King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, March 01, 2026
Chapters: Numbers 14-15
Message: Numbers: God Judges Israel
Hello My Friend,
Yesterday we learned that Moses sent twelve men over to the promise land to search it out, they spent forty days there and when they returned ten of the men said that the cannot cross over because the men there are giants. As we continue in the reading of Numbers, the people did not merely feel discouraged when they heard the report; they sank into a spirit of open discontent. Their reaction went far beyond sorrow or disappointment. They became so disgruntled that their hearts began to show resentment against God’s word and God’s way.
[Numbers 14:1-4 And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! 3 And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? 4 And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.]
So they cried throughout the night, no doubt replaying everything in their minds and trying to understand how they had come so far only to be stopped. They should have trusted God, yet instead they placed their confidence in the ten men who were too fearful to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land God had already given them. Joshua and Caleb tried once more to reason with them.
[Numbers 14:6-9 And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 7 And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9 Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.]
Joshua and Caleb were urging the people to see that, however strong the “giants’ of the land appeared, they were nothing in comparison to God. who is infinitely greater and whose purposes cannot be stopped unless His own people choose to rebel against Him, whom they needed to fear. The truth is, God has far more He desires to give us, but we often hinder His work through our unbelief and resistance, for He will not force Himself upon anyone, [II Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: 12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.]
And who was listening to every word and watching every action? God Himself. After all their murmuring from the very day they left Egypt, God had reached the limit of His patience. In fact, He was ready to destroy them entirely and begin again with Moses.
[Numbers 14:10-13 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel. 11 And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. 13 And Moses said unto the LORD, Then the Egyptians shall hear it, (for thou broughtest up this people in thy might from among them;)]
Disinherit means to cut someone off from hereditary right, to prevent an heir from coming into possession of what would have been theirs. With that in mind, we see just how patient and long‑suffering God truly is. For more than two years He endured their continual doubting, murmuring, and their testing of Him, yet now His patience had reached its limit. God has no difficulty denying those who persist in denying Him; however, that is never His desire. If His intention were to cast off all who resist Him, none of us would be here today, [Isaiah 1:18-19 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:]
That same message is still handed down to us today. While we are saved by grace through our faith in Christ, that does not mean He allows us to live as we please without consequence. Nevertheless, all who truly come to Christ in sincere faith will be saved from hell, not because of anything we do, but solely upon our faith in Him. Now Moses begins to reason with God, appealing to His own reputation among the nations, and suggesting that if God fulfilled His promise, it would demonstrate to the Egyptians that He is faithful to His word.
[Numbers 14:15-18 Now if thou shalt kill all this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of thee will speak, saying, 16 Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which he sware unto them, therefore he hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.]
It was not as though God needed to prove anything to the Egyptians or impress the nations of Canaan; He already knew exactly who they were. Moses was simply appealing to God in a way humans understand, suggesting, so to speak, that it is easier to draw others by mercy than by judgment. Moses was not asking God to overlook the guilt of those who had sinned against Him; rather, pleading for Him to show mercy and extend forgiveness to those who were innocent. Well, God considered Moses’ request and did indeed pardon the innocent, yet He also reminded Moses that His judgment would still stand against those who had provoked Him.
[Numbers 14:20-24 And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to thy word: 21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD. 22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another Spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.]
The spirit that Caleb and Joshua possessed was none other than the Spirit of God, who filled them with faith, courage, and obedience. The others were led by a very different spirit—a spirit of unbelief and rebellion that did not come from God. This is why we must always try the spirits, for not every influence, impulse, or voice leads us to Christ, [I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.]
They truly did tempt God ten times, the first being at the Red Sea. They tempted Him again at the bitter water, then when there was no water, then with the manna, then with the meat, and of course in the grievous sin of the golden calf. God had endured their constant complaining and their persistent lack of faith, but now His patience had reached its end. He determined that although He would still lead them toward the promised land, not all of them would be permitted to cross over.
[Numbers 14:29-31,34 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.]
Every person over the age of twenty was denied entrance into the promised land, except Caleb and Joshua, yet not one of them would step foot there for forty years. As for the the ten spies who brought back the evil report, God took care of them instantly, [Numbers 14:35-38 I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. 36 And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, 37 Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still.]
One cannot expect the blessings of God to remain constant while rebelling against everything He stands for. This was like the younger ones receiving a forty‑year prison sentence and the older ones receiving the death penalty. God’s mercies are great until they are exhausted, and once they are, you do not want to mess with Him. Yet that is exactly what they did and failed miserably. After Moses told them that they would spend forty years in the wilderness and that everyone over twenty would die there, they decided they would cross over on their own.
[Numbers 14:40-42,44-45 And they rose up early in the morning, and gat them up into the top of the mountain, saying, Lo, we be here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised: for we have sinned. 41 And Moses said, Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper. 42 Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies. 44 But they presumed to go up unto the hill top: nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah.]
They had already been given their chance to enter the promised land. They rejected God, attempted to silence those who stood for the truth, and only when they realized they had forfeited their opportunity did they suddenly want to repent. This stands as a lesson for anyone who attempts to reach heaven without Christ. He is not with those who try to enter by any other means, [John 10:1-2,11 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.]
