Call Sealed with Promise

Unit 3: Called to Obey

(Lessons 9-13)

DISHONORING GOD

--i·'iNk·" .
INTRODUCTION DEVOTIONA.L READING:
A. "YES, YOUR HONOR" PSAL\195
Anyone who has ever appeared before a judge knows that proper courtesy BA.CKGROUND SCRIPTURE:
and respect are necessary. If we want the judge to treat us favorably, we must Nt/MBERS 20:1-13
do nothing to turn him or her against us. PRINTED TEXT:

A central part of this courtesy is our language. Courtroom protocol expects NIJMBERS 20:1-13

us to address the judge \vith respect, using the title "your honor." This does
not mean we are honOring the judge on a personal-lifestyle level, for we may
know nothing about this. It means we are honoring the judge as a representa­
tive of the legal system that forms the backbone of our society. LESSON AIMS
Moreover, when we say "your honor, " we are eAlJressing an expectation After participating in this
that the judge will act in an honorable manner. It is disheartening to learn lesson, each student will be
that a judge has taken a bribe, favored a crony. acted carelessly, or done other able to:
things that bring dishonor on the court. 1. Tell wl1at happened
Honor must be central in our relationship with the ultimate judge: the at the site that came to be
Lord our God. Since we live in an increasingly careless society, it has become called Me1ibah and the sad
more common to act disrespectfully toward God, the opposite of honor­ . consequences.
ing him. Yet the Lord has promised that "those who honor me I will honor" 2. Explain hmv fntstra­
(1 Samuel 2:30). tion or other emotional stress
God's honor is not dependent on us. The psalmist \vTote that God is can lead one to dishonor God
"clothed with splendor and majesty" (Psalm 104: 1). This does nothing to today.
relieve us of the responsibility of honoring God, however. Paul even goes so 3. Recruit an accountabil­
far as to imply that the failure to honor God is a t}lJe of voluntary insanity. ity partnerfor mutual growth
a futility of mental processes (Romans 1:21). \lVe as God's creatures not . in an area where both need to
only have an obligation to honor God, we have a need to do so. Honoring honor God more.
God must be more than lip service. It must come from the heart (see Isaiah
29:l3).

B. LESSON BACKGROUND
Numbers l3 tells the story of a group of Israelite men who were sent into
the land of Canaan as spies to evaluate the region. They returned with glow­
ing reports of the land's bounty. But most of the men gave fearful reports of
the military strength of the residents. This caused the nation to cry out for a KEY VERSE
return to Egypt, and even to make plans for replacing :Moses as their leader. The LORD said to
This story was the topic of last week's lesson. Moses and Aaron, "Be­
The result of this lack of faith was for God to forbid the adults of the na­ cause you did not trust
tion to enter the promised land. They would die in the wilderness, for anyone in me enough to 11Onor me as
age 20 or over would be included in this death toll Cr:-.;umbers 14:29). The holy in the sight of the Isra­
only exceptions were to be the two spies who encouraged the nation not to elites, you will not bling this
fear and to go and possess the land (14:30). The other Israelites were told community into the land I
that they had to wander in the \vilderness for 40 years until the adult popula­ give the1n:"
tion of the time had passed away (14:33). -Numbers 20: 12
 LESSON 11 NOTES The people of Israel did not take this news welL Therefore, they decided to
try to force their way into Canaan in spite of the Lord's decision. This expedi­
tion was a disaster, and the Israelite force was soundly defeated by the Amale­
kites and Canaanites of the region (Numbers 14:45).
· In today's lesson, the nation has returned to the site of this earlier rebel­
lion, namely Kadesh (Numbers 13:26; 20:1). While the exact location of

Kadesh is a matter of conjecture today, it was a site about 50 miles south

· of Beersheba. Beersheba marked the southern border of Canaan. The land

· is increasingly arid and barren south from there. This is described as the
"Desert ofZin" (13:21; 20:1). It is the northern part of the larger "Desert of
Paran," which includes most of the central area of the Sinai Peninsula (see
13:3,26).
In these references, the word desert has the primary idea of "uninhabit­

able" because the conditions were so harsh. The water miracle in today's

story means that Kadesh became an oasis in this desert. Today's lesson oc­

curs at the end of the 40-year period of \vilderness wandering (about 1406

Be). This is just prior to the campaigns and maneuvers that take Israel into

DAILY BIBLE READINGS the promised land of Canaan.

