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COMMUNITY G STUDY 3: THE FAITHLESS WILL
WANDER IN CIRCLES
In Numbers 13-14 we see Israel’s refusal to trust
God leads to wasted years. We only know of three things that happened during
their wilderness wanderings and none of them good! We can live our lives with
40 years of activity but, from heaven’s perspective, nothing is happening! This text, and the bible generally, make
it clear that a Christian can waste their time and talents. We can live our
lives missing out on much of the inheritance that God has for us. We can wander
in circles. Let’s pray that we would
learn from Israel’s wilderness wandering.
DISCUSS:
Numbers
13:1-3
· What is
promised to Israel and how should this have made them feel?
Numbers 13:26
·
On returning from exploring the Land, what
report did they give?
·
How should the previous lessons from their
journey have affected their response to this challenge?
·
How are you tempted to act like these
discouraged explorers?
Number 13:30;
14:5-9
·
How did Caleb and some other leaders try to
encourage them?
·
What Kinds of things might one say to a friend
or Community Group that might be discouraged or lacking faith?
Numbers
13:31-33; 14:1-4
·
Why did they respond so badly to Caleb’s
encouragement?
·
Have you every had, spread or been influenced
by bad attitudes?
Numbers 14:20-25
·
Unfaithfulness leads to their wandering and
dying in the desert; even those who had a good attitude are delayed for 40
years! What can we all learn from this episode?
·
Are there attitudes and behaviour in your life
that, if changed, would help you to progress in your walk with God?
Stories
from the journey
‘When I was 20 I was mugged in the street
one evening as I walked home with a friend. Following this incident I became
very fearful, particularly about going out at night. I used to be gripped with
fear even by the thought of having to walk from my car to my front door, if it
was dark. I hated having to sleep in the house on my own. After a number of
years of this very strong fear, God begin to work in my life and replace the
fear with peace. My husband Jason then had a long period of working away from
home and so I had to go to God and ask him to give me courage each night, which
He did. I no longer fee l the fear and anxiety I once did, but instead know God's closeness and peace.’ (Ruth Byrne)
‘I had opportunity to
Lead at Alpha as a table host & in our children’s work (Promiseland) as a
team leader. Leading is not my natural gifting or desire and felt very
inadequate and fearful to do it. But that seemed to be what I was being called
to, so simply trusted God to do what I couldn't. Although it was a struggle and
I felt tired even at the thought of doing it, and often felt that I didn't do a
good job, it all seemed to work out.’ (Debra Osborne)
DAILY PERSONAL BIBLE DEVOTIONAL WEEK 3 – NUMBERS
13-14
MONDAY: FAITH BELIEVES THE PROMISES OF GOD
Numbers 13:1-3 The Lord said to Moses, “Send some men to
explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From
each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” So at the Lord’s command
Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the
Israelites.
God has promised them the Land. Life throws up many
real obstacles but faith sees God! If we see God, we keep moving forward and
believing for great things.
TUESDAY: WITHOUT FAITH WE SPREAD A BAD REPORT
Numbers 13:31-33 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those
people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread
among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They
said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we
saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the
descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like
grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”
These leaders refuse to believe the promises of God
and spread a bad report. Leaders who are meant to ‘hold up Moses arms’ are a
source of poison. Leaders need to be particularly careful that they use God’s
gift to lead in the right direction – toward faith. Only a living faith in God
will keep us actively living in the good of God’s promises. Pray that your
words and example would inspire others.
WEDNESDAY: SPREAD A GOOD REPORT
Numbers 13:30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We
should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”
Numbers 14:6-9 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among
those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire
Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly
good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he
will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will
give it to us. Only do not rebel against
the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the
land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but
the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
Only
Joshua and Caleb, of the spies, sought to encourage the people. Will we seek to
be true ‘prophets’ who, in the midst of unbelief, point to the promises of God
and the God of the promises? Let’s be attentive to how we and others are
speaking. Let’s endeavour to think and help others to think faithfully; as Paul
says,
2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.
THURSDAY: THEY WANT ANOTHER LEADER FOR ANOTHER
DIRECTION
Numbers 14:1-4 That night all the members of the community raised their voices
and wept aloud. All the Israelites
grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If
only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing
us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and
children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go
back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should
choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
They became so fearful that they would rather go
back to slavery than follow God. I guess that their imagined fear of the people
of Canaan seemed greater than there fear of the slave drivers they knew in
Egypt. Keep a close watch on your imagination. It’s a gift but it can be
hijacked into magnifying danger.
FRIDAY: LET’S NOT HINDER GOD’S WORK IN OUR LIVES
Numbers 14:11 The Lord said
to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long
will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have
performed among them?
Does the unconditional
grace of God mean that no matter what we do, He is never grieved and that, in
effect, nothing can hinder God’s plans for us? Simply put, if nothing could
hinder God’s work in our lives, there would be no need to have the New
Testament sections that stress obedience for example,
2 Peter 1:5-8 …
make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and
to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to
perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual
affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in
increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Heb. 3:7-11
also)
Let’s listen to God and
avoid being ‘ineffective and unproductive’.
SATURDAY: LET’S CHOOSE SALVATION AND INHERITANCE!
A journey that could have
taken weeks takes over forty years and the death of an entire generation. They
did not inherit the Land because of unfaithfulness.
Numbers 14:33-35 Your
children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your
unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. For forty
years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer
for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ I,
the Lord, have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this
whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet
their end in this wilderness; here they will die.”
During their wandering,
God led them by His presence, He provided manner and miracles, but they did not
get God’s best for them!
Deuteronomy 8:4-6 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these
forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so
the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of
the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him.
Salvation is wonderful,
but let’s also inherit what God has for us. The journey so far has taught us
that Fear, laziness, grumbling, faithlessness, prayerlessness will cause even
His children to wander in circles and waste their time.
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