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Numbers 32 Gilead and Obedience

Elijah the prophet came from Gilead and this is the land that the three tribes requested from Moses. The three tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh wanted this. Again we see the problem of looking with the eye rather than the heart. God had specifically said, cross the Jordan to conquer the land He had set aside for them. When we look with our eyes and not with obedient hearts, the rest is history. To this day, that land has been fraught with tribal wars and loss of a God centered heart and in fact it is now Islamic. 

Why did they want this land? It was good for cattle, but one wonders had they not chosen this if the children of Israel might have found even better land across the Jordan? We wonder why Moses acquiesced to their request even after he gave them the requirements to live there. These tribes did obey but at what cost? 

There is a lesson here for us. Seek wisdom and follow God’s choice not ours. 

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Numbers 30 Vows 

Vows are promises made by both men and women for many different reasons. If made,they are to be kept but there is a a question as to the difference between men and women. Clearly women are to submit to men, whether a father or a husband but NOT to other men. God imposed this to protect them. If a woman makes a vow and it is heard but not challenged or turned aside, then the vow should remain. But, if the vow is heard and challenged it shall be done and put away. We don’t know what that vow entailed but just the protective process. 

God loves women just as men and He has placed these provisions to protect them. King Solomon wrote: “When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow.” [Eccl 5:4]. Also listen to what God says: “If a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath of binding obligation on himself, he must not break his word, but must do whatever he has promised.“ [Num 30]

Is this any different today? We make vows to love, honor and obey in a wedding  and we, both man and woman are to keep those vows until death. We vow to speak truth in a courtroom and it is to be kept, both men and women. 

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Numbers 27 Women Count!

The daughters of Zelophehad were wise and cunning

Of all the stories of women in the Bible, this chapter is a favorite of mine. God cares for the weak as well as the strong, men as well as women. How beautiful to see the daughters of Zelophehad follow the rules of submission but also of courage and honor for their deceased father. The girls were strong but yet came before Moses to claim their inheritance. This was new and Moses went to God to determine what should be done since this father had no sons to whom the inheritance should be passed. God heard and He answered. These daughters should receive their inheritance just as if they were boys. This is a “YAY” God story. 

God cares for those the world sees as least. Learn from these girls, honor the deceased, honor the leaders, seek the answer from God and his chosen leaders. Now the next chapter will show us the heart of the men who were their cousins. Stay tuned…

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Numbers 22-23 A Conundrum

God knows each puzzle piece

A conundrum is a puzzle that seems to be unsolvable. Balaam fits in that category. Historians say this about this man: “Balaam is the pagan counterpart to Moses the man of God. The recovery of prophetic texts of Balaam in Aramaic from the sixth century at Deir-’Allah in Jordan shows how very famous this man was in the ancient Near East, even centuries after his death.” On the one hand he displays honorable intentions towards the Israelites but on the other hand, his fear of what God might do to him if he curses them causes him great anxiety and a lack of direction. 

Because Balaam did not heed the instruction of the Lord, God sent an angel to correct him using a donkey to speak to him. God is not only the God of wisdom but He is also the creator and author of the animal kingdom. Balaam ignored the donkey’s persistent actions of denying Balaam’s journey and after three times God opened the mouth of the donkey to show Balaam His displeasure. 

Throughout this whole scenario we see a man who seeks monetary gain more than God’s blessing. He is a person with what we call a “forked tongue.” He speaks gracious words as long as the money pot is filled but when it is not, he is left penniless. Beware of men like Balaam who seek to undermine God’s plan. Stay alert and apart from them for they are servants of Satan and no good will come of your interaction with them. Be discerning! 

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Numbers 18 Command!

God doesn't want excuses

Moses wrote these words to the children of Israel, but more importantly to the  priesthood: “You must serve.”  [Num 18:7] End of discussion. Simple command and no questions are to be asked. Jesus said in his closing statements: “Go and make disciples.” Simple command. No questions asked or answered. 

Where are we not obeying these simple commands? What is the result of disobedience? And…what is the result of obedience? 

Something to think about today. 

