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Nathan’s Story

105 – Nathan’s Story

II Samuel 12:1-31 Psalm 51:1-19

Only God knew about David’s sin with Bathsheba. He sent the prophet Nathan, who stood before the king and told this story: “There were two men who lived in the same city. One was rich. He had a large herd of cattle and a large flock of sheep. The other was poor. He only had one small lamb, but she was like a daughter to him. The lamb grew up with his children as a pet. She ate from their bowls, drank from their cups, and even slept with them at night.

The rich man had a friend come to visit from a far off city. When it came time for a meal, the rich man didn’t want to use one of his own sheep. Instead he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.”

David became angry. He stood up and shouted, “That’s disgusting! How could he be so heartless? He deserves to die. He’ll give the poor man four lambs for what he’s done.”

Nathan pointed at David and said, “You are the man! The Lord says, ‘I made you king over Israel and gave you all you have. I would’ve given you more if you had asked for it. So why have you despised me and done this evil? You killed Uriah with an Ammonite sword, and took his wife. Because of this, the sword will never leave your house. You did all of this in secret, but I’ll judge you openly.’ ”

David broke down before Nathan. “I have sinned against the Lord.” 

Later, he wrote this prayer:

“Oh God, have mercy upon me. 

Hold me tight within your love.

In your compassion, remove my rebellion.

Wash my guilt, and remove 

the stain of my sin.

I know I’m rebellious. 

My sin haunts me day and night.

You’re the one I fought against.

This evil is against you.

You’re right to be angry and throw me away.

I’ve been this way all my life.

But I know you want to teach me.

Go deep inside of me and put wisdom there.

Use harsh cleansers until 

everything is absolutely clean.

Replace my depression with joy.

Remove my sin and give me 

a clean new heart.

Give me a determined spirit, 

and restore the joy of my salvation.

If you do these things, I’ll teach others about your ways.”

Nathan went to David and said, “The Lord has heard your prayer and has taken away your sin. You’ll not die, but the child will die because of how you treated the Lord.”

Suddenly, the child became sick. David begged God to spare him. The king wouldn’t eat, but spent day and night on the ground pleading with God. His servants tried to get him to eat, but he refused.

On the seventh day, the child died. The servants were afraid to tell David. They had watched him agonize while the child was still alive. They thought he would do something desperate when he found out the child was dead.

He saw them whispering to one another. He said, “Is the child dead?”

“Yes, he is dead.”

So David got up off the ground, took a bath, and put on clean clothes. He worshipped in the house of the Lord and then sent for something to eat.

The servants were amazed. He explained it to them. “While the child was still alive, I pleaded with the Lord in case he would be gracious and let the child live. But now that he’s dead, there’s nothing I can do. He can’t come back to me, but I can go to him.”

 Later, Bathsheba gave birth to another son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved Solomon, and said he would be the next king of Israel.

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Joab & Abner

98 – Joab & Abner

2 Samuel 2:1-32 I Chronicles 2:16 12:22

While David lived in the Philistine town of Ziklag, men from all the tribes of Israel kept coming to join his forces. They came day after day until he had a great army. After Saul’s death, David asked the Lord if he should go back to a town in Judah. The Lord said, “Go to Hebron.”

So David and his men took their families and moved to all the towns around Hebron. The men of Judah went to David and made him king of their tribe.

All the other tribes followed the leadership of Abner, the commander of Saul’s army. He took Ish-bosheth, a son of King Saul, and made him king over all of Israel except Judah.

This caused a war between these two sides. Abner led his men out to face David’s army led by Joab, the son of David’s sister. The two armies met on opposite sides of a pool. Abner yelled over to Joab. “Let’s each send out 12 men to fight for us.” So each side sent 12 men out to battle. All 24 men were skilled at battle, so each man killed his opponent. All 24 men died.

With that, both sides went into battle and Joab was victorious. After the fierce fighting, Abner and his men ran away. One of the brothers of Joab ran after Abner. The young man was an extremely fast runner, but he wasn’t as skilled in fighting as Abner.

Abner saw Joab’s brother gaining on him. He yelled back, “Go after one of my solders who is more like you. Fight it out and see what happens.”

But the young man didn’t listen to this advice. He kept gaining on Abner. Again he warned him. “Don’t make me do this. After killing you, I’d never be able to face your brother again.”

Still, the young man refused to listen and continued on. When he was right behind Abner, the skilled warrior turned and thrust his spear through the stomach of the young man. He fell to the ground and died.

The army of Joab continued to chase after the men of Abner. By sunset, reinforcements came and joined Abner’s men. He yelled to Joab. “Let’s end this battle. If we keep fighting, it’ll only increase the bitterness. Tell your men to stop running after their brothers.”

Joab yelled back, “You’re right! We would have fought all night if you hadn’t said something. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men stopped. Both armies marched back to their cities, and Joab buried his brother in their family tomb in Bethlehem.

The war continued between Judah and Israel. The people of Judah followed David as their king, and Ish-bosheth was king over all the other tribes. It was a long, bitter struggle. David’s rule became stronger and stronger, and the rule of Ish-bosheth became weaker.

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Gibeon Water Shaft, possible site of the battle, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
Gibeon Water Shaft Steps,from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com
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Goliath

87 – Goliath

1 Samuel 17:1-58

The Philistines once again invaded Israel. Both armies faced one another across a ravine. Suddenly a large Philistine stepped forward. His name was Goliath, and he was 9 feet, 9 inches tall.

He yelled, “Why are you preparing for battle? Let two of us settle this. Send someone out and we’ll fight. If your man kills me, we’ll be your slaves. But if I kill your man, you’ll be our slaves. Come on, send someone out and let’s fight.”

No one accepted his challenge, so he came out and yelled at Israel every morning and evening. This went on for forty days. Saul offered a reward to anyone who could defeat this giant. He said, “I’ll make him wealthy and he can marry my daughter.”

While this was happening, Jesse said to David, “Go visit your brothers and take them some food. Bring back word of how the battle is going.”

So David got up early and went to the battle site. He saw the men lined up in battle formations. He gave the food to the quartermaster and ran to see what was going on.

Suddenly, Goliath started shouting his challenge. “Come on. Send someone out here and let’s fight—man to man. Winner takes all.” Everyone backed away.

David was shocked. He said, “Who does this ungodly Philistine think he is? He’s defying the armies of the living God.” 

David’s oldest brother got angry. “Why are you here? Go back to your sheep. War is for men.”

David answered him. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I just asked a question.” He turned and asked the question again. “Who does this ungodly Philistine think he is?”

Saul heard about David’s question and sent for him. David said, “Don’t worry about this Philistine. I’ll fight him.”

The king said, “He’s a warrior—a seasoned fighter. You’re young, with no experience.”

David said, “I watch my father’s sheep. Every time a bear or a lion has come and tried to take a lamb, I grabbed the beast and killed it. The Lord was always with me and gave me victory. This ungodly Philistine is just another lion or bear. The Lord will give him to me.”

Saul said, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 

He then gave David his suit of armor, but he couldn’t walk because it was too heavy. He said, “I can’t wear these. They’ll hold me back.”

David got his shepherd’s staff and a sling. He went down to the brook and selected five smooth rocks and put them in his shepherd’s bag. Then he started walking toward the giant.

Goliath saw David coming. He yelled, “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? Come, and I will give your flesh to the birds.”

David yelled back, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord. You’ve insulted him. Therefore I’m going to cut off your head and give your body to the birds. This battle is the Lord’s, and he has given you to me.”

Goliath started walking toward David, but David ran toward the giant. He reached into his shepherd’s bag and put a rock into his sling. With deadly accuracy, the rock hit Goliath and sank into his forehead. He fell to the ground face forward. David ran up, pulled out Goliath’s sword, and cut off the giant’s head.

Both armies were shocked when they saw this. The Philistines turned and ran. The Israelites shouted a victory cry and chased after them. Many Philistines died that day.

Saul asked Abner, his general, “Who is that young man?”

“I don’t know.”

Saul sent for David. He came and stood before the king with the giant’s head still in his hands. Saul said, “Who are you? Who is your father?”

David said, “I am the son of Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Saul didn’t let David go back home, but made him a commander in the army. David was successful in everything Saul had him do.

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Story Telling by Phyllis Hostmeyer
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Elah brook with students picking smooth stones, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Elah Valley aerial from the west, from the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands, a valuable teaching resource produced by BiblePlaces.com

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Brides for Benjamin

74 – Brides for Benjamin

Judges 20:1 – 21:25

Continued from the previous story
The entire nation of Israel prepared for civil war. All the tribes united against the tribe of Benjamin. They declared that no city was exempt from this war. Any that violated this would be destroyed. They also swore an oath that no man would give his daughter to marry a Benjaminite.