Monday, Aug. 10­ I. FRUSTRATION & COMPLAINING (NUMBERS 20:1-5)

Rebelled Against the Com­
mand (Numbers 20:22-29) A. THIRSTY IN THE DESERT (vv. 1, 2)
Tuesday, Aug. II-Tested 1. In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of

at Meribah (Psalm 81:1-10) Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. V1ere Miriam died and was buried.

Wednesday, Aug. 12­ The first month is the month of Abib in the Hebrew calendar (later called
! NisanY, as we learned in Lesson 6 of this quarter. Since the ancient Israelites
Do Not Harden lOur Hearts
(Psalm 95) · use a lunar calendar system in contrast with our solar calendar system, Abib
Thursday, Aug. 13-Put does not correspond precisely to any of our modern months. The use of a
Your C01ifidence in the Lord · lunar calendar system means that Abib (as other months) "moves around" a
(Jeremiah 17:5-10) bit year to year. But it roughly equates to late March and early April. It is the
Friday, Aug. .14-The month in which the Passover is celebrated (Exodus 12).
Foundation of Faith (Mat­ Few of the generation that was prohibited from entry into the promised
thew 16:13-18) land remain for the episode we are about to see unfold. The death of Miriam,
Saturday, Aug. one of the last of that older generation, is recorded here. She was the sister of
IS-Water for the Thirsty Moses and Aaron (='Jumbers 26:59; 1 Chronicles 6:3; compare Exodus 2:4).
(Revelation 21: 1-7) Those three formed something of a family triumvirate of leadership during
Sunday, Aug. 16­ the 'Wilderness period (see Micah 6:4).
Because Moses Did Not Trust ~1iriam had been a prophetess and had leadership skills (Exodus 15:20,
(Numbers 20:1-13) 21). But she and Aaron also conspired against Yloses at one point (Numbers
12). Thus the great Yliriam had her problems too. Along with her two broth­
· ers, she does not enter the promised land.
Kadesh (also known as Kadesh Barnea) means "holy place." This was
God's original launching point for the final push into the promised land
some 40 years earlier (Numbers 13:26). But that plan had been thwarted by
the rebellion and fear of the people of Israel.
• 2. Now there was no waterfor the community, and the people gathered in op­
position to Moses and Aaron.
Any water supply that existed at Kadesh of some 40 years previous has
dried up by now. We do not know the exact population of the community
of Israel at this point, but a later count puts the number of men at 601,730
(Numbers 26:51). Adding in women and children makes the number much
 477
~~~~~~~- -­
............................ AUGUST 16,200.2.
larger This number of people requires an enormous supply of fresh water
every day The frustration of no water leads the people to tum against their
leaders.

B. LONGING FOR EGYPT (w. 3-5)

3. They quarreled with Moses and said, "if only we had died when our broth­
ers fell dead before the LORD! WHAT Do You THINK?
The mass of people quarreling \vith Moses probably is led by the remain­ How could the Israelites
ing fe\v from the rebellion at Kadesh some 40 years earlier, for they refer to have presented their concerns
the deaths of their brothers. Consider that God has provided for these people in a positive way? "''hat can
faithfully through 4 decades of nomadic life. Moses later \vill point out that we learn from their bad ex­
e\'en their clothes did not wear out during this 40-year period (Deuteronomy ample about how to express
8:4). Yet they still complain! OHr own concerns to those in
4. "\\111y did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our leadership positions?
livestodl should die here?
\Vithout water the people \\111 quickly die, along \\-ith their livestoch. The
word you indicates that they are again blaming Moses for this situation. The
complainers assume that Moses has failed them, that he is no longer re­
ceiving directions from God. Thus their arrival at this desolate place. From
Moses' perspective, the unfairness of this complaint is magnified when one
considers that the complainers are (apparently) not even giving him a chance
to mourn the death of his sister
5. "Why did you bring us up out ofEgypt to this terrible place? It has no grain
or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"
Again, we see the "good old days" syndrome. It is highly active among
the people of Israel. This is the attitude that perceives the better situation
of the past. The Israelites seem to be idealizing Egypt as a place of plenty
