Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20120415.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Numbers: Lessons From Spiritual Casualties And Conquerors
Part XXXV: Learning Faithfulness In Viewing Others' Track Records
(Numbers 26:1-65 et al.)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    Sometimes, life throws us or people we know extreme opposites of very bad as well as very good experiences (as follows):

    (1) We or others we know can face very bad things:

    (a) Early this month, as I drove into our Church parking lot to start my work day, I found some believers were already waiting there in their vehicle to meet me about a very bad situation that had been thrust on them. When they explained it, I was stunned, and had to go to silent prayer even to know how to interact with them.

    (b) Last Sunday after our Easter Sunday morning worship service, a Church member told me of a substance abuse issue that is unfolding in his extended family. As he explained the details, he suddenly interrupted himself to say, "Pastor, I feel sorry for you! Everybody unloads all their trials on you -- it must be hard on you!"

    Actually, I think just the opposite! I am usually amazed that the believers involved in such trials are as sane as they are, and I often struggle with guilt for not facing the level of trials they do!

    (2) On the other hand, we sometimes are equally moved by just the opposite -- by great blessings in peoples' lives:

    (a) I know of a couple in our Church recently who decided to forgive a large debt that had accrued by their extended family in a business venture that soured. The couple decided to forgive this debt because it would edify the extended family members and because God had financially blessed them to where they could afford to forgive the debt.

    In view of the current "Great Recession," this is a cause of great rejoicing in the Lord!

    (b) Last week, one of our Church members reported he was privileged to lead an extended family relative to faith in Christ. It is an event many of us pray will occur in our own extended families, but when it actually does occur, it is very moving and brings great joy!



    So, to prepare for this sermon, we ask, "If facing great bad or equally great good in life, or if we see others face such extremes, what is God trying to communicate to us in it all, and why?!"

    Need: "In seeing great spiritual failure and great spiritual success in my life or the lives of others around me, what is the lesson involved?"