Both sides gathered massive armies. The commanders of Israel went to Bethel and sought God’s leadership. In the morning, the war started. By the end of the day, the Benjaminites had killed many Israelites and had won the battle.

The commanders of Israel went before the Lord in anguish. They said, “Should we continue this battle against our brothers?”

The Lord said, “Fight them.”

The next day, the Benjaminites once again killed many Israelites and won the battle. This time, the entire army went before the Lord at Bethel. They made sacrifices and cried out in anguish. They said, “Should we go up against Benjamin again, or should we stop?”

The Lord said, “Go and fight them. I’ll give you victory tomorrow.”

The Israelite army prepared to fight in the morning, but this time they hid some of their men behind the city. The Benjaminites came out to fight, and once again it seemed like they were winning. The Israelites pulled back and the Benjaminites ran after them. They shouted, “We always win every battle!”

Soon the city was unprotected. Those in hiding entered the city and totally destroyed it, killing everyone. When the army of Israel saw the smoke coming from the city, they turned and charged back into battle. The army of Benjamin also saw the smoke and knew they’d been tricked.

The Lord fought against Benjamin, and soon they were terrified and tried to run, but Israel had them surrounded. The only ones to survive were 600 men who hid in a fortress. Everyone else in the tribe was killed, and their cities destroyed.

Once it was over, the people of Israel realized what they had done. They went to Bethel and sat before the Lord. They sobbed and mourned. “Oh Lord God. What have we done? Now we’re missing one of our twelve tribes.”

They stayed before the Lord all day and made sacrifices. They said, “What can we do? We only have 600 men from Benjamin and all their women are dead.” They knew it was important that the tribe repopulate.

They couldn’t give them their daughters because of the oath they had taken. Suddenly they got an idea. “Was there a city that didn’t come to battle as they were commanded?”

One city had disobeyed the order to fight. So the army of Israel went and killed everyone there. The only exception was virgin women. When the battle was over, they had 400 virgins from that city.

Israel made peace with the 600 men in the fortress, and gave them the 400 women to be their wives. They still needed 200 women.

Then they had another idea. They said to the Benjaminites, “Shiloh has an annual festival. At one point, young women come dancing out of the city. Hide in the vineyard next to the road. When the time is right, each of you jump out and grab a wife for yourself. Take them back to your own land. Don’t worry about their fathers and brothers. They’ll complain to us, but we’ll explain the situation.”

So the Benjaminites hid in the vineyard next to the road. They waited until the young women came dancing out of Shiloh. At the right moment, they jumped up and grabbed wives for themselves.

The fathers and brothers of the women complained, but the men of Israel said, “Be kind and let them keep your daughters. They need wives, and we don’t have enough to give them. Don’t worry about the curse because you didn’t actually give them your daughters. They took them!”

The men of Benjamin went back to their cities and rebuilt them. They settled down with their new wives and raised families. Once again, all was peaceful in the land.

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Samson & Delilah

71 – Samson & Delilah

Judges 16:1-31

In time, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. When the Philistines found out about this, a group of their leaders met with her. They said, “Each of us will pay you 1,100 pieces of silver if you can find out the secret of his strength. Once we know that, we’ll be able to kill him.”

So she asked Samson, “How can someone tie you up in a way that makes you powerless?”

“Oh,” he said, “I’ll be like any other man if someone ties me up with seven brand new bowstrings.”

The Philistines gave her seven fresh bowstrings, and hid some guards in her room. She tied Samson up with the bowstrings, and then shouted, “Samson, the Philistines are here!” He jumped up and snapped the bowstrings as if they were pieces of yarn touched by a fire. 

Delilah said, “You lied to me! Why would you make fun of me like that? Please tell me how you can be tied up.”

He said, “The key is new ropes, but only ones that haven’t been used for anything else. If I’m tied up with new ropes, I’ll be like other people.”

So she took some new ropes and tied him up. Guards were still in their hiding place. She yelled, “Samson, quick! The Philistines are here!” He jumped up and snapped the ropes like they were pieces of threads.

