Author: dgould77

“The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.” v.10
God delights in us when we obey his commands. Just like we delight in our kids when they obey. So what about when we don’t listen to God’s commands . . . does he throw us to the curb? The answer is no. When my son doesn’t obey me, I have to correct him. I don’t delight in his misbehavior, in fact, it make me angry that he isn’t listening. Do I love him less in these times . . . NO. I still love him very much but I have to discipline his bad behavior so it doesn’t lead to more bad behavior. God does the same with us, I am thankful that He is a patient God, aren’t you!!!

“‘Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.
But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.
Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This[b] is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’” v.15-20
Moses challenged Isreal to choose life, to obey God, and therefore to continue to experience his blessings. God doesn’t force his will on anyone. He lets us decide whether to follow him or reject him. This decision, however, is a life-or-death matter. God wants us to realize this, for he would like us all to choose life. Daily, in each new situation, we must affirm and reinforce this commitment.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do.” v.9
What is the best way to prosper in life? For the Israelites, their first step was to keep their part of the covenant. They were to love God with all their heart, soul, and strength. We, too, are to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness; then true success in life will follow as a blessing.

“The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” v.29
This verse shows that although God has not told us everything there is to know about obeying him, he has told us enough. Thus, disobedience comes from an act of the will, not a lack of knowledge. Through God’s Word we know enough about him to be saved by faith and to serve him. We must not use the limitation of our knowledge as an excuse to reject his claim on life.

That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?” v.9
Why would God speak through a sorcerer like Balaam? God wanted to give a message to the Moabites, and they had already chosen to employ Balaam. So Balaam was available for God to use, much as he used the wicked pharaoh to accomplish his will in Egypt. Balaam entered his prophetic role seriously, but his heart was mixed. He had some knowledge of God, but not enough to forsake his magic and turn wholeheartedly to God. Although this story leads us to believe he turned completely to God, later passages in the Bible show that Balaam couldn’t resist the tempting pull of money and idolatry.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Then the Lord told him, ‘Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!’ So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!” v8-9
People are still complaining! This time God sends poisonous snakes! Some die. This causes the people to realize they have sinned against God and Moses. They ask Moses to pray on their behalf and God instructs him to make a bronze snake and hang it on a pole. When the bronze snake was hung on the pole, the Israelites didn’t know the fuller meaning Jesus Christ would bring to this event. Jesus explained that just as the Israelites were healed of thier sickness of sin by looking at the snake on the pole, all believers today can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus’ death on the cross. It was not the snake that healed the people but their belief that God could heal them. This belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God’s instructions. In the same way, we should continue to look to Christ.

“Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!’” v.9
With great miracles, God had led the Israelites out of slavery, through the desolate wilderness, and up to the very edge of the Promise Land. He had protected them, fed them, and fulfilled every promise. Yet when encouraged to take that last step of faith and enter the land, the people refused. After witnessing so many miracles, why did they stop trusting God? Why did they refuse to enter the Promise Land when that had been their goal since leaving Egypt? They were afraid. Often we do the same thing. We trust God to handle the smaller issues but doubt his ability to take care of the BIG problems, the tough decisions, the frightening situations. Don’t stop trusting God just as ready to reach your goal. He brought you this far and wont let you down now. We can continue trusting God by remembering all he has done for us!

When Moses reported the Lord’s words to all the Israelites, the people were filled with grief. Then they got up early the next morning and went to the top of the range of hills. ‘Let’s go,’ they said. ‘We realize that we have sinned, but now we are ready to enter the land the Lord has promised us.’”v.39-40
When the Israelites realized their foolish mistake, they were suddenly ready to return to God. But God didn’t confuse their admission of guilt with true repentance because he knew their hearts. Sure enough, they soon went their own way again. Sometimes right actions or good intentions come too late. We must not only do what is right, but also do it at the right time. God wants complete and instant obedience.

Tkaen from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“This was their report to Moses: ‘We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak!’” v.13:27-28
The Promise Land, also called the land of Canaan, was indeed bountiful, as the 12 scouts discovered. The Bible often calls it the land flowing with milk and honey. Although the land was relatively small – 150 miles long and 60 miles wide – its lush hillsides were covered with fig, date, and nut trees. It was the land God had promised to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly take it!’”
Imagine standing before a crowd and loudly voicing an unpopular opinion! Caleb was willing to take the unpopular stand to do as God had commanded. To be effective when you go against the crowd, you must:
1.) have the facts (Caleb had seen the land himself)
2.) have the right attitude (Caleb trusted God’s promise to give Israel the land)
3.) state clearly what you believe (Caleb said, “We can certainly conquer it!”)

“Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. ‘If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!’ they complained. ‘Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?’ Then they plotted among themselves, ‘Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!’” v.14:1-4
The negative opinion of 10 men caused a great rebellion among the people. Because it is human nature to accept opinion as fact, we must be especially careful when voicing our negative opinions. What we say may heavily influence the actions of those around us to give sound advice. When the chorus f despair went up, everyone joined in. Their greatest fears were being realized. Losing their perspective, the people were caught up in the emotion of the moment, forgetting what they knew about God’s character. What if the people had spent as much time moving forward as they did moving back? They could have enjoyed their land – instead they never even entered it. When a cry of despair goes up around you, consider the larger perspective before you join in. You have better ways to use your energy than to complain.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible.

“While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman.” v1
People often argue over minor disagreement, leaving the real issue untouched. Such was the case when Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses. They represented the priest and the prophets, the two most powerful groups next to Moses. The real issue was their growing jealousy of Moses’ position and influence. Since they could not find fault with the way Moses was leading the people, they chose to criticize his wife. Rather than face the problem squarely by dealing with their envy and pride, they chose to create a diversion from the real issue. When you are in a disagreement, stop and ask yourself if you are arguing over the real issue or if you have introduced a smoke screen by attacking someone’s character. If you are unjustly criticized, remember that your critics may be afraid to face the real problem. Don’t take this type of criticism personally. Ask God to help you identify the real issue and deal with it.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

“Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the LORD filled the Tabernacle.” v34
The Tabernacle was God’s home on earth. He filled it with his glory – the overpowering sense of his presence. Almost 500 years later, Solomon built the Temple, which replaced the Tabernacle as the central place for worship. God also filled the Temple with his glory. But when Israel turned from God, his glory and presence departed from the Temple, and it was destroyed by invading armies. The Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. Gods glory returned in even greater splendor nearly five centuries later when Jesus Christ, God’s Son, entered it and taught. When Jesus was crucified, God’s glory again left the Temple. However, God no longer needed a physical building after Jesus rose the dead. God’s temple now is his church, the body of believers.

Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible