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MATURITY THROUGH WILDERNESS TESTING The Book of Numbers (Bamidbar – “In the Wilderness”) is not a random collection of strange rituals, censuses, or plagues. It is the tactical manual for a redeemed people learning how to live after the blood has been applied. It reveals the "Wilderness Quarry" - the place where the rough stones of our character are cut, shaped, and refined by Spirit and Fire in the Home Quarry! 1. THE CENSUS : Enlisting the Army of the Redeemed! "Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses..." ( Numbers 1:2 ) Yahuah orders a count of every man twenty years old and above who can go to war. This wasn't for book-keeping statistics; it was for MOBILISATION - Enlisting for Active Service ! NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  Deliverance is not an extraction into comfort; it is an enlistment into spiritual warfare. Through the Narrow Gate, we are recruited into an army where the primary battlefield is the "wilderness of the home." Our "census" is the Spirit’s inventory of our readiness to stand against the "Egypt" still living in our minds, fueled by demon thoughts! 2. ORDER IN THE CAMP : The Internal Throne! "The children of Israel shall pitch their tents, everyone by his own camp, and everyone by his own standard..." ( Numbers 2:2 ) The Tribes were arranged in a perfect square around the Tabernacle. The Presence was the centre; the people were the circumference. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  In the Home Quarry, the "camp" is our daily schedule and family structure. The Narrow Gate requires that Yahusha’s throne be the literal centre of our domestic life. If our "tents" (our priorities) are not oriented toward staying in His presence, we fall into chaos. The Levites’ guard to the Tabernacle is now our Royal Priestly job to stand guard at our Heart’s Portal! 3. JEALOUSY COCKTAIL : The Trial of Truth! "Then the Priest shall take living water in an earthen vessel; and take some of the set-apart dust that is on the floor of the Tabernacle and put it into the water." ( Num 5:17 ) A woman suspected of adultery drank "bitter water" containing Tabernacle dust and the ink of the Name of Yahuah written on a piece of paper. If she were innocent, then great; if she was guilty, then her womb would seize up, and she would be barren as punishment for her behaviour. Divine judgment Not human rage Determined her guilt or her innocence. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  As seen in John 8 , Yahusha fulfils this as the High Priest. When the woman 'accused' of adultery was on the ground in front of Him, about to be stoned by leaders, (even without the testimony of 2-3 witnesses), He wrote the hebrew symbols for Yahuah's Name in the dust (set-apart, as He, the living water was standing on it), bringing the "jealousy-cocktail test" to the accusers' own hearts. In our wilderness homes, we must stop "stoning" one another with suspicion and instead bring every hidden conflict to Yahusha. He exposes false witnesses and restores the innocent! 4. THE NAZIRITE VOW : From Symbols to Fruit! "He shall separate himself from wine and similar drink... all the days of his separation no razor shall come upon his head." ( Numbers 6:3-5 ) A person could take a vow of extreme separation to be "Set-Apart" to Yahuah for a season. Samson's parents entered him into this kind of covenant at his birth, hence his supernatural strength! NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  The Narrow Gate shifts the Nazirite Vow from long hair and grape-avoidance to the BEHAVIOURAL FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. True separation in the wilderness of the modern world isn't about clothes - it's about "self-control" (Galatians 5:23). Our "vow" is a daily choice to remain uncontaminated by the "dead carcass corpse" of our old nature. 5. THE FIRE-CLOUD : Synchronised Living! "Whether it was two days, a month, or a year that the cloud remained... the children of Israel remained encamped and did not journey." ( Numbers 9:22 ) Israel only moved when the Pillar of Cloud or Fire moved. Total dependence! NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  This is the discipline of the Wilderness Quarry. We often try to force "doors" open in our own timing. The New Covenant believer must learn to "rest and wait" in the home when the Spirit stays, and "move with a plan" immediately when He calls, even if it’s inconvenient. Movement without the Cloud is disobedient rebellion! 6. COMPLAINING & QUAILS : The Lust Test! "Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving... 'Who will give us meat to eat?'" ( Numbers 11:4 ) The people despised the Manna ("What is it?") and demanded meat. Yahuah gave them quail until it "came out of their nostrils," followed by a plague. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT: Manna represents the "Daily Bread" of Yahusha's Words. When we "crave Egypt" (the entertainment and comforts of the world) and despise the simple provision of the Spirit, we invite death, misery and plagues into ourselves. The wilderness tests whether we love Yahusha Alahim, our Provider or just His provisions ?? 7. THE TWELVE SPIES : Belief vs. Sight! "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants... and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight." ( Numbers 13:32-33 ) Ten spies saw giants (Anakim), but Joshua and Caleb saw Alahim’s promises. The majority report caused a 40-year delay because Israel was filled with fear based on the testimony of the ten spies. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  In our personal wilderness, we face "giants" of debt, sickness, or broken relationships. The Narrow Gate is only wide enough for those who carry the "Good Report" of trusting-belief. Unbelief is the one key thing that can postpone your inheritance! 8. KORAH'S REBELLION : The Authority of Life! "The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah." ( Numbers 16:32 ) Korah challenged the leadership of Moses and Aaron. To settle it, Aaron’s dead almond rod budded, flowered, and produced fruit overnight. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  Authority in the Kingdom is not seized; it is revealed through new resurrection life. In the home, true leadership isn't through "abusing it over others" , but through the "budding rod" of a life that has died to self and come alive in Yahusha. 9. THE BRAZEN SERPENT : The Upward Look! "And Moses made a brazen serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the brazen serpent, he lived." ( Numbers 21:9 ) To heal the "fiery serpent" bites caused by grumbling, the people had to look at a bronze image of their judgment as Moses lifted it up in the wilderness. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT: Yahusha explicitly links Himself to this in John 3:14. When the "venom" of sin or depression bites us in the wilderness, the cure is not "looking at the wound" (self-analysis) but "looking at the Pole" (the Finished Work). We look to the One who became sin for us to be delivered from its poison. When we think His thoughts and behave His Word, things work! 10. THE RED HEIFER : Outside the Camp! "This is the ordinance of the law... that they bring you a red heifer without blemish... it shall be burned in her sight." ( Numbers 19:2-5 ) A red heifer was sacrificed outside the camp. Its ashes, mixed with water, purified those who touched death. NEW COVENANT CONTEXT:  Yahusha suffered "outside the gate" (Hebrews 13:12). In our "home quarries," we often encounter the "defilement of death" - harsh words, grief, or sin. The Blood and Water from Yahusha’s side are the eternal "Ashes of the Heifer" that cleanse our conscience so we can re-enter His presence through repentance and transformation. CONCLUSION : The Cloud is Moving The wilderness was never meant to be a graveyard, but a maturing chamber. The first generation died because they kept Egypt in their hearts; the second generation entered because they let the wilderness kill their unbelief. Today, the NARROW GATE VEIN OF DELIVERANCE has brought you into your own "spiritual wilderness" Your home is the Stone-Quarry. Every test is an opportunity to see the Cloud move. True Deliverance is the exit from Egypt - and real maturity is the entrance into the Promise Land of Rest and Peace, HAPPINESS AND JOY IN OVERCOMING!

