3 September 2019
Opening Remarks
Potential Discussion Questions:-
Suggested Commentary to Potential Discussion Questions:-
Here, God was also using Israel to bring judgement upon unrepentant and defiant nations. Judgement will always be due on unrepentant and defiant (i.e., Luke 13:1-5). But the way judgement is brought upon by God has changed. Jesus said in John 5:11:- "For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son". Jesus also said in John 18:33 - "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Hence you won't see anymore God using his people to bring judgement on unrepentant and defiant, like we see here. Remember, Jesus did not allow the Jews to stone (according to the Old Testament laws) the woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:11).
Remember, Jesus is the one who would bring upon the final judgement on the unrepentant - Revelation 20:11-15.
(See commentary above).
Prominent battles for a Christian are:- (1) Battle against one's own sinful nature, (2) Spiritual warfare, (3) Suffering inflicted, arising from the broken nature of the world and sin of others in the world.
Numbers 21:1 suggests God will often allow us to suffer in these battles. Read this article of "Spiritual warfare" on ways from Scriptures to tackle such battle.
Is it hard to say if we in prosperous, powerful, free America today, complain any less that those Israelites in wilderness for decades?!
Israelites made false accusations against Moses (v5) - In-fact they were in wilderness for 40 years because of sin (Numbers 14). Calling God's great food manna as "worthless" (v5) was false accusation and great offense. So, they were wrongfully rebelling against God appointed authority (Moses) and hence God. They became impatient with God (v4). They lost track of God's great plan of redemption for them and started believing that they were brought to wilderness out of Egypt to die. They stopped trusting God.
In today's time, how often do we tend to wrongfully blame fellow brethren when circumstances are bad? How often do we tend to loose track of ongoing God's plan of redemption and become fixated at what all is not going well in the moment? How often do we tend to stop trusting God? How often do we take for granted God's blessings and provisions (such as here, they wrongfully "trashed" manna which was actually a super-food - food of angels - Psalm 78:25)?
On "corresponding punishments" / "In general, how does God punish one for sinning in current times?", see commentary on "How Church members are disciplined for sin in today’s time? ".