12 v.5 There are five occasions when the Glory of the Lord appeared in the book of Numbers. On each occasion it is because of the rebellion of the people. Numbers 12:5 14:10 16:19 42 20:6 Israel were told that the glory cloud would appear to quell their murmuring. Exodus 16:7

13:26 - 27 Whilst the spies acknowledged the beauty of the land they did not believe what Yahweh had said unto them. The showing of the land by Yahweh was to give them a foretaste of the land that they were to receive. However because of the flesh they looked for the problems rather than the blessings that would flow from faith.

13:4-15 Here we have the names of all 12 spies sent out to spy the land. Without looking can you remember their names? - Doubtless you can only remember Joshua and Caleb. The lesson for us is that if we want to be remembered for good then we must believe like Joshua and Caleb did.

12:2 The complaint of Miriam and Aaron was, to some extent true. Aaron had, in act been Moses' mouth piece speaking the word of God (Exodus 7:1) - the problem with Aaron and Miriam's criticism was that it was based on jealousy and was used as a pretext for a different complaint - they really wanted to complain about the Ethiopian he had married. The lesson for us is that we should speak abut what really is the issue rather than avoid the real issue and simply complain about our feeling of injustice - that we have not got the importance we feel that we deserve.

13:31 The lament 'We be not able…' was the downfall of Israel. God never told them that they would have to take the land by their own strength. He had told them 'I will give …' Exodus 6:8 Leviticus 20:24 How often do we forget that 'it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom' (Luke 12:32)

12:3  In describing Moses as 'meek' we should not presume he was 'spineless' or reticent in speaking. Rather his meekness was seen in the way that he did not exalt himself. Rather he left judgement in the hands of God.

13:2 It may appear that it was Moses' idea that spies should be sent to spy out the land. However it was at the instigation of the people Deut 1:22 and Moses saw no problems with the plan. However it was a contributory factor in the downfall of the people. How often do we feel the need 'to test the waters' before going in faith?

12:13   And again Moses acts as the intercessor even though Aaron was high priest.

13:1      The spies were not sent to establish whether the nation had the strength to take possession of it. God had told them that He was going to give it to them. So the spying out the land was so that the people knew what God was going to give them before they entered. In like manner Scripture shows us what the kingdom will be like. The clearer picture we have of the kingdom the easier we will find it to believe that God will give it to us.

Moses seems as a type of Christ 12:1,2,3,12 - his bride is not accepted just as the Gentiles and tax collectors in Christ weren't, he is meek Matt 11:29, and he (unlike Aaron the priest) intercedes as Peter Forbes noted 1Tim 2:5.

The logo of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is a graphic depiction of two men carrying a cluster of grapes on a staff between them (13:23).  

13:2  Notice Gods comment about he land was ‘which I give …’ This was just the point that Israel were unable to grasp. The and was theirs because God was going to give it to them. How do we feel abut God’s gift to us?

Num 12:8 - "similitude" [Heb "temunah" (8544) means "likeness, image, similitude, embodiment, manifestation, as a shape", etc.]; it wasn't literally God Moses saw (1Tim 6:16).

Num 13:23 - the single cluster of grapes and red pomegranates (many seeds in the red juice of the pomegranate) on a lifted pole between two men may be an echo of the sacrifice of Christ which allows his many decendants to overcome giant obstacles of the flesh and reach the land of promise.

12:10 Miriam's outward leprosy matched the uncleanness of her inward thoughts.

8 v.34 there are a number of times when 'blessed is the man' is found in Scripture. A review of those occasions Psalm 1:1 32:2 34:8 65:4 84:5,12 94:12 112:1 Isaiah 56:2 Jeremiah 17:7 Romans 4:8 James 1:12 will help us to understand how to please our God.

9 v.8 'Rebuke' is the correct way to deal with error. Leviticus 19:17 However there is no point rebuking one who has no respect for the Word of God Proverbs 9:8 However those whose rebuke is to be heeded is that of the 'wise' Ecclesiastes 7:5 This instruction from the Old Testament forms the basis for the warnings and exhortations in the New Testament. 1 Timothy 5:20 2 Timothy 4:2 Titus 1:13 2:15

ch.8 - The theme of this chapter is 'wisdom' :1,2,3. So the 'she' :16 etc: is wisdom. In fact throughout the whole chapter 'wisdom' is personified as a woman. So :30 the one who was 'by him' again is wisdom. Wisdom was with God as the thing that He delights in. If this is so then 'wisdom' - that is the wisdom of God - should be our delight also.

9:3 'Wisdom' has her companions. They are 'maidens' that is those who associate with wisdom are virgins who have not been defiled. In fact the identify with the woman who is 'wisdom'. If we wish to be amongst those who are the chaste virgins presented as a glorious church to Jesus [2 Corinthians 11:2] we must associate ourselves with the things of the 'wise' now and avoid the 'strange woman' of Proverbs 7.

8:5 From a worldly point of view the 'simple' are those who are unable to fit into this life well. They tend to be viewed as lacking understanding - even that they cannot be taught. What a wonderful way to describe those who want to serve God. Wouldn't it be wonderful if our minds were such that the influences of the world were not able to instruct us because our minds were so steeped in the things of God - God's wisdom as seen in Scripture?

9:11 the promise of the multiplication of days for the one who holds to 'wisdom'
matches Exodus 20:12. So 'wisdom' and keeping the commandments are the same.

8:1  The ‘wisdom’ that cries out in this chapter is the father of the previous chapter – it is the commandments of God.

