Dear Readers,

We are heading into our third month of reading. Are you getting the idea that God loves his people, protects them, guides them, instructs them, and wants the best for them. Can you see that God is preserving his promises to his people? Do you see that God values his relationship with his people more then anything else? God still feels the same way about us today. How are you doing at strengthening that relationship with him?

Our time of reading the Bible isn't just for us. God loves to be with us during those times. In fact he looks forward to spending that time with us. Devotions (some times called Quiet Times) are just as much for God as it is for us. Are you asking God to make things understandable for you? Are you talking to him in prayer too? If not, perhaps you would like to write out your prayers to him in your notebook. It can be your letter back to God. His Word is his letter to you. Make sure you are having a two-way conversation!

DAY ONE, FEBRUARY 26 - Numbers 11-13
Chapter 11
Describe the ungrateful attitudes of the people. How was this an affront to God?
How did Moses feel about the grumbling people? Where did Moses go with his problems?
Have you ever felt the burden of people like that?
How did God help?
How does God provide for your needs?
What was the sin of the people according to verse 34?
What or how do you crave more than you crave God? Have any cravings come between you and God?
Chapter 12
What did Aaron and Miriam do against Moses?
How is a word spoken against one of God's servants like speaking a word against God?
How does this event show us that it is what comes from the inside of us that makes us unclean more then what is on the outside of us?
Chapter 13
What was God's instruction here?
What were the men to do?
What did they find?
What was Caleb's report and how did it contrast the rest of the men?
Do you stand before challenges with courage or fear?

DAY TWO, FEBRUARY 27 - Numbers 14-15
Chapter 14
What did Joshua and Caleb say to the people?
How did this show their faith and trust in God?
How were the rest of the people responding?
What was their core sin? How was this a rejection of God's love and protection for them? How did this break the relationship God tried to set up with the people?
Describe the conversation between God and Moses?
How does this show the relationship God wants with his people?
What is God's punishment for not trusting him here?
Remember the theme of Numbers - "God's people move forward only in so far as they trust God's promises"? How do we see that truth shown here?
Where do you stand in regard to trusting God in your life?
What was the punishment to the men who incited rebellion and mistrust among the people?
Are you one who encourages others to trust God or do you incite mistrust?
What happened when some of the people continued to abandon God?
Chapter 15
How is this chapter a reminder of the holiness laws of Leviticus?
Verse 41 reminds the people that God brought them out of slavery in Egypt, he was their savior. How is that like Jesus being our savior out of the slavery of sin?
What should be our response to that?

DAY THREE, FEBRUARY 28 - Numbers 16-18
Chapter 16
What did Korah, Dathan, and Abiram do?
What was their core sin?
How does jealousy, discontent, pride, and arrogance escalate to the point of rebellion against God?
After reading verses 8-11, can you see yourself in this passage at all? Have you ever demanded a position, while forgetting to appreciate the special things that God has already given you?
How was this a challenge against the worship system and the political system that God set up to govern his people at this time?
How is the attitude of Korah, Dathan and Abiram in contrast with that of Moses?
NOTE: The miracles in this section are intense and so is the punishment. God is reestablishing his relationship with his people. He is doing some extreme things to let the people know who God is and how he cares for his people. What God says and does is important. Who God is to His people is important.
Chapter 17
How does God show whom he has chosen as his priest during this time?
How would this be a sign to those who want to rebel in the future?
Is there rebellion in your life that you need to confess?
Chapter 18
In verse 6, who is chosen and dedicated to service?
How do you feel chosen and dedicated to God for daily service in your life?
According to verse 7 what type of service is the priesthood?
The NT calls all believers priests. How do you feel knowing that your priesthood is called "a special gift of service"?
How does God provide for the priests?
How does God provide for you?
What do you give back to God?