DELIVERANCE FROM FIERY SERPENTS: Keeping Your Eyes on Yahusha for True Consciousness! The wilderness the training ground where our hidden rebellions are exposed, our fleshly arrogance is seared away, and our consciousness is recalibrated. In Numbers 21 , we encounter one of the most mysterious accounts in Scripture - the plague of fiery serpents and the bronze remedy. This event serves as a blueprint for New Covenant Deliverance and the overcoming of evil behaviour! THE FRUSTRATION OF BACK-TRACKING After defeating a Canaanite king, Israel expected a straight path to the Promised Land. Instead, they were instructed to turn south - back toward the Red Sea. The Conflict:  They avoided Edom to respect blood ties and bypassed Philistine territory because they weren't yet ready for war. The Reaction:  To the fleshly mind, this looked like regression. A month of scorching, rugged travel on a 'dead-end highway' triggered a spiritual collapse. When we feel like we are 'backtracking in life', our impatience often turns into an accusation against Yahusha. We begin to loathe the 'manna' - the daily, miraculous provision of Yahusha - because it isn't the 'exotic meat' of our earthly desires. FIERY SERPENTS & INNER VENOM As the people spoke against Yahuah and Moses, 'fiery serpents' were unleashed among them. In Hebrew, two specific words define these creatures: Nakash (H5175):  The serpent/snake - the ancient symbol of the whispering deceiver. Saraph (H8314):  Meaning 'fiery' or 'burning'. Interestingly, Saraph  is the same word used in Isaiah 6  for the SERAPHIM - the fiery beings who stand above the throne of Alahim. Fire in Scripture serves two purposes: it either 'purifies'  the set-apart or 'consumes'  the rebellious. For Israel, the venom was the physical manifestation of their internal poisonous thinking and heart-condition - the 'burning' of their own resentment and complaint. LOOKING UP TO THE LIFTED ONE! When the people matured enough to recognise their sin, they turned to the mediator. The solution Alahim provided was radical: “Make a brazen replica of a fiery serpent and attach it to a pole.” NEW COVENANT CONNECTION Yahusha explicitly linked this event to His own mission: "Just as Moses lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, the son of Man must be lifted up in the same way." - John 3:14 SHADOW (Numbers 21) REALITY (The Torture Stake) Dying from physical venom. Dying from the spiritual poison of sin. A serpent (the curse) was lifted. Yahusha became the curse for us ( Gal 3:13 ). Healing through looking up in repentance. Deliverance through repentance & trusting-belief. The Brazen Serpent - called Nehushtan - did not have power in its metal. Healing flowed only through obedience and focused trust. IT WAS A TEST OF CONSCIOUSNESS: Would they look at their wounds, or would they look at the provision of Yahuah? DELIVERANCE BEHAVIOURAL TRAINING Today, we are in a 'spiritual wilderness, being trained to overcome the 'serpents' of our own nature and behaviour - fueled by desires and demon-thoughts : Complaint and Bitterness:  The venom that dries up spirit inspiration. Self-Pity:   The 'hiss' of the ego demanding its own way. Demonic Influence:  The fiery whispers that drive us to distraction. Modern psychology always fails because it attempts to treat the 'bite' (behaviour) but ignores the 'serpent' (demon-thoughts). It tries to medicate the symptoms of a poisoned consciousness without leading the person to the only One who can cleanse the spirit. TRUE CONSCIOUSNESS: The Hebrew ' Taher' To be delivered is to be made 'Clean'  ( Taher ). This means to be bright, pure, and uncontaminated. "Let’s cleanse ourselves from all the defilements of the flesh and spirit, perfecting set-apartness in the fear of Yahusha." - 2 Corinthians 7:1 True consciousness is not 'mindfulness' of self; it is being in an obedient Covenant relationship with Yahusha. It is the act of bringing every thought captive and refusing to allow the venom of the world to infect the temple of our heart-portals. WHERE IS YOUR GAZE? The wilderness journey is essentially a school of focus. If you fix your eyes on the difficulty of the road, the 'backtracking', 'trials', 'consequences' or the 'lack of water', you invite the serpents to bite. But if you fix your eyes on the Lifted One, the venom loses its power. The Deliverance Vein Requires: Repentance:  Acknowledging the 'wicked thing' of speaking against Yahusha's leading. Impaling the Ego:  Recognising that our behaviour is the battlefield. The Upward Look:  Total reliance on the Torture Stake of Yahusha as our only source of life. The demon-serpents are real, and their bite is painful when we let them into our ear-gates - but Yahusha allows them in the wilderness to test us and drive us toward looking to the Pole for our only sanity, consciousness and healing. Stop looking at the snakes at your feet. LOOK UP TO YAHUSHA ALAHIM THE LAMB ... AND LIVE !

