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: Monday, March 09, 2026
Chapters: Numbers 33-34
Message: Numbers: Recount of Israel’s Journey
Hello My Friend,
Reflection is a powerful reminder of how lost we were before Christ, how far He has carried us since the moment we found Him, and why we must never loosen our grip on Him under any circumstances. The Israelites are now camped near Jericho, waiting for the command that will allow them to cross over into the promised land. They had done nothing to earn this moment, yet God did not withdraw His promise to give them a land they would inherit forever. As we continue in the reading of Numbers, as they stand on the threshold of God’s fulfilled promise, Moses pauses to recall their journey.
[Numbers 33:1-4 These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron. 2 And Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the LORD: and these are their journeys according to their goings out. 3 And they departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the morrow after the passover the children of Israel went out with an high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians. 4 For the Egyptians buried all their firstborn, which the LORD had smitten among them: upon their gods also the LORD executed judgments.]
An army is more than a military branch of trained soldiers; it is also a great multitude of people moving under a single purpose. In this sense, the Israelites were an army of people, led under the hand of Moses and Aaron, who themselves were led under the hand of the Commander in Chief, the Almighty God Himself. Every good leader stands under the authority of God, and every victory is secured only if His hand directs it, [II Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.]
One thing we do not see Moses doing as he records the account of their journey is rehearsing every moment when the Israelites rebelled against God, not even the evil report of the ten spies. A wise reminder for us, when reflecting on our own past, is not to dwell on every failure or sinful choice we once made. And why is that? Because God has already forgiven us, and He has chosen not to remember those things against us. What Moses preserved was the testimony of their journey, the faithfulness of God, and the lessons that shaped them up to the very day he died. Now, an account is given of Aaron.
[Numbers 33:38-40,48-49 And Aaron the priest went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the LORD, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the first day of the fifth month. 39 And Aaron was an hundred and twenty and three years old when he died in mount Hor. 40 And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel. 48 And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho. 49 And they pitched by Jordan, from Beth-jesimoth even unto Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.]
Aaron may not have been permitted to cross over into the land of promise, but he remained a man of faith up until the day he died. Disbelief in what God is doing in a particular moment is not the same as failing to believe in Him all together. We all struggle with moments of weak faith; even Jesus repeatedly asked His own disciples where their faith was. Yet their wavering never altered their relationship with Him. Our salvation is not undone by moments of doubt. No one loses their salvation unless they believed in Christ in vain or never believed at all, [I Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.]
God never said that our faith in Christ would come without challenges, and often those challenges do not appear in the ways we expect. When God tests our faith, He is not trying to make us question whether we believe; that kind of doubt comes from the devil. Consider this: when life is smooth and free of obstacles, we tend to grow complacent. We begin to rely on our own efforts rather than on what God has done for us. The Israelites were being given the land of Canaan, yet even this gift came with a challenge. God told Moses exactly what they would need to do once they crossed over, reminding them that His promises are always accompanied by His instructions. Their faith would need to be active, obedient, and dependent upon Him.
[Numbers 33:51-52,55-56 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan; 52 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places: 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell. 56 Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them.]
I tell you the truth, we have states that are far larger than the land God gave Israel, yet God never intended for His people to be scattered across vast distances. He desired them to remain close‑knit, united, and centered around His presence. And why is that? Because when we stay close to God and close to one another, He can more readily keep us from danger and from the temptations of the world. Separation breeds vulnerability, but closeness to God brings protection, strength, and a continual reminder of our dependence upon Him, [James 1:13-14 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: 14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.]
Once we receive Christ as our Saviour, we become His sheep, and He keeps us close‑knit within the safety of His spiritual fence. Yes, we are scattered throughout the world and sent into it to reach the lost with the Gospel, but our mission ends there. Most of us who are saved have come out of the world ourselves, and that becomes our testimony to those still lost. However, if we climb over that fence and entangle ourselves again with the world, it will become a curse to us. This is precisely what God warns the Israelites about if they fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land and destroy their idols.
[Numbers 34:2-3,6-7,12 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this is the land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan with the coasts thereof:) 3 Then your south quarter shall be from the wilderness of Zin along by the coast of Edom, and your south border shall be the outmost coast of the salt sea eastward: 6 And as for the western border, ye shall even have the great sea for a border: this shall be your west border. 7 And this shall be your north border: from the great sea ye shall point out for you mount Hor: 12 And the border shall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it shall be at the salt sea: this shall be your land with the coasts thereof round about.]
Do you understand why it is so important for saved, born‑again Christians to come out of the world? God is not opposed to us working in the world or making a living there, for not everyone is called to serve Him in full‑time ministry. What He is opposed to is our living like the world. And the truth is, we cannot live like them even if we tried, because we belong to Christ. Anything we knowingly do that stands in opposition to God will bring a curse upon ourselves, for the Holy Spirit dwells within us. His presence makes compromise impossible without consequence, [I Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.]
Our journey is filled with hills, valleys, and mountains that we must travel up and down, and if we trust God, He will bring us through every one of them until the day He brings us home. And I will tell you this: we will lose some earthly promises along the way because we lacked the patience to wait for His timing or because our faith faltered for a moment. Yet we must always remember that the most important promise God will never deny us is eternal life through our faith in Christ, [I Corinthians 3:14-15 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.]
When the tribes of Reuben and Gad saw the beauty and abundance of the land before them, they no longer desired to dwell in the land that God had promised them. Instead, they asked if they could remain where they were. Yet God reminds Israel that they had already received their inheritance. What lay before Reuben and Gad was not the land God had chosen for them, but the land they preferred for themselves.
[Numbers 34:13-15 And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe: 14 For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gad according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance; and half the tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance: 15 The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this side Jordan near Jericho eastward, toward the sunrising.]
Remember, God was not the One who gave them this land; they desired it for themselves, and therefore that is what they received. God warns us repeatedly to stay out of the world, and although He intervenes far more than we realize, if we persist in going our own way, He will allow us to go. Yet by doing so, we place ourselves outside the shelter of His protection, and this is where many Christians become entangled in hard bondage. That bondage remains until they repent or until their lives become so damaged by sin that the only way God can protect them is to bring them home before their time. I have seen many Christians die in their sin because they could not break free from that bondage, [James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that Your hand is in everything that I go through on this earthy journey as I await the promise land. Thank You, for loving me and not giving up on me, for giving me an inheritance that is eternal. No matter what You give or take away while I am here, there is one thing You will never take away and that is the inheritance awaiting me in the promise land. Lord, Lead me and guide me, let Your work appear through me, and be the glory of those You have entrusted me to share the Gospel with. And let Your Son be upon me, as You establish Your work in me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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