DONNIE DAILY GEMS FOR SUNDAY FEBRUARY 12
DAILY BIBLE READING
Numbers 13-15New King James Version (NKJV)
Spies Sent into Canaan
13 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Send men to spy out the land of
Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of
their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them."
3 So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command
of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. 4
Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of
Zaccur; 5 from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; 6 from the
tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; 7 from the tribe of Issachar,
Igal the son of Joseph; 8 from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea[a] the son of
Nun; 9 from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; 10 from the
tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; 11 from the tribe of Joseph,
that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; 12 from the
tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; 13 from the tribe of Asher, Sethur
the son of Michael; 14 from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi;
15 from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And
Moses called Hoshea[b] the son of Nun, Joshua.
17 Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, "Go
up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, 18 and see what the
land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or
many; 19 whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities
they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; 20 whether the land is rich or
poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And
bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the
first ripe grapes.
21 So they went up and spied out the land from the Wilderness of Zin as far
as Rehob, near the entrance of Hamath. 22 And they went up through the
South and came to Hebron; Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of
Anak, were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)
23 Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with
one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They
also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. 24 The place was called the
Valley of Eshcol,[c] because of the cluster which the men of Israel cut down
there. 25 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.
26 Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the
congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at
Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and
showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: "We
went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and
this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are
strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the
descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the
South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains;
and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan."
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, "Let us go up at
once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it."
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up
against the people, for they are stronger than we." 32 And they gave the
children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out,
saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours
its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great
stature. 33 There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from
the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were
in their sight."
Israel Refuses to Enter Canaan
14 So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people
wept that night. 2 And all the children of Israel complained against Moses
and Aaron, and the whole congregation said to them, "If only we had died in
the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why has the
Lord brought us to this land to fall by the sword, that our wives and
children should become victims? Would it not be better for us to return to
Egypt?" 4 So they said to one another, "Let us select a leader and return
to Egypt."
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the
congregation of the children of Israel.
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among
those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to
all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed
through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in
us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which
flows with milk and honey.'[e] 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor
fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has
departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them."
10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of
the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of
Israel.
Moses Intercedes for the People
11 Then the Lord said to Moses: "How long will these people reject Me? And
how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed
among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them,
and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they."
13 And Moses said to the Lord: "Then the Egyptians will hear it, for by Your
might You brought these people up from among them, 14 and they will tell it
to the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that You, Lord, are among
these people; that You, Lord, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands
above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a
pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if You kill these people as one man, then
the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because
the Lord was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to
give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' 17 And now, I pray,
let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, 18 'The
Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and
transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.'[f] 19
Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of
Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until
now."
20 Then the Lord said: "I have pardoned, according to your word; 21 but
truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord-
22 because all these men who have seen My glory and the signs which I did in
Egypt and in the wilderness, and have put Me to the test now these ten
times, and have not heeded My voice, 23 they certainly shall not see the
land of which I swore to their fathers, nor shall any of those who rejected
Me see it. 24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in
him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and
his descendants shall inherit it. 25 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites
dwell in the valley; tomorrow turn and move out into the wilderness by the
Way of the Red Sea."
Death Sentence on the Rebels
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 27 "How long shall I bear
with this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the
complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. 28 Say to them,
'As I live,' says the Lord, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I
will do to you: 29 The carcasses of you who have complained against Me
shall fall in this wilderness, all of you who were numbered, according to
your entire number, from twenty years old and above. 30 Except for Caleb
the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter
the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. 31 But your little ones,
whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the
land which you have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcasses shall fall
in this wilderness. 33 And your sons shall be shepherds in the wilderness
forty years, and bear the brunt of your infidelity, until your carcasses are
consumed in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which
you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt
one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. 35 I the
Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who
are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed,
and there they shall die.'"
36 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made
all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the
land, 37 those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by
the plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son
of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
A Futile Invasion Attempt
39 Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people
mourned greatly. 40 And they rose early in the morning and went up to the
top of the mountain, saying, "Here we are, and we will go up to the place
which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned!"
41 And Moses said, "Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For
this will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your
enemies, for the Lord is not among you. 43 For the Amalekites and the
Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because
you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you."
