Tim is doing a sterling job as usual live-blogging for us. I am especially enjoying his little throw-away comments that really give you a feel for what the place is like. My big question? How much “physical expression” is there in the worship times, Tim?

Anyway, here's a quote that stood out to me from his notes from Duncan’s session. Challies begins by explaining that he was giving us a “specific example of mining seemingly-strange and irrelevant passages of the Old Testament and using them to point to Christ.” Go over to Tim’s blog to read the rest, but I leave you with a quote:

"I want you to see how exciting, practical and applicable the book of Numbers is." Not words we are accustomed to hearing in the church!

After laying out several of the challenges of preaching from Numbers, Duncan read from 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. He showed that Paul valued the book of Numbers as everything that happened to the Israelites in this passage happened in the wilderness and much of it was recorded in Numbers. Paul is telling us here how Numbers is edifying and important for us today. He says that the events recorded in Numbers actually happened for us, and that God wants us to learn from them as Christians how we are to live today . . .

The events that happened in the wilderness happened as a moral warning to us. Those events are designed to warn us off from evil cravings . . . The Apostle does not merely say these things are recorded as examples for us but that they happened as examples for us. In God's design, all the pain and suffering in the wilderness happened so that we can learn from it and from this we learn just how much He loves us…

Paul specifically applies this to New Testament believers in four areas. 1) Do not be idolaters. 2) Do not be immoral. 3) Do not presumptuously test the Lord. 4) Do not grumble against providence.”

— Lig Duncan

Continued at Shepherds' Conference V - Al Mohler: Preaching the Cross, Not Human Wisdom