Week 19 (May 4–10): “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear”

Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27

Doctrinal Foundation (layered perspectives)

From Moses’s view: leadership in the covenant community includes weight, loneliness, and the need to share spiritual labor. The Lord responded to Moses’s burden with a pattern of delegated help and shared spiritual gifts (see Numbers 11:11–17, 24–29).

From the Lord’s view: the wilderness journey measured spiritual formation more than mileage. Come, Follow Me frames the forty years this way:

“Even on foot, it wouldn’t take 40 years to travel from the wilderness of Sinai to the promised land in Canaan. But that’s how long the children of Israel needed, not to cover the geographical distance but to cover the spiritual distance: the distance between who they were and who they could become as God’s covenant people.” (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10, “Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear”)

From Israel’s view: fear can erase memory. Numbers 11 shows a people who “had forgotten their blessings and were complaining” (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 11:4–10). Numbers 13–14 shows how fear can rewrite the future until slavery feels safer than covenant progress (see Numbers 14:3).

From a disciple’s view today: the Lord gives revelation broadly, while guiding His Church through His prophet. Come, Follow Me states this tension directly: “Revelation is available to everyone, but God guides His Church through His prophet.” (Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church,” Numbers 11:11–17, 24–29)

Scripture Deep Dive (ascending steps of discovery)

1) Complaining and covenant memory (Numbers 11:4–10)

Come, Follow Me highlights a recurring spiritual hazard: forgetting prior deliverance. The weekly outline suggests using Israel’s complaints as a mirror for identifying blessings that fade from view (see Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 11:4–10).

Discovery step: gratitude functions as covenant memory. When memory collapses, trust collapses with it.

2) Shared gifts and ordered guidance (Numbers 11:11–17, 24–29)

Moses faced a leadership crisis, and the Lord provided a solution that included shared spiritual capacity (see Numbers 11:11–17, 24–29). Moses expressed a yearning that reaches across dispensations: he wished “that all the Lord’s people were prophets” (Numbers 11:29, cited in Come, Follow Me).

Come, Follow Me directs readers to President Russell M. Nelson’s “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” for further study (Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 93–96), without providing the text for quotation (see Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church”).

Discovery step: personal revelation can be widespread while prophetic stewardship remains singular.

3) The caution that protects unity (Numbers 12)

Numbers 12 clarifies boundaries around revelation and authority. Come, Follow Me teaches: “Saying we can all receive revelation, however, doesn’t mean we all can lead God’s people the way Moses did. The event in Numbers 12 makes this clear.” (Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church,” Numbers 12)

Numbers 12 also names a Christlike attribute in a surprising place: “Moses was very meek” (Numbers 12:3, cited in Come, Follow Me). Come, Follow Me recommends studying meekness through Moses’s examples (Exodus 18:13–25; Numbers 11:26–29; Numbers 12; Hebrews 11:24–27; Moses 1:10–11) and the Savior’s meekness (Matthew 11:29; 27:11–14; Luke 22:41–42; John 13:4–5), as listed in the outline.

Discovery step: meekness strengthens prophetic leadership and protects a community from rival lines of authority.

4) Fear as a counterfeit prophecy (Numbers 13–14)

Come, Follow Me frames the central question: “As you read Numbers 13–14, try to put yourself in the place of the Israelites. Why do you think they wanted to ‘return into Egypt’? (Numbers 14:3).” (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 13–14”)

It then asks readers to identify the “other spirit” in Caleb (Numbers 14:24, referenced in the outline). Caleb and Joshua model future-facing faith when the majority report collapses into dread.

Discovery step: faith and fear both make claims about the future, but only one is anchored in the Lord’s power.

5) Rebellion’s cost and the need for healing (Numbers 20–21)

Come, Follow Me summarizes a lesson Israel had to learn: “They learned that being faithless brings spiritual harm, but they could repent and look to the Savior for healing (see Numbers 21:4–9).” (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction)

Discovery step: covenant life includes consequences, and the Lord also provides a healing remedy.

6) The brass serpent and the choice to look (Numbers 21:4–9; Helaman 8:15)

Come, Follow Me emphasizes that Book of Mormon prophets read Numbers 21 as a Christ-centered type (see 1 Nephi 17:40–41; Alma 33:18–22; Helaman 8:13–15). The outline presses the personal question: “The Israelites had to ‘[behold] the serpent of brass’ (Numbers 21:9) to be healed. Why do you think some people refused to look? Does something similar ever happen to you?” (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”)

It also quotes the invitation phrase readers can adopt as a weekly aim:

“look upon the Son of God with faith” (Helaman 8:15, quoted in Come, Follow Me)

Discovery step: healing is offered broadly, but it is received through a chosen act of faith.

7) Keeping focus when fear rises (Matthew 14:25–31; 1 Nephi 8:24–28)

Come, Follow Me connects Numbers 21 to other “focus” narratives: “compare the message of Numbers 21:4–9 with Matthew 14:25–31 and 1 Nephi 8:24–28” (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”). The shared thread is sustained attention to Christ amid destabilizing pressures.

Discovery step: the Lord’s power remains present; attention determines whether disciples experience that power as rescue.

8) Balaam: words of restraint, later betrayal (Numbers 22–24; Numbers 31:16; Jude 1:11)

Come, Follow Me describes Balak’s pressure tactics (Numbers 22:5–7, 15–17) and highlights Balaam’s stated loyalty in key verses (Numbers 22:18, 38; 23:8, 12, 26; 24:13). Then it provides the sobering outcome: “Sadly, Balaam eventually gave in to pressure and betrayed Israel (see Numbers 31:16; Jude 1:11).” (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 22–24”)

Discovery step: correct words in a moment do not replace enduring fidelity over time.

Historical Context (from the week’s resources)

Come, Follow Me frames Numbers as a record of “some of what happened during those 40 years, including lessons the children of Israel needed to learn before entering the promised land.” (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction) The text presents the wilderness as a formative space where covenant identity had to mature before land inheritance could be safe and sustaining.

For a broader reference, the outline points to “Numbers” in the Bible Dictionary for an overview (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction).

Pattern Recognition Web (cross-dispensation links named in the bundle)

• Personal revelation and prophetic governance: Numbers 11:11–17, 24–29 with Numbers 12; see also 1 Nephi 10:17 and Doctrine and Covenants 28:1–7 (listed in Come, Follow Me). See also Dallin H. Oaks, “Two Lines of Communication,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 83–86 (reference only, no text provided).
• Meekness as covenant power: Numbers 12:3 with Exodus 18:13–25; Hebrews 11:24–27; Moses 1:10–11; and the Savior’s meekness in Matthew 11:29; 27:11–14; Luke 22:41–42; John 13:4–5 (all listed in Come, Follow Me).
• Hope for the future: Numbers 13–14 with the question of returning to Egypt (Numbers 14:3) and Caleb’s “other spirit” (Numbers 14:24), as highlighted in the outline.
• Healing through looking to Christ: Numbers 21:4–9 with 1 Nephi 17:40–41; Alma 33:18–22; Helaman 8:13–15; John 3:14–15; Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 (all listed in Come, Follow Me).
• Staying focused amid fear: Numbers 21:4–9 with Matthew 14:25–31 and 1 Nephi 8:24–28 (listed in Come, Follow Me).
• Pressure, persuasion, and discipleship integrity: Numbers 22–24 with Numbers 31:16 and Jude 1:11 (listed in Come, Follow Me).

Discussion Framework (progressing from observation to application)