44 But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the
ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp. 45 Then
the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and
attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah.
Laws of Grain and Drink Offerings
15 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the children of Israel,
and say to them: 'When you have come into the land you are to inhabit, which
I am giving to you, 3 and you make an offering by fire to the Lord, a burnt
offering or a sacrifice, to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering or in
your appointed feasts, to make a sweet aroma to the Lord, from the herd or
the flock, 4 then he who presents his offering to the Lord shall bring a
grain offering of one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth
of a hin of oil; 5 and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering you
shall prepare with the burnt offering or the sacrifice, for each lamb. 6 Or
for a ram you shall prepare as a grain offering two-tenths of an ephah of
fine flour mixed with one-third of a hin of oil; 7 and as a drink offering
you shall offer one-third of a hin of wine as a sweet aroma to the Lord. 8
And when you prepare a young bull as a burnt offering, or as a sacrifice to
fulfill a vow, or as a peace offering to the Lord, 9 then shall be offered
with the young bull a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine
flour mixed with half a hin of oil; 10 and you shall bring as the drink
offering half a hin of wine as an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to
the Lord.
11 'Thus it shall be done for each young bull, for each ram, or for each
lamb or young goat. 12 According to the number that you prepare, so you
shall do with everyone according to their number. 13 All who are
native-born shall do these things in this manner, in presenting an offering
made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord. 14 And if a stranger dwells with
you, or whoever is among you throughout your generations, and would present
an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord, just as you do, so
shall he do. 15 One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the
stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your
generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. 16 One
law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with
you.'"[g]
17 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 "Speak to the children of
Israel, and say to them: 'When you come into the land to which I bring you,
19 then it will be, when you eat of the bread of the land, that you shall
offer up a heave offering to the Lord. 20 You shall offer up a cake of the
first of your ground meal as a heave offering; as a heave offering of the
threshing floor, so shall you offer it up. 21 Of the first of your ground
meal you shall give to the Lord a heave offering throughout your
generations.
Laws Concerning Unintentional Sin
22 'If you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments
which the Lord has spoken to Moses- 23 all that the Lord has commanded you
by the hand of Moses, from the day the Lord gave commandment and onward
throughout your generations- 24 then it will be, if it is unintentionally
committed, without the knowledge of the congregation, that the whole
congregation shall offer one young bull as a burnt offering, as a sweet
aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according
to the ordinance, and one kid of the goats as a sin offering. 25 So the
priest shall make atonement for the whole congregation of the children of
Israel, and it shall be forgiven them, for it was unintentional; they shall
bring their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their sin
offering before the Lord, for their unintended sin. 26 It shall be forgiven
the whole congregation of the children of Israel and the stranger who dwells
among them, because all the people did it unintentionally.
27 'And if a person sins unintentionally, then he shall bring a female goat
in its first year as a sin offering. 28 So the priest shall make atonement
for the person who sins unintentionally, when he sins unintentionally before
the Lord, to make atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 You
shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally, for him who is
native-born among the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwells
among them.
Law Concerning Presumptuous Sin
30 'But the person who does anything presumptuously, whether he is
native-born or a stranger, that one brings reproach on the Lord, and he
shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word
of the Lord, and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely
cut off; his guilt shall be upon him.'"
Penalty for Violating the Sabbath
32 Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man
gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering
sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. 34 They
put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done
to him.
35 Then the Lord said to Moses, "The man must surely be put to death; all
the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp." 36 So, as
the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp
and stoned him with stones, and he died.
Tassels on Garments
37 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 38 "Speak to the children of
Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments
throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the
corners. 39 And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and
remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not
follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined,
40 and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for
your God. 41 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God."
Footnotes:
a.Numbers 13:8 Septuagint and Vulgate read Oshea.
b.Numbers 13:16 Septuagint and Vulgate read Oshea.
c.Numbers 13:24 Literally Cluster
d.Numbers 13:33 Hebrew nephilim
e.Numbers 14:8 Exodus 3:8
f.Numbers 14:18 Exodus 34:6, 7
g.Numbers 15:16 Compare Exodus 12:49
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James VersionR. Copyright C 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
