Want to learn more about Numbers? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 13-part series.
How are you at math? Did you know that mathematical
formulas govern much of our physical world? Scientists are still
trying match the things they observe to the math they know. They
have a very long way to go to figure it all out, assuming they can.
Imagine then, a book of the Bible called “Numbers.” Would the
Creator of the Universe, the one who created things “by the numbers”
have a book about order? It seems so. If you are like me, I have a
lot to learn about math and God’s order, so let’s dive right into
our new study on the book of Numbers!
Readers who are not that familiar with the Old Testament
will cringe when they read the two chapters in Numbers that we are
studying today. Since we are not the people being addressed, are not
in their situation (a huge group traveling through a terrible desert),
and are not part of the sanctuary system, you may ask “Why should we
even study this?” Most Christians believe that what is written in the
Bible contains timeless advice for all generations of God’s followers.
There are principles (and, maybe more)in Numbers that continue to
teach us about God’s ways and His plans and expectations for us. Let’s
jump right into some very interesting stuff!
This week we turn to the process for equipping God’s
sanctuary. How does God want to obtain the equipment for His work?
How does He want to obtain the workers? If support comes from
offerings? Should everyone give the same gift? Can anyone be too old
to work for God? Let’s plunge into our study of Numbers and learn
some more about God’s instructions on these issues!
Would you like to be more confident? Confident that
you will do well in life. Confident that God is with you. Confident
that you have a right understanding of God and His role in your
life? Years ago, I spoke with a Christian who told me that when he
was a young man he wanted to do God’s will. Problem was that God
never showed up to tell him what to do. Do you sometimes feel like
that? If so, let’s plunge into our study of Numbers to see how God
interacted with His people then!
Do you feel God has let you down? Are you unsatisfied
with the life God has given to you? Have you complained that God did
not do more for you? Our lesson this week shows that God is receptive
to complaints, and that He responds to them, but when complaints turn
to rebellion and distrust of God, watch out! We talk about faith. Our
Bible texts suggest that we might better focus on contempt. Let’s
jump into our study of the book of Numbers and learn more!
What a change in life! Imagine that you had built
your hopes and dreams on a new and wonderful land. You planned to
have your dream house and your dream farm. Now you know that will
never happen because you distrusted God. You will live and die as a
nomad in the desert. The good news is that you are no longer a
slave. You live in the presence of God. How should you act now?
What does God require of you now that you have broken your trust
with Him? Let’s continue our journey with the Israelites as they
turn away from the promised land!
Have you ever had a dispute within your church? (Now
that is a dumb question, right?) How can you know who is right and
who is wrong? Sometimes it is obvious, but sometimes there are good
arguments on both sides. What happens if you supported the losing
side? How should you handle that? This week we look at a power
struggle within the Israelite community. Let’s dive in and see what
lessons we can learn for church community today!
After the last few weeks, what are your views about
rebellion towards God? How about towards His leaders? I’m going to
assume the answer is: “I don’t want to be a rebel!” Can rebellion
exist in something that is not obvious? For example, what if we
refuse to support God’s leaders financially? What if we are critical
of their lifestyles? What if someone gives us correction and we
resent them for it? What responsibility do leaders assume for the
rebellious nature of the “flock?” With these questions in mind,
let’s dive into our study of Numbers!
Have you had a time in your life when you felt you had
an excuse for sinning? You had so many things going wrong that it
was easy to slip and fall? Have you been disappointed when a
spiritual leader you trusted fell into sin? Do you have a different
standard for yourself than for your leaders? Should you? Our lesson
this week is about a leader who fell during a difficult time in his
life. Let’s dive into our lesson and learn more!
How many times have you hoped that God would ignore one
little sin problem in your life? You love God and you want to obey,
except for this one small area which, you hope, God will show a little
tolerance. After all, no one is perfect and we are only human, right?
This week we study a fellow who is far from perfect, but one who
understands that he should obey God. The result is a conflict between
his will and God’s will. Sound familiar? Let’s jump right into our
study of the Bible and learn more!
Many years ago I knew an honored and important man who
was the president of a university. He fell into sexual sin, lost
his job, his reputation, and who knows what else. Have you been
blessed by God, and then managed by some silly sin to defeat God’s
blessings? Our lesson this week picks up on the topic on which we
closed our study last week: how to mess up God’s blessings. Let’s
plunge into our study and learn what not to do!
How do the lives of your parents affect your life?
Some children blame their parents for their faults and repeat the
parents’ mistakes. Others look at the good and bad in their
parents, and determine to do better when it comes to the bad. Moses
stands as a parent figure to both the first and second generation.
How did Israel do when it came to the second generation? How did
Moses do in dealing with his mistakes and theirs? Let’s dive into
our study of the Bible and find out!
In the last chapters of Numbers we see that God is truly
bringing His people into Canaan. Numbers chapter 33 contains the
historical record of the journey from Egypt to Canaan. The journey now
enters the history books and is no longer part of every day life. In
Numbers chapter 34 we read what God set as the new boundaries for
Israel. In Numbers chapter 35 God describes a system of justice,
including the location of jails! Would you like a jail built in your
back yard? Did you know that Israel had jails? Did you know that the
ministers got to live with those accused of murder? Let’s dive into
our study of the Bible and find out more!
