MURMURS IN THE WILDERNESS
LESSON 6 TWO OCCASIONS OF MURMURS
"Nor complain, as some of them also complained..." (1 Corinthians 10:10, NKJV).
It seemed the Israelites murmured again and again against Moses and Aaron and also against God.
Yet Moses continued to intercede for the people and reminded them of God’s care and protection for them.
Moses said in Deuteronomy 1:30-32, "The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God."
Can one say to us, "Yet you did not believe the Lord your God" ? May these lessons serve to remind us that when we murmur, we also are murmuring against God.
For the murmurings, consider:
the complaint, the reaction (or reactions), the reply (or replies), and the result.
L. Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On murmured against Moses and Aaron. Numbers 16:1-40
1. Numbers 16:1-3, Korah, Dathan, Abiram, On and 250 other leaders of the congregation gathered together. What was their complaint against Moses and Aaron?
2. Numbers 16: 4-5, Moses’ reaction to Korah and all his company was to give them specific instructions, "Tomorrow morning the ______ will show who is _____ and who is ______, and will cause him to come near to Him. That one whom He chooses He will cause to come near to Him."
3. Moses’ instructions continued in verses 6-7, "Do this: Take censers ________ and _____ ______ _____________, put fire in them and put incense in them before the ______ tomorrow, and it shall be that the _____ whom the ______ __________ is the _____ _____. You take too much upon yourselves, you sons of Levi!" We see these instructions repeated again in verses 16-17.
From the scriptures we understand Korah was a son of Levi (Numbers 16:1) and also a cousin to Moses and Aaron, since their fathers were brothers (Exodus 6:16-21). Dathan, Abiram, and On were sons of Reuben (Numbers 16:1). The scriptures do not tell us if the 250 others were all sons of Levi or also from other tribes of the Israelites.
The Levites were separated from the congregation of Israel to perform the work of the tabernacle of the Lord (Numbers 1:47-51; Numbers 16:8-10). To Aaron (of the tribe of Levi) and his sons were given special duties as priests (Ex 28:1; Numbers 3:10).
4. Moses’ reaction continued in Numbers 16: 8 - 11 as he asked Korah if they were seeking the ___________________ _____. He said they were gathered together against the ________, and murmuring against _____________.
5. Numbers 16: 12 - 14, When Moses called for Dathan and Abiram, what was their reply?
Moses’ reaction to their response was anger, as he spoke to the Lord (Numbers 16:15).
In Numbers 16:19, we read that Korah gathered all the congregation at the door of the tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the congregation.
6. What was the reaction of the Lord (Numbers 16: 20-21) ?
7. Numbers 16:22, Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and said, "...O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall ____ _____ ____, and You be _______ with ____ the ___________________?"
8. Thought question: Does this example remind us that the public sin of one Christian affects the entire church?
9. Numbers 16: 23 - 26, God’s reply to Moses was to tell the congregation to depart from the _______ of __________, ____________, and ________________. Moses instructed the people to touch _________________ of these men, lest they be _______________________ in all their ___________.
10. Thought question: Can we be consumed (destroyed) by others’ sins?
Explain your answer.
The congregation of the Israelites obeyed Moses and moved away from these tents. Dathan and Abiram stood at the door of their tents with their wives and their children (Numbers 16:27).
11. In Numbers 16: 28 Moses’ reply began: "And Moses said, ‘By this you shall know that the _______ has sent ___ to do ____ these ______, for I have ___ done them of ____ _____ _____."
12. Numbers 16: 29-30 continued with Moses’ reply, stating the conditions which would determine if the Lord had sent Moses and if the men had rejected the Lord. List those conditions.
In Numbers 16:31-35, we read the results of this occasion of murmuring.
13. What happened to the men (verses 31-33)?
Compare this account with Psalm 106:16-18 and Deuteronomy 11:6-7. The sin of envy was punished, and their eyes saw every great act of the Lord. Does that warn us about the sin of envy?
The 250 men who were offering incense were also consumed by a fire which came out from the Lord (Numbers 16:35).
Continue reading Numbers 16:36-40. Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, was instructed by the Lord to make a memorial of the censers which these 250 men had used. This was to remind the children of Israel that no outsider, who was not a descendant of Aaron, should come near to offer incense before the Lord. They were to do only what was authorized by God.
14. Thought question: Read 1 Peter 2:1-10. Today, Christians are a holy and royal priesthood and offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Is God pleased with us if we try to offer spiritual sacrifices that are not authorized by God?
Give examples of unauthorized spiritual sacrifices.
M. The people murmured after the death of Korah and his followers.
Numbers 16:41-50 and Numbers 17:1-12
15. Numbers 16:41, What was the complaint from all the congregation of the children of Israel against Moses and Aaron?
16. Numbers 16:42 - 45, Was God’s reaction one of pleasure or anger toward the people?
What did God tell Moses?
In Numbers 16:46, we read Moses’ reply. Moses again interceded for the people. He told Aaron to make atonement for the people, for wrath had gone out from the Lord.
17. Aaron did as Moses commanded and made atonement for the people. What result is given in Numbers 16:47-50?
Study Numbers 17: 1 - 11 to refresh your memory on the budding of Aaron’s rod to signify Aaron was the one God had chosen as priest.
"And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Bring Aaron's rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.’ Thus did Moses; just as the LORD had commanded him, so he did" (Numbers 17:10-11).
FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION
18. For your own personal growth: Write down any positive or negative results in your own life during this study. Determine how you will continue the positive results and improve any negative results.
"Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified" (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Dena
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