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Numbers Summary

 

The book of numbers is largely Narrative History as far as its genre. It was written by Moses about 1450-1410 B.C. Key personalities include Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Joshua, Caleb, Eleazar, Korah, and Balaam.

 

The purpose of the book of Numbers is to tell about how Israel prepared to enter the promise land, but sinned and was punished. It describes Moses taking two population censuses, hence the name Numbers.

 

• From chapters 1-9 the Israelites are preparing for their journey and entry into the promise land. Moses begins by taking a census of all the tribes, primarily to see how many men are available and in shape for military service. Next, Moses dedicates the Levites and instructs the Nazirite vows and laws. During this time, the Israelites celebrate the 2nd Passover one year after their exit from bondage.

 

• In chapters 10-12, the Israelites travel from the wilderness in Sinai to approach the promise land. The people complain about their food, God gives them quail, and because of their greed, He also sends them a plague. Miriam and Aaron learn a lesson about whom God places in leadership.

 

• In chapters 13-19, we see severe punishment for disobedience and unfaithfulness to God. Moses sends out 12 spies to perform reconnaissance on the promise land. The 12 spies return and only two of them bring good news. The people fear the occupants and rebel against taking the land. For this God punishes them and sends them into the wilderness for forty years to roam.

 

• The last chapters of Numbers, from 20-36, the new generation of Israelites again attempt to enter the land to take it as God promised. This time they easily destroy two nations that confront them as they are entering. Balak uses his prophet Balaam to learn to seduce the Israelites to worship Baal. Because of this disobedience, about 24,000 people die, including Balaam. Before the book of Numbers ends, Moses again conducts a census, and Joshua assumes the leadership of Israel in place of Moses who is banned from the promise land, due to his disobedience.

 

biblehub.com/summary/numbers/1.htm

 

 

 

Numbers Chapter 1   (ESV)

1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. 3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. 4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers. 5 And these are the names of the men who shall assist you. From Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur; 6 from Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai; 7 from Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab; 8 from Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar; 9 from Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon; 10 from the sons of Joseph, from Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud, and from Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur; 11 from Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni; 12 from Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai; 13 from Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran; 14 from Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel; 15 from Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.” 16 These were the ones chosen from the congregation, the chiefs of their ancestral tribes, the heads of the clans of Israel.

 

REFLECTION: 

• Read this passage as if I am among the multitudes of Israelites camped at Mount Sinai preparing for a journey through the wilderness to the land of Canaan.
• Israel was in a holding pattern for 13 months following the major event of all time, the Exodus. Now they are ready to begin the journey into God’s Promised Land.
• What was the most significant crossroads event that separates the “before” and “after” of my life’s journey?
• How has God especially prepared me for a spiritual journey? In what sense has this preparation made my life’s pilgrimage easier? More difficult?

 

PRAYER: 

Ask God to walk through my “Life’s Journey” with me.  Where have I been?  Any adventure?  Turning points?  Struggles, failures or successes?  What do I want to tell God?  Listen to what God wants to tell me.

 

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Luke 24 English Standard Version (ESV)

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

 

REFLECTION:

1. On that resurrection morning, as two of Jesus’ disciples walked along the dusty road to Emmaus, their faces were downcast. They were mournful and gloomy. Yet when Jesus joined them in the guise of a stranger, the two disciples revealed they had a lot of resurrection facts! They even told the stranger about the empty tomb.
2. So, as the two disciples trudged along, their faces sad, Jesus traced the Old Testament passages which predicted the Messiah’s death and foretold His resurrection. And even then, the two disciples couldn’t shake their gloom. Even though Jesus walked by their side, they were still mourning as though their God really were dead rather than with them, and triumphantly alive!
3. What about you? Do you find that you have a downcast mood that slips up on all of us now and then. But when it does, that’s the time to remember the lesson of the road to Emmaus. Our feelings do not fit the facts! We’re not alone anymore. Jesus lives, and our resurrected Lord walks our road with us.
4. When we shift our attention to Him and realize how close beside us He is, that downcast mood will be replaced by joy.