She said, “I’m nothing but a joke to you. Why do you keep lying to me? Now tell me how you can be tied up.”

He said, “It’s my hair. If you weave my seven braids with the web of a loom, I’ll be as weak as any other man.”

So she waited until he was asleep and carefully wove his seven braids into the loom. Then she yelled, “Samson! The Philistines are here.” He woke up and pulled his hair away from the loom.

Delilah said, “How can you say you love me when you don’t trust me? Three times now you’ve laughed at me by telling me a lie. Why can’t you trust me with the secret of your strength?”

She kept this up day after day. She begged and nagged him until she wore him down. Finally, he told her the truth. He said, “I’m what our people call a Nazirite. I’ve been one since birth. My hair has never been cut, and that’s the secret of my strength. If someone shaves my head, I’ll be like any other man.”

Delilah realized that he had finally told her the truth. She sent for the Philistine rulers. “Come. I finally got the truth out of him. Be sure to bring my money with you.” So they came with her money.

That night, he fell asleep with his head on her lap. A man came out of hiding and cut off his seven braids. As he did, Samson’s strength left him. Then she yelled, “Samson, the Philistines are here!”

He jumped up to defend himself, but he didn’t know the Lord wasn’t with him.

The Philistines grabbed him and he couldn’t break loose. They held him down on the ground and poked out his eyes. They then took him to prison, where he was forced to push a grain millstone.

While he was in prison, Samson’s hair started to grow back. In time, the Philistines gathered to worship in the temple of their god. They ate and drank until they were drunk. Someone yelled, “Go get Samson. That’ll give us a good laugh.”

The place was packed as a boy led Samson into the temple. He said to the boy, “Take me to the supporting pillars.”

Samson called out to God. “Oh Lord God. Give me strength just one more time. Allow me to pay back the Philistines for taking my eyes. I’ll die with them.”

He then grabbed the two supporting pillars and pushed on them with all he had. They gave way and the temple fell on the Philistines, including all their leaders. More people died in Samson’s death, then he had killed in all of his life. He had been a judge in Israel for 20 years.

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Jan and Noel Maughmer, BibleTelling Seminar in Israel, Beth Shemesh, March 2019
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Job’s Three Friends

61 – Job’s Three Friends

Job 1:1 – 42:17

Job was a great man of high integrity who feared God and stayed away from evil. He had seven sons and three daughters. He was a rich man with many servants. His livestock included a large number of sheep, camels, oxen, and donkeys.

One day, Satan went to the Lord when all of the angels were there. The Lord said, “So, where have you been?”

“Oh, walking here and there around the earth.

The Lord said, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one else on earth like him. He has high integrity and stays away from evil.”

Satan said, “Well, of course he does. He’s found that being righteous is a good deal. You protect him and everything he owns. You bless him and give him whatever he wants. But try taking away all his possessions. Then watch what happens. He’ll curse you to your face.”

The Lord said, “We’ll see. I give you permission to take everything he owns, but you can’t touch him personally.”

Soon afterwards, a servant ran up to Job and said, “Some thugs came and took all your oxen and donkeys. They tried to kill all the servants, and only I escaped. I immediately came to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up and said, “A huge storm blew in. Lightning struck and killed all your sheep and servants. Only I lived through it, so I ran here to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up. “An army came and took all your camels and killed the servants. I escaped and came to tell you what happened.”

While he was still talking, another servant ran up. “Your sons and daughters were eating together, when suddenly a tornado hit the house and they all died. I’m the only one to live through it. So I came here to tell you what happened.”

Job fell down with grief. He tore his clothes and shaved his head. He then bowed his head and said, “I came into this world naked. I’ll leave this life naked. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In spite of all that happened, Job didn’t sin or blame God.

Once again, Satan went to the Lord when all of the angels were there. The Lord said, “So, where have you been?”

“Oh, walking here and there around the earth.

The Lord said, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one else on earth like him. He has high integrity and stays away from evil, even after I permitted you, without any reason, to destroy all he had.”

“Oh, but you didn’t allow me to touch his skin. A man will do anything to save his life. Hit his flesh and bones, and he will curse you to your face.”

The Lord said, “We’ll see. I give you permission to strike him, but you can’t take his life.”

Soon afterwards, Job was covered with boils, from head to toe. He sat down in ashes and took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself. His wife said, “How can you go through all this and still keep your integrity? Curse God and die!”

