Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
Tree of Life
Weekly Review
Dispensations of the Mosaic Law.
Meet those who sell out freedom for security.
042317
NUM 14:1, “Then [after the negative reports of the 10 spies] all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night.”
In other words, the majority hasn’t learned a thing. Instead of making good decisions from a position of strength they made bad decisions from a position of weakness. And their position of weakness was based upon the emotional complex of sins and the arrogant complex of sins. Therefore in Num 14:2, And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this desert!
Here it is once again, blame the leaders, it’s always their fault, and that’s exactly what they did, though Moses has stood firmed! And with that in mind we noted how a good leader learns how to stand firm in time of pressure! Remember in HEB 11:23-29, Moses learned how to stand against the King of Egypt, By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to endure ill treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that he who destroyed the first born might not touch them. By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
True leadership is the authority, ability, and capacity to direct, to guide, to lead, to motivate, to control in any organization where legitimate authority exists.
Now in Num 14:3, notice the Jews next statement, “And why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” Please notice in verse 2, they blamed Aaron and Moses, the leaders. Here they blame the Lord.
First, it starts with the rejection of spiritual authority on the part of a few and then it spreads to a total rejection of the Lord and Bible doctrine on the part of the whole congregation. Everywhere that they went they blamed the Lord. They thought the Lord had put them there to kill them. This was always their attitude. And that is typical irrationality.
For generations believers have been looking for excuses not to go forward with the plan of God. They not only blame their leaders but they find excuses not to do the Lord’s will. And the excuse in this case, our wives and our children will be plunder or booty. Actually, this was a generation of believers who did not care about their children at all. They were too self-centered for that. And what type of environment did they provide for their children to grow up in?
They had actually provided and environment of fear, hysteria, emotionalism, arrogance, bitterness and self-pity. And therefore what they had actually provided was a neurotic environment. Neurotic parents can actually drive their children away from all authority and even repression. However, these children who have heard Moses maligned every day in their tents will be healed by doctrine and they will go into the promise land.
One of the worse things parents can do is to attack the authority their children are observing. These children have seen their parents in a state of hysteria. They have seen the problems that their parents had through NVTD.
However, the next generation of Jews will not be affected by the hysteria of their parents and do you know why? And this a shocker! Because they believed what Moses said not what their parents said. Now do you know what’s going to happen? The tabernacle, the outside ten where TLJC as the Shekinah Glory will remain at Kadesh-barnea in the tent for 38 silent years.
Many of the adults will take their flocks and they are going to scatter and disperse throughout the desert. And Moses will stay there and teach that next generation of young people, in fact most of them were in their teens for when he began to teach for 38 years. And they will learn the doctrine that their parents refused either to listen to, to believe, or to apply. In other words, the parents of that generation were total failures. And what happened to their children? Are their children going to become plunder?
No!
They are going to be as positive as their parents were negative. These children did not react at the negative volition of their parents. Most of them saw those 10 great miracles in Egypt and the 10 great deliverance’s in the desert. They learned from that, they were motivated, they wanted more. Therefore, they will spend the next 38 years sharing in the suffering of their parents but also having positive volition toward doctrine. And some of them will handle that suffering magnificently because Bible doctrine is going to make the difference.
So, the congregation of Israel cried and wept all night, then they blamed Moses and Aaron, and then finally they blamed the Lord. First, it starts with the rejection of spiritual authority on the part of a few and then it spreads to a total rejection of the Lord and Bible doctrine on the part of the whole congregation. Everywhere that they went they blamed the Lord. The said the
Lord had put them there to kill them. This was always their attitude. And that is typical irrationality.
So in Num 14:3 they said, “our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” For generations believers have been looking for excuses not to go forward with the plan of God. For generations Christian have doubted in Mat 6:33. They not only blame their leaders but they find excuses not to do the Lord’s will. And the excuse in this case, our wives and our children will be plunder or booty for the enemy. Actually, this was a generation of believers who did not care about their children at all. They were too self-centered for that. And what type of environment did they provide for their children to grow up in? They had actually provided and environment of fear, hysteria, emotionalism, arrogance, bitterness and self-pity. Therefore what they had actually provided was a neurotic environment.
Their children are affected though is not always the truth of the why the turn out the way that they do. Remember Cain and Abel came from the same parents but turned out to be totally different. Cain turned out to be a murderer and a loser in life. Abel turned out to be a winner and a visible hero. Now, they both came from the same home. They had the same parents. They came from the same environment. Therefore, there’s no place for blaming the parents! And there’s no place for the parents blaming themselves. Cain was a product of his own decisions not his genes.
EZE 18:20, The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
Back in Num14, the neurotic parents can actually drive their children away from all authority and even into repression. However, these children who have heard Moses maligned every day in their tents will be healed by doctrine and they will go into the promise land. These children have seen their parents in a state of hysteria. They have seen the problems that their parents had through NVTD. And the next generation of Jews will not be affected by the hysteria of their parents. Now God has promised them not only the land but the means of taking the land and God has made it clear, it has to be taken by warfare. However, in verse 3, what do they want? They want to go back to Egypt.
Without Bible doctrine no one, who is either slave or free, can get rid of the slave mentality which is “I want to go back to Egypt = back to the way things use to be
The slave mentality always has to do with security! Freedom is far greater than security but now they want to return to slavery. Wanting security leads many individuals unto bondage and lack of freedom – for example marrying someone for their money or security. Unfortunately, many of God’s people don’t remember the abuse they once had when they were in bondage to the Cosmic System. They don’t remember the bondage! They don’t remember the legalism!
REV 2:5, “Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent.”
2PE 2:22, It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit, and, A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
And so, these apostate Jews remember the pots boiling with meat, (if that’s what you want to call it), rats, rodents, mice and frogs) and the leeks and the onions and the garlic. They are thinking in terms of human security rather than eternal security. If they understood eternal security they would understand their temporal security which is logistical based upon your God promising to provide.
NUM 14:4, So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.”
It is always interesting, people think that they can solve their problems by electing a new leader. If there’s any REAL weakness in our governmental system it is to think that the persons we elect as leaders, somehow are going to solve problems. And therefore they are already thinking of electing a leader and going to back to Egypt, which represents the way things use to be. Sound familiar?
Even in our own backyard we have to deal with the media that says to us every day, “let us go back to the ways things use to be.” They want us to want what we use want but no longer do. And so it’s time to get rid of their leader. That’s their plan! And here’s a great principle the reveals their thinking; The plan of people who are irrational is always retreat and withdraw. They want to go backward. They want to withdraw. They have forgotten where they came from. Never forget where you came from and what the Lord delivered you from!
DEU 5:15, And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
In the business world, whenever you are successful, never forget who gave you that ability!
DEU 8:18, But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
When you are in a jam or in some form of trial and testing, never forget Who is with you! Look at Psa 77:11, “I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.” This was the problem with the children of Israel!
PSA 106:7, “Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Thy wonders; They did not remember Thine abundant kindnesses, But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.”
There are so many believers who have seen and heard the wonderful doctrines that the Lord has made available, and yet they fail under pressure! Mar 8:18 “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember.” Remembering doctrine under pressure is one of the great ways that a believer is able to comfort himself!
PSA 119:52, “I have remembered Thine ordinances from of old, O Lord, And comfort myself.”
If there’s any weakness in our governmental system it is to think that the persons we elect as leaders, somehow are going to solve problems. And therefore they are already thinking of electing a leader and going to back to Egypt. That’s their plan!
Now the action of Moses is the next principle we need to note; NUM 14:5, Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel. Moses now makes the first speech since they have been murmuring and complaining. Now imagine having an attitude like this when people are hating you and they even want to kill you! The words of Moses are actually given in DEU 1:29-31. Moses is recalling what he said to them at Kadesh-barnea.
DEU 1:29-33, “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them. The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place. But for all this, you did not trust the Lord your God, who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.’”
It is God who works for us! It is not what we will or what decisions we make! The will of the people was to get rid of Moses, elect another leader and go back to slavery. It is not what we will or what we want but it is what God does! And the only Christian service that counts is where God is working on our behalf! It is the power of the spirit and the wisdom of Bible Doctrine,
So in DEU 1:29, “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be shocked, nor fear them.” This shock indicates their total immobility of thinking and action under pressure.
Why?
Because they either lacked the doctrine or withdrew from the doctrine under pressure!
DEU 1:30-31, “The Lord your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the desert where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked, until you came to this place.”
Notice what He said, He said that in the desert, God carried them! In other words, you walked here but he carried you here! They are there because of the grace of God and because of who and what God is, not because of who and what they are!
DEU 1:33, “who goes before you on {your} way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.”
They did not trust the Lord. They did not lift the shield of faith! They did not mix the promises of God with faith! They failed completely in the function of the faith rest drill…You don’t have to.