Keep sharing good news without ads.
Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/fred-krauss/lessons-at-kadesh/
Now, shall we turn to the book of Numbers chapter 20. Numbers chapter 20, reading from 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. Verse 28, Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eliezer his son. And Aaron died there on the top of the mount.
And Moses and Eliezer came down from the mount. Verse 2, 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, would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord.
Why have you brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? Wherefore have you made us to come up out of Egypt to bring us unto this evil place?
It is no place. It is actually for seed, for figs, for vines, or for pomegranates. Neither is there any water to drink. Verse 7, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, take the rod and gather the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock, and the original is the rock which is before their eyes.
And thou shalt give forth this water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock, as thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. Now, this is all I want to read. We're going to refer to other scriptures in the 21st chapter.
There are three lines of truth when it comes to numbers. Out of Egypt, in the wilderness, in the tabernacle. Now, that's Christian experience, isn't it, if you look at it in the New Testament? There are three reasons why God allowed the people of Israel in the wilderness.
Three reasons. One was that He might humble them. Secondly, that He might prove them. Thirdly, that they might learn what was in their heart. Wilderness experience. Brethren, it took one night to take Israel out of Egypt.
It took 40 years to take Egypt out of their hearts. One night versus 40 years. I'm going to draw certain parallels between what took place then and what is faced today. Now, the children of Israel, almost in the promised land.
Just a few more moves, and they're the promised land. But brethren, they didn't realize it. There seems to have been no recognition as to the time element. Remember, Daniel prophesied that the people of God would be 70 years in exile.
He got it from Jeremiah. And Jeremiah got this truth from Leviticus chapter 26. But here, there seems to be no recognition of the very time element. No matter where I travel, and this is very positive, among the Lord's people, there is a deep recognition.
We are not only in the last days, but the Lord is coming soon. Recognition. That's wonderful. The first thing I want you to notice as we draw the parallel, what took place then and what we're facing now is they're losing their best man and woman.
Miriam died. Aaron died. The last three years alone, we have lost 18 of the Lord's servants. Oh, you say, brother, this has been going on for centuries. It's true. It is true. I've taken quite a number of funerals of men who had one time stood before the people of God.
They're gone. Come on. Who's going to fill their shoes? You see, this has happened time and time again. They're just true. Brethren, each generation has the privilege to prove themselves to God and prove God to themselves.
That's a challenge today. They're losing one of their best men. Same today. They seem to have lost vision, as I mentioned already, as to the closeness of Canaan. And we have in verse 5 and 6, they complained, this is no place for pomegranates.
And they mentioned several fruit trees. I'm not a horticulturalist, but to produce fruit, it takes at least five years. That simply means that the people were going to settle down in the wilderness. Now, brethren, you and I, we have a work to fulfill.
But keep in mind, especially young believers, we don't belong here. We're just pilgrims. And that's Peter's epistle. A pilgrim, you're on the way home. As a stranger, you're away from home. Now, let's face it.
There's quite a number in my day I have seen make spiritual shipwreck, or they didn't lose their salvation. Their exclusive reason for living was material advantage. And we lost them, young people especially.
Oh, there was tremendous attraction. There are two pools of attraction in the book of Numbers. One is Egypt with their visible produce, the estuary, the Nile, very fertile. There's tremendous drawing back.
And on the other hand, there is the drawing to the invisible world. We are not there yet, but we can sense its beauty, can't we? We can sense the reality of heaven to a certain degree. Two pools of attraction in the book of Numbers.
You know, since as a tour guide, I've been in the Middle East, and we went as far as the borders of Egypt, I have a lot more sympathy for the Israelites in the wilderness, a lot more sympathy. As we went down across the Egyptian border, I said to the Egyptian driver, and although his English was very broken, there's one word the Palestinians and the Egyptians know.
Just one word. Dollar. You know that one. So I said, please stop the bus. He looked at me and said, why? Please stop the bus. What's the reason? Never mind. Please stop the bus. We're right in the wilderness.
And I said to the Lord's people, the 48 of us, just get around and have a look around what the wilderness was like in Moses' day. We gave them half an hour. Just half an hour. You know, when they came back to the bus, they started to complain.
There's no Starbucks here, no motels, no subway, no this, no that, which we have come to know in this part of the world. Yeah, they've been only half an hour. And the Christians, grumbling. Never mind being 40 years in the wilderness.
My dear young brethren, dear young sisters, let me assure you, this world is a wilderness no matter what you make it. It's a wilderness. Oh, there are certain things that are attractive. That's true. But always keep in mind your pilgrim and your stranger.
