Uncomfortable Truth

Number 35:34 Do not defile the land where you live and
where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.

     One of the uncomfortable truths about the Christian faith is that we believe that the LORD lives among us. He is not distant, having started the project, given it the ability to keep going and then went to the spa for a time of relaxation. Instead, the message of the Scriptures from beginning to end is that the LORD's intention has always been to live with His people. 

     It started in the Garden where He walked in the cool of the day. He was present in the visible cloud that guided and protected the Israelites in their journey out of Egypt. And He was present in the person of Jesus as He carried out the work of the Father. 

     So why is it an uncomfortable truth that the LORD lives here with us? Well that is because He is holy and we are not. And when things that are not holy come in to the presence of Holy, bad things happen. Our sin gets exposed for what it is. We are confronted with our weakness and called to bow in surrender. 

     But this requires humility, something that is in very short supply in our world. And it has always been in short supply! Humility requires us to say those dreaded words, "I can't do it." We admit our weakness and make ourselves vulnerable. We confess our brokenness and become whole. We confess our sin and are offered forgiveness in return. 

     The LORD is holy, totally separate from us. And yet He chooses to live with us. And at the end of time as we know it, we will live with Him with nothing to hinder our interactions and connections to each other and to Him. That is the new Heaven and new Earth.

Infectious Diseases

Numbers 31:2 “Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. 

After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

     In our day and age of antibiotics and modern medicine there are still natural forces that people can't control. Locust flights across fast areas of the African continent and a virus that has put tens of millions of people in mandatory quarantine are in the news. Medical supplies are in short supply and crops are destroyed. People are panicking.
     The best of human efforts can't stop the pain of human suffering.
     There are passages in the Scriptures that highlight a plague that has haunted humanity since right after the beginning. That plague is rebellion against the LORD's authority over the universe. And in His efforts to help humanity navigate the aftermath of sin's destruction He gives what can sound like very harsh, very unjust directives.
     Moses, the leader of the Israelites, the man who face Pharaoh king of Egypt and won, is about ready to die. The LORD gives him one last task: rid the earth of the evil the Midianite people and society practice. The practices were so dangerous for the LORD's plan for His people that He ordered that they be killed!
     Wow, that sounds harsh, doesn't it. It sounds harsh to our ears because we downplay the hideousness of sin. We think the sin we commit isn't so terrible, after all we didn't murder anyone. But sin, rebellion against the LORD's authority to govern our lives, is so eternally deadly that He takes drastic measures in an attempt to purify His people.
     But as history shows, sin has still not been wiped from humanity's presence. Its power has been broken in those who trust in Jesus' death and resurrection, but we still need to choose obedience over rebellion daily.

Our Calendar

Numbers 29:1“ ‘On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets.' "

     Often our calendars are important to us. They keep us on track with our days. They remind us of important moments and celebrations. They help us to not forget anniversaries and birthdays! As a husband, I am thankful for this!
     But calendars can also become our slave masters. They can drive us and hold us captive. They can hedge us in and confine our activities in a way that limits our ability to stay present in the moments we have with those around us. We can always be running to the next thing, rushing ahead in hopes that the next thing will bring us satisfaction (hopefully).
     The Scriptures tell us that the LORD is in charge of the calendar. He created light and darkness (Genesis 1:3) thus marking out the time frame for a single day. He put the stars in the sky marking out different seasons. (Genesis 1:14-18) He created ordered worship around days, weeks, and years. He highlighted the passing of seasons various feasts and festivals, times when His people gathered to celebrate and remember what the LORD had done on their behalf. (see Numbers 28-29)
     Who has the rights to put events on your calendar? Do you give the LORD permission to add events? Do you let Him order your days, weeks, and years?
     Or do you fill the calendar yourself, or with your boss's help, or with your spouse and children, and then see if you can fit the LORD in in some of the empty spaces that are left?
     Maybe it is time to listen to His schedule first, and after He has placed His priority in our lives, then we can see how to fit our things in the places that are left. We say He is LORD, but do we live it with our schedules, our calendars?

Accounting. Yikes!