 

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Luke 23 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Crucifixion

²⁶ And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. ²⁷ And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. ²⁸ But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

³² Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. ³³ And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁴ And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. ³⁵ And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

³⁹ One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!”⁴⁰ But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” ⁴³ And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Jesus endured much suffering on the cross. And, for us, the road to follow Christ is one of the cross. We must be prepared to suffer and even to die just as Jesus did.  Are you ready for it?  Will you continue to go on this road?
2. Just before His death, Jesus prayed and asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. In fact, our attitudes toward Jesus are similar to those people on that day: rebellious, neglecting, even rejecting Him? Therefore, in some way, we were all among the crowd putting Jesus to death.  So, Jesus’ prayer has included forgiveness for you and me, the sinners.
3. Continue to meditate on this thought. Afterward, offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

 

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Luke 22 English Standard Version (ESV)

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” ¹⁹ And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁰ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. ²¹ But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. ²² For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” ²³ And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

 

REFLECTION:

1. The actions of the Lord’s Supper – taking, giving thanks, breaking, and giving – are actions that those who eat the meal receive from the Lord as gifts of grace. Communion is a memorial, a remembrance.  It’s an experience as we return, through the bread and cup that represent the body and blood of Jesus, to the foot of the cross.  In the communion service we are united with Christ through faith to share His death and His resurrection and to experience the awesome moment when our salvation was accomplished.
2. What does sharing in Communion mean to you? What do you think about during communion?

 

PRAYER:

Oh, Lord, forgive me for I have often neglected your word and didn’t obey your commands. Often when I participate in the communion, I was unmoved by your death. I now thank you, Jesus, for your wonderful love. You paid a terrific price for my freedom.

 

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Luke 21 English Standard Version (ESV)

 

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶ people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰ As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

³⁴ “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.³⁶ But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. ³⁸ And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Jesus mentioned a list of persecutions and disasters that were to Then he said, “straighten up andraise your heads” because it means that Messiah is coming back soon.  He will rule the earth with righteousness and peace.
2. Jesus also told His disciples to be alert to wait for His coming back. Though it’s been 2,000 years, it’s still true, He is coming soon.  We need to be prepared to welcome Him, to obey His commands faithfully, and not get lost in drinking, eating and entertainment.  Nor should we be crushed under the heavy weight of worries for our lives.
3. What do the countless wars, diseases, disasters in recent years have to do with Jesus’ words in this passage? Are you waiting for Christ’s return with hope and anticipation?  Or are you afraid of what’s happening in the world?  If you truly believe that Christ is coming back soon, what does this fact change your daily life?

 

PRAYER:

“God, please help me to “stay awake at all times” in preparation for your return.”

 

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Luke 20 English Standard Version (ESV)

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ²⁰ So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ²⁴ “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵ He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Jesus explained that the demands of the state and the demands of God are not the same. He suggests that it is possible to meet both at the same time, but he never suggests that obeying one is exactly the same as obeying the other.  In fact, to His followers then, very soon, obedience to God would mean disobedience to the Roman emperor.  The early church has defied the Jewish authorities, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).
2. On the demand of the state of personal income tax, and the demand of tithing and offering for God’s church, how obedient are you?
3. In giving yourself to God, are you in the 15%, 30%, 50% or 100% “tax bracket”?

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Luke+019

Luke 19 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Weeps over Jerusalem

⁴¹ And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, ⁴² saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side ⁴⁴ and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

⁴⁵ And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, ⁴⁶ saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

⁴⁷ And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, ⁴⁸ but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.

