Numbers (Program #16) – Journeying (8-9)

Rebellion.  Of all the evils and sins of mankind none carry greater consequence nor evoke a more serious reaction from God.  That’s because the target or object of all rebellion is authority which comes from and signify God Himself.  God’s people Israel were caught up in acts of rebellion against God and His deputy authority on many occasions.  The book of Numbers records the accounts of several progressive stages of rebellion ultimately resulting in God’s judgment and wrath being poured out in a very sobering display.  The on-going and progressive rebellion of Israel in the wilderness is again our topic on our life study from Numbers.

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Numbers (Program #15) – Journeying (7)

After many positive and wonderful miracles given to them in the wilderness, following their escape from Egypt, the children of Israel found themselves in the midst of escalating turmoil.  This turmoil would eventually results in serious rebellion among them, bringing in God’s judgment.  It was here however, in the midst of this turmoil that the Lord inserts chapter 15 in the divine record in the book of Numbers.  This chapter reminds God’s people of what they have previously learned regarding their need for the offerings and for keeping the Sabbath.  But just as the lessons depicted in the story of the Old Testament can be applied to our situation in the New Testament so does this reminder regarding the experience of Christ, typify by the offerings and the Sabbath have an application to us today.  We will look at these types in our program.

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Numbers (Program #12) – Journeying (2-3)

Once God’s people were properly arranged according to their families and rated around the perimeter of the tabernacle, God’s presence overshadow them as a visible cloud.  His presence also filled the Ark of the Covenant within the tabernacle.  These two items provided guidance and leading to the children of Israel.  When the cloud was taken up, the people prepared to load up the tabernacle and their personal possessions to follow the cloud in a general way as their guide.  But it was the tiny Ark that became their particular leading, leading them through the treacherous wilderness and finding the appropriate resting places.  A forty-year journey under the guidance of the cloud and the leading of the Ark

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Numbers (Program #11) – Journeying (1)

Both Romans and Galatians in the New Testament talk about being led by the Spirit.  It is safe to say that all serious Christians desires the Lord’s leading.  But to be led by the Spirit is not that easy because the Spirit is abstract even obscure to us at times.  Most often we find ourselves not really under His leading at all but wondering somewhat aimlessly trying to find Him.  There is a wonderful picture of being led by the Spirit that we can learn something from in the Old Testament book of Numbers.  It’s here that the Lord led His people Israel through the wilderness by means of being a visible cloud to them during the day and by being a cloud of fire at night.  We will see just what this cloud and fire mean to us as believers on our program today.

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Numbers (Program #2) – Being Formed into an Army (1)

The first five books of the Bible are generally attributed to Moses and they formed a unit commonly referred to as the Pentateuch.  The fourth of this series is the book of Numbers, perhaps the most obscure among the five.  Outwardly it seems simple enough not overly inspiring for chronicles the numbering of God’s people Israel for the purpose of forming them into an army to fight for God’s testimony as they travel for 40 years through wilderness.  But if our eyes are open, our spirit set to receive God’s divine light, we can see the whole of the divine revelation express in picture forms through its pages.  Even the key elements of Christ’s ministry on earth and the ultimate consummation of the Bible, New Jerusalem are depicted here in Numbers.  Seem dubious?  Well stay tune.

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2 Corinthians (Program #50) – Paul’s Vindication of His Apostolic Authority (5)

At the end of 2 Corinthians the apostle Paul was compelled to make a vindication of his apostolic authority.   In the course of this defense, he described much of the sufferings and poverty that seem to be his constant companions during his ministry.  Judging his ministry by today’s common standards, it might seem to some that his work lack the Lord’s blessing.  Listen, “three times I was beaten with rods” he writes, “once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I had spent in the deep, In journeys often, in dangers of rivers, in dangers of robbers, in dangers from my race, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers in the sea, in dangers among false brothers; In labor and hardship; in watchings often; in hunger and thirst; in fastings often; in cold and nakedness.”

This kind of hardship and shortage even of the basic material supplies might seems strange to some.  How could this be the case of a genuine servant of the Lord?  But to Paul, it was quite the opposite.  For to his realization the Lord Jesus during His earthly ministry similarly suffered and Paul considered it an honor that the Lord would find him worthy to share in the sufferings.

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Exodus (Program #71) – The Implications, Indications and Significances of the Ordinances of the Law (2)

After the giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus chapter 20, the Lord continued for 3 more chapters to give item after item of regulations regarding man’s relationships. These added items are called “ordinances”, many if not most, seem to us to have nothing whatsoever to do with us as New Testament believers. They deal with such things as treatment of slaves and the ancient feasts and rituals of Jewish religion; and, even such things as “not boiling the kid in its mother’s milk”. So how do we as Christians regard these Old Testament details? Do we just skip over and dismiss them? Or, in the light of God’s New Testament ministry, is there a real and meaningful application of these items for us?  We return once again today to the book of Exodus and the remarkable journey of God’s people out of their bondage of worldly captivity and through the wilderness.

We’re continuing today to look at Exodus chapter 22 and 23, chapters that as we said offer many items all contain in these ordinances that were supplements or additions to the basic ten Commandments that we’re all quite familiar with. In an earlier message, we heard that though we cannot directly see Christ in the ten original commandments, these supplemental ordinances contain all of the rich details of Christ – what do we mean by this kind of speaking? more…

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Exodus (Program #42) – The Water of Life in Resurrection

Every record in the Bible has a spiritual significance.  We shouldn’t try to understand any portion of the biblical record simply according to the black and white letter.  Let’s take Exodus 16 as an example.  This is a chapter revealing the giving of manna to the children of Israel.  Surely manna is something mysterious and spiritual.  Chapter 17 shows us how God provided water for the children of Israel as Moses struck or smote the rock in the wilderness and the water flow from the clefts.  Surely this also bears tremendous spiritual significance.  The spiritual reality of the water flowing from the smitten rock is our story today of this life study of the Bible.

We are going to pick up Witness Lee’s own speaking for our introduction today.  He make a very striking point about interpreting the Bible.  Of course, we do believe it literally word for word.  But we also don’t want to be blind to its spiritual and mysterious implication.

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Exodus (Program #41) – The Living Water Out of the Smitten Rock (2)

As Christians, from time to time we pass through stages of spiritual dryness.  We just can’t seen to find the flowing and satisfying water that previously has wonderfully quench our inner thirst.  Actually God will lead His people to such a dry place to test them.  For when we are short of this living water our real inner condition is surely exposed.  Such was the case with His people Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness following Jehovah God in Exodus 17.

Today we are going to join the children of Israel now some two months after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt.  They experienced many miracles by this time and they are being led day by day by this pillar of cloud and at night a pillar of fire into and through the wilderness.  They’ve come now to a place seemingly without any water to sustain them.

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Exodus (Program #40) – The Living Water Out of the Smitten Rock (1)

When the children of Israel were in bondage, they cried out and Jehovah God heard their cry and rescued them.  When they were hungry, He heard their cry and sent them manna, bread from heaven.  Exodus 17 shows us the story of God providing  another necessity of life; water, to sustain and satisfy.  Stay with us as we enjoy another marvelous view of our Savior God taking care of His people on today’s life study of the Bible.

We return to Moses and the children of Israel.  This time murmuring to God and murmuring to Moses because of their thirst.

We come to the rock that was sovereignly waiting for the children of Israel.  The Lord led them to this place to another great miracle that has very much to do with, as we are going to find out, our own experience.  Let’s read this portion that we are going to be talking about for several programs that are coming up in the days immediately ahead. more…

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