Bible Reading Challenge Week 7

Happy Monday to everyone! Things have been busy around our house with lots of activities in full swing and trying to wrap up the final outdoor projects before the weather turns to cold and snow. Seven weeks are now done for our Bible Reading Challenge. This week, we finished out Numbers and got most of the way through 1 Corinthians.

Week 7 Readings

• Numbers 11-36
• 1 Corinthians 1-11

Numbers 11-36

The book of Numbers is largely an account of Israel’s rebellions against God and the punishments that come as a result. Chapter 11 starts just after the people had left Sinai and begun the trek toward the Promised Land – the pillar of cloud and fire still leading them. First they complain of the food, and God sends them meat (quail) but also a plague.

Then, when they get near the Promised Land, they send in the spies who confirm how wonderful the land is, but also that there are giants to fight. At this, they rebel and start making plans to go back to Egypt. Remember that this was a people who not long before, through absolutely no effort on their part, saw the Egyptian armies (one of the best in the known world at the time) destroyed by the hand of God. Nevertheless, they failed to trust that God would win them the battles, and the punishment is great. God promises that none of the men who have seen the glory of God and the signs He did will enter the Promised Land. They are condemned to die in the wilderness. Only their children will enter.

I found it interesting in this section (14:22) that God mentions that the people of Israel have disobeyed and put Him to the test “ten times.” In Hebrew, ten is the number of completion, wholeness, and responsibility. God was patient with the people, but there would come a point where that generation would complete their unfaithfulness to God, and God would hold them responsible for it. Also potentially of interest here is that he is condemning them for witnessing his ten wonders (plagues) in Egypt and yet failing to trust and believe in Him ten times.

1 Corinthians 1-11

I appreciate that the Bible Reading Challenge often tries to pair a New Testament parallel to the Old Testament narrative, while still preserving having you read the entire book in succession. In chapter 10 of 1 Corinthians, we see the parallel in the warning against idolatry. He warns them that just like the Israelites who were “under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, … and all ate the same spiritual food,” (10:1-3) we must not fall to idolatry as they did. His point is that the Israelites had very tangible, visible, signs, and were being fed spiritual food and drink from God Himself. Yet, they desired evil, turned away from God, and were punished. They are an example to us of what we are not to do. We must flee from sinful desires.