Numbers 26:63-65 These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. 64 Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai. 65 For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

     There are some portions of Scripture that most of us have a hard time understanding why they are there. Like some sections of the book of Numbers. There are two censuses in the book. One happens shortly after the Israelites are delivered from Egypt. The other happens nearly forty years later when they are about to enter the Promised Land. They are counted by clan, and the numbers are included in the text.
     But what do those numbers have to do with the plan of God revealed in Scripture?
     That is a great question! I am glad you asked. The key is the phrase "not one of them" which is repeated in the text. You see, they had made a listing of the people who came out of Egypt, who had seen the miracles face to face, who had subsequently chosen not to believe the LORD's promise. So the LORD made another promise. "Not one of them" would enter the Promised Land.
     So the counting demonstrates the faithfulness of the LORD. He keeps His word, even when we fail. He can be counted on (pun intended) to keep His promises to us. So the counting confirmed that what He said had happened. When He says it, it will happen.
     So the promises He has made concerning the forgiveness of our sin because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us can be trusted. The future home He has prepared for us is there. When He calls us to repentance, we can rest assured that He is waiting with open arms to receive us back into fellowship with Himself. We can trust Him completely. Or to say it in current vernacular, "He has our back."
     So today, turn to Him and know that He is there waiting for us to return, whether it has been a long journey away, or just a short day trip. He wants to share His presence with us. What is stopping you from returning?

Denied Passage - Opposition in the Making

Numbers 20:18 But Edom answered:
“You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword.”

     Opposition comes in many forms. Even when we do our best to not pick a fight, a fight can come. (Ask any married couple!) You can be sitting in your office, or doing your shopping, or any activity you like, and all of a sudden opposition arises. You didn't see it coming, and you don't know why it is there, but it is right in your face.
     The people of Israel had left Egypt and are getting ready to finally enter the Promised Land. They have been living in the desert for 40 years because of the rebellion in their hearts. And now they are finally getting ready to head north to freedom.
     But there are people in the way, nations who are going to defend their territory. Moses, who is the leader of the Israelites, wants unhindered passage through these territories. He writes a diplomatic letter asking for permission and spelling out a very specific arrangement so that he has the best chance for through passage.
     But the leader of the territory says "NO!" And not only that, he threatens the Israelites with war. Talk about unnecessary escalation. Moses is trying his best to be peaceful and the leader of the other nation won't have anything to do with peace.
     You see, civil discourse is something that ebbs and flows throughout history. We can see from our passage, and from our contemporary political environment, that even with the best of intentions things can go terribly wrong.
     The Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Rome these words.

Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Moses tried his hardest to live at peace without compromising his mission. That needs to be our approach to getting things done. We need to work toward peaceful resolution. But we also need to recognize that there will be those who oppose us. We are not responsible for their action or reaction. Some people are just onery. They just don't want peace. They will put up a fight even if you agree with them.
     So when you face situations today or in this next week, seek to approach other people in a way that brings peace. Don't you become the one who projects a stubborn spirit. Accomplish the mission in a way that reflects well on the One who sent us on the mission. We bear His Image, so wear it well.

Responsibility

Number 18:1 The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. 

     Responsibility has become a dirty word these days. Everyone seems to point outward when blame is assigned. Most of us get very uncomfortable when we are in the hot seat. 

     This blame shifting began at the beginning of human interactions. We read about it in the first three chapters of the Scriptures. "The woman you gave me." "The snake." Each character in the narrative seems to shift blame. The LORD will have none of it. He assigns responsibility right away and carries out protective justice on the spot. He saves humans from the worst consequences by banishing them from the Garden and allowing them to die.

     In Numbers 18 the LORD assigns responsibility to Aaron for what happens with his remaining two sons in connection to their official capacity duties. Aaron bears responsibility. He has already lost two sons because they did what they weren't supposed to do. The LORD protected the whole community from the results of their rebellion by taking their lives. If their rebellion had been allowed to continue, the consequences would have been even more catastrophic than their deaths were. Death was a protection. Death was a grace to the whole community.

     Consequences, punishments, judgements, discipline, or whatever other term we might place on these things is God's grace. We might not see it in the moment, but it is grace at work. 

     Some might argue that the LORD is unfair in judging in this way. But His kindness in protecting the community shines forth as an extension of His character. He gives us authority as image-bearers to act on His behalf in this world. When we take our responsibilities seriously, and act faithfully to reflect Him well in this world, blessing follows. And when we don't, the LORD is able to honor us with discipline. Discipline isn't pleasant in the moment, but it can bring gracious fruit in our lives and in the world.

14Mar 2011 Numbers 33:5

⁵The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth.