of water and lots of food. By contrast, they see Kadesh as a place of no
water and no food. As we analyze what the people "should" remember, we
remind ourselves that most of the people at this time have had no eX"Peri­ How TO SAY IT
ence of Egypt as adults. The memories are either dim from childhood or Aaron. AIR-un.
secondhand from others. Thus, it may be somewhat excusable that they fail Abib. A-bib.
to remember Egypt as a place of slavery and brutal work conditions. But Amaleldtes. AM-uh-Ieh-kites
dimness of memory also makes us wonder why the complainers presume or [Jh-lvfAL-ih-kites.
to think that conditions back in Egypt were (and are) so much better than Beersheba. Beer-sHE-buh.
the current state of affairs. Canaan. KAY-nun.
Complaining comes easily for us, doesn't it? Dissatisfaction as a com­ Canaanites. KAY-nun-ites.
ponent of our personalities can be helpful in leading us to improvement. . Egypt. EE-jipt.
Complaints against God and his commands \\ill have the opposite effect, Israelites. IZ-ray-el-ites.
though. If we try to "improve" on what God has ordained, we \\ill be dis­ Kadesh Barnea. KAY-desh
obedient. This story before us presents an interesting twist on this process. BAR-nee-uh.
In this case, the complaints of the people of Israel do indeed lead to disobe­ Korah. KG-rah.
dience. But it is not the people who disobey this time. It is Moses. Meribah. MEHR-ih-buh.
NisQn. l'lYE-san.
BAD PLACES
Paran. PAIR-un.
California's Death Valley is considered one of the most inhospitable places on Sinai. SIGH-nye
eanh, as attested by its name. Covering about 3,000 square miles, it has the repu­ or SIGH-nay-eye.
tation of being the hottest, driest place in I\onh America. The temperarures often
exceed 120 degrees in summer. \Vith an average annual rainfall of about 2 inch­
es, it is also quite dry.
 But Death Valley also has surprising resources. Gold and silver mining took
place in the 1850s. For a long time, borax mines were a constant of the local econ­
omy; the borax mule train of the 1880s was famous. After the \vinter rains come,
flowers blossom and belie the valley's designation as a desert. Tourism is a grow­
ing industry, and the National Park there remains popular.
If a place like Death Valley has these things to recommend it, could Kadesh have
been all that bad? YCt the [<;raelites labeled it a "terrible place" in their rabid desire
to return to Egypt; \ve see irony in that the name of this "terrible place" Kadesh
means "holy place." As we ponder their attitude, let us recall that it is not natural
resources or climate that ultimately determines whether any given place is good or
WHAT Do You THINK? bad. The main issue is the presence or absence of God (compare Ezekiel 48:35).
Under what circumstances -lB.K
do you find it necessary to get
awqy from other people to go II. COMPLAINING c~ DISOBEDIENCE (NUMBERS 20:6-11)
before the Lord as opposed to A. GOD'S WILL SOUGHT (v. 6)
staying with those peoplefor i 6. Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of
group prayer? Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
Moses apparently gives no answer to the people. Instead, he and Aaron
· go directly to seek the presence of God in the Tent ofMeeting. If Moses and
, Aaron ask God any specific questions, we are not told what they are. At any
rate, rv10ses and Aaron bow appropriately, and God appears to them.

B. GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS RECEIVED (w. 7, 8)

7, 8. The LoRD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron
gather the assembly together. Speak to that roch before their ryes and it ""ill
pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so
thry and their livestock can drink"
The staff mentioned here is a stout wooden rod, the kind used by shep­
herds. For Moses and Aaron, their staffs are signs of their authOrity and are
used in their miraculous works.
After the revolt of Korah (Numbers 16), Israel was punished with a death
. plague. Aaron's actions had been the key to stopping the plague (Numbers
16:46-48); Aaron's authority then was vindicated when his staff miraculously
WHAT Do You THINK? sprouted blossoms and ripe almonds overnight. For this reason, Moses
What are some of the ways . placed Aaron's staff before the ark of the covenant as a warning to rebels
that the Lord responds to our ! (Numbers 17:8-10; see Hebrews 9:4). It is likely, then, that the staff used in
