Numbers: Journey to the Promised Land Lesson 1
Setting up the Camp: Every Detail Matters
It was always a mystery to me why many of my Bible classes taught about Moses and the Exodus, and also the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai but just seemed to gloss over the experiences of the next 40 years traveling to the Promised Land through the wilderness.
The Book of Numbers tells this part of the Bible narrative... the trip from Mt. Sinai to Acacia Grove, across the river from Jericho. Instead of taking just 11 days to reach Kadesh Barnea, and entering the land from the South, the Israelites spent 40 years in the wilderness before making the trek north and entering Caanan from the east. The Book of Deuteronomy also gives insight into this period of history... a set of sermons given by Moses just before his death. Some of the scriptures for this study will also be from that book as well.
I chose to write this eight week study from a new angle, from the point of view of Joshua! Each lesson includes a section of Joshua's journal, read by my husband, John! Of course we do not really have the journal of Joshua, however, the contents of the fictional journal closely follows the scriptures being taught. I introduce each lesson myself, and then also give a short commentary at the end. I recommend reading the scriptures for each week yourself, using the commentary book written by Chuck Missler. Here is a link to purchase the book if you wish.
You might want to simply watch the video lessons, or you may wish to journal or discuss with a small group the included questions. I have included printed lesson plans for each lesson, starting with Lesson 1! Click HERE! Throughout the study I will be using the maps of the area created by Dr. Glen Fritz, with the location of Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia, NOT in Egypt. Click Here for his website. If you are interested in this topic, I suggest you start with my study on the book of Exodus for more details. I will also be including some photos of our trip to the real Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia. Enjoy!
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Discussion Questions: (Chapters 1-4)
Key takeaway: Yahweh has reasons for every single thing he asks us to do.
What stood out to you the most in this lesson?
What would your major concern be if you were living in the camp of Israel at this time?
Think of a time when one of God’s little details you discovered while reading the bible made a difference in your life.
Our entire journey of sanctification, our walk with Christ, has ups and downs. How do we know we are following the correct path?
Read the account of what happened to Nadab and Abihu in the book of Leviticus, Chapter 10. What does that teach us about living in the presence of a Holy God?
In your life, has there ever been a time when you have been settled for a long time in a physical place or in the same ministry? What did you do while you were "camping out" in that place? What happened?Did you become complacent in your faith or did you use that time to strengthen it for the next journey?
When was the last time God lifted the cloud and asked you to journey with him? What happened?
Does knowing that the entire camp of Israel was in the shape of a cross strengthen your faith? Why do you think that is?
Here is a link to the website of Geographer Glen Fritz. Click Here!
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