  1. In Numbers 26:1-2, 52-54, God had Israel take a census of its men to prepare to conquer Canaan and apportion the inheritance to the tribes according to the various tribes' populations, Num. 26:52-54.
  2. This was the second census, the first being in Numbers 1:1-54, for God had made Israel's faithless people die in the wilderness, and that had altered the various tribal populations, requiring that a second census be taken in order to disperse the land more fairly!
  3. Well, COMPARING the two census records offers STARTLING FACTS on the SPIRITUAL TRACK RECORDS of the tribes:
    1. Among those who FAILED the Lord, there are startling revelations on the degree various of the tribes spiritually failed or succeeded:
      1. We know from Numbers 14:1-10a, 22-23, 29-30 the generation of Israel that left Egypt who were 20 years old and upward EXCEPT Caleb and Joshua would die in the wilderness for failing to trust the Lord where Caleb and Joshua would survive and enter Canaan for believing God's ability to equip them to conquer the land.
      2. Well, the tribal populations of the generation that died varied in number in the second generation due to the various tribal spiritual track records ( Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Num. 26:5-51:
        1. The Reubenites decreased by 2,770 (Num. 26:7; 1:21) as partly explained in the influence of Reubenites Dathan and Abiram who led others to rebel against Aaron and Moses, Numbers 16.
        2. The Simeonites decreased by a huge 37,100 (Num. 26:14; 1:23), leaving them the smallest tribe of 22,200 as partly explained in the Baal of Peor sin with the Simeonites who were executed due to immoral in idolatry by the influence of Simeon leader, Zimri, Num. 25:14-15; Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 246.
        3. The other tribes that decreased [in falling order of losses] were Ephraim with -8,000 (Num. 26:37; 1:33), Naphtali with -8,000 (Num. 26:50; 1:43) and Gad with -5,150 (Num. 26:18; 1:25).
        4. However, though they lost the older generation via sin, tribes seeing growth due to better spiritual track records in the second generation [in rising order of gains] were Dan with +1,700 (Num. 26:43; 1:39), Judah with +1,900 (Num. 26:22; 1:27), Zebulun with +3,100 (Num. 26:27; 1:31), Issachar with +9,900 (Num. 26:25; 1:29), Benjamin with +10,200 (Num. 26:41; 1:37), Asher with +11,900 (Num. 26:47; 1:41) and Manasseh with +20,500 (Num. 26:34; 1:35).
        5. Israel's overall number of males had fallen between the first and second censuses by 1,820 (Num. 26:51; 1:46), a sad decline for a nation God had promised to be blessed with great population growth, cf. Genesis 13:14-16.
        6. In all, 1,200,000 people had died during the 38 years between the two numberings of Israel in the wilderness, Ibid., Ryrie.
    2. However, there is a startling revelation on those who HEEDED God:
      1. Numbers 26:64, 65b states that not a single adult warrior who had been numbered in the first census was still alive for the second census (of the people) except for Caleb and Joshua!
      2. The reason for such a slim survival rate was God's judgment on the older generation (see Numbers 14:22-30) for failing God ten times since the start of the Exodus out of Egypt, Numbers 26:65a.
  4. The LESSON in all this is our NEED to be FAITHFUL to HEED GOD from OBSERVING others' track records, and we make the application to ISRAEL'S SPECIFIC track records (as follows):
    1. We must trust God to save us from foes, Ex. 14:11-31; Num. 14:22.
    2. We must trust God for drinkable water, Ex. 15:23-25; Num. 14:22.
    3. We must trust God for our food, Exodus 16:1-15; Numbers 14:22.
    4. We must trust God to keep providing food, Ex. 16:19f; Num. 14:22.
    5. We must trust God to preserve our goods, Ex. 16:25-30; Num. 14:22.
    6. We must trust God for our water, Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 14:22.
    7. We must trust God to stay Sovereign, Ex. 32:1-7; Num. 14:22.
    8. We must trust God versus complaining, Numbers 11:1-3; 14:22.
    9. We must trust God regarding our diet, Numbers 11:4-35; 14:22.
    10. We must trust God to equip us to fulfill His will, Num. 13:1-14:22.
    11. We must heed God regarding our spiritual leaders, Num. 16:1-17:13.
    12. We must heed God to avoid immorality and idolatry, Num. 25:1-18.
Application: May we (1) trust in Christ for eternal life, John 3:16. (2) Then, (a) may we heed the lessons we find in the big spiritual failures or the big spiritual successes of others or ourselves, (b) that we avoid the defeat and (c) gain the blessing involved in each lesson as we apply it in our own lives! (cf. Proverbs 24:30-34)

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 After I conducted the funeral service last Tuesday for a police officer, I saw a man about the age of the deceased come up and kneel at the kneeling bench before the casket, and start to sob uncontrollably while grabbing the casket with his hand.

The widow and brother-in-law stepped forward to comfort the man, and I wondered what had caused his emotional outpouring.

Later, the deceased's brother-in-law told me the officer and the grieving man had been childhood friends until the grieving man had committed a serious crime and been sent to a federal prison. The officer had then no choice but to break all contact with this childhood friend in order to protect his role and reputation as a police officer.

Meanwhile, the man who had gone to prison came to trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior. After he was released from prison, he learned of the death of his childhood friend, the policeman, and felt distraught that his childhood friend might not have gone to heaven.

However, shortly before the funeral, he learned the policeman had also decades before made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Thus, decades of separation due to sin had come to a climax as the man wept over the casket of his childhood friend! They were tears of relief in the realization that both men were now brothers in Christ, but they were also tears of grief as sin had separated them for much of their lives, and would keep them apart them until the rapture!

Considering this event in view of this sermon really made me think! The police officer and the grieving former criminal could have had a blessed, lifelong friendship of mutual edification on earth that could have immensely helped them both HAD they both trusted in Christ and begun walking with the Lord as boys. However, sin had separated these childhood friends for much of their lives, tragically blocking their mutually needed support and spiritual fellowship!

Yes, God gains the victory in the end -- both men will be forever reunited at the rapture. However, the grief unloaded at the casket moved me to see the huge harm sin does to human relationships.

The point of this illustration and sermon is that great spiritual failures or great spiritual successes act as signposts along life's path that God wants to use to direct US to walk righteously!

May we heed the signposts of the tragedies and triumphs we or others face, and react by heeding God's will in His power!