You also notice, for the sake of time, there was an insatiable thirst among the people. And yet, the record says that Moses, take the rod, strike the rock which is before their eyes. Brethren, divine provision was there, but they didn't see it.
Now a question, translating it to our day. Is it possible that as Christians, we get tired of divine provisions? Is it possible? Oh, yes, it is. The Christian life is a challenge. You must nourish it by prayer and by reading the book.
Keep close to God, my dear brethren. It's so easy and it's such a subtle thing for the saints and their affection being taken away. I thank my God as I look at you. Some of you have been going on 50 years, haven't you?
Maybe even longer than that. Thank God for it. The challenge is to the younger people today. Where are the young men who take the place of older men that have gone? Where are the young sisters with spiritual conviction to encourage younger men to go on for God?
You see, I hadn't thought of mentioning it, but some young people are here. Will you please, and that's a very practical truth, but it must be said time and time again. Will you please make the matter of choice of a partner a distinct persistence matter of prayer?
Brethren, I've seen so much. You know, psychologists, and I'm not taking my instruction from psychologists or psychiatrists, they say that the attraction of young men and women to each other is outward.
Look at Jacob and look at Leah and Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel, or who wouldn't? She was a beautiful little thing. In the Eastern culture, likely jet black hair, hazel eyes, we read she was beautiful. Then we read that Jacob, he did not hate Leah, brethren.
He loved Leah less. Hold on, will you please, for a minute. It was not from Rachel but Leah that the tribe of Levi sprang. The priestly tribe. It was not from beautiful Rachel but from Leah. And you know why Jacob loved Leah less?
I'll give the original and there I make. We read that Leah was weak-eyed. That's an understatement. In the original, you know what it says? Can I say it to you bluntly? Leah was cross-eyed. One eye northwest, the other eye southeast.
You never know where she looked at you. So, therefore, she had a handicap that she had to cope with. And it was not from Rachel, but it was from Leah that ultimately the royal tribe of Judah came that produced the Saviour.
You see, my dear young brother and sister, when it comes to a partner in life, will you make it a matter of prayer? I've seen too much. And sometimes it's a young woman that takes her young man away. And sometimes it's a young husband that takes a young woman away.
What matters, my dear brethren, is simply this. What you and I are for God. Never mind, go with the outward. You know, a dear brother with whom I laboured, he has a son. I won't tell you where it is, nor will I tell his name.
The young son kept company with a young lady. She was a very attractive young woman. Now, the parents, they didn't see too much spiritual life or manifestation. So, they remonstrated with their son, saying, now, look, beauty is only skin deep, but leave it to the young generation today.
The young man retorted, yes, Dad, but you've got to live with the skin. Well, that's true. You have taken the point, haven't you? There was an insatiable thirst that was met by divine provision. Is it possible, like the Israelites, we could become used to divine truth and treat it just a mere schematic thing?
This is why there has to be life and vibrancy in the ministry. After this, oh, just a minute. You know, in order to discipline his people, you know the story, the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. And I like to transfer it to our day and age in which we live.
I visited an elder brother some time ago in hospital. He's a businessman, sales, brisk, busy, busy, busy. He said, Fred, I must confess, I had very little time to prepare for the Bible readings. I had very little time to get ready for a little world of ministry.
I just didn't have the time. Going to meeting was just a schematic thing, you know. We just come and go, and come and go, and come and go. He said, now, I had a heart attack. I was six months in hospital.
Now the Lord gave me plenty of time. Get the point, don't you? God's people need spiritual food. Are we able to give it to them? Do we get something from the risen head that will help the saints, both young and old, widows and widowers?
Yes, the Lord had to discipline them fiery serpents. You know what took place, a serpent in the pool. After this, now for the sake of time, after this, Israel never thirst again. Oh, good. Yeah, they learned their lesson.
What you read in chapter 21, the nobles dig wells with their staves, bringing up water. They just didn't look for somebody else to feed them. They went into the scriptures themselves. And for the first time in their wilderness journeyings, Israel got to relook what they were in themselves.
They said, Lord, we have sinned. What a confession. They recognized what they are in themselves. After this, Israel never thirst again. And onward they went toward the ultimate destination. My dear brethren, it'll just be a few more moves and we'll be at home with the Lord.
Just a few more moves. Could be tonight. Could be next week, next month, next year. We don't know. But oh, just keep in mind, the coming of the Lord is near. Sickness, old age, suffering, disappointment, disillusionment will be all a thing of the past.
So the Lord help us, brethren, to run the race and run it to the end.