Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20111030.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XX: Heeding God's Leading Signals Over Our Own Understanding
(Numbers 14:25-45)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Even conscientious Christians often try to do God's will only to miss His blessing, and then don't know why. We illustrate as follows:

    (1) In their article, "Politics and faith: 5 rules of the road" in the October 24, 2011 USA TODAY, p. 9A, David Saperstein and Oliver Thomas suggested that candidates for office " . . . should refrain from citing religion as the exclusive authority for their position on issues. Democracy requires the ability to test public policies in reasoned discourse in a free marketplace of ideas."

    Actually, a Christian must not heed that advice, for 2 Timothy 3:16-17 claims: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God . . . that the man of God may be . . . throughly furnished unto all good works." Thus, if the Bible directs him unto ALL good works, every Christian must then use the Bible as his ultimate authority. If public opinion then ever differs from Scripture on an issue, the Bible must be his only authority on that issue. Nevertheless, Christians often adopt ungodly policies to win votes and end up lacking God's blessing!

    (2) Another realm of missed blessing occurs to millions in our land who do not have bank checking accounts. (prnewswire.com, October 10, 2011, "Hidden Or Unexpected Fees Cited As Top Reason Working Poor Close Bank Accounts.") Proverbs 14:4 tell us to bear some costs (manure [bank fees]) to make gain (milk [financial good]), so, in view of the following facts, God wants one to pay the bank fees and have a checking account: (a) 18 % of those without bank accounts have lost an average of $729 in cash, some by theft, for not having their money safely in a bank (Ibid.), so doing the math shows us that it is far cheaper to have a bank account and pay its fees to insure against such loss! (b) Then, if we balance the checkbook each time we write a check, we avoid accidental, huge overdraft fees! (c) Also, alternate banking services charge a lot to cash and write checks, so bank fees for having a checking account are a reasonable cost to bear! (d) Last, if we keep enough money in the account, many banks will charge us no fees or let us shift the balance to an account that pays us interest!

    Nevertheless, to avoid fees, millions have no bank accounts, and so pay big ongoing costs and wonder where is God's blessing!

    Thus, we may ask, "When I try to do God's will, I fail to be blessed! Why, and what should I do about it?!"

    Need: "When I try to please God, He doesn't seem to bless. Why?!"

