners saved by the same grace!
    • God assigns positions for each one of us within the body of Christ…
    • WE give those positions value – WE elevate one above another…
    • But God does not say that one position is greater than another – all are equal!
  • Chapter 31 – Wiping out a nation… (2 things)
• 1^st – Removing sin… vs. 1-2 Read: Numbers 31:1-6
  • The Lord commanded Moses to go to war with Midian… vs. 1-12
  • Midian and Moab had tempted Israel into sinning against God at Balaam’s counsel…
    • Israel sent 12,000 men (1,000 from each tribe) with the command to wipe them out!
    • They killed all the men / including the five kings a Midian / and Balaam…
    • They took all the woman / children / and animals as the spoils of war…
    • God is love – I John 4:8 – how could He command Israel to commit genocide…
    • God had given the Midianites 400 years to repent and turn to the Lord…
    • God in His Grace had held back judgment on this sinful nation…
    • II Peter 3:9 – “No, [the Lord] is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.”
    • But they’d only grown even more wicked – and now they were a threat to Israel
    • When sin goes unchecked it encourages others to sin…
    • It only takes a ‘little’ mud to make a glass of water dirty…
    • Just as a ‘little’ mud can quickly contaminate – make all the water unclean…
    • A little sin can quickly spread out and infect a whole family or church!
    • God knew that if Midian were left alone – they would corrupt Israel again…
    • A little sin in the church – can quickly grow to be a HUGE problem…
    • The longer the sin goes ‘untreated’ – the more dangerous it becomes…
• 2^nd – Giving our all to God… vs. 7-54 Read: Numbers 31:14-16, 48-49
  • Moses was angry – they had left the women alive… vs. 7-24
  • These same women were the ones who had led Israel into sin – Numbers 25…
    • So Moses commanded all the boys – and all the married women – to be put to death…
    • Only the young girls / the animals / and the wealth were to be taken as spoils…
    • And they all had to be purified by fire (metals) or water (people/animals) to the Lord!
  • Often we only give ‘most’ of ourselves over to the Lord…
    • We keep a part of our old life – some little sin we can’t let go of – from the Lord…
    • Lord I will serve you with all my heart – but can’t I still (fill in the blank)…
    • The problem is our little ‘hidden sin’ can quickly get out of control…
    • Just as there is no such thing as a ‘little’ cancer – it only takes a little to be deadly…
    • There is no such thing as a little sin – sin spreads quickly brining death…
    • The only solution – cut out the cancer – get rid of the sin…
  • Dividing up the spoils… vs. 25-54
  • Israel captured over 800,000 animals and 32,000 people!
    • The spoils of war were to be divided in half – half to the warriors / half to Israel…
    • Then one out of every 500 animals given to the warriors was given to the Levites…
    • One out of every 50 animals given to Israel was given to the Levites…
    • Because they were completely sold out to the Lord – the Lord blessed them!
    • If we are wondering why the Lord is not blessing us – why He is holding out on us…
    • It is often because we holding back from the Lord – not surrendering all to Him…
    • When we fully give ourselves over to the Lord – we will find the blessing of God!
  • I am sure when the troops went out to battle – many thought they would not return…
    • They assumed the cost of following the Lord would be high!
    • Yet when the leaders counted their troops – not one of the 12,000 had been lost!
    • They were so grateful for a flawless victory they gave a special offering…
    • 650 million pesos worth of gold from their own personal spoils of war!
    • Often we assume the cost of following Jesus will be high…
    • We think we will have to give up many things we ‘love’…
    • In truth it costs us nothing to follow Jesus – in contrast it is where life begins!