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Numbers 16 The Cost of Sin

God was clear as to His choice to lead the nation out of Egypt and into the wilderness where God would test them to see if they would wholly follow the Lord. We don’t know when this took place, but it was after the anointing of the men who would care for the Tabernacle. They had seen the miracles, witnessed the building of the Tabernacle, witnessed the anointing of Aaron and his sons. God’s mercy had been clearly revealed even when Aaron led the people astray with the golden calf. And yet…the sin of pride and the sin of grumbling raised its ugly head. 

We have seen this even today in churches that split and we have experienced it in three different churches we attended, yet God protected us in ways that we could never have expected. He removed us before the final crushing blow so that we would not be there. The devastation it brings to the body is beyond description. Satan knows our weakest point and in the case of Korah, his weakest link was bending his ear to the gossip, as was the sin of our former churches, which led to grumbling and finally to the division of those churches. For Koran it was death by the hand of God. God hates grumbling and He hates when we selectively choose whom to disregard. God will bring it to its conclusion either by us humbling ourselves or by some other means. 

Oh Father, keep us from grumbling, keep us wholly devoted to you and your servants whom You have chosen. Give us a discerning spirit to know what is truth and what are lies from the enemy. Believer, put your armor on for the battle is real and certain. 

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Psalm 90 Blessings

Nehemiah's epitaph

In his quiet time, Moses prayed to the Lord; “The days of our lives add up to 70 years, or 80, if one is especially strong.” And yet Moses lived well beyond that! In fact, he lived to be 120! “Assuming Moses did write this psalm it is interesting that he said the normal human life span was 70 years. He lived to be 120, Aaron was 123 when he died, and Joshua died at 110. Their long lives testify to God’s faithfulness in providing long lives to the godly as He promised under the Mosaic Covenant.” [Dr. C notes] 

It is important to remember this principle as we age and to praise God for the length of our years. God knows the end but we are to be faithful until that time. How are you living today? Are you praising God for the years that He has given you and are you busy about His business as Moses was? 

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Numbers 8-10 Order out of Chaos

The Lord God gave Moses instructions on how to bring this camp of Israelites into a camp with order. They were a camp of chaos running here and there and causing harm and disobeying the commands of the Lord and Moses. God used this section to remind us that He is the one who brings order and He has selected men to guide in that direction. And so God directed Moses on how to do this and when. It is comforting to read this section when we see it happening even now in our own country. There has been chaos for over four years and even now we see those disrupters on the scene just as it was in the day of Moses. Remember this: God is a God of order not chaos. 

God’s instructions to the church are this: “1Co 14:40 And do everything in a decent and orderly manner.” Isaiah wrote: “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” [Is 28:10] That is how God governs and we should do the same. 

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Numbers 7 God Speaks

Be still and listen

Moses recounts his interaction with God with this famous verse: “Now when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the atonement lid that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim. Thus he spoke to him.” [Num 7:89]

The fact that Moses heard God’s voice speaking to him from the most holy place indicates God’s acceptance of these gifts (v. 89). Moses, as the representative of the nation, and God enjoyed a close relationship because of this sacrifice of worship. This is not the first time God spoke audibly to Moses, but it is the first time when God spoke to Moses from above the atonement lid. As we continue our reading we will find that Moses recorded the words of God in the next chapter.

Have you heard God speak? He now speaks through the written Word and the Holy Spirit. Sit quietly and listen for His still, small voice. The Apostle John wrote, “Joh 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Are we listening for His voice?

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Numbers 6 The Blessing

God gave Moses the prayer of blessing that Aaron was to pray over the people:

“The Lord bless you and protect you, The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” 

This is a marvelous prayer for the people and as Aaron was to pray this we imagine his heart was yearning for that blessing for himself and the people. There are three parts to this prayer: 1. May the Lord bless and protect you as you go in and go out. Carry these words to your heart so you remember that it is God who blesses. It is God who protects.  2. The character of God is in the second section. When we are in His will and obedient, we can count on God to shine His protective love over us and His graciousness will be upon us. 3. The Lord will lift, will shine over you as you live for Him and His countenance or His presence and His power will be showered upon the people. 

Today stop and pray this for yourself and your loved ones and your church. 

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