40 Years in the Wilderness

1
40 Years in the Wilderness

• Numbers and
• Deuteronomy

2
Outline

• Why wander in the Wilderness?
• Lessons Learned
• People
• Moses
• God
• Application

3
Wilderness
Egypt - Slavery
Promised Land
1 Cor 101-13 Now these things happened as
examples for us
4
Wilderness
1 Cor 101-13 Now these things happened as
examples for us
Eternity With The Lord
Slave To Sin
5
Why wander in the Wilderness?

• Unbelief
• Numbers 1411-12
• Vs 11 this people spurn Me
• Vs 11 they not believe in Me, despite all the
  signs which I have performed in their midst
• Spurn to reject with disdain to treat with
  contempt despise
• Believe be faithful trust

6
Why wander in the Wilderness?

• Unbelief
• Numbers 1420-35
• Vs 33 they shall suffer for your
  unfaithfulness
• Unfaithfulness fornication harlotry
  (prostitution)
• Numbers 141-4 Let us appoint a leader and
  return to Egypt

7
Why wander in the Wilderness?

• Unbelief
• Hebrews 312-19
• Vs 17 with whom was He angry for forty years?
• Vs 17 those who sinned
• Vs 18 whom did He swear that they should not
  enter His rest
• Vs 18 those who were disobedient
• Vs 19 we see that they were not able to enter
  because of unbelief
• Sinned gt gt Disobedient gt gt Unbelief

8
Why wander in the Wilderness?

• Testing/Preparation - Humbling/Disciplining
• Deuteronomy 81-20
• Vs 2 led you in the wilderness these forty
  years, that He might humble you, testing you, to
  know what was in your heart, whether you would
  keep His commandments or not
• Vs 5 the Lord your God was disciplining you
  just as a man disciplines his son
• Vs 16 that He might humble you and that He
  might test you, to do good for you in the end

9
Why wander in the Wilderness?

• Testing/Preparation - Humbling/Disciplining
• Deuteronomy 81-20
• Humble to be put down become low (not proud
  low in rank, importance)
• Test, Testing to try to prove (the means by
  which the presence, quality, genuineness of
  anything is determined)
• Discipline to chasten, instruct, admonish
  (punishment inflicted by way of correction and
  training)

10
Lessons Learned

• People
• Obstinate, Stiff-necked, Stubborn
• Exodus 329 Lord said, they are an obstinate
  people
• Deut 96 not because of your righteousnessfor
  you are a stubborn people (also Deut 913)
• Obstinate unyielding not easily controlled
• Stubborn unreasonably obstinate difficult to
  work, control, subdue

11
Lessons Learned

• People
• Obstinate, Stiff-necked, Stubborn
• Examples
• Constant complaining of their circumstances
• Golden calf (Ex 321,8 and Deut 912 quickly
  turned aside from the way God commanded them)
• Failed attempt at entering Promised Land (Num
  1440-45)
• Played harlot with daughters of Moab (Num 251-3
  Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor)

12
Lessons Learned

• People
• Rebellious
• Deut 97 from the day that you left the land of
  Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have
  been rebellious against the Lord
• Rebellious to be contentious to be disobedient
• Examples
• Close relation between stubborn and rebellious
• Kadesh-barnea (Num 141-10 Deut 126-33)
• Korah, Dathan, Abiram and 250 leaders (Num 16)

13
Lessons Learned

• People
• Could add impatient and self-centered
• Examples
• Golden calf (Ex 321 couldnt wait for Moses to
  return Come, make us a god who will go before
  us)
• Constant complaining of their circumstances (woe
  is me!)

14
Lessons Learned

• Moses
• Loved Gods people
• Ex 3211-14 Moses entreated the LordTurn from
  Thy burning anger and change Thy mind about doing
  harm to Thy people (also Deut 918-29 and 1010
  - another 40 days and nights)
• Num 1413-19 Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of
  this people according to the greatness of Thy
  lovingkindness, just as Thou also hast forgiven
  this people, from Egypt even until now
• Num 1641-50 took action through Aaron to stop
  plague after Korahs rebellion
• Num 216-9 (fiery serpents) And Moses interceded
  for the people
• Num 2715-17 requests God to appoint a new
  leader for Israel

15
Lessons Learned

• Moses
• Gods Obedient Servant
• Num 1711 Thus Moses did just as the Lord had
  commanded him, so he did
• With one exception, the Lord would say and Moses
  would do
• Ex 3312-15 I pray Thee, if I have found favor
  in Thy sight, let me know Thy ways, that I may
  know TheeIf Thy presence does not go with us, do
  not lead us up from here

16
Lessons Learned

• Moses
• Failed to enter the Promised Land
• Num 208-13 Because you have not believed Me,
  to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of
  Israel, therefore you shall not bring this
  assembly into the land which I have given them
• Deut 323-28 Let me, I pray, cross over and see
  the fair landBut the Lord was angry with me on
  your account, and would not listen to me