1. In Come, Follow Me’s framing, what “spiritual distance” might the Lord be helping Israel cross in Numbers 11–14? (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction)
2. In Numbers 11:4–10, what gets forgotten first when gratitude fades, and what gets amplified? (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children”)
3. In Numbers 11:29, what might Moses’s wish suggest about the Lord’s desire for His people, while still preserving prophetic stewardship? (Numbers 11:29; Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church”)
4. What cautions appear in Numbers 12 about challenging the Lord’s chosen prophet? (Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church,” Numbers 12)
5. How does Numbers 12:3 fit with Moses’s role as a miracle-working leader, and how do the listed companion passages expand the definition of meekness? (Numbers 12:3; Come, Follow Me, “Moses was very meek”)
6. In Numbers 14:3, what fears can make “Egypt” feel appealing, and how does that connect to personal spiritual wilderness experiences? (Numbers 14:3; Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction)
7. What does Come, Follow Me ask readers to consider about those who refused to look at the brass serpent, and what modern parallels fit that question? (Numbers 21:9; Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”)
8. How does the phrase “look upon the Son of God with faith” shape day-to-day repentance and healing? (Helaman 8:15, quoted in Come, Follow Me)
9. In Numbers 22–24, what phrases show Balaam’s stated intent to obey God, and what warning comes from Numbers 31:16 and Jude 1:11? (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 22–24”)
10. Which cross-referenced “focus” story, Matthew 14:25–31 or 1 Nephi 8:24–28, best clarifies what pulls attention away from Christ? (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”)

Gospel Connections (Plan of Salvation threads named in the bundle)

• Mortal life as a proving and preparing journey: Israel’s wilderness years illustrate the developmental purpose of mortality, learning to become “God’s covenant people” prepared for a promised inheritance (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction).
• The Lord heals spiritual harm through Christ: Come, Follow Me links faithlessness, harm, repentance, and healing through looking to the Savior (Numbers 21:4–9; Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction).
• Christ-centered typology taught across scripture: Book of Mormon prophets interpret Numbers 21 as pointing to Christ (1 Nephi 17:40–41; Alma 33:18–22; Helaman 8:13–15, as cited in Come, Follow Me).

Teaching Moments (ways to share with others)

1. A family “memory inventory” of blessings: Use Numbers 11:4–10 with “Count Your Blessings” (Hymns, no. 241) as Come, Follow Me suggests for children, then invite brief sharing of remembered deliverances (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children”).
2. A simple board illustration of two lines: Read Numbers 11 and Numbers 12, then list what belongs to personal revelation versus prophetic direction, using the references provided (1 Nephi 10:17; Doctrine and Covenants 28:1–7; Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church”).
3. A “look and live” object lesson: Use Numbers 21:6–9 and John 3:14–15, then connect to Helaman 8:15’s phrase “look upon the Son of God with faith” (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 21:6–9).
4. Role-play persuasion and resolve: Summarize Numbers 22:1–18, then have learners identify phrases from Numbers 22:18; 23:26; 24:13 that express commitment to obey (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 22–24).

Personal Reflection (pattern-finding in one’s own journey)

• Where has spiritual “distance” taken longer than expected, and what lesson might the Lord be teaching in that stretch? (Come, Follow Me, May 4–10 introduction)
• What blessings get forgotten most easily, and what practice restores covenant memory? (Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 11:4–10)
• What helps keep attention on Christ when fear rises, using the focus comparisons Come, Follow Me lists? (Numbers 21:4–9; Matthew 14:25–31; 1 Nephi 8:24–28; Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”)
• Which phrase from Numbers 22–24 could be written on a card as a weekly commitment, as Come, Follow Me suggests? (Numbers 22:18; 23:26; 24:13; Come, Follow Me, “Teaching Children,” Numbers 22–24)

Prophetic Echoes (modern revelation references in the bundle)

• President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 93–96), referenced for studying Numbers 11:29 and the theme of revelation (Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church”).
• Elder David A. Bednar, “Meek and Lowly of Heart” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 30–33), referenced for understanding meekness in relation to Numbers 12:3 (Come, Follow Me, “Moses was very meek”).
• President D. Todd Christofferson, “Look to God and Live” (Liahona, Nov. 2025, 86–90), referenced for applying Numbers 21:4–9 (Come, Follow Me, “Numbers 21:4–9”).
• Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Two Lines of Communication” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 83–86), referenced alongside Numbers 12 and Doctrine and Covenants 28:1–7 (Come, Follow Me, “Learning at Home and Church”).

These chapters invite steady trust in the Lord’s power, loyal support of His prophet, and a daily choice to look to the Son of God with faith for healing.