2009-0004-029 #29 Moses~ A Servant Of God

MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDY

Pastor Alex M Perednia

04/29/09 #29 MOSES… A SERVANT OF GOD More than One Way to Destroy Your Enemy (Numbers 22, 25) ______________________________________________________________________________

WARMING UP There are two ways to defeat your enemy. One is to fiercely attack them directly. Another way is to subtlety attack them indirectly by sowing the seeds of their own destruction. We will see today how some of Israel’s enemies tried to destroy Israel directly, while one nation tried to destroy them from within. The Moabites demonstrate that a “slow boil” tactic can do great damage! FOR BIBLE STUDY  Last week, we saw that, after Moses and Aaron’s failure, the death of Aaron happens in the 6th month of the 40th year (Num 20:22-29). As the children of Israel continued their journey toward the Promised Land, they encountered and fought peoples until they reached the plains of Moab (see the ESV Study Bible map on the next page to see the probably journey of the Israelites):

 Read Numbers 25. How do the Moabites/Midianites attempt to defeat the Israelites indirectly by sowing the seeds of their own destruction? What were the children of Israel guilty of and why did the “Lord’s anger” burn (25:3)? What happened as a result of God’s judgment?  What are we to make of this “prophet” Balaam? According to Numbers 31:8, Deuteronomy 23:3-6, Joshua 13:22, 2 Peter 2:15-16, Jude 11, and Rev. 2:14, what was the real sin of Balaam and the reason he is condemned in the scripture? How did he advise Balak to defeat the Israelites and why? What ultimately happens to Balaam? FOR DISCUSSION  Using the analogy of “the frog in the kettle” (SermonSpice.com © video), in what ways can the enemy of our soul use the “slow boil” tactic to make us ineffective for Jesus? In what ways does the enemy of our soul today utilize “slow boil” or Balaam-like tactics to immobilize the church and make us ineffective for Jesus Christ?

 Edom: Moses requested twice but was refused passage through Edom. Since the Edomites are descendants of Essau (the brother of Jacob), Moses leads the people around Edom (Numbers 20:14-20). They also head around Moab (the descendants of Lot).  Arad: On the way toward Edom, the Israelites are attacked by the King of Arad, a Canaanite people in the Negeb dessert. The people call out to God and Yahweh grants them a victory. This is the first victory of the second generation (Numbers 21:1-3).  The Bronze Serpent Incident: As we studied in detail last week, as the children of Israel traveled toward the Red Sea around Edom, this second generation “became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses…” (Numbers 21:4).  Amorites: The Israelites also requested safe passage through Amorite lands (the land north Moab), but King Sihon attacked the Israelites and were defeated under Moses’ leadership (Numbers 21:21-30) and then they defeated King Og and his people (Numbers 21:31-35).

 Moabites: Let’s see how the Moabites tried to subdue their enemy by reading Numbers 22. What was the reaction of Balak the king of Moab to the encampment of the children? How does he attack?  Who is Balaam and why did Balak recruit him? Where was Balaam from and what was his religious background? Is he a prophet of Yahweh? Is Balaam doing God’s will? Browsing through Numbers 23-24, what is Balaam’s prophecy concerning Israel’s future? Is this what Balak expected to hear from Balaam? Why does Balaam refuse to comply with Balak’s request to curse Israel? How does God show his sovereign power and wisdom in this incident?

(From ESV Study Bible; Copyright © 2008–2009 Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.)