He said, “You’re talking foolishness! I’m willing to accept whatever God gives me, good or bad.” And so, with all of this, Job didn’t sin or blame God.

Three friends of Job heard about what had happened, and went to visit him. They couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw him sitting there. They yelled and threw dust in their hair. All three sat down next to Job and didn’t say anything for seven days.

Finally Job cried out, “I wish I’d never been born!”

His friends then tried to help him understand what was happening to him. One friend explained that righteous people don’t suffer like this, only sinners do. Job agreed with him, but he didn’t know of anything he had done to deserve this.

His second friend was a bit more bold. He said, “Job, you’re a hypocrite! You need to confess your sin, and then God will be merciful.”

Job again held to his innocence. He said, “I remember seeing the righteous suffering, while evildoers were prospering.”

His third friend was the most bold of all. He said, “Job, you’re a liar! You’re a sinful man and deserve God’s judgment.” Now Job became passionate about his innocence.

A young man came along with a different perspective. He wanted to encourage Job. He said “God meant this suffering to be educational. Yes, the Lord is trying to correct your sin, but he’s also restoring you to righteousness.”

Suddenly, God talked to Job. He said, “My ways are far above what you can understand. My purpose for suffering is an individual matter for each person. Job, listen. I always know what is going on with you, and I’m always with you. I simply want you to come to the end of yourself and totally trust in me.”

The Lord then turned to Job’s friends. “I’m angry with you. All of your advice is false. Only Job spoke the truth.” God told them to make a burnt sacrifice and ask Job to pray for them.

God then restored to Job double of all that he had before. He got twice as many sheep and camels. He got twice as many oxen, and donkeys. God also gave him seven more sons and three more daughters.

Job lived to be an old man. He died at the age of 140 after living a full life.

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Joshua’s Farewell

60 – Joshua’s Farewell

Joshua 14:1-15 15:1-63 23:1-24:33

After Joshua cleared many of the nations out of Canaan, the land was divided among the various tribes. Caleb went to Joshua and said, “I was forty years old when you and I spied out this land. We brought back an honest report, but our brothers put fear in the hearts of the people. You remember, Moses promised that we would inherit the land we saw that day.

“I am now eighty-five years old, but I’m as strong today as I was forty-five years ago. I still go into battle and do my daily chores. Now give me these hills. The Canaanites still live there, but I’ll drive them out.” 

So Joshua gave him the region around Hebron. Caleb organized his people and drove the Canaanites out of each city. When he came to one city, he said, “Whoever conquers this city may marry my daughter.” 

A man took the challenge and conquered it. So Caleb sent for his daughter. As soon as she arrived, she said to her future husband, “Ask my father for that field. It has a natural spring of water.”

She got off her donkey and faced her father. He said, “What do you want?”

“You gave us this city, now give us the spring of water as well.” So he gave her what she wanted. 

Years later, Joshua knew he was about to die, so he called the people of Israel to come to him. When they were gathered he said, “You have seen all that the Lord has done for you. You have land where your families can live because he fought for you.

“Be strong and continue to obey the Law of Moses. Don’t turn away from it. Don’t start worshiping the gods of the people who still live in this land. Instead, remain true to the Lord your God. If you don’t, he will take you off this land.”

Joshua then reviewed the entire history of Israel. He finished by saying, “God sent hornets ahead of you and drove out the people who lived on this land. He gave you fields you didn’t buy, houses you didn’t build, and vineyards you didn’t plant.

“Choose today who you’re going to worship. You can serve the idols your fathers bowed down to. You can worship the gods of the people who live in this land. Or you can worship and serve the Lord who brought you here with his mighty hand. As for me and my family, we’ll serve the Lord.”

The people said, “We won’t worship the gods of this land. We’ll remain true to the Lord our God. We’ve seen his mighty works, so we too will serve the Lord.”

Joshua said, “I don’t believe you. You’ll turn your back on the Lord, so he’ll have to destroy you. How could you do that after he’s been so good to you?”

The people shouted, “No! We’ll worship and serve the Lord.”

Joshua said, “You’re witnesses to what you’ve said. These stones are also witnesses to what you’ve said. Get rid of all the stupid idols and fully trust in the Lord your God.”

