"*** Numbers04 ***"
"A huge flock of quail hover all around the camp That night a wind drove a huge flock of quail in from the sea, and the next morning they were hovering two cubits above the ground all around the camp, as far as a days walk in any direction. The Israelites kill quail for two days and dry the meat All that day and night, and all the next day, the Israelites went out and killed quail. No one gathered less than ten homers and they spread them all around the camp to dry. Before the meat all eaten a great plague strikes the Israelites However before the meat was all eaten, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people and he struck them with a great plague. They place was named Kibroth-hattaavah because"
"there they buried the people who had craved other food. Quail often migrate in enormous numbers. Miriam and Aaron jealous of Moses From there the people travelled to Hazeroth. While there, Miriam and Aaron began to criticise Moses because of his Ethiopian wife for he had married an Ethiopian woman. They also said, Has the Lord spoken only through you? Has he not also spoken through us? Moses, Aaron and Miriam summoned to the Tabernacle by the Lord At these words the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Come out to the Tabernacle, all three of you. So the three of them went out. (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.) The Lord speaks"
"to Moses face to face unlike other prophets The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. He commanded Aaron and Miriam to step forward and then spoke to them saying, Hear my words. When a prophet is among the people I give him revelations in visions or dreams, but not so my faithful servant Moses. With him I speak face to face clearly, and he sees the form of Jehovah. Why then were you not fearful to speak against my servant Moses? Miriam struck with leprosy When the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, Miriam was white with leprosy. Aaron pleaded with Moses, My lord, do not hold our foolish sin against us. Let not her flesh remain consumed with leprosy. Moses cried"
"out to the Lord, O God, please heal her Miriam to remain in disgrace outside the camp for seven days The Lord replied, If her father had spit in her face, would she not be in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days. After that she can be brought back. So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days. The people did not move on until she was brought back. Twelve leaders, one from each tribe sent to explore the promised land The people then left Hazeroth and encamped at Kadesh. There the Lord said to Moses, Send a leader from each tribe to explore the land of Canaan which I am giving to you. So Moses called twelve leaders to explore the land and said to"
"them, See what the land is like, if it is good or bad? See if the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. Are the towns unwalled or fortified? How is the soil, fertile or poor? Are there trees or not? And try and bring back some of the fruit of the land. So the leaders departed to explore the land. The explorers report back to the people a land of milk and honey After forty days the explorers returned. Two of them carried a pole between them on which hung a branch bearing a large cluster of grapes, and there were also pomegranates and figs. They reported to Moses and the people and showed them the fruit of the land and gave this account: We explored the land and it does flow"
"with milk and honey. See, here is its fruit. The cities large and fortified and the tall Anakim are there But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw the Anakim there. Caleb of Judah encourages the Israelites but some of the explorers are fearful Then Caleb said, Let us go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. But some of the other leaders who had gone up with him said, We cannot attack those people, they are stronger than us. The people we saw there are large of stature. We saw the Anakim there and felt like grasshoppers before them. Many of the people become fearful and want to return to Egypt"
"Then many of the people cried out in distress and wept, and some of the men complained saying, If only we had died in Egypt, or in this desert. Why has Jehovah brought us to this land to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken captive. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt? And they murmured among themselves and said, We should choose a leader and return to Egypt."
"*** Numbers05 ***"
"Caleb and Joshua plead with the people but are threatened with stoning At this Moses and Aaron fell face down in front of all the people gathered there. Caleb and Joshua who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the people, The land we explored is exceedingly good, a land of milk and honey. If Jehovah is pleased with us he will give it to us, only do not rebel against him, and do not fear the people of the land, their protection is gone. Jehovah is with us. But the people talked of stoning them. The glory of the Lord suddenly appears to all the people Suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tabernacle, in sight of all the Israelites. The Lord intends to destroy the Israelites The Lord summoned Moses and"
"said to him, How long will these people treat me with contempt and refuse to believe in me despite the signs I have performed among them? How long will this wicked nation complain against me? I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them and make you into a nation greater and stronger than they. Moses asks the Lord to forgive his people But Moses pleaded with the Lord saying, No Lord, for the Egyptians will hear of it and will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have already heard that you O Lord are with these people and that they have seen you face to face, and that your cloud stays over them. If you put these people to death the nations will say, Jehovah was not able to bring these people into the land he"
"promised them, so he killed them in the desert. Now may the Lords strength be displayed, for you have declared, Jehovah is slow to anger, abounds in love, and forgives sin and rebellion, yet does not leave the guilty unpunished. Therefore in accordance with this great love, forgive the sin of this people just as you have forgiven them from the time they left Egypt until now. The Israelites forgiven but the disobedient will not see the promised land The Lord answered Moses, Very well, I will forgive them as you ask, however not one of the Israelites who have seen my glory and the signs I have performed and yet disobeyed me these ten times will ever see the promised land. Caleb and Joshua will enter the promised land But"
"my servant Caleb has a different spirit, and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land and his descendants will inherit it. Not one of you will enter the land except Caleb and Joshua. The Israelites cursed to wander 40 years in the desert until those over 20 years old have fallen Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, Say to the people, I will do to you the very things you feared. The bodies of every one of you, twenty years old or more who were included in the census and have complained against me, will fall in this desert. As for your children whom you said would be taken captive, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. But your bodies will fall in this desert, and your children"
"will wander here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness. One year for each of the forty days you explored the land, until the last of your bodies lies dead in the desert. For forty years you will know what it is like to have me against you. So turn around tomorrow and return to the desert. All the explorers die of plague except Caleb and Joshua When Moses reported this to the people they mourned bitterly. Then the leaders responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down by the Lord and died of a plague. Of the twelve leaders who explored the land only Caleb and Joshua survived. The Israelites try to enter the promised land but are beaten back by the Canaanites Early the next morning"
"the Israelites came to Moses and said, We realise we have sinned. We are now ready to go into the land the Lord promised. But Moses said, Do not disobey the Lords command. You will not succeed. Jehovah is not with you and you will be defeated by your enemies. Nevertheless they entered the land, though neither Moses nor the Ark left the camp. Then Canaanites who lived in the hill country attacked them, beating them back and defeating them."
