March 8, 2012

"Shall Your Brothers Go to War While You Yourselves Sit Here?" (3/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 31-32.

The children of Israel were to cross over the Jordan river and take possession of the promised land. However, the sons of Gad and Reuben preferred to settle on the east side of the river. So they went to Moses, Eleazar, and the leaders of the people to make their request.

“They said, ‘If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession; do not take us across the Jordan.’ But Moses said to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Reuben, ‘Shall your brothers go to war while you yourselves sit here? Now why are you discouraging the sons of Israel from crossing over into the land which the Lord has given them?” (Numbers 32:5-7″

It would be entirely unfair and utterly discouraging for these two tribes to have rest and settle into their new homeland while their brothers were left to fight, struggle, and conquer the land of Canaan without them. So the sons of Gad and Reuben agreed to cross over with their brethren, help them conquer the land, and then return to the place they had chosen (Numbers 32:16-19).
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March 7, 2012

Silence is Acceptance (3/7)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 28-30.

These were some of the instructions given regarding the making of vows to the Lord.

“Also if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by an obligation in her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and her obligation by which she has bound herself, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand and every obligation by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if her father should forbid her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will forgive her because her father had forbidden her.

“However, if she should marry while under her vows or the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her obligations by which she has bound herself shall stand. But if on the day her husband hears of it, he forbids her, then he shall annul her vow which she is under and the rash statement of her lips by which she has bound herself; and the Lord will forgive her” (Numbers 30:3-8).

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March 6, 2012

Remember Those Who Were Unfaithful (3/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 26-27.

Chapters that provide details about a census of the Israelites are easy for us to skim over. Yet there are lessons to be learned even here.

“The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed  them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning” (Numbers 26:9-10).

“The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan” (Numbers 26:19).

“To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered strange fire before the Lord” (Numbers 26:60-61).

Of the more than 600,000 men of Israel included in the census, the ones listed above were the few to have additional comments made about them. Why were we reminded of these men? They are here to serve as “a warning” (Numbers 26:10).
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March 5, 2012

"What the Lord Speaks, That I Will Speak" (3/5)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 23-25.

Balak, king of Moab, feared the Israelites. He saw what they had already done to the Amorites and sought help from Balaam to curse the people. But in three attempts, Balaam blessed the Israelites each time instead of cursing them.

“Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, ‘I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor.’

“Balaam said to Balak, ‘Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the Lord, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the Lord speaks, that I will speak’?” (Numbers 24:10-13).

Balaam is more known for his faults than his virtues. Yet his attitude here is commendable. He told Balak that no matter what the king offered him, he could not speak anything but what the Lord revealed to him.
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March 4, 2012

The Bronze Serpent and the Pattern of Salvation (3/4)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 21-22.

“The people spoke against God and Moses, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.’ The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us.’ And Moses interceded for the people.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.’ And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived” (Numbers 21:5-9).

This account reminds us of the regular pattern of sin and salvation found in the Bible.
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March 3, 2012

Moses Struck the Rock (3/3)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 18-20.

On this particular occasion when the Israelites complained as they usually did, God provided for them, but punished Moses.

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Take the rod; and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water. You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.’

“So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, ‘Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?’ Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.

“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons is Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them’” (Numbers 20:7-12).

God gave Moses a simple instruction: speak to the rock. Yet Moses struck the rock instead. The end result was the same – the people received water – but Moses’ actions were still condemned.
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March 2, 2012

Shall One Man Sin and God Be Angry with All the Congregation? (3/2)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Numbers 16-17.

If one person within a congregation sins, will all members of that congregation stand condemned before God? It depends.

This was the situation in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. A relatively small number of people rebelled, yet God was prepared to destroy the whole congregation.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly.’ But they fell on their faces and said, ‘O God, God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the entire congregation?’ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the congregation, saying, ‘Get back from around the dwellings of Korah, Dathan and Abriram’” (Numbers 16:20-24).

Moses and Aaron thought it would be unfair for God to punish all the people for the sins of a few. Yet God intended to punish the guilty. This is why He gave the instruction to separate themselves from the rebels. Those Israelites who continued to accept the rebels and have fellowship with them also became guilty before the Lord.
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