17
Lessons Learned

• God
• In Control
• Ex 66-8 I am the LordI will bring you out
  from under the burdens of the EgyptiansI will
  deliver youI will redeem youI will take you for
  My peopleI will be your Godyou will know that I
  am the LordI will bring you to the land which I
  swore to give to Abraham, Isaac and JacobI am
  the Lord
• Patient
• Num 1417-23 The Lord is slow to anger and
  abundant in lovingkindnessSo the Lord said, I
  have pardoned them according to your word

18
Lessons Learned

• God
• Just
• Num 1623-35 Get back from around the dwellings
  of Korah, Dathan and Abiramand the earth opened
  its mouth and swallowed them upFire also came
  forth from the Lord and consumed the two hundred
  and fifty men who were offering the incense
• Jealous
• Ex 205 You shall not worship them or serve
  them for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous
  God (also Deut 424)
• Ex 3210 Now then let Me alone, that My anger
  may burn against them, and that I may destroy
  them and I will make of you a great nation

19
Lessons Learned

• God
• Provision
• Deut 27 These forty years the Lord your God
  has been with you you have not lacked a thing
• Deut 83 And He humbled you and let you be
  hungry, and fed you with mannathat He might make
  you understand that man does not live by bread
  alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds
  out of the mouth of the Lord
• Deut 84 Your clothing did not wear out on you,
  nor did your foot swell these forty years (also
  Deut 295)
• Ex 1321-22 And the Lord was going before them
  in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the
  way, and in a pillar of fire by nightHe did not
  take away the pillarfrom before the people

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Application

• Learn from this example
• 1 Cor 101-13 Now these things happened as
  examples for us
• we should not crave evil things, as they also
  craved control appetites through Holy Spirit
  (Phil 48-9)
• do not be idolaters no greed or covetousness
  (Col 35)
• Nor let us act immorally flee youthful lusts
  and pursue righteousness (2 Tim 222)
• Nor let us try the Lordnor grumble dont
  complain of our circumstances or how God executes
  His judgment (Num 214-6 and 1641-46)
• Always recognize dependence on God (1 Cor
  1012-13)

21
Application

• Trust God
• He led them
• He kept them fed and clothed
• He provided them spiritual understanding and
  development (Deut 83 and 816)
• He will do the same for us (Rom 832 and Phil
  419)
• Trust Obey, for there is no other way!

22
Application

• Humble yourself
• Pride was an issue for the Israelites (Deut 82,
  3 and 16)
• Pride can be an issue for us
• When we become proud, we forget God (Deut
  811-14)
• We must always recognize the true Source
• Deut 817-18 you may say in your heart, my
  power and the strength of my hand made me this
  wealthbut you shall remember the Lord your God,
  for it is He who is giving you power to make
  wealth
• 1 Cor 47 And what do you have that you did not
  receive? But if you did receive it, why do you
  boast as if you had not received it?

23
Application

• Be Teachable
• They were obstinate, stiff-necked, stubborn
  people
• These are not attributes of someone open to
  teaching and discipline
• Are you spending consistent time studying Gods
  Word with other men? Are you under sound
  Biblical teaching?
• And they were continually devoting themselves to
  the apostles teaching (Acts 242)
• Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you,
  with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one
  another (Col 316)
• God disciplines us for our good
• Thus you are to know in your heart that the Lord
  your God was disciplining you just as a man
  disciplines his son (Deut 85)
• but He disciplines us for our good, that we may
  share His holiness (Heb 1210)

24
Application

• Learn to be Content
• Our circumstances dont define God or our
  relationship with Him
• His Word defines Him and our relationship with
  Him
• If we do not learn to be content in our
  circumstances, how can we be grateful to God?
• We have all we need in Him
• Let your character be free from the love of
  money, being content with what you have for He
  Himself has said, I will never desert you, nor
  will I ever forsake you, (Heb 135 and Deut
  316)
• Not that I speak from want for I have learned
  to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
  (Phil 411)

25
Application

• Dont let disappointment keep you from finishing
  strong
• Moses must have been disappointed after he
  learned he would not enter the Promised Land
• Moses still finished well
• Obedient servant (So Moses did just as the Lord
  commanded)
• Aarons death victories over the Canaanites and
  Amorites the bronze serpent addressed sin of
  Peor commissioned Joshua and slaughtered the
  Midianites
• Deuteronomy Moses urges Israel to obey God and
  to believe in Himto love the Lord your God with
  all your heart and with all your soul and with
  all your might (Deut 65)
• God buried Moses (Deut 345-6)
• We must finish well (forgetting what lies
  behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.
  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
  upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Phil
  312-14)