Encountering the Old Testament, 4th Edition
A Christian Survey
series: Encountering Biblical Studies
Materials available for professors by request only
Chapter
8. Numbers: Failure in the Desert
Discussion Questions
- How can we account for the apparent lack of organization in the book of Numbers?
- What comparison can we make between Moses and Aaron?
- Why was it necessary to have a system of alarms to use as Israel moved to the promised land?
- What similarities do you see between the Israelites and the church today?
- Is it necessary for God to punish our disobedience like he punished Moses’s disobedience?
Class Activities
- Divide the class into groups of three. Have them discuss different examples of the disobedience of the Israelites. Follow this with a feedback session in which the various acts of disobedience are reviewed. Conclude with a discussion of the question: How could the Israelites have avoided disobedience? Class time allowed: 20 minutes.
- Divide the class into groups of four or five students. Ask the groups to identify how Christians today are disobeying God. Follow with a feedback session involving the entire class. Ask what Christians might expect as a consequence for their disobedience. Class time allowed: 25 minutes.