complaints today? How have this story is the one used by Aaron.
you grown spiritually as a In today's te.'{t, Israel is near the end of the wilderness sojourn. Moses is
result? ; told to reenact a scene from the beginning of the Sinai period that involved
striking a rock with a staff to have it produce water miraculously (see Exodus
17: 7). Only this time Moses is to speak to the rock instead of striking it.
This seemingly simple request of the Lord is played out in a way that leads to
, disaster.
INSTRU~JENTS
I come from a musical family (although the music genes mostly have bypassed
me). My mother and her sister both played the piano. Both of my grandmothers
were pianists, with my dad's mother serving as a church organist for over 30 years.
Yly dad received professional training as a vocalist. My v.iJe was a vocal music
major in college; she has a marvelously sW'eet soprano voice. Both of my daughters
are mUSically gifted, one of them now teaching music at a Christian college.
 - - - _................................ __ . 479

As a result, I love piano music, both classical and religious (hanky-tonk is not
my styleD. But I have learned through the years that the piano is just an instru­
ment. Beautiful music comes from a piano when skilled performers apply their
gifts to its keys.
The same applies to other "instruments." My dad was a carpenter, and in his
hands various tools could create functional things like cabinets, toys, and houses.
In my hands those same tools are worthless. Doctors use surgical instruments for
healing purposes. Without their abilities and skills, those same instruments can
inflict great damage on the human body. Visual for Lesson 11.
Moses used a staff or rod as an instrument of power. Yet the power \vas not in Iurn this imperative into a
the staff (It is probably a good thing that this staff no longer exists. lest it be ven­ question as you ash your stu­
erated.) The staffwas merely an instrument to demonstrate God's power. May the dents to name ways they will
same be said of us in our efforts to serve God. May we glorifY him and no other. honor God in the weeh ahead.
B. N.

C. GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS VIOLATED (vv. 9-11)

9. So Moses took the stalffrom the LORD's presence,just as he commanded
him.
Moses starts well, taking the staff as the Lord commands. Rather than
proceed \vith his simple task, however, Moses takes the opportunity to give a
litde speech. This speech contains two troubling elements.
10. He and Aaron gathered tile assembly together in front of the rock and
Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you. water out of this
rock?"
Moses first chastises the people of Israel as rebels, although God has not
told him to do so. God's response in Numbers 20:8 shows no impatience
or exasperation \vith the people. In a later recounting of this incident, the
psalmist will write that "rash words came from Moses' lips" (Psalm 106:33).
Second, Moses' question Must we b1ingyou water? seems to take personal
credit (along \\-ith Aaron) for the miracle about to happen. Does Moses fail to
recall that he is no more than God's instrument?
11. Then Moses raised his ann and strude the rock mice with his staff. Water
gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.
Moses disobeys the Lord by striking the rocl? instead of speaking to it. The
fact that he strikes it twice may remind us of the impatient pedestrian at a
crosswalk who pushes the button for the "walk" light several times when
it does not change quickly enough. Moses is angry and impatient with the
people. He lets this attitude distract him from the nature of God's miracle.
We imagine that the staff must be sturdy, or else Moses' angry blows would
shatter it.
III. DISOBEDIENCE & PUNISHMENT (NUMBERS 20: 12, 13) . WHAT Do You THINK?
A. GOD CONDEMNS THE ACTIONS (v. 12) How have you discovered
12. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me . that disobedience to God
enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you ""ill not bring this
always leads to loss in some
community into the land I give them."
w~y? How have you grow11
The \\-ildemess experience of Israel includes examples of God's forgiveness
through such expe1iCl1ces?
(compare Numbers 14:18). In this case, however, the disobedience of Moses
and Aaron is to be punished. This is to be so even though Moses has been
