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Scripture study on Numbers 11 - 14

F F r r o o m m C C o o m m p p l l a a i i n n t t s s t t o o AAp p o o s s t t a a s s y y

The Wilderness is designed for the Spirit and not the flesh. Israel travelled through the Wildernessto get Egypt out of them. It was also to test them to see what was in their hearts. The wholewilderness experience was a big test to expose their weaknesses and to teach them to walk in HisWays. Even the manna He gave them was to test them:

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We see two things here that we normally do not think about; YHVH provides and in His provision isa test to help you so that you can learn to keep a balance. He gave them what they needed but notwhat they wanted. This shows us that YHVH is more interested in your spiritual growth than yourphysical comfort. Y’shua even said in Matt 5:30 that if your hand causes you to stumble, you shouldcut it off so that you may at least enter His Kingdom than to be lost with a perfect body.The word Wilderness is the Hebrew word “midbar” that isrelated to the Word. How can this be? The root word forwilderness is the word “davar” that means ‘word’ and ‘order’.What has the wilderness to do with words? Words in a certainorder give us sentences that convey a message. It is this orderin the message of His Word that He wants us to receive so thatwe can have order in our lives.

The wilderness is also a place of perfect order where everything is in balance, the way He created itto be. YHVH then placed His people in the wilderness to learn this order, the same way He place usin His Word to learn His order. His Word is a measuring stick that tests our actions and HisWilderness is also the place that test and measure His people to reveal their hearts through theiractions.

T T h h e e S S i i n n o o f f I I n n g g r r a a t t i i t t u u d d e e

Numbers 11 tells us of the people complaining and murmuring which isregarded as a sin.

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The people complained and YHVH heard it, this shows us that YHVH is always listening, so youbetter watch your tongue because His anger was kindled against Israel because of their words.Where have we heard this in the New Testament?

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This is one of the instructions that are casually broken, not thinking that it will have an effect on oursalvation. Idle words are words are words that involve complaining, lies, slander, and uncleanwords est. The tongue is the smallest of all your members, but can set a wild fire alight as we sawhere in Numbers. We see that words are connected to fire of judgment and you will be judged byyour words and not only your actions. Philippians 2 advise us to be blameless regardingmurmurings so that you will be without rebuke.

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There are a few reasons why we normally murmur and complain:

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If you are in a bad mood, you are normally more prone to murmur and find fault with peopleand things. People get upset normally when they do not get their way and this is rooted inselfishness. Selfishness or love of self is the opposite of true love, love for your brother.

•

You murmur when what you have is not as good as what someone else has. Theycompared themselves with the Egyptians and what they eat, compared to what YHVH gavethem to eat. This is rooted in covetousness the breaking tenth commandment.

•

If you have no faith, then you tend to complain when you cannot see the outcome YHVHpromised.

It is and interesting fact to see the main reason for complaining was food. Thiswas also the first thing that cause the first sin to enter into the world; namelyfood. Food is directly connected to the flesh and the flesh is the enemy of thespirit. YHVH told them in the Garden to eat of everything except of the one treein the middle of the Garden. It was the lust of the eye that caused them to fall.They failed to obey YHVH’s commandment because of their “covetousness” andapatite. They actually broke the tenth Commandment which is thecommandment that is the furthest away from the First Commandment; faith inYHVH. If our faith in YHVH is stronger than our fleshly cravings, then we will notsin. Covetousness is also the sin that causes you to break all the otherCommandments; take someone’s partner, steal, lie est.Man’s greatest instinct or drive is to procreate and the second strongest drive isto eat or survive. Both these are very strong fleshly desires that YHVH gave so that we can multiplyand fill the earth. Both these instincts are also the two greatest enemies and cause man to fall intosin. Therefore we must put these two fleshly drives under YHVH’s control through obeying HisWord (order and perfect balance) so that we can would not sin.Paul describes in Romans that our flesh is our greatest enemy and there is a constant battlebetween our spirit and our flesh. This battle takes place in your mind where you follow the Law ofYHVH, and in your flesh, where you follow the law of sin.

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It is the Law of YHVH or His Word, helps us to battle and overcome the law of sin in our flesh, andthose who do not know the law of YHVH (what is right and wrong) will not battle against the fleshand the law of sin. His Law is the solution to overcome sin, not grace. Grace is the Blood of theLamb that bails us out every time we stumble and fall, but you still have to repent and not give upand let sin take over your life.

What do we learn from Numbers 11, not forgetting what He has done for us in the past?

Israel experienced miracle after miracle and still they did not believe and complained. It was a slapin YHVH’s Face, forgetting what He has done for them whenever they faced a new obstacle. YHVHallowed these obstacles to see if they have grown in faith or if they were stuck in to their sinful flesh.We have the Word and must learn how YHVH provided for His people and whenever we face aobstacle, we must not loose heart and remember what He has done for our fathers in theWilderness, so that our faith can be strong and so that we can obey the First Commandment.