Numbers 15:1-16 Bible Study | Episode 767

September 17, 2024

Hope Alive: Applying God’s Word to Your Daily Life

Numbers 15:1-16  Bible Study | Episode #767

I am Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and had been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. The purpose of studying scripture is that you might know the character of Jesus Christ, and that you might see the world from the Father's perspective. That you gain wisdom that changes your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open His word to you and allow you to see Him and to know Him. To know His will, that you might glorify Him and that you might walk in faith and power each day, especially today. In Jesus name.

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Transcript

This is Chad Harrison, and you're listening to hope alive, applying God's word to your daily life. Hi, this is Chad Harrison, and I am the teaching pastor of Lake Community Church and have been serving as a pastor for 25 years. I'm also a practicing attorney. This podcast is designed to help you study God's word and find God's will for your life. I pray in the name of Jesus right now that God would open up his word to you and allow you to see him and to know him and to know his will, that you might glorify him and that you might walk in faith and power each and every day, especially today, in Jesus name.

Well, good morning. Welcome to Lake Community Church's morning Bible study. We are in numbers, chapter 15. Numbers, chapter 15. And this is one of those places where you. When you come across, reading through scripture, as I've taught you before, when it seems like it's a strange transition. Maybe it's one of those situations where you say, I'm looking through this, and why is this here? That is a. Well, it's a signal flag. It's a flare God is sending up. He's, he's shooting it up there and he's saying, hey, I'm trying to tell you something here. I'm trying to explain something to you. And remember, it's not for what's going on with the people, it's for us. It's a message to us. God's given us a signal that he's trying to let us know and understand that when things happen, you need to look for the odd stuff. You need to look around and see. Well, you need to have eyes to see. Jesus talks about that a whole lot. Having eyes to see and ears to hear. The so many people go around and they don't open their eyes to see the things that are happening around them. And the physical world was created by a spiritual God, and so the physical world has indicators there are things out there. God said you could clearly see him, his nature and who he was. So that in romans one, his divine qualities, his eternal, his eternality was available to be seen in that which he created. And so when you look around in the world, God oftentimes gives you things that are being said, that things that are going on out there that you should open your eyes to and see and say, oh, I see that God, I see what you're doing there. Well, God does that in his word. Also. He throws things out there that don't seem to be congruence with what's going on. It just doesn't seem like, you know, it's not one of those things in story. In my profession, especially because I'm generally speaking a courtroom lawyer, meaning I'm in the courts a lot, which means I'm around a lot of people and a lot of situations are going on and people are, you know, in difficult, you know, a lot of times I see people on the worst day of their life because those things are happening, because those things are going on at that time because it's happening that way. I see, I see some very strange stuff, but oftentimes the strange stuff is really indicative of what's truly going on more than the things that are happening that people are covering up. They realize that, you know, if you see this, you're gonna know something, so they're covering it up. When people, when people are less guarded because they're, because they're worried about something else, oftentimes you see the truth in things, and I don't really even know how to describe it to you, but when the Holy Spirit's revealing things to you, you see them, you see them going on around you, you see God at work in the world around you, and he wants you to have eyes to see that. Well, in chapter 14, you have the children of Israel refusing to go in. They refuse to go into the promised land. That's what they did. They just, they, they did it. They, they spied it out. Ten spies came and said, we want to go. We, we don't think we should go in. There's giants in the land, but everything God said about the land is true. And then you have, uh, you have, uh, two spies that say, no, we should go in, uh, because God said so. And the children of Israel all get into a giant crying fitzgerald about going in. And God says, okay, well, you're not going in. Your carcasses are going to die in the wilderness. I'm going to take your children in. Everybody 20 and under is going in. And Joshua and Caleb, they're going in too. But everybody else is going to die in the wilderness. And then they try to go in and the Canaanites come out and drive them out because they refuse to walk by faith and then spread alert. Chapter 16. There's going to be a rebellion. There's going to be rebellion of God's people against God's leadership, which is something that happens when God's people refuse to go in. That's some of the common. We're going to deal with that pretty deeply. But in between the two, God gives instructions about what? The children of Israel, now it's truly the children, meaning the ones that are under the age of 20, what they're to do as far as grain offerings and drink offerings associated with the blood sacrifices that are going to take place. And he gives them some instruction about that, and then he's going to give some instruction about sin and how that goes on and violating the Sabbath. He's just going to give them some more instruction about what to do when they go in. And you're going, well, that doesn't seem right. In between, they don't go in and you got a rebellion. Next chapter. I mean, how do those fit together with God giving instruction? Because you need to hear this. You need to hear this. God's gonna have his will be done. God's gonna be at work doing his will, and that will is gonna work out whether you choose to walk in it or not. He's gonna do his will no matter what you do. You need to understand that he's God. You're not. If you choose not to walk in his will in his way, well, you just miss