 

REFLECTION:

1. Our churches are centers for many good things, but is prayer an overriding concern or simply a nice extra? Is it the heart and soul of the body of believers who meet there?  It is the people who are the temple of God in the New Testament; it is us who are the house of prayer.  But how much of a house of prayer are we?  Are we full of buying and selling?  Are we a place where spiritual greed, theft, and religious manipulation are firmly lodged?  Jesus probably felt without prayer – communion with God the Father – nothing else would make any difference, the lost would not be found, the enslaved would not be freed.
2. Do you share that same passion for prayer in yourself – “a temple of the Holy Spirit within you”(1 Cor 6:19)? Do you believe it is so critical, so essential that everything else is at risk without it?
3. Use our church’s Weekly Prayer Guide to pray for church, different ministries, people’s needs, missionaries, and other matters. May you become a true “house of prayer”.

 

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Luke 18 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰ “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

REFLECTION:

1. This Pharisee (vv9-13) went to the temple not to pray to God but to show off his own good conduct. On the other hand, the tax collector went to confess and to ask for mercy. Which person’s prayer is more like your prayer?
2. Repentance does not happen on our own. It is a gift from God and He delights to give to all who ask. We pray this sinner’s prayer (v13) constantly to ask for the grace of repentance. This is the prayer of tears. It will lead us to receive God’s gift of forgiveness, cleansing and healing.
3. This sinner’s prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner” is widely known as the Eastern Orthodox spiritual tradition. In fact, the prayer itself doesn’t have any magic power. However, asking God’s mercy shows our poverty and helplessness. This is a stark contrast to our modern thinking that we are self-sufficient and satisfied.  Therefore, we don’t feel the need for God’s mercy.  We’ve lost the hunger and humility for God.  Yet, this prayer reminds us that we desperately need God’s mercy for our lives.
4. To conclude the QT today, pray this short prayer repeatedly. Practice to pray this prayer often for a spirit of repentance in your heart.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Luke+017

Luke 17 English Standard Version (ESV)

Temptations to Sin

¹  And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!² It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. ³ Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, ⁴ and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Increase Our Faith

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶ And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

Unworthy Servants

⁷ “Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? ⁸ Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? ⁹ Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’”

 

REFLECTION:

1. Here Jesus shows us that we are to rebuke one another when one of us sins, but be quick to forgive when he or she repents. Each of us is to accept responsibility to care about one another’s walk with God.  In the community of faith each is to find forgiveness and support to live a godly life.
2. Jesus commanded his disciples to confront, to accept someone when he repents, and to forgive. Responding to a command isn’t a matter of faith, it is a matter of obedience.
3. How many times have you held back, wishing you had more faith to do something you knew God wanted you to do (v5)? How many times have you pleaded for more faith in your inadequacy?  And how many times has the longing for more faith simply masked the fact that you have been unwilling to obey?
4. Allow the questions to speak to your heart. Continue this quiet time with God.  If the Holy Spirit is rebuking you right now, confess it and ask for God’s forgiveness.  Pray for mercy to obey God willingly.

 

Read chapter in full: www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Luke+016

Luke 16 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried,²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

REFLECTION:

1. On a scale of one (the rich man and his brothers, being in Hades, or on the way there) to ten (Lazarus, with Abraham, and God), where do you stand? Why do you place yourself there?  In the context of this story, there is no “in between”.  There is only either where the rich man is, or where Lazarus is.  How does this make you feel? How does this reflect your understanding/belief of Hell?
2. The problem of the rich man and his brothers is not lack of knowledge of God’s word, for they have Moses and the Prophets’ teachings. Part of their problem lies in unbelief.  They would not respond to the Word of God, “to Moses and the Prophets”.  They simply would not be convinced.  Do you have that tendency?
3. Meditate on v31, read it over a couple of times. What about you? Do you listen to God’s word?  Are you convinced of it?  Do you show your faith by your obedience?
4. Does this story inspire you to be concerned of your unbelieving family members and friends? Write their names down and pray for them one by one that they would be willing to hear the gospel and accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour.  (You may use the prayer for unbelievers in yesterday’s reflection as a guide.)