When I first started driving a car I thought the greatest thing was a AAA Triptick. If you were a AAA member you would tell them where you wanted to travel and they would put together a series of maps in a small flipable book. They even highlighted the road you would travel. Of course we now use our GPS devices and Google maps on our cell phones. This chapter is Israel’s record of their 40 year journey out of Egypt into the promised land. A journey that have taken a couple of weeks ended up taking 40 years. How many of us have allowed sin to detour our lives? Instead of being obedient the first time, we do our own way or we chose sin. But the Lord has a way of getting us back on track. It is called repentance. Most of the time the journey back from sin through repentance takes much longer than the original path of obedience would have taken. Obedience is always the best path.

13Mar 2011 Numbers 31:15

¹⁵”Have you allowed all the women to live?” he asked them.

This is one of those moments that seem repugnant to our Western ears. There has been a battle and the soldiers have taken plunder. They have killed all the adult males, but have spared the women and girls. Of course it was the women who had been Israel’s downfall in the past, so Moses gives the order to kill all the boys and the adult women. Our sensibilities are stretched at this point. We often have the feeling that any killing is wrong, but this notion is simply incorrect. There are times when killing is right. We can’t go into a grand discussion of this point, but there are righteous wars, just wars. All war is not inherently evil. Some wars need to be fought and fought in a just way. And some people have to carry out the wars. Someone has to do the killing on behalf of the society and on behalf of justice. Notice that there is a ritual that brings those battle weary men back into the community with dignity. They don’t remain “unclean” forever. Today our soldiers deserve to be brought back into our communities. They have served our nation and deserve our respect and acceptance. They have the great burden of having fought and killed. Help them carry the burden.

12Mar 2011 Numbers 28:25

²⁵On the seventh day hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.

It must be time for church! The Lord sets out all the regular sacrifices that were part of the worship rotation that formed the central part of Israelite worship practices. Throughout this passage the phrase “do no regular work” appears repeatedly. These days when sacrifices took place are to be special days, days set aside to focus on the Lord and on our relationship with Him. So what is “regular work,” since we are not supposed to do it on these days. God did “regular” work when He created the universe (Gen 2:2), and then He rested. I think the regular work which was prohibited we might call our professions. Our regular work is the work we do to earn our money to pay the bills. But before we go too far down the legalistic highway, remember that Christ fulfilled the Law. All the requirements pointed to Christ’s life, death and resurrection. He fulfilled all the requirements of the Law because He knew we could not. We do not need to follow the requirements of the Law in order to be right with God. We are made right with God solely because of Christ did on our behalf. The Law served its purpose: we were brought to Christ. The Law now serves a different purpose. Keeping the Sabbath is not a requirement, because the requirements have all been met in Christ. The principle of this part of the Law is that we are to set aside times when we focus our lives on our relationship with God and with each other. Other things get put to the side as we focus.

11Mar 2011 Numbers 27:8

⁸”Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter.

This is a radical departure from cultural norms of the day. For us, this seems like a no-brainer. But for them, raising the level of daughters to that of sons in regards to inheritance rights is a great step forward. For the Israelites land was everything. Owning land meant that there would be food and shelter for future generations. Without land, you were poor and dependent on the kindness of others. So for the daughters to get the land meant that their future was secure. Their father’s life would not be discounted. His legacy would continue. What kind of legacy are you leaving? Are you living a life that honors the Lord, one that you want your children’s children’s children to live? We know of a man who was worth millions. During the divorce process the wife wanted half of the millions and stuck to her guns in that demand. But during the process he lost everything. She of course lost everything as well. She could have settled for some, but she wanted half. Well she got half, half of nothing. What kind of inheritance are you giving your kids? Are you serving the Lord wholeheartedly sowing eternal seed, or just gathering stuff for the big garage sale after you die?

10Mar 2011 Numbers 24:2

²When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him

This man, Balaam, is an interesting character. He has a reputation of getting messages from God. He has been sought out in order to curse Israel so that Balak, Israel’s enemy might get the upper hand. But each time Balaam has asked what he should say about Israel, he gets words of blessing. He used sorcery to get his messages. The amazing thing is that the Lord spoke through the sorcery. God can use any spokesperson. He used a donkey, and now he is going to use Balaam. But this third time something different happens. Instead of his usual practices, Balaam simply opens himself up to the presence of the Lord. And then the Lord speaks. Maybe the previous utterances were nothing more than showmanship. Balaam has heard the Lord speak before. He was warned repeatedly to only speak the words the Lord gives. And yet, something different happens: God’s Spirit overtakes him. There have been times when the Lord has entered in very powerful ways. When He enters like that, it is a whole new ballgame.