out on his best. But he's going to have his best. He's already promised it. He's already said it's going to be, it's the promised land. That means God promised it. If God promises, he delivers, God's going to deliver. He's going to deliver his children into the promised land one way or the other. Even if all the children of Israel said, we're never going in, he's going to take Moses and make a nation, and those pretty children were going to go in, somebody's going in, somebody's going to get God's best. That's going to happen. That's just where it's going to be. And so it can either be you, because you choose to trust God and walk by faith, or even be somebody else. But it doesn't matter who it is, no matter who it is, it just matters that it's going to be. Now, does God care about you? Does God want you to be you? Sure it does. But he knows whether you are, you're not. And he's continuing to work his plan, his will and his way, whether you're involved or whether you choose not to be involved. And that's the truth that you've got to, you've got to come to terms with. That's truth. You've got to figure out. It says, the Lord said, saying to them, speak to the children of Israel and say, then when you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which I am giving you notice when you come into the land. Notice. He says speak to the children of Israel. He literally means speak to the children here. Okay. Not, not to the adults because the adults aren't going in. He says when you come in, when you have future tents, come into the land to, you are to inhabit, meaning you are going to inhabit me, God, saying, I'm going to carry out my plan, which I'm giving to you, and you make an offering by fire to the Lord. Now he's going to go through three offerings. He's going to go through a burnt offering. He's going to go through a ram offering. Then he's going to go through the sacrifice of a bull or oxen and he's going to add to those offerings a separate offering. And you go, what's that about? Well, I'm going to tell you. He's going to give them three offerings and then he's going to ask them to do a grain offering and mix it with oil and wine. The first one's the burnt offering, which is a pure offering for sin. And he asked them to take one 10th of and then one 10th and one 10th of bread, wine and oil and mix them together as, as an offering. To him. It's basically making us a, a cracker or a cake, you know, a small cake of food using these things. And then for, you know, when he, when he asked him to do the offering for a bram then to do, do the offering for a, for a oxen or, you know, when you young bull, basically all this, all these are pictures of power and flesh and sin. He also says offer these other things. And what is a grain offering? A grain offers and a fellowship offering. What is oil represent? Oil represents the power of God. What does wine represent? Wine represents the goodness, the resonant goodness of God. You got the, you got the resonant meaning that power that just sits. The resonant power of God. The resonant goodness of God. What is the power of God? Well, this is eternality. It's the Holy Spirit's power. What is the goodness of God? Well, that's joy and peace and patience. It's the ability to trust. It's kind of like floating on the lake when it's ultimately calm. That's the peace of God that comes. And so he's telling the children of Israel, and if you'll notice, he's adding to the payment for sin. He's adding to that an aspect of relationship, fellowship that comes from the grain offering goodness that comes from the wine, power that comes from the oil. What he's saying is, is these offerings are not just going to be to make offerings. These offerings are such that I can have a relationship with you. They're relational in nature. It's not just. You're not just offering these sacrifices for no reason. When you enter into the land, yeah, I know your parents didn't go in, but you're going in. Yeah, I know that they're going to rebel later on. They don't know it, but they are. But still you're going in. I know that they didn't do right at the mountain, and when they got the ten commandments, they made a golden chest, but you're going in. I know they complained about what I gave them as far as manna, and they ate, you know, doves and, you know, all that kind of stuff. I know all that happened, but you're going in. And notice he's just, he coming back, but you're going in. But you're going in. And when you're going in, I want you to get ready. When you're going in, I want you to be. I want it to be. I want it to be your time. He keeps going back to, but somebody's going in. So somebody is going in. Somebody's going into the promised land. Somebody's going to take it. Somebody's going to have it. You know why? Because God will be glorified. When Jesus was riding in on that donkey into Jerusalem and all the leadership of Israel, all the spiritual leaders kept saying, you gotta stop these people from yelling Hosanna in the highest and laying their coats down and waving these palm trees. You gotta stop it. It's blasphemy. And Jesus said, if I stop them from doing it, the watch will cry out. You know why? Because certain things that are part of God's will will be done, whether it's you or somebody else. But they're gonna be done. This is the way it's going to be. It's going to be that way. Now. You can choose to be a part of it. You choose not to be a part of it. It doesn't really matter as far as God's will and whether or not it's going to happen, it's going to happen. It does matter personally for you and personally for God in relationship with you, it matters to him. He wants you to go in. He wants you to be a part of it. But when you go into the promised land, he's going to handle the sin that's in your life. That's what he's saying here. He's going to handle the overall sin and the burnt offering. He's going to handle the power of sin that has over you in individual areas of your life strongholds. He's going to handle the just nastiness of your broken heart and broken will and the bur offering. But in the midst of all those offerings, there's going to be fellowship because there's going to be grain and there's going to be power because it's going to be oil and there's going to be a. There's gonna be goodness and there's gonna be peace and there's gonna be joy and there's gonna be life in it because of the wine. And by the way, that is real wine, okay? Nobody except for. Anyway. No, nobody thinks that's not, you