SELF-SEEKING COMPLAINT : Treading on Yahusha’s Set-Apart Esteem by Drawing Attention to Yourself! The wilderness of Zin was not merely a geographical location; it was a spiritual furnace designed to consume the 'fleshly self' (basar). In Numbers 20, we witness a tragedy that echoes into our New Covenant Reality: the moment a seasoned leader allowed a 'tantrum' to eclipse the set-apartness of the Almighty. Moses, the humblest man on earth, struck the rock in a fit of self-seeking indignation, and in doing so, he forfeited his entrance into the Promised Land. ANATOMY OF A TANTRUM: From Spirit to Flesh! After forty years of faithful service, the pressure of a complaining nation finally breached the walls of Moses' endurance. When the people gathered against him because of the lack of water, they weren't just thirsty; they were engaging in Meribah - contention and quarrelling. In the Hebrew mindset, to complain is often linked to 'lodging' or 'staying' in a state of OBSTINATE, BULL-HEADED, HARD-HEARTED REBELLION AND PROVOKE AGAINST ALAHIM! It is a refusal to trust the heart of the Creator. However, the greater failure lay in the response of the leadership! THE 'SORCERER'S' SIN Yahuah commanded Moses to speak  to the rock. Instead, Moses struck  it ... twice! By shouting, "Must WE fetch you water?"  Moses shifted the focus from the Creator's provision to his own power and frustration. The Egyptian Influence:   To a people still steeped in Egyptian magic, Moses appeared as a sorcerer manipulating a deity to get results. Stealing Esteem:  He 'muddled' and 'confused' the distinction between the Servant and the Master. He failed to set Yahuah Alahim apart and esteem Him before the eyes of the people! NEW COVENANT REALITY: The Abomination of Self In our walk with Yahusha, the 'Abomination of Desolation' is not a future prophetic event; it is an INTERNAL FLESHLY IDOL!! It is the idolatry of self - enthroned in the heart and fueled by demonic whispers that tell us our feelings, our reputations, and our 'rights' are paramount! HEBREW UNDERSTANDING of ATTENTION-SEEKING : The 'fleshly self'   (basar) seeks to be seen. When we complain, we are essentially drawing a spotlight to our own discomfort, demanding that the universe, the people in it (and Yahusha) acknowledge our 'suffering'. This is the opposite of impaling our flesh on the Torture Stake! "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his torture stake, and follow Me." - Matt 16:24 ... To "impale the flesh" is to execute the ego. Every self-seeking complaint is an attempt to climb down from that stake and demand a reward or recognition. IT IS A REFUSAL TO DIE!! THE DANGER OF MISREPRESENTATION! Our lives are the only 'tabernacle' most people will ever see. When we react with temper, bitterness, or 'woe-is-me' complaining, we are telling the world: "This is how Yahusha is."   FLESHLY REACTION (The 'Moses' Strike) "Must I do everything?"  (Self-pity) Venting anger to feel 'heard.' Seeking credit for works, service or ministry. Demanding rights and 'fairness.' SPIRIT-LED RESPONSE (Yahusha's Way) "I do nothing of myself."  (Humility) Absorbing insults to reflect His peace. Doing all things 'unto Him' in secret. Yielding to Yahusha's timing. If you lose your temper at your spouse or children, you are essentially 'striking the rock, showing them a distorted image of a harsh, frustrated Master rather than the Set-Apart One who is slow to anger and rich in loving-favour. But this doesn't mean we shouldn't speak out the truth, provoke to righteousness, and rebuke behaviour that is not Yahusha's Word in our homes! PATH OF HIDDEN SERVICE: Peace and Loving-Favour The remedy for the 'Self-Seeking Complaint' is a total surrender to whole-hearted service . When we do everything 'as unto Yahusha', the need for human attention vanishes. 1. Impale the Ego Recognise that your 'tantrums' - whether quiet murmuring or loud outbursts - are fueled by a desire to PROTECT THE IDOL OF YOURSELF. Take that ego to the execution stake daily! 2. Seek the Secret Place There is a profound peace ( Shalom ) found in serving where no one sees. When you provide 'water' to others without saying, 'Look at what I did',   you allow Yahusha to receive 100% of the esteem. 3. Embrace the 'Death of Self' Moses lost the physical Promised Land because he centred the moment on himself. We risk losing our spiritual inheritance - the rewards of the Kingdom and the intimacy of His Presence - when we refuse to let the 'fleshly self' die. BE SET-APART AS I AM SET-APART! Moses’s failure was a lack of trust in the Set-Apartness of Yahuah . He allowed his personal exhaustion to override his duty to represent Alahim accurately. We must ask ourselves: Is my behaviour 'flirting with idolatry' by making me the centre of the story?   SHOULD THERE EVEN BE ANOTHER STORY ABOUT ME? Let's stop striking the rock in anger. Instead, let's pick up our Torture Stake, silence the voice of complaint, and follow Yahusha to the total death of the ego. Only then can we enter the true Promised Land of His rest, where His loving-favour flows unhindered because 'the fleshly self' is no longer in the way!

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