Soon afterwards, Joshua died at 110 years old. The people worshiped the Lord throughout the time he led them in the land. They also served the Lord throughout the lifetime of the elders who served with Joshua. 

But then another generation grew up that didn’t know the Lord. They hadn’t seen what he had done.

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Balaam’s Prophecy

53 – Balaam’s Prophecy

Numbers 22:36 – 25:18 31:7-16

When Balaam arrived in Moab, King Balak said, “What took you so long? I said I’d make you a rich man. Didn’t you believe me?” 

Balaam said, “I’m here now, but understand. I can only say what God tells me to say.”
 
So Balak took Balaam onto a high cliff overlooking the entire camp of Israel. Balaam had the king build altars to the Lord, and they sacrificed to Him. Balaam told the king to stay there while he went higher up the mountain to see what God wanted him to say. God gave him a message. So he went back to where King Balak and the elders of Moab were waiting.  

Balaam looked out over the people and said, “King Balak sent for me. He said, ‘Come and curse Jacob. Come and denounce Israel.’ But how can I curse those who God doesn’t curse. How can I denounce those who God doesn’t denounce? I stand on these cliffs and look out over these people. There is no other nation like them. Oh, that I had a privilege of dying like these righteous people die.” 

King Balak was shocked. “I brought you here to curse these people—not to bless them!” 

Balaam said, “I made it clear. I can only say what God tells me to say.” 

Balak said, “Come with me to a different spot. From there you will only see part of the people. Maybe you’ll be able to curse them.” They went to the second spot, and again they built altars and sacrificed to the Lord. 

Balaam told the king, “Stay here while I go talk to God.” The Lord met with Balaam and gave him words to say. He went back and said, “Oh, King Balak, listen carefully to what I am about to say. God isn’t like people. He doesn’t change his mind. He told me to bless the people because the Lord lives among them. He’s their king, and they’re happy about that. He brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand. So there isn’t a curse for them. They’ll be known for the great things God has done for them.” 

The king said, “If you can’t curse them, at least stop giving them a blessing.” Again the king took Balaam to a place where he could see the people. He said, “Try one more time and see if there is a curse for these people. 

Balaam once again had an altar built and they sacrificed to the Lord. But he didn’t go up the mountain. As he looked across the valley, the Spirit of God came upon him. “Oh, the tents of Israel are beautiful. They’re like a garden that has been planted by God. Whoever blesses these people will be blessed. Whoever curses these people will be cursed.” 

Balak was furious. “I’ve brought you here to curse these people. Now go home! The Lord has robbed you of the riches I was going to give you.” 

Balaam said, “I have one more message. Someone is coming. I can’t see who it is. He is like a heavenly star. He’ll be the King of Israel. He’ll have victory over all of his enemies.” 

With that, Balaam left, and King Balak went back to his place. Later, Balaam went to the king and said, “I can’t curse these people, but you can cause God to curse them.” And he gave him a plan. 

Shortly after that, the women of Moab went down to the camp of Israel. They had sex with the men, and then invited them to a festival for their idols. The men went, and soon they were worshipping the idols. 

God was furious! He sent a plague and 24,000 people died. One of the Israelites brought a Midianite woman to his family tent. They walked right past Moses and the elders of Israel. The son of the high priest took a spear and went into the tent. He thrust the spear through them both, killing them on the spot. 

With that, God stopped the plague. The Lord then told Moses, “Take your army. Go, kill the Moabites and the Midianites because of what they have done.” The Israeli army went out and defeated both nations. Among the dead was the body of Balaam because of the advice he had given Balak.

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Korah’s Rebellion

50 – Korah’s Rebellion

Numbers 16:1 – 17:13

As Israel went back into the wilderness, four men decided to set things straight concerning Moses and Aaron. The leader was Korah, from the tribe of Levi. They formed a group of two hundred fifty prominent men and went to Moses. They said, “You’ve taken your authority too far. We’re a holy nation. The Lord is with all of us. Things don’t have to always go through you.” 

Moses said to Korah, “I know what this is about. The Levites have been chosen to do the Lord’s service. Now you want the priesthood as well. God has chosen the family of Aaron, so you are in rebellion against God. Tomorrow, all of us will stand before the Lord holding censers filled with fire and incense. The Lord will choose who he wants to lead the people.” 