Yes, salvation is by grace through our faith in Christ, but we must believe all of His Word to be true, anytime someone goes against one word, they are going against God by tempting Him, and He will not stand for it. After the uproar had settled, God instructed Moses to gather the people once again and remind them of what they were to do when they brought their sacrifices to Him when they get to the promise land.
[Numbers 15:2-5 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, which I give unto you, 3 And will make an offering by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, or a sacrifice in performing a vow, or in a freewill offering, or in your solemn feasts, to make a sweet savour unto the LORD, of the herd, or of the flock: 4 Then shall he that offereth his offering unto the LORD bring a meat offering of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oil. 5 And the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering shalt thou prepare with the burnt offering or sacrifice, for one lamb.]
The instructions concerning the meat‑offerings and drink‑offerings were now given in full, for these were to accompany every sacrifice of an animal. The opening of this law is especially encouraging, for it signaled plainly that God remained reconciled to His people despite the sentence He had pronounced upon them. It also assured them that He would still bring their children into the promised land, even though they had shown a continual tendency to rebel against Him. This was also an invitation to the Gentiles to become converts, and to embrace the faith and worship of the true God.
[Numbers 15:12-15 According to the number that ye shall prepare, so shall ye do to every one according to their number. 13 All that are born of the country shall do these things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD. 14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do. 15 One ordinance shall be both for you of the congregation, and also for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an ordinance for ever in your generations: as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.]
This was also a charge laid upon the Jews to show kindness to strangers and never to oppress them, for they saw that such strangers were acknowledged and accepted by God Himself. Shared devotion to the same God ought to bind hearts together in mutual affection and put an end to all hostility. It was, moreover, a necessary rebuke to the pride of the Jews, who were often inclined to exalt themselves because of their birthright privileges. This principle also implied that just as believing strangers were to be counted as true Israelites, unbelieving Israelites would be counted as strangers. The same is still true today, [Matthew 8:11-12 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.]
God then proceeded to give them specific rules concerning the bread they would prepare once they entered the promised land. Before they were permitted to eat of that land’s produce, even after they had harvested their grain, ground it into flour, mixed it with water, and kneaded it into dough in preparation for baking, they were required to acknowledge Him first.
[Numbers 15:18-21 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land whither I bring you, 19 Then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye shall offer up an heave offering unto the LORD. 20 Ye shall offer up a cake of the first of your dough for an heave offering: as ye do the heave offering of the threshingfloor, so shall ye heave it. 21 Of the first of your dough ye shall give unto the LORD an heave offering in your generations.]
As an acknowledgment that He is the sovereign Lord and possessor of heaven and earth, and that He alone is the true owner and proprietor of the land of Canaan, they were to offer this portion of dough to Him first. It was an act of thankfulness for the abundance of bread He had bestowed upon them, a confession that every harvest was His gift. For this reason the cake was to be heaved, or lifted up, toward heaven, signifying that it was presented to Him who dwells above and so graciously supplied all their needs. Since everything we have comes from God we should honor Him by giving some of it back, [Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.]
Well, God knew their hearts. They had no real faith in Him; they simply did not want to die in what was, in truth, the desert. The same Law applied to everyone who chose to follow God. Although ignorance does not save anyone, He has a great deal of mercy toward the ignorant, and graciously gives them the opportunity to see the truth and accept it. God goes on to explain this.
[Numbers 15:24-25,30 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance: 30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.]
This is what Jesus does for us today only permanently, anyone who comes to Him through their faith in Him alone will be saved, [Hebrews 7:25-26 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;]
Now, while God does show a great deal of mercy toward the ignorant, the opposite is true for the one who deliberately sets himself against Him. Any time someone rebels against even one word of God, they are tempting Him, and He will not tolerate it. To demonstrate how serious He was about their lack of reverence, a man who merely gathered sticks on the Sabbath learned this truth the hard way.
[Numbers 15:32-36 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. 33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. 35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. 36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.]
This was not an act of ignorance, this was a complete and utter disregard for God’s Word, and perhaps was even done to test whether or not He was serious. Nevertheless If they had a hard time remembering that God takes His Word seriously, perhaps they needed a visual reminder, which was why God came up with a plan. He told them to sew fringes at the border of their clothes.
[Numbers 15:38-41 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God.]
The fringes were never intended as decoration or as a way to embellish their garments. They were appointed to stir up their minds by way of remembrance, serving as a constant, visible reminder of God’s commandments. Whenever they were tempted to sin, the sight of the fringe would warn them not to transgress the law of God. It was a small thing outwardly, yet a powerful safeguard inwardly. In the same manner we are to continually read the Word of God, while His mercies renew every day, His Word in us shows them in our walk with Him, [II Corinthians 4:15-16 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.]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is Your desire that we stay faithful to Your teachings, and just keep things simple. Scripture gives many examples of those who knew to do right, but chose to do wrong. The consequences of their wrong actions brought upon death, loss, and emotional pain, not only for themselves, but those around them. Lord, lead us and guide us, teach us to trust You in everything that You allow in our lives, help us to avoid the traps that catch us off guard, and to stand firm in our faith, even when we have set backs. Let us keep a fringe upon our heart so that we are always reminded that it is better to trust in Your understanding an not our own. Keep our eyes on You so that we do not fall nor bring anyone else down by not following You in the first place. I ask these in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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