God's key man to this point in creating the nation of Israel.

WHAT Do You THINK?
Which is the more accu­
rate description ofyour home: \Vhen we do this, we honor God. To fail to do so is to deny God's holiness.
place af cantentian or haly
place? How can you make it B. GOD'S SANCTITY Is UPHELD (v. 13)
more ofthe latter?
PRAYER
Holy God, may we honor
you in all we say and in all , cames aur way. vVe are let da~n by peaple we depend an. A careless driver
we do. May we never despise : bumps our car. Peaple reach breaking paints as frustratians begin to pile up.
your provisions for us. May
we sanctify you in our con­
gregation. \-Vhen complaints
against you Jise to our lips,
may we have the wisdom to
swallow them and singyour
praises instead. We pray
these things through the
name ofour SaviorJesus.
Amen.
Gad brings twa charges. The first charge is that the brothers have shown
: a lack af faith. This results in disabedience. They do not trust God enough to
, carry out his instructians in humility, but give in to anger. Second, the pair
does nat honor Gad, meaning that they dO' not respect Gad's haliness. v\That
could be an accasion of reverence and celebration for the people af Gad
turns into a joyless ex'Pression of Moses' anger and frustration.
These actions of Moses and Aaron are later lumped intO' the general cate­
gory af rebellion (see Kumbers 20:24; 27:14). Ironically, this casts Moses intO'
the villainaus rebel role of which he accuses the people (20: 10, above).
There is a connection here that may nat usually occur to us. Rebellion
is easily understood as an action that is contrary to hanoring. But rebellion
also stands in opposition to Gad's holiness. vVe cannot sanctify God and op­
pose him at the same time. \Ve are called to yield to Gad's will in obedience.
13. These were the waters of MeJibah, where the Israelites quarreled with the
LORD and where he shawed hi1nselfllOly among them.
There is an ironic clash of ward" here. The word Me1ibah means "place af
contention"; Israel is to remember this as a place af contention \vith God and
recall the grievous results. The place is also Kadesh, the "haly place." God's
purity and haliness cannot be thwaned by the human sin of contending with
him. Despite the whining of the peaple and the disobedience af the leaders,
God's holiness prevails.
CONCLUSION
The camplexities of our lives can lead to' frustratians both big and smalL
We seem just to get an tap af aur finances when a big, unex'Pected expense
By the time Israel returned to' Kadesh, they had been through a lat. But at
that place they were canfranted ~ith a situatian that pushed their frustratian
talerance past its limits.
The frustratian of the peaple infected Mases. Fany years in the desen ap­
parently taak its tall on that elderly leader. He began well, standing up to'
Pharaoh's every threat and roadblack to free the people ofIsrael fram Egypt.
He follawed Gad's directions, even thaugh the cammands must have seemed
curiaus at times. Ko ane e:'rpects to' escape across a sea \vithout boats or mili­
tary protection. But Moses trusted God and performed the seemingly futile
. act of raising his rod over the sea, seeing it pan to reveal a dry path of escape.
i In celebrating this victory, Mases sang that the Lord is "majestic in holiness"
; (Exadus 15:11).
The New Testament contains a reprise of the Sang af Mases from Exo­
dus 15 in Revelatian 15:3, 4. In this brief passage, we gain the perspective
that worship is a matter af fearing Gad, af glarifying Gad, and af respecting
Gad's haliness. TO' worship Gad requires that we shaw him hanor in every
passible way.
This is more than a Sunday marning task. As Mases learned the hard way,
we can hanor or dishanar Gad even in a seemingly straightfarward job. Vio­
lating Gad's haliness is much more than disrespecting items or spaces in aur
church buildings. We violate God's holiness every time \ve rebel against him
and act in defiance to his wilL This is because disobedience betrays our lack THOUGHT TO REMEMBER
of fear for God and causes our praise of his glory to ring hollow. \Ve respect Respect God's holiness by
God's holiness when we love him and fear him enough to obey him. obeying him.

Discovery Learning

The follo\-ving is an alternative lessoll plan emphasizing learning activities.

Classes deshing such student involvement will find these suggestions helpful. At the

back of this book are reproducible student pages to further enhance acti\'i~v learning.