Two of the organizers said, “We’re not coming! You’ve brought us back into the wilderness to die. Now you’re telling us what to do like a king. So, we won’t be there!”

This made Moses angry. He said to the Lord, “I’ve never mistreated these people. I haven’t taken anything from them. Yet, they hate me.”

The next day, Moses, Aaron, and all two hundred fifty men stood before the Lord with their censers filled with fire and incense. The entire congregation was there to watch. 

The glory of the Lord appeared, and God said to Moses and Aaron, “Step out of the way. I’m going to destroy the entire congregation.” 

Moses fell down and begged, “Oh, God, don’t punish everyone for what a few people have done.” God said, “Tell the people to move away from the tents of the men who refused to come to this meeting.” So everyone moved away from those tents. The two men came out and stood next to the door of their tents, along with their wives, children, and babies. Korah went and stood with them. 

Moses spoke to the congregation. “If these men grow old and die a natural death, then you’ll know that the Lord didn’t send me to do these things. But if something unusual happens to them, you’ll know they were speaking against God.”

Suddenly, the earth opened, and these men and their families fell into the hole. The ground closed up around them as if the earth swallowed them. People screamed and ran thinking they might be swallowed as well. Then fire came and killed all two hundred fifty men who were holding censers with incense. 

The Lord said to Moses, “Collect all two hundred fifty censors from among the men’s ashes. Hammer them into plating and use it to overlay the altar. This will remind the people that the priesthood is only for Aaron and his descendants.” 

Even with all of this, the people were still talking about the priesthood the next day. A crowd gathered around Moses and Aaron to talk about the people who died. They said, “You killed God’s people.” 

Moses turned and saw that God’s anger was hot against the crowd. He said to Aaron, “Quick, go get a censer and fill it with incense and fire. Run among the people and make atonement for their sins. God’s anger is flowing out, and he’s striking them with a plague.” As Aaron did this, he saw that the plague had started. He made atonement for the people, standing between the dead and those who were alive. The plague stopped, but 14,700 died that day.

To solve the issue of the priesthood, the Lord said to Moses, “Have each tribe bring a walking stick. 

Put Aaron’s name on Levi’s walking stick. Place them in the Tabernacle. I’ll make one of them sprout. This will make the people stop complaining about you!” 

Moses followed the Lord’s instructions. The next day, not only had Aaron’s walking stick sprouted, it formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds! The people saw this and were amazed. From that day, they didn’t even want to go near the Tabernacle, in case they would die. Aaron’s staff was put back into the Tabernacle for safekeeping.

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Unholy Fire

46 – Unholy Fire

Leviticus 10:1-7 Numbers 9:1–11:3

God gave exact instructions to the people of Israel for how they were to worship him. Aaron, the brother of Moses, was chosen to be the high priest, and his sons were to serve with him. When Aaron would eventually die, they would replace him as high priest. 

The congregation gathered at the Tabernacle for the ordination of these men. Moses anointed them with oil and made sacrifices to the Lord. He told Aaron and his sons that their ordination would last for seven days, and they were not to leave the Tabernacle until it was over. 

Aaron’s oldest two sons were Nadab and Abihu. During this time of ordination, they decided on their own to burn incense before the Lord. But they put coals from a common fire into their censers. 

As soon as they came into the presence of the Lord, fire blazed out and killed both men. 

Everyone was shocked, but nothing could be said. Moses had some men take the bodies out of the camp. He told Aaron and his other sons that they had to continue with the ordination since they had already been anointed with oil before the Lord. 

This meant that they couldn’t properly mourn their loss. So the rest of Israel mourned the death of the two men, while their father and brothers continued at the Tabernacle. 

On the second anniversary of leaving Egypt, the people of Israel celebrated Passover. They were still at Mount Sinai. 

A cloud hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and it looked like fire at night. God had told them that as long as the cloud hovered there, they were to stay where they were. But if the cloud lifted, they knew it was time to continue their travels. 

One month later, after celebrating Passover, it was time for them to move toward the land of Canaan. As the people watched, the cloud lifted and they set out from the mountain of God. They traveled toward the place where they were to enter the land of Canaan. 

Within a short time, the people started complaining openly about their hardships. This made the Lord angry and he sent a fire among them, especially around the edges of the camp. Many people died. So the others ran to Moses for help. He prayed for them and the fire stopped. They named that place “Burning.” 

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