know, wine, okay? Nobody in the world, no christian sect in the world except for a few around here. Nobody thinks that's not wine, okay? It's the goodness of God. Quit playing with it. It's. It's the power of God in the oil. Quit playing with it. It's the. It's the fellowship with God with the bread. Don't mess around with it. God saying, you gotta have a relationship with me. I've got a relationship with you. You need to have a relationship with me. And the whole reason for you going to the promised land is, yes, to handle your sin. But secondly, so that we can walk together and we can. We can. I'm giving you the garden back. We're trying to go back to the garden of Eden where it was way it was supposed to be, where God knew us and we knew him. And we fulfilled all that he made us to be. Verse eleven, it says, thus shall be done for each young bull and each ram and for each lamb and goat, according to the number that you prepare, so that you shall do with everyone according to their number. Meaning everybody that goes in gets it. Everybody that goes against. It's not just a few people. It's not just the pastors that get all this goodness and stuff. It's everybody. If you go in, you get to do it. Not only you, but not only you Jews, but all who are native born shall do these things in this manner. And present offerings made by fire and sweet aroma to the Lord. And if a stranger dwells with you, see, not only do jews get to go in, but strangers too, or whoever's among you throughout the generations. And would present an offering made by fire, sweet aroma to the Lord. Just notice this is what God wants, is sweet aroma to him. It's what he wants to have happen. He says. He says, one of the ornaments shall be for you of the assembly and for strangers who dwell with you. Meaning not only do you get it, but anybody else who wants to go in. And that's what I think. So cool about it. Oftentimes we become so parochial or we become. Become so racial, or we become so into our little group that we don't realize that everybody gets to go in, and we need to go in with everybody. We need to have interracial churches. We need to have churches that involve people from different walks of life, not just a rich people church and a poor people church and a medium people church, and a fat people's church, and a skinny people's church, and a good looking people's church, and an ugly people's church. I don't know what churches they are, but you know how it is. We got. You know, we try to break up in our little groups and have our little churches. And God says, when we go into the promised land, we're all going in together. Red, yellow, black and white. They're precious in their sight. Rich, poor, medium, whatever it is, you know, people not so smart, super smart people, you know, however you want to. The athletes, the, you know, the band members, the whatever, whoever it is. We're all going in. We're all going in. We're all going in together. And when we go in, God's gonna deal with our sin, but he's not dealing with our sin just so that he can say he's overcome sin. He's dealing with our sin so that we can have relationship with him. And that's why the bread's important. That's why the wine's important. That's why the oil's important. You know, sometimes it gets me fired up because I know God's plan, and God's plan is nothing. What you really kind of see in christendom today, God's plan is that we all be together and that we all go in. So no matter what, you know, walk of life you come out of, when you walk into the body of Christ, you should be a part of it. Whether you've been a part of the kingdom for a long, long time, or you're just a stranger wandering in, trying to figure out where God is, you ought to have it. And the promised land is for you. And, yeah, we got to fight the giants, okay? We're going to deal with that for a long time. We do got to fight the giants because the giants are there. We know the giant, you know, we know them. The, the monsters that are attacking, we know that. We know that. But we have power to overcome them because Jesus overcame the world. He, we got the power, okay? And we got the world. So that is the power. But we also have the goodness of God, which is the wine, and we have fellowship with him, which is the bread. And even though we're dealing with the sin, we've got all that. And God says, I want you to remember you got this too, over here when we're fighting the Bibles. Remember, I still got this stuff over here for you. It's gonna be good. It's gonna be good stuff. Don't be afraid of the Anakites or the Canaanites, or the Hittites, the Perizzites, or the Hivites, amorites, or any of themites. No ites. Do not, do not worry about the ites. I give you power to overcome them. Don't worry about your sin. I'm going to wash you clean. Worry about me. Worry about relationship with me. The whole reason I'm, I'm going to get you to go in is because I'm going to prove to you that I can take you in. That's what this story is all about. I mean, that is the overarching story of the, of the Old Testament is the deliverance from sin and death in the world to life and to power and to peace in the promised land. It is the overarching story of, of scripture. It's the overarching story of history. It is the story of Jesus. He is the focal point of that plan. He is the permanent single most important aspect of God's plan. And he reveals this in the Old Testament, in the histories, in the prophets, in the poetry, in the Gospels, in the epistles and in the revelation. He reveals all that. We gotta be willing to go in. Do you have ears to hear, an eyes to see? I hope so. If you don't have them, you probably do have them. You just hadn't learned to tune them in. Tune them in. Expect to fight the Anakites. Expect to struggle with sin. Expect to have peace. Expect to have power. Expect to have fellowship with God. If that's going, if you're doing all that kind of stuff in your life today, if you're struggling with sin, if you're battling giants, if sometimes you have the peace of God, when you're with God's people, if sometimes you have the power of God, every once in a while, you experience the power of God. And if you feel fellowship with him when you hear his word, you are in the promised land. You are doing. You're in it. You're in the game. You got the jersey, and you're going to win.

As you go today, I pray that the Lord will bless you and keep you, that he'll make his face to shine upon you, and that he will give you hope and peace today, in Jesus name.