By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN
Numbers 33:50–56; 34:13–15
The Land (33:50–53)
God had told Moses in Numbers 14 that all of the Israelites 20 years of age and older — except for Joshua and Caleb — would die in the wilderness and not be able to enter the promised land because of their lack of faith. The spies who went into the land of Canaan turned against God by not trusting Him to give them the land. They trusted with their eyes, not their hearts.
For those left, God tells Moses what needs to be done upon entering the land. The Israelites are commanded to chase out all of the inhabitants and destroy all idols and high places, which is where the false gods were worshipped.
God knew that the people of Canaan and their idols would lead His people astray. Similarly, we need to be vigilant in protecting ourselves from idols in our lives.
I don’t know of any Christians who have idols made of stone and wood that they worship, but an idol is anything in our lives that takes the place of God. It can be money, success, peace or comfort.
If we struggle with placing our hope in things other than God, we need to reorient our priorities so that we can get back to trusting in God and His promises.
The Task (54–56)
God told the Israelites to drive out the people of the land. They needed to obey God so that the Canaanites would not be a stumbling block for them. This would not be easy, and there would be many temptations for the Israelites to not obey God in this matter. The fact that they failed to remove all of the Canaanites would cause problems for years for the Israelites.
As Christians, we need to remove sin from our midst. We cannot wink at sin and think that there will be no consequences. Sin is disobedience to God, and since God wants what is best for us, turning away from Him causes problems for us and those around us.
There are times when you may need to stop spending time with former friends because they cause you to sin. You may need to stop watching sports or working so much in order to spend more time with family or at church. We need to guard our minds and hearts so we can focus on God’s desires and not our own.
The Plan (34:13–15)
The tribes were to receive their land by lot. They trusted God to set them where He wanted them. They did not complain about where God placed them.
It is easy for us to complain to God about our circumstances. Some Christians are born into stable, wealthy families and end up having stable, well-paying jobs. Some of us are born into poor families or unstable families and end up with lower-paying jobs.
All of us face challenges of varying kinds — health, money, relationships — but we are not to complain about where we are placed by God and what our circumstances are. If we ground our trust in God and not in our circumstances, He gives us power to have joy in the midst of our circumstances.
Instead of worrying or complaining about these things, think about how God has placed you in this place or position for a reason and make the best of the opportunities God gives us, focusing on how we can honor God instead of looking at our circumstances.
EDITOR’S NOTE — The Sunday School lesson outlines are provided by Lifeway.
Share with others: