Baldhead Bible Podcast

Moses has led the people of Israel from their mighty exodus out of Egypt to where they are now: about to enter the Promised Land. But Moses cannot lead them into the land. Because of what happened at the waters of Meribah and the act of outright rebellion against God committed by Moses, he was no longer allowed to go into the Promised Land. He had to die and go to be with Yahweh. And so Moses dies at the age of 120. In this episode, we briefly sum up his life, and we also sum up this series. In the end, the writer of Deuteronomy sums up Moses' life this way: No prophet has arisen again in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unparalleled for all the signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do against the land of Egypt — to Pharaoh, to all his officials, and to all his land— 12 and for all the mighty acts of power and terrifying deeds that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.  -- Deuteronomy 34:10-12 (CSB)

Balaam was a prophet for hire, and he had just lost a lot of money because of Israel and their God, Yahweh. For which he was angry at Israel and their God. So, as he was heading home penniless, growing angrier and angrier with each passing mile, I believe Balaam hatched a plan to get back at the people of Israel for all the money he had lost and to stick it to the God of Israel. What was that plan? Listen to this week's podcast to learn about faithful Phineas and his action that stopped a plague in its tracks. To follow along in the Bible, turn to Numbers 25.

Moses and the people of Israel are getting closer to entering the Promised Land. God led them and watched over them as they took their winding, wandering route to finally end up in the land of the Moabites, home to the Amorite Kings: Sihon and Og. But these weren't just your ordinary Kings. No, these two were powerful, and also they had a bloodline that could be traced back to one of the scariest moments in human history. What was that moment, and what in particular made them so frightening? And why were they both giants? Listen to this week's fascinating story about how God used the people of Israel to defeat these powerful giant Kings on their way to the Promised Land. To follow along, turn to Numbers 21.

This week we hear the story of Moses rescuing the people of Israel with a snake. Now a snake was the shape Satan took in the garden when he deceived Eve, and generally speaking, a snake is a bad thing, but here God commands Moses to use a snake to save the people of Israel from certain death. Jesus later uses this passage from the book of Numbers to help explain what it means to be born again. If Jesus used it, then this must be a pretty important story. Listen to this week's episode to discover how snakes, Moses, and Jesus are connected, and point to a great salvation offered in Christ. Turn to Numbers 21 to follow along.

Moses and the people of Israel are back. God had commanded them to wander in the desert for 40 years until the faithless generation died, and now their children were ready to inherit the Promised Land. They were back at the southern border. But you know what else was back? Fear. Complaining. Faithlessness. The people again cried out to Moses about the lack of water to drink. They were complaining just like their parents about how they were all going to die, and if they had just stayed in Egypt, they would all have been eating well and drinking all the water they wanted. And so Moses approached Yahweh and asked for help. And God gave him an answer, and Moses pretty much obeyed every command God gave him. Except for one very vital command. And disobeying in that one area would cost Moses dearly. Do you want to know what it was? Listen to this week's episode to find out and learn that complete obedience matters to God.

The Jewish people were at the border of the Promised Land and had to turn around. They saw the grapes that were so big they had to be carried on poles. They also saw giants and became afraid for their very lives. So they ran rather than trusting in Yahweh, and for that, they paid a very heavy price: they were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years until everyone over 20 died. Unhappy with God's will, some men decided to rebel and lead a coup to try to take the leadership of the country away from Moses and Aaron. But in rebelling, they weren't simply rebelling against Moses; they were ultimately rebelling against Yahweh and His choice and will for Israel. Korah has two prominent leaders of Israel on his side and over 250 tribal leaders backing his bid for control. Things are looking bleak for Moses, and his leadership of Israel seems to be hanging in the balance. But then, the order is restored through a miraculous intervention by Yahweh. Listen to this week's episode to find out how. And to follow along, turn to Numbers 16 and 17.

Have you ever sung that Sunday School song about the twelve spies? If you have, you know ten were bad, and two were good. But you don't realize from that song how bad the ten other spies were. They forgot about Yahweh's promises and His miracles and chose instead to focus on the reality around them. And what you also don't realize from that famous Sunday school song is how terrifying a prospect it was to take on the giants in the land. These were not just tall people; these were giants who were the descendants of the Nephilim. And for the average Jew, the Nephilim represented a supernatural evil that would have been truly frightening. Listen on to find out the fear displayed by the ten spies and the faith demonstrated in the face of evil by Joshua and Caleb. To follow along, turn to Numbers 13 and 14.

Moses gets attacked by his sister Miriam and his brother Aaron in this week's story. But it's not Moses' fault. The man did nothing wrong, and the Bible even says in Numbers 12 that Moses was the meekest man to ever walk the face of the earth. So you know he didn't pick the fight. So what made Miriam so mad? Why did she try to tear Moses' leadership down and why did Aaron join in? Sadly, it all came down to one ugly word: jealousy. See how it started and the miraculous way that Yahweh stopped Miriam and Aaron dead in their attempt at a hostile takeover. Turn to Numbers 12 to follow along with this week's story.

Moses and the people of Israel spent roughly a year at Mount Sinai meeting with God and receiving the 10 commandments and directions on how to build the tabernacle. But now they are on the move on their way to the Promised Land with Yahweh and the Ark of the Covenant leading the way. But along the way, there arises a group of people the Bible calls riffraff, a rabble, and they begin to complain about how the LORD is treating them, particularly in what they are eating. They crave something more than manna, what they desire is meat, and they begin to question the goodness of God in not satisfying their cravings. What happens next is a good reminder of the tragedy that comes when we live by our appetites rather than the word of God. To follow along, turn to Numbers 10 - 11.