Week 19 (May 4–10): Numbers 11–14; 20–24; 27

Week Overview

Why would a journey that could be short become forty years long? The lesson introduction frames the central problem: Israel needed time “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, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “May 4–10. ‘Rebel Not Ye against the Lord, Neither Fear’”).

Key Scripture Moments

1. Moses’s wish for a prophetic people Moses looked beyond his own burden and longed for a whole covenant community taught by God.

“And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!” (Numbers 11:29)

This moment pairs personal revelation with a larger order in God’s Church, a theme reinforced by the week’s focus: “Revelation is available to everyone, but God guides His Church through His prophet” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10).

2. Meekness in the Lord’s prophet The outline highlights a trait that can be missed when thinking about Moses’s public power.

“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)

3. Fear that pulls hearts back to Egypt When Israel faced an intimidating future, fear rewrote their memory and their desires.

“And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3)

This verse clarifies why the week’s title matters: “Rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10).

4. Balaam’s stated boundary Balaam repeatedly defined a limit: he could not speak against God’s command, even under pressure.

“If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do less or more.” (Numbers 22:18) “All that the LORD speaketh, that must I do.” (Numbers 23:26) “If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?” (Numbers 24:13)

Hidden Connections

• Personal revelation and prophetic leadership: The outline places Numbers 11 beside Numbers 12 to keep two truths together: many can receive God’s Spirit, and God still “guides His Church through His prophet” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10). See also (1 Nephi 10:17) and (Doctrine and Covenants 28:1–7).
• Looking to live, across dispensations: The outline connects Numbers 21:4–9 with Book of Mormon witnesses who “understood its spiritual significance” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10). See (1 Nephi 17:40–41), (Alma 33:18–22), and (Helaman 8:13–15). It also suggests comparing with (Matthew 14:25–31) and (1 Nephi 8:24–28).
• Pressure and persuasion: Balak’s offers (Numbers 22:5–7, 15–17) frame a recurring scriptural problem: persuasion aimed at moving disciples away from what God has already said.

Pattern Discovery

• Spiritual wilderness patterns: forgetting blessings, complaining, then needing renewed trust (Numbers 11:4–10; Numbers 13–14, as referenced in the outline).
• God speaks, then disciples choose: Moses’s leadership, Israel’s fear, and Balaam’s pressure all turn on whether people will align with the Lord’s word (Numbers 11; Numbers 14:3; Numbers 22:18; Numbers 23:26).
• Healing comes through focused faith: the outline returns to the same principle in multiple places, “look to the Savior for healing” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10; see Numbers 21:4–9 referenced there).

Simple Questions

1. What does Moses’s wish in (Numbers 11:29) teach about the Lord’s desire to pour out His Spirit among His people?
2. How do (Numbers 11) and (Numbers 12) help define the difference between receiving revelation and being authorized to lead God’s people? (See also Doctrine and Covenants 28:1–7.)
3. What does (Numbers 12:3) add to the meaning of spiritual leadership in a covenant community?
4. In (Numbers 14:3), what fears or assumptions make returning to “Egypt” feel reasonable?
5. Which phrase in (Numbers 22:18), (Numbers 23:26), or (Numbers 24:13) best describes a disciple’s boundary under pressure?
6. The outline asks why some refused to look and be healed (Numbers 21:9, referenced). What tends to pull attention away from the Lord, according to the suggested comparisons (Matthew 14:25–31; 1 Nephi 8:24–28)?

One Big Idea

The promised land requires covenant trust: the Lord can bring His people there, but fear and rebellion stretch the journey into a long spiritual wilderness (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, May 4–10; see Numbers 14:3).

Living It

• Practice “meek” leadership at home: use (Numbers 12:3) as a standard for how to correct, counsel, and serve without seeking status.
• Choose a boundary sentence for temptation: write and repeat one line from (Numbers 22:18) or (Numbers 24:13) when persuasion comes through praise, pressure, or promised reward.
• Train attention toward Christ: follow the outline’s invitation to “look to the Savior for healing” by studying the connected witnesses (1 Nephi 17:40–41; Alma 33:18–22; Helaman 8:13–15), then identify one daily habit that keeps that focus.

Faith Builder

For further study on revelation in the Lord’s Church and in personal life, see also President Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 93–96), and Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Two Lines of Communication” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 83–86). For keeping focus on the Lord’s healing power, see also President D. Todd Christofferson, “Look to God and Live” (Liahona, Nov. 2025, 86–90).

These accounts and teachings invite readers to trade fear for covenant trust and to keep their focus on the Lord’s word until spiritual wilderness becomes a path into promised blessings.