DAY FOUR, MARCH 1 - Numbers 19-21
Chapter 19 and 20
How important is purity to God?
How does Jesus as living water purifies us today?
NOTE: I always feel a little bit sorry for Moses in this event. The people were complaining and rebelling again. He did what many of us do when we get angry. Yet God holds him responsible for his attitude. God expects us to show our holiness (relationship with God) in our behavior and attitude.
How often do you want to blame your poor attitude and action on the fact others have reacted that way first and with greater intensity than you have?
Don't we often feel self-righteous when we do that?
Does God accept that excuse from us?
How do the Israelites respond when Edom doesn't let them pass?
How well do you step down for the sake of peace?
What has happened to Aaron and Miriam?
Chapter 21
NOTE: It is hard to sometimes read about how God and the Israelites completely destroy someone or something. Remember that God wants a people who are holy, set apart, in service and relationship to him. Often when the Israelites didn't completely destroy a people, they took on the false religions of that people and mixed it in with their relationship with God. God wants an exclusive relationship with his people such as a marriage relationship. So think about how important faithfulness to God and his ways are when you look at difficult passages.
How do the events at the beginning of this chapter show the above principle?
What do the people do again as they cross to the Red Sea?
Are there repetitive sins in your life that you need to get rid of?
What was the antidote for their sin and its consequences?
How is this like Jesus being lifted up on the cross? See John 3:14-18
Look in the back of your Bible or Bible atlas and see if you can find some of the places that the Israelites were at during their 40 years in the wilderness.

DAY FIVE, MARCH 2 - Numbers 22-23
Chapter 22 and 23
NOTE: It seems that God is contradicting himself here when he tells Balaam he can go only if he does God's will, then God gets angry with him for going. So if God allowed him to go but acted angry, then we can only conclude that God knew the true nature of Balaam's heart. God knew he didn't intend to follow God's will but just get the reward from the king. This is God's reminder to be true to God and not try and hide his real intentions. Balaam's heart must have really been hardened cause he couldn't see the angel when a dumb animal could. We can not always see God when we don't want to and our hearts are hardened to him.
Have you ever thought you could hide your true feelings, thoughts, and intentions from God?
How good are you at rationalization? Do you really think you can lie to God?
What comfort is there in hearing that Balaam couldn't go against God and curse His people?
How can the verses 23:12, 23:26 be a statement for all of us?

DAY SIX, MARCH 3 - Numbers 24-25
Chapter 24
NOTE: When God does something in triplicate it is very important. It is a strong statement. God blesses Israel three times. What are some of the blessing Israel received?
What does God say about Moab and King Balak?
What prophesies regarding Jesus do you see here?
Chapter 25
Who did some of the people worship? NOTE: This will be an on going struggle with the people of Israel cause they don't complete God's instructions and fully follow him.
How does this show unfaithfulness to God?
What ways are people today unfaithful to God?
If God weren't so intense in wiping out the people who are unfaithful to him and people who were influencing the Israelites to worship other God, what would have happened to God's plan of salvation?

DAY SEVEN, MARCH 4 - Numbers 26-27
Chapter 26
What was the total number of men (verse 51)? How does that differ with the number who left Egypt (Numbers 1:46). How did the number of Levi compare (26:62 and 3:43)?
Were any in the first census present in the second census? Why or why not?
Chapter 27
How do we see God taking care of every person here?
Who would led the people after Moses?
What qualifications did he have that made him the right choice?

YOU CAN ALWAYS USE THESE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS FOR ANY BIBLE READING:

Always begin your time of God with prayer. Ask him for understanding and insights. You can pick out a verse, thought or feeling from the passage and think on it (mediate) on it all day. Meditating on God's word means to digest it, put it into your mind, think on it, and concentrate in different ways on the passage.

Some ways you can do this is:
1. Put yourself into the scene.
2. Emphasize different words in the verse.
3. Paraphrase the passage in your own words.
4. Pray the passage back to God if it is a prayer, song, poem, etc (personalize it).
5. Use SPACE PETS acrostic to ask some standard questions.
     S - Sins to confess? Do I need to make restitution?
     P - Promises to claim? Have I met the conditions(s)?
     A - Attitudes to change? Am I willing?
     C - Commands to obey? Even if I don't feel like it?
     E - Examples to follow? One to copy or avoid?
     P - Prayers to pray? Is there something I need to tell God?
     E - Errors to avoid?
     T - Truths about God or the Bible I need to believe?
Adapted from 12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods (Chapter 1) by Richard Warren and William A. Shell.