  1. After Israel's people had heeded the ten spies' faithless report, God judged them to travel in the wilderness for 40 years until they had all died and were replaced by a new generation, Numbers 14:25-35.
  2. Since the ten faithless spies had led Israel not to trust God, He slew them and saved the godly spies, Caleb and Joshua, Num. 14:36-38.
  3. Realizing through this divine judgment their error, the people changed their minds, deciding to invade Canaan in line with the Caleb's and Joshua's initial advice, Num. 14:39-40 with 14:6-9.
  4. However, Moses objected to this decision, claiming it was wrong:
    1. Moses said that to invade Canaan now was to "overstep, transgress" (abar, B. D. B., A Heb.-Eng. Lex. of the O. T., p 716-719) [literally] the "mouth of Jahweh ," figuratively claiming their act would be a rebellion against the words of Jahweh, the God Who led them out of Egypt, Num. 14:41a; Ex. 3:13-14; Kittel, Biblia Hebraica , p. 217, 82:
      1. Since Israel had failed to trust God in heeding Caleb and Joshua, God had since then told Israel to turn south toward the Gulf of Aqaba , not to go north and invade Canaan, Numbers 14:25-30.
      2. Thus, to invade by going north NOW would actually violate what God's words had most recently told them to do!
    2. Also, to overstep God's words would put Israel in violation of God's suzerain treaty, the Law given at Mount Sinai, thus leaving Israel without God's help as her Suzerain in her invasion effort, Numbers 14:41b (Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, 1963, p. 13-23):
      1. The pronoun "He" is emphatic, written separate from the main verb (Ibid., Kittel) to stress that Israel's decisions to function independent of God's leading left her without His key help!
      2. The verb salah, "advance, prosper," appears in the text (Ibid., B. D. B., p. 852), showing God would not help Israel prosper!
  5. Regardless of Moses' warning, the people invaded the hill country of Canaan without the ark of God and without Moses, Numbers 14:44. The dwellers of Canaan promptly defeated Israel, pursuing her warriors as far as Hormah 25 miles south of Hebron, Numbers 14:45; The MacMillan Bible Atlas, 1968, map 51.
  6. Israel's error in this event was relying on her own understanding opposite trusting the Lord's Biblical leading (as follows):
    1. In relying on their own understanding, the people of Israel reacted to God's sudden judgment on the ten faithless spies by concluding that the advice of those men had been wrong, that God thus NOW wanted them to invade Canaan like Joshua and Caleb had advised they do.
    2. However, had Israel BIBLICALLY trusted the LORD, she never would have come to this errant conclusion, and that for these reasons:
      1. First, God had always indicated He used Moses to lead Israel:
        1. God had shown multiple signs in Exodus 4:29-31 with 3:8-9 to indicate He wanted Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt to Canaan.
        2. The Lord had then repeatedly performed ten great miracles by Moses' hand to get Israel out of Egypt, Exodus 7:14-12:36.
        3. God had used Moses to part the Red Sea for Israel to escape the pursuing Egyptians and to return the sea on the pursuers so that Israel trusted God and His servant Moses, Ex. 14:15-29, 30-31.
      2. Second, ever since the construction of the tabernacle at Sinai, God had indicated through His certified messenger, Moses that God's presence for success in war was associated with the ark:
        1. Ever since Sinai, when the ark set out ahead of Israel, Moses would claim God was leading Israel to war, Num. 10:35 NIV.
        2. When the ark stopped, Moses then announced that God was returning to Israel's military forces, Numbers 10:36 NIV.
      3. Third, God's certified messenger said God now wanted Israel to go south to the Gulf of Aqaba, not north to Canaan , Num. 14:25, 39.
      4. So, for the people to go north to invade Canaan (a) without Moses, the man God had clearly indicated He would use to lead them, and to invade (b) without the presence of the ark representing God's aid in war, and to invade (c) in violation of what God's messenger, Moses said God wanted Israel to do now left Israel as vulnerable to her foes as when she was as a nation of slaves back in Egypt!
Application: If troubled at failing to see God bless if we try our best to please Him, (1) may we heed His Word to trust in Christ as Savior to become a child of God that HE will TRULY LEAD, John 1:11-12; Romans 8:14. (2) Then, as a believer, may we (a) NOT trust in our OWN UNDERSTANDING, but (b) heed GOD'S WORD (c) in union with the ADVICE of BIBLICALLY CLARIFIED leaders (2 Tim. 3:14-17) for blessing. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 We may wonder how Pastor Shell can apply this message as an example if he is Nepaug Church's human spiritual leader, and "has no human leader over him." Allow me illustrate just how God does this!

(1) Over ten years ago while on vacation and in bed at night about to fall asleep, I received a call from a State trooper. He had found an unlocked Church door, and wanted me to come and lock it.

I knew from Romans 13:3-4 he was a "minister of God," so, to obey God, I did what the officer said, and came and locked the door.

Then, driving home, I listened to a Christian radio station, and heard a pastor speak on Revelation 4:3 on the rainbow around God's throne. I had wondered for years why that rainbow was green, and the pastor said that as green in Scripture typifies grace, a fact I knew, and as God in the context was about to express wrath, the rainbow meant that in wrath, God would remember mercy as taught in Habakkuk 3:2.

I realized how Biblically correct his exposition was, and thus rejoiced in God's use of that event to give me oversight on the matter!

(2) Just this week, I realized a greater significance of that event. As I have before testified, God has often led me to know His will in the night just as my verified call from God to the pastorate and this Church door incident both came at night! Well, Revelation 3:14-22 that I now see as God's message to us, another passage in Revelation, was a passage I was also then struggling fully to understand. It wasn't until several years after this unlocked door event that, in the night, I awoke and sat straight up, shocked at understanding this passage! God had used a minister, a trooper, and another minister, a pastor, to signal (in hindsight) He would lead me to understand Revelation 3:14-22, a passage I would have to know as it was to direct my whole ministry.

(3) Then, two weeks ago, I learned the Revelation 3:21 promise of a pastor's being rewarded to be "in" Christ's throne as He was "in" the Father's throne referred mainly to Revelation 5:2-14 and 7:17. There, Christ "in" the Father's throne administers God's judgment on evil and shepherds His people oppressed by evil using God's truth. A pastor will thus be honored of God if he expounds Scripture to expose evil and nurture God's oppressed people -- exactly what occurs now!

So, may we heed Scripture in union with advice from God's reputable messengers versus relying on our own understanding as our final authority, that we might know His will for true blessing!