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Advent Productions

Wilderness Wandering

Benjamin Ng

Water From A Rock

Jethro and Moses

The Law and the Covenant

Sanctuary

Nadab and Abihu

The Golden Calf Apostasy

The Seventy Elders

Family Dissensions

The 12 Spies

The Rebellion of Korah

In The Wilderness

When Talking Is Enough

Fiery Serpents

The Fear of God

Balaam the Prophet

Sinning Against Ourselves

Moses and the Israelites

Into Canaan

Father in Heaven, we thank you for this new day.

We thank you, Lord, again, for the opportunity we have to come and study your Word.

May you please guide us once again with your Holy Spirit.

Help us to see the truth that you want us to learn and apply to our lives today.

May you please guide us is our earnest plea and prayer.

Well the title of our study this evening is when talking is enough.

We're continuing our series in the wilderness wanderings.

So glad that all of you have decided to join us.

And we're quite far into the study already.

You know, the Israelites, they had already rebelled.

They had now been sentenced to just going round and round in the wilderness.

And not much is really written of the Israelites being in the wilderness for that 40 years, just going round and round.

However, There are several stories and encounters that the Bible does give us and detail for us as we come towards the close of these 40 years and as Moses is bringing the children of Israel and God again, of course, is bringing the children of Israel to the borders of Canaan and they are soon to inherit the land.

And there are some of these encounters that are important for us to study.

And today is such an encounter that we find in Numbers chapter 20 and verse 1.

Then came the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month.

And the people abode in Kadesh, and Miriam died there and was buried there.

So Numbers 20, it begins with the death of Miriam, Moses and Aaron's sister.

She is the oldest of the 3 siblings, and not much is said in regards to her death but surely it was not something small.

She was the 1 that led the children of Israel in singing when the waters came crashing down on the Egyptian host and the army and God delivered them with the Red Sea.

She was the 1 that led them in timbrels and singing and song.

She really held a prominent place in Israel.

She was a prophetess, which meant that God would communicate with her and through her to the people from time to time.

We never really see her, in a sense, prophesy and give any prophecy, but we know that she was a prophet or a prophetess.

So she held a really important role in the camp, in the nation of Israel.

And moreover, she is mentioned with her brothers as being instrumental in bringing the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

In Micah 6 and verse 4, this is what we read, For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed the out of the house of servants, and are sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." And it's interesting to note that even though the names are not mentioned in the order of birth, Miriam being the oldest, and then Aaron, and then Moses, yet it seemed like order of importance and nonetheless, she was 1 of the more prominent and important people in the nation of Israel.

And she would pass away in the wilderness.

She would not be able to enter into that promised land, the land of Canaan.

However, let's continue in Numbers chapter 20, shall we?

And there was no water for the congregation, and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

And the people chode with Moses and spake, saying, Word God, that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord?

And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?

And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this evil place.

It is no place of seed or of figs or of vines or of pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink.

So once again, trouble arises in the camp.

And once again, it is about food and about water.

And what do they accuse Moses and Aaron of?

They accuse them saying that they were the ones that brought them out of Egypt to kill them in the wilderness.

They're wishing that they had died with their brethren in the wilderness.

Once again, they're comparing, they're complaining about this whole situation and comparing to that seemingly comfortable life in Egypt.

There they had seeds, they had figs, they had vines, they had pomegranates, they had all these nice and seemingly exotic fruits.

I mean, the manna was still falling every day for them.

He was still feeding them and sustaining them.

And it would not cease until they entered into Canaan.

So, they were complaining because they didn't have something more tasteful and sweet to eat.

Remember, the manna had this taste of honey to it, right?

So it was sweet already, but I guess they had a sweet tooth that was not easy to satisfy.

Maybe they were just tired of eating the same food over and over again.

A food that God fed for them, a food that He Himself prepared for them.

We cannot even understand and know what manna was, but yet it was so nutritious that none of them died of starvation or lacked nutrition.

It was food that was given to them to sustain them in the wilderness going round and round for 40 years in the desert in the heat.

However, there was 1 seemingly valid complaint.

You see, everywhere in the wilderness that they went, water had always been provided for them.

It wasn't just 1 instance where Moses struck the rock and water came out flowing for them?

No, wherever they traveled, God always provided water from a rock.

He always provided water for them to drink.

You see, in Isaiah chapter 48 and verse 21, This is what we read.

And they thirsted not when He led them through the deserts.

He caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them.

He claimed the rock also, and the waters gushed out.

It wasn't just 1 instance at the very beginning that that God provided water for them.

When they were in the desert the whole time, God would continually provide water for them out of a rock.

And it wasn't that they were camping at 1 place and staying there for 40 years.

No, they were moving round and round and going round and wherever they went, God always provided water for them.

He opened the rock and the waters gushed out.

Water had been provided for them throughout all their sojourning in this desert, in this wilderness for 40 years.

And so when the water ceased, they began to complain.

And naturally, it seemed like they had something valid to complain about.

But really, Was there grounds for their complaining?

Of course this complaining was unreasonable if it coupled with the food, right?

So they were complaining about the food and then there was no water left.

But what was the reason why the water stopped?

What was the reason why it seemed like they had no water left to drink?

Was God really making them die of thirst?

Something that was so important for everyday life?

I mean, the water really did stop, but why?

You see, we read in Deuteronomy 2, verses 3-6.

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Series

Wilderness Wandering

When Talking Is Enough

Transcript

Parent Series

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