9:4  The ‘simple’ here are not those who are slow to understand. They are those who recognise the need to learn. Pride often gets in the way of our learning the things of God.

8:10,11,12,13,27,30,34; 9:1,2,5,6 - 8:10 in reference to the value of God's wise instruction and knowledge the word "receive" Heb. "laqach" (3947) means "accept, receive, take, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, seize, send for, use, win", etc.;  we read that the love of money is the root of all evil and that money is no substitute for God's love and care(1Tim 6:9-10; Prov 13:7; 22:1; Heb 13:5). 8:11-12 we read of the value of wisdom and are encouraged to ask for it (James 1:5). 8:13 true wisdom is rooted in "fear" [Heb. yirah (3374) meaning "reverence, fear"] of God and hating evil attitudes (pride, arrogance), evil behaviors, and evil speach. 8:27 a "compass" [Heb. "chuwg" (2328) meaning "circle, compass"] upon the face of the deep indicates wisdom being present at the formation of the earth and suggests an understanding of earth's form (Isa 40:22). 8:30 though speaking of wisdom, also reminds me of Christ as it refers to "one brought up" [Heb. "amown" (525) meaning "in the sense of training, skilled, an architect, a craftsman" (NIV)] and 8:34 in noting how we are to watch gates and wait at door posts perhaps suggests the wisdom of waiting for Christ (Matt 24:42; Exo 12:7; John 10:9). 9:1,2,5,6 though speaking of wisdom, notes having a house, mentions 7 which can be the number of spiritual perfection and a possible hint of the millenium, the stability of  pillars perhaps suggests assurance that nothing can interfer with God's wise plans, and a table/feast of bread and wine which perhaps suggests the wisdom of following Christ who offered his life so we could "live; and go in the way of understanding" and have a hope of eternal life upon his return.

Wisdom hath hewn out her seven pillars (9:1) is telling us that the construction of the house of wisdom (pillars) is complete and perfect (seven).

9:3 Whilst the ‘strange woman’ of Prov 7 lurks and hides to entice ‘wisdom’ is not ashamed of her call. She cries out for all to hear.

8:32 ‘blessed are the that keep my ways’ is the basis for Jesus’ language in Luke 11:28.

8:5 The simple understanding echoes David in Psa 119:130 where it is God’s word that makes one wise which contrasts with the tree in the garden of Eden.

8:8 If only we could say, with confidence, that every word we speak was pure in God’s eyes! Clearly here we see Christ in spirit.

In other places, the word Upper room from Gk:"hupersion" corresponds to the Most Holy Place, as in Acts 1:13,9:36-41,20:9.

:16,18 - "I will not any more eat thereof", "...drink of the fruit...".
Christ eats fish in Luke 24:42-43.
He is here refering to not eating or drinking of the passover. This he will not do until he does it in the temple meal Ezekiel describes in Eze 44:3.

The Lord clearly talks about the Kingdom of God being a real entity and not the church or something that only dwells in one's heart (v.18,29,30).
The Lord reminds us that our attitude towards our brothers and sisters should be one of humility (v.26).

22:11 Whereas the ‘inn’ would hav ebeen furnished (2:7) the manger would not. It would have been bare and inhospitable for men and women. Now at the end of the ministry Jesus is in the furnished room, so to speak. His life has transformed the dwelling place! We were in an animal pen with the animals. We have been lifted out of that into the house of God.

22:8-10 The enigmatic way in which Jesus told Peter and John where the supper would be eaten would prevent Judas from being able to tell the Jewish leaders where they could take Jesus. The meal in the upper room had to be private and uninterrupted, hence the secrecy.

22:4,12          Contrast Judas and the two disciples who went to prepare the passover.  Judas ‘went his way’. The two did as Jesus had request. This contrast marks the difference between those who pursue the fleshly thinking and those who wish to do Jesus’ will.

22:3 ‘Satan’ entering into Judas is the sort of language used in Acts 5:3where Peter is confronting Ananias. On that occasion it is clear that the evil desire came from within Ananias – Acts 5:4 shows that the idea came from within Ananias.

In Prov 8:1-3 we read of wisdom crying out. Wisdom here is personified, not to be understood as a literal being. Similarly, in John 6:70-71, Judas was referred to as a devil. If Judas was literally a supernatural devil how could a supernatural satan literally enter into him? A common understanding would be an evil supernatural being is somehow entering into itself with a human being perhaps thrown into the misguided mix. Certainly God is not the author of such confusion (1Cor 14:33). When when we look up the original meaning of words like "satan" (satan means "an adversary" or "an opponent" - at one point Mark 7:33 the apostle Peter was referred to by Christ as "satan" - obviously Peter wasn't an evil supernatural being) or "devil" (devil, "diabolos" in the Greek, means "traducer" or "false accuser" or "slanderer"; unlike satan the word "devil" is always associated with evil or sin) we get the true sense of their meaning. Judas hung himself (Matt 27:3-5) and he wasn't a supernatural being any more than Peter. The devil is a personification of sin and not a literal being any more than wisdom is a literal being.  James 1:13-15 clarifies the process of sin and that it is an internal not external force. 

v30 First Principles>Sure Mercies of David>Government
Jesus has promised the Disciples that they wil govern his Kingdom.
For more information about the government of God's Kingdom, go to Matt 19:28

22:30 Given that Jesus has already told the disciples that he will not share a Passover meal with them until the kingdom is established – 22:16 – this promise of them sitting on twelve throne would have heightened their expectations that the kingdom was going to be established very soon.