INTO THE LESSON
Put in each chair a copy of the reproducible ac­
tivity '1\n Important Substance" from page 510 for
students to work on as they arrive. Divide the class
into three sections where they are seated. Give each
person in the first group a slip of paper on which
is \\-Titten the word grumble. Each person in the
second group is to be given a slip with the word
mumble. Each in the third group is to have a slip
\vith the word murmur.
Say, "On my signal-which will be the word
Israel-say your word aloud over and over. Increase
and decrease both speed and volume randomly
until you hear me say stop. Ready? Israel!" After
10 seconds, say stop. Then say. "\Vhen such noise
reaches God's ears, he is both saddened and an­
gered. Tum to Numbers 20 and listen to the com­
plaints in the following Israelites at Melibah series of
monologues. "
INTO THE WORD
Before class, recruit learners for a series of very
brief monologues as follows. Direct the class to
read through the te,xt (or have it read aloud). Then
present the monologues. After each monologue,
ask the class to identifY how today's text relates in
some fashion.
Monologue #1: "OccaSionally, I think our church
leaders don't care a thing about those of us who
like things as they are. They always want to start
some new program!" Monologue #2: "To be honest,
sometimes I think about going back to my pre­
Christian lifestyle. Call them slave masters if you
want, but I certainly had more fun doing the old
things!" Monologue #3: "Well, if! should die 'at an
inconvenient time,' I don't believe anyone \:vould
stop to grieve my passing. I suppose they'll forget
all that I did for the church." Monologue #4: "It
often seems as if everything depends on me. Well,
if I'm going to get the blame, I'm going to get the
credit too." Monologue #5: "It's just not fair. After
all I had put into this endeavor. one little mistake
and I'm excluded from the good times of accom­
plishment ahead. "
Though your class may see other connections
with the events of the text, here are some possibili­
ties: (1) Israelite grumbling about water and food,
forgetting the ultimate goal: safety and freedom in
the promised land. (2) The people of Israel con­
sidering going back to Egyptian slavery. (3) Miriam
being buried (apparently) \vithout fanfare or an ex­
tended period of mourning despite her leadership
role alongside Moses and Aaron. (4) Moses dis­
obeying God regarding his action toward the rock,
seemingly taking personal credit for God's miracle.
(5) Moses and Aaron not being allowed to enter the
promised land.
Say, 'The supply of food and water for the isra­
elites in the vvilderness was a matter of miraculous
provision. \Vhen the water supply was inadequate at
Kadesh, it was a matter of faith that God would pro­
vide. The complaining was a matter; then, not Simply
of thirst but of inadequate faith and patience."
Ask your class to discuss these questions: 1. In
what sense does grumbling and complaining equal
an attack on God's grace and love? 2. In what sense
do occasions of complaining represent the impa­
tience that shows a lack of the fruit of the Spirit?
Because this lesson deals v\ith the sin of one of
God's children who was considered a holy leader
(Moses), ask the class to identifY other biblical lead­
ers who demonstrated sin in their lives. The task
should be simple (David, Peter, etc.). After a brief
listing. make the point that no human is above sin,
but God is. He forgives sin when he sees true re­
pentance. Have someone read 1 John 1:8-10.
INTO LIFE
If your budget allmvs, purchase a bottle of water
for each learner. Otherv.ise, photocopy a picture of
a bottle of water for each learner. you pass out
the bottles (or pictures), say, "Place this bottle (or
picture) where you ""ill see it each day this week
as a reminder of today's study and as a deterrent
to grumbling and complaining. the end of the
week give thanks to God for providing for your
daily needs.-'
\Vrap up by saying, -'Most of us could use an ac­
countability partner at one time or another. With
such a partner we can discuss and evaluate mutual
grm\1h in honoring God. Has anyone had a good
experience \\ith an accountability partner that you
would like to discuss?" Close \\ith an encouragement
to seek out an accountability partner. Give a copy of
the reproducible activity "Honor or Dishonor" on
page 510 to each student as take-home \vork.