Year of the Bible: Part Three of Twelve Sample

God Leads the People Toward Their Promised Land.

The book of Numbers has a kind of boring name, but is full of amazing stories that bring context to the rest of the Bible. The Hebrew name for this book is "bamidbar" which means, "in the wilderness."

Earlier, God told His people to only move when they saw the cloud or pillar of fire move ahead of them. After camping out near the mountain of God, the time had come to move onward toward their destination. The Pillar of Fire was on the move! The camp's mood was likely an excited one because they were finally on the move after over a year in one place.

In this journey through the Bible, it makes sense to wonder if Moses could be the promised "seed" of the woman who will eventually destroy the enemy and his lies. Could he be the deliverer God's people have been waiting for? So far, God has used him to deliver them from Egypt, led them safely through the Red Sea, and finally saw their pursuers cast deep into the sea, never to be seen again.

Moses also bravely defends the people before God, asking Him to forgive them, to which God responds by saying yes and agreeing to continue with them on the journey. Moses certainly fits the vision of a deliverer for God's people. Maybe now the promised seed has finally arrived.

In a surprising turn of events, however, this deliverer, Moses, disqualifies himself from entering the promised land with the rest of the people of Israel. When God told him to only speak to the rock to bring forth water for the whole population, Moses instead responded to the arguing of the people in anger, striking the rock twice.

Moses dishonored the Lord publically, and in response to this, the Lord said, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."

You will read many more stories like Moses' story, where well-intentioned followers of God got it wrong by doing it their way. You can trace a familiar motive in each account: a lack of belief in God's ability to do what He says He will do.

Question: How do you relate to Moses' frustration about his situation leading the Israelites?

Prayer: We cannot do anything apart from God's spirit and help. It's tempting, often, to take matters into our hands. If you have walked with God for even a few years, you have noticed that things go better when you walk obediently with God and resist the desire to do it your way. Invite God into every area of your life, especially where you need to give up "final-say" power.

Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." The time to grow in strength is now. If you feel weak in your belief, invite God to reveal Himself to you in fresh ways and strengthen your faith in His abilities.