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16 Hope of Israel Ministries BIBLE Correspondence Course Lesson 38

will then DO HIS PART by giving us His power fact YEHOVAH God did NOT GENERALLY
and His promised blessings. offer His holy spirit to them as He does to us
today? Ephesians 3:4-5 and John 7: 38-39. Did
A WARNING for Us Today! YEHOVAH PERMIT Caleb and Joshua to enter
the promised land because they had the spirit?
No people upon the face of the earth have Numbers 14:24, 38; Deuteronomy 34:9 and I
witnessed the POWER of YEHOVAH God as Peter 1:10-11. Can you see the LESSON in the
did the nation of Israel. YEHOVAH performed Israelites’ lack of faith?
tremendous miracles for the children of Israel COMMENT: The Israelites apparently
just BEFORE and AFTER He brought them out thought that since YEHOVAH God was with
of Egypt. On top of all that, YEHOVAH even them, they would have an EASY time leaving
SPOKE to them! Egypt. They thought the journey through the
You would THINK that after witnessing wilderness would be comfortable and
all of these astounding miracles, they
would have unquestioningly believed
in and obeyed the God who rescued
them from slavery. But notice what
happened.
1. How did those who had seen
all these mighty miracles of YEHO-
VAH God REACT? Numbers
14:1-4, 11. Did they HARDEN their
hearts against YEHOVAH God?
Hebrews 3:8-10.
2. Did YEHOVAH therefore
PREVENT Israel (those above 20
years of age) from entering the
promised land of Palestine? Hebrews
3:11 and Numbers 14:22-23. Then
was it specifically because of their
UNBELIEF, or faithlessness and con- YEHOVAH God miraculously appeared to faithless Israel as
sequent disobedience, that YEHO- a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day — forty long
VAH prevented them from entering? years!
Hebrews 3:19.
COMMENT: The Israelite’s BASIC pleasurable. Therefore, when TRIALS struck,
PROBLEM was that regardless of the miracles they were completely caught off guard. They
the Almighty Creator performed on their behalf, were shocked -- overwhelmed -- surprised be-
they LACKED FAITH in YEHOVAH God and yond belief!
DISOBEYED His commandments. LACK of “If God is with us,” they may have
faith and disobedience go hand in hand! wondered, “why would He permit us to go
3. Was the truth about the gospel of the without water?" “If God is love,” they mused in
Messiah preached to those Israelites? Hebrews their total carnality, “then WHY does He
4:2. WHY didn’t it profit them? Same verse. continually give us this same manna to eat every
Notice the words “Not being mixed WITH day?"
FAITH.” Their CARNAL MINDS could not
4. Was their total lack of faith due to the understand why YEHOVAH God let them have

What It Means To “Live By Faith”