"*** Numbers06 ***"
"The 40 years wandering in the desert begins Thus for many years the Israelites wandered about, camping in various places in the desert and hills south of the Dead Sea. Their food was the manna sent from the Lord which fell with the dew of the night. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the Tabernacle, the Israelites would set out, and wherever the cloud settled the Israelites would camp. For as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle, for two days, a month, or a year the Israelites would remain in camp, but when it lifted, whether by day or by night they would set out. The desert near"
"Edom, typical of the area where the Israelites wandered for 40 years. A Sabbath breaker stoned to death During this time, while the Israelites were wandering in the desert a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him brought him before Moses and Aaron who held him in custody until it was clear as to what should be done with him. The Lord said to Moses, The man must die. The people must stone him outside the camp. So they took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death. Israelite garments to have tassels with blue cord to remind them to keep the commandments"
"Then the Lord said to Moses, Say to the Israelites, You are to sew tassels on the edges of your garments, with a blue cord on each tassel to remind you to keep all the commandments of Jehovah, and not follow the lusts of your own hearts and eyes. Korah and 250 Levites and Dathan and Abiram rebel against Moses and Aaron At another time, Korah the Levite along with 250 other Levites, and also Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of Reuben, rebelled against Moses and Aaron. Korah and the Levites jealously confront Moses and Aaron and claim equal holiness Korah and his Levite followers came and stood"
"before Moses and Aaron and said to them, You have gone too far. All of the Levites are holy, every one of them and Jehovah is with them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above us? Moses bows down then replies that tomorrow Jehovah will show who is holy When Moses heard these words he fell face down. Then he said to Korah and his followers, Tomorrow Jehovah will show who belongs to him and who is holy. The rebellious Levites are challenged to offer incense as do the priests In the morning you and your followers are to bring censers. Put fire and incense in them and offer incense before the"
"Lord. Aaron will offer incense also. The man Jehovah chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far. It is against the Lord that you have banded together. Moses accuses the Levites of trying to obtain Aarons priesthood Is not it enough that the God of Israel has chosen you from among the rest of the Israelites and brought you near to him to work at the Tabernacle and minister to the people? Now you are trying to get the priesthood also. What is Aaron that you complain against him? Moses sends for Dathan and Abiram but they refuse to come Then Moses sent for Dathan and"
"Abiram, but they would not come. Instead they sent a message saying, We will not come to you. Is not it enough that you have brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert? Now you also want to rule over us. Moreover you have not brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, or given us fields and vineyards. At these words Moses was aroused to anger and said to the Lord, Do not accept their offerings. I have not wronged any of them. Next morning Korah and the Levites gather with censers The next morning Korah and the 250 Levites who followed him brought bronze censers and put fire and"
"incense in them. Then they stood with Moses and Aaron and all the men assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle. The Lord suddenly appears before the assembly Suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared before the assembly. The Lord to destroy the Israelites The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron saying, Separate yourselves from this whole assembly so I can destroy them at once. Moses pleads for the people But Moses and Aaron fell face down and Moses cried out, O God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins? The earth swallows up Dathan"
"and Abiram and their households and the household of Korah The Lord said to Moses, Command the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Moses hastened to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel and warned the people round about, Move back from the tents of these wicked men Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances to their tents with their wives and children. Moses cried out, If these men die a natural death, then Jehovah has not sent me. But if the earth swallows them up with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive"
"to Sheol, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt. As soon as Moses said these words the ground under the tents of Dathan and Abiram split apart and swallowed them, along with all their households. Korahs tent and household was also swallowed up. Then the earth closed up over them again and they perished. Hearing their cries the people around them fled crying out, The earth will swallow us too Korah and his followers are consumed by fire Then fire flared out from the Lord and consumed Korah and the 250 Levites with him who were offering incense. The Lord said to"
"Moses, Have Aarons son Eleazar the priest take the censers out from the smouldering remains, for they have become holy at the cost of the lives of the men who sinned. Have them hammered into bronze sheets to overlay the altar, as a sign to the Israelites."