King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Chapters: NUMBERS 11-12
Study: Give The Burden To Jesus
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
I am not going to lie, in between every other passage I read this morning came to mind, the wedding cake, the veil, then the kids walking down the aisle throwing snowflakes instead of flowers. I never thought that I would be making my own wedding plans, but here I am ten months and three days away from saying, “I do.”. That may seem like a long time, but it will be here before I blink my eyes. I will tell you this, you never understand how the marriage between a husband and wife is so sacred to God until you realize that it is a picture of Jesus and His bride, [Revelation 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.]
The righteousness of saints, the very people whom have received, the LORD, Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Let me tell you, we are not perfect by a long shot, in fact, we fail God more times than we can count, but we are faithful, we are repentant, and we are truly grateful for that mercy and grace that keeps God from consuming us on the spot. That cannot be said about those who are lost and those who are worse than lost, and that is those who appear to be saved, but are not. Now, as we continue in the reading of Numbers, and as you can imagine with two million people heading to the promised land you can be sure that there is going to be some people complaining. Well, there were some people in the back the line complaining, and by the time it reached up to Moses, God was pretty angry.
[Numbers 11:1-2,4-6 And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. 2 And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. 4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.]
[and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.] And have you ever noticed that it is always the ones at the back of the line who cause the most trouble? I can see this now, the person at the back of the line saying something derogatory, some agreeing, and adding to it, while others disagree and by the time it gets to the front of the line there is quite a bit of controversy. This Christian life is not one that turns void, the blessings from God are endless when we trust Him and are faithful, but to those who are just basking in the glory, they will only have themselves to blame when the fire consumes them because they never accepted Him, [Hebrews 4:1-2 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. 2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.]
This Christian life is not one that turns void, the blessings from God are endless when we trust Him and are faithful, in fact, He is faithful and just to cleanse us of all our unrighteousness and supply our every need. So, here is Moses, feeling the burdens piling up as he tries to keep the people happy and God as well, he finally breaks down and asks God for help.
[Numbers 11:10-11,14-15 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. 11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.]
[I am not able to bear all this people alone,] This song always comes to mind whenever I read this, I Must Tell Jesus, [I Must Tell Jesus I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone; In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own. I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! I cannot bear my burdens alone; I must tell Jesus! I must tell Jesus! Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.] Then there are times when burdens start to come, not just one, but several, you lose a job, get a cut in pay, get sick, get falsely accused, get deceived, all at the same time while you are trying to take care of family, church, and your own needs. Burdens are not punishments from God, they are windows of opportunity that God uses to get His faithful to give and trust their burdens to Him alone, [Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.]
There is nothing more powerful than the prayers of the faithful Christian, and we do not have to say much, it is not the words that God hears, it is what comes from our heart. God did hear Moses, and not only answered his prayer, but came down from cloud and spoke directly to Him.
[Numbers 11:16-18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.]
[and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee,] Did you notice that God used seventy people? Jesus did the same thing when He appointed seventy more people besides the disciples to preach the Gospel before His passion, [Luke 10:1-2 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.]
This is how faithful Christians become weary, they try to carry the burden of everyone and thing going on by themselves. We need help, and while God will never give us more that we are able to carry, He does not want us to be weary in our well doing either. He will give us help if we just ask for it. And God did give Moses help.
[Numbers 11:21-25 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month. 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them? 23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD’S hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not. 24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25 And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.]
[Is the LORD’S hand waxed short?] Do you see the doubt of God’s most trusted servant? The only man, besides Jesus, to actually be able to have an actual conversation with God as though He were standing right there? It was not as though he had no faith, after all, we only need faith the size of a mustard seed for God to move mountains, it was that at that time he had little faith because all he could see was his burden. As faithful Christians, we have to take our burdens to Jesus, and if we have faith in Jesus, then God will send His Spirit in us, the same Spirit that He has given Moses and the other seventy men. God, many not remove the burden, but He does help us to endure it as we trust Him, [1 Timothy 4:10-12 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. 11 These things command and teach. 12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.]
I can relate to how Moses feels, when all our efforts to love, teach, and reach the ones who God entrusts us with fail we feel as though we have failed God. However, we must realize that we are not the ones who failed God, they are through their disbelief. Those who constantly complain about God not taking care of their needs need to stop right there, because God will answer their complaint. If the people despised the manna and wanted meat, then God would give it to them, meat, and He indeed gave them meat.
[Numbers 11:31-33 And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. 32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.]
[yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed,] Lust never satisfies, in fact, it brings us to despise those things when we do get them even more than the desire that we had for them. God, has a never ending supply to help us with whatever it is that we need, and we never starve with Him, even if all we get is bread and water. If we are not thankful for what He does give us, we cannot expect Him to bless us beyond that. It is not what we ask for that God he turns His back to, it is how we ask for it, [James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.]
The people in our lives play a factor in our faith, when they are always complaining about God, or their faithfulness to God is not as willing as ours, discouragement can come. Discouragement will tear us down quickly, even if we have great faith, we will start asking God why He has placed these people in our lives. When we are faithful to God He truly blesses us, and others see it, and it is not uncommon for Christians to be jealous of other Christians, especially if they see them being blessed through what they see as something sinful. Remember the Law stated that a Levite had to be married to a Levite? Aaron and Miriam were complaining among themselves over Moses and God heard them, and was not pleased.
[Numbers 12:1-4 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. 3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) 4 And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.]
[Come out ye three unto the tabernacle] Can you imagine being called out by God? I bet that Aaron and Miriam really thought that they were not wrong in their gossiping, but soon found out that God heard every word, [Numbers 12:5-9 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.]
[With him will I speak mouth to mouth,] I will never forget the first time that I heard God speak directly to me, and let me tell you, it literally woke me up instantly. There is nothing more fearing and uplifting than to be able to speak to God mouth to mouth. I may not do everything right, and often fail God, but I do know that I can talk directly to God and He hears every word, [2 Corinthians 4:15-18 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. 16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.]
Our burdens truly are light compared to what the unsaved and even those who are saved and do not have that connection with God face. Now, when Aaron saw Miriam turn leprous, he did not ask God to heal her, he asked Moses, but this time, when Moses prayed for God to remove the disease, He denied the request.
[Numbers 12:10-11,13-14 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 13 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.]
[If her father had but spit in her face,] A parent spitting in the face of their child was a sign of deepest contempt, having misbehaved so badly that the only option was to banish them from their presence for seven days. Miriam, was upset about the fact that Moses had authority over her, she thought that since she and Aaron were older and prophets also that they also had a say in the leadership of the people. What she failed to realize was that God Himself gave Moses the orders on what to do, so, when she questioned Moses God took it personally as if she was questioning Him. God will defend His faithful, and He will make sure all know that He is faithful to those who are faithful to Him, [2 Corinthians 1:20-22 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; 22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know You have great plans for me, much greater than anything I envision in myself, but in order for me to see them unfold I need Your complete trust and faith. Although I cannot always see Your hand, I know You are there carrying me along, just like You promise You would until I reach the promised land. Sometimes the burdens do overwhelm me because I try to take them on myself instead of handing them over to You. Lord, lead me and guide me, give me Your power, mercy, and grace to get through every burden, for they are too heavy for me on my own. I give them all over to You, and ask You to keep me faithful, grateful, and thankful for everything You supply me with, even if it is only bread. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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