Manna Ministry

Brief introduction and recap from last week.

Numbers 13-14 The bad report and punishment

• 12 Israeli spies are chosen from all the tribes to go reconnoiter the land of Caanan; and to bring specific information about the people, the cities and strongholds, their homes and the food the consume…bringing examples back for observation.
• They returned after 40 days and came to Aaron and Moses, and to all the people to provide the report. (13:26) “The land flows with milk and honey, BUT the people are strong; the cities are walled-off…and we saw the ANAKIM giants there! And if that weren’t enough, the Amalekites, the Hittites, the Jebusites, the Amorites and the Canaanites also live there!! We are doomed!!! FEAR SPEAKS.
• Caleb steps up to squash the fearful demonstration and said, “We need to go up NOW, and possess it; for we are well-equipped to overcome them.” FAITH SPEAKS.  

The evil men continue to speak about cannibals, and all the men are bigger and stronger, plus there’s these huge giants that made them look like grasshoppers. (13:33) Note: The spies are looking at their situation and TOTALLY FORGETTING about GOD… AND His promises about this land that HE HAS GIVEN TO THEM. They’re just looking at THEMSELVES…and the OBSTACLES…and THEY’VE GIVEN UP.  

Think about a time where you’ve given up. Anything come to your mind? Where was God in the equation? Forget about Him, or just not BELIEVE Him?

I’m honestly convinced that we are many times placed BY GOD in circumstances to expose what’s truly in our hearts, AND will provide an opportunity for the Lord to show up and show off if we will allow Him! 

• Their unbelief cost them their lives. Within 40 years, ALL adults over 20 years will perish in the wilderness journey…approximately 11 miles journey.
• Joshua and Caleb are spared a death by stoning from the people (14:10), because they both have a different spirit within them…God will preserve the two of them through out this 40 year period, and He will reward them and their seed with a victory as they possess the portion of land given to them by Moses. (In Num.26 there is a second census that counts all the males 20 years and older in all the tribes. The number is: 601,730…plus 23,000 Levites, excluded from inheritance. This also doesn’t include women and children.)

Numbers 27- The Law of Inheritance and the naming of Joshua to succeed Moses

I wanted to include the first part of this chapter just for your education on it’s significance in the life of King David and in the birth of our Lord Jesus. This section is buried in an obscure legal situation brought to Moses and Eleazar. 

Here’s a short summary:

The father has died with no sons to receive the inheritance, only daughters. The daughters plead their case to Moses. He is so moved by their story, that he commits to bring it to the Lord, who speaks to him and says: “they should possess the desired inheritance. Make this an amendment to the Law, and if there is no daughter, then give it to the next of kin, so that the name of their father be preserved.”

There’s a little four chapter book called Ruth between Judges and 1 Samuel. You know the story. Naomi’s daughter-in-law Ruth, has become a widow. She’s a Moabite. Naomi is from the tribe of Judah. Chapter 4 details the end: Boaz is the next of kin to Naomi’s husband…who will become the kinsman-redeemer for this family through marriage to Ruth. They will have a son, Obed, who has a son named Jesse, the father of David!

If this weren’t enough, in Luke 3:23, “Jesus, being as supposed, the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli.” In Matthew, who was a Levite, Jesus’s legal father is Joseph and his father is Jacob. In Luke, it’s Heli. Actually, Heli is Mary’s father. He had no sons. Joseph is his son-in-law. “Nomizo”-Greek- ‘as reckoned by law.’ It should be translated as “Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli”(by legal adoption). If no sons are available, she was to marry within her tribe, and the tradition was that her father would legally adopt his son-on-law as to become the ‘son’ of the father of the bride. Another little thing that God knew would occur and planned for in Numbers 27.

Numbers 27:12-23

God tells Moses he’s going to die soon on a mountain, because of your rebellion at the waters of strife. Moses asks who’s going to take his place? “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him and put some of your honor onto him.” Moses took him in front of Eleazar and the whole congregation and laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge per the command of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 31

Very similar story but more in-depth. Moses tells Israel he’s 120 yr old, and the Lord has said he won’t cross the Jordan. 

Tells the people that God will be with Joshua, and then tells Israel: Be strong and of a good courage, fear not…I will not leave you nor forsake you. Then he tells Joshua the same thing. 

Then they go to the tabernacle and there the Lord appears in a cloudy column that stood over the door, and Joshua is given a final word from Moses in verse 23.

Deuteronomy 34 

God takes Moses to the top of Mt Nero in the plains of Moab, across from the Jordan river, and shows him all the land..including the “utmost sea.” (The Mediterranean is appx. 68 miles from Nebo). This was one of those God-moments that span time/space. A gift to the one “whom the Lord knew face to face.” (Vs.10) 

34:4 “And the Lord said to him, This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and to Jacob saying ‘I will give it to your seed:’ I have caused you to see it with your own eyes, but you won’t go over there.” Obviously, no one can see that far on a clear day. Although, I did the math with help from AI: from elevation of 2300 ft. you can theoretically see 70.5 ft…but ‘eye witnesses’ to contemporary Mt. Nebo state that you can barely see the Dead Sea, much less the Mediterranean…due mainly to the constant haze. Even on a clear day, nearly impossible. This was the heart of God to perform a supernatural act for Moses. 

Verse 5 Moses the servant of the Lord died right there according to word of the Lord. And GOD buried him in a valley in Moab, near Beth-peor, but no one knows where to this day. (In Jude 9, Satan fought and disputed with Michael the archangel about the body of Moses). He was 120 years old, and his eyes were bright and he was still strong. They mourned him for 30 days in Moab.

“And Joshua, the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel listened to him and did as the Lord commanded Moses.” Verse 9.

Next week: Joshua Chapter One