Numbers 18
When Israel faithfully tithes, Aaron and sons live well. When they don’t, Aaron and his sons live poorly. When I faithfully tithe out of love and obedience to God I live well in every way. Life may not be easy, but it is good in a way only God can accomplish. My path smooths out and straightens even in dangerous places. His comfort is more profound. The rewards of obedience are subtle, but lead to a certain sureness that gives me buoyancy in life.
Lord Jesus, thank you for showing me the way, for paving it with the cross, for walking hand in hand with me. I cannot love you enough!
Numbers 18:5-7
“‘Your job is to take care of the Sanctuary and the Altar so that there will be no more outbreaks of anger on the People of Israel. I personally have picked your brothers, the Levites, from Israel as a whole. I’m giving them to you as a gift, a gift of GOD, to help with the work of the Tent of Meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests, working around the Altar and inside the curtain. The work of the priesthood is my exclusive gift to you; it cannot be delegated—anyone else who invades the Sanctuary will be executed.’”
“‘You yourselves must perform the sacred duties inside the sanctuary and at the altar. If you follow these instructions, the Lord’s anger will never again blaze against the people of Israel. I myself have chosen your fellow Levites from among the Israelites to be your special assistants. They are a gift to you, dedicated to the Lord for service in the Tabernacle. But you and your sons, the priests, must personally handle all the priestly rituals associated with the altar and with everything behind the inner curtain. I am giving you the priesthood as your special privilege of service. Any unauthorized person who comes too near the sanctuary will be put to death.’”
God’s explanation is clear, leaving no room for doubt. He is faithful to provide Aaron the help needed to meet these commands. He gives the Levites to Aaron and sons to assist in the work of the sanctuary. He also gives the priesthood to Aaron and his sons. Serving as priest is both a gift and a responsibility. How often do I see work as God’s gift to me? The Priests were also a gift to Israel. God’s plan to fill our need for a priest is the only one acceptable for salvation. We cannot design our own. Only God can give himself, the only perfect priest.
Lord, thank you for the gift of yourself. May I grow to see the work you give me is a gift, not pain and exhaustion to be pushed through. Show me how to relax into your freedom to work and serve in the midst of my pain and confusion.
Numbers 17:12-13
“The People of Israel said to Moses, ‘We’re as good as dead. This is our death sentence. Anyone who even gets close to The Dwelling of GOD is as good as dead. Are we all doomed?’”
“Then the people of Israel said to Moses, ‘Look, we are doomed. We are dead! We are ruined. Everyone who even comes close to the Tabernacle of the Lord dies. Are we all doomed to die?’”
Israel misses the point. When scripture befuddles me, I find it clarifying to focus on what God is doing, and why. Then Israel would see the consequence of sin instead of a capricious violent deity. Simple but hard. God places easy burdens on our shoulders. We create the hard ones.
Lord, open my eyes to the burdens I heap upon myself. My energy is precious and I don’t want to waste it. Keep me focused on your purpose, your work. Let me relax into your freedom, working with abandon for you.
Numbers 16
Teaching authority is an important part of raising children. This is what God is doing here. Korah and his sons challenge Moses and Aaron’s leadership. God’s judgement of this sin gets everyone’s attention. They learnt obedience to God alone sustains their nationhood. They would disappear as other nations in the ancient world without it. The authority of civil law keeps the lid on our destructive impulses. We, like Israel, must learn to bend before it.
Lord, keep me on the straight and narrow way. I fear my inclination to step off of it. You are my Lord, a jealous God. Keep me, please, focused on you.
Numbers 14:17-18
“‘Now, please, let the power of the Master expand, enlarge itself greatly, along the lines you have laid out earlier when you said, GOD, slow to get angry and huge in loyal love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion and sin; Still, never just whitewashing sin. But extending the fallout of parents’ sins to children into the third, even the fourth generation.’”
“‘Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.’”
The people are whipped up in a spirit of fear and rebellion. Mob rule threatens and Moses and Aaron are in danger. Yet Moses intercedes for Israel, pointing to Christ’s future perfect intercession for all of us. Moses appeals to God’s nature, love. This is amazing in the ancient world. Men cannot, then or now, imagine such a God. He had to come and tell us about himself. It is so simple. God is love. We should love one another. This truth is a beacon for the ages if we would only choose to live by its light.
Lord, help learn to live in love. Heal and restore our world and peoples. Grace me to be your vessel in this.
Numbers 13:30-33
“Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, ‘Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.’ But the others said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they’re way stronger than we are.’ They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, ‘We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it’s a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers.’”
“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!’ But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. ‘We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!’ So, they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: ‘The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too.’”
Poor Moses! He must have been incredulous at the turn this investigation took. The voice of a skeptical few ensured years of sand and manna for many others. Doubting God never ends well. Those who walk by faith are called to step with God into the unknown. For us, on this side of the cross, the Holy Spirit promises to provide sticking power.
Spirit, thank you for the work you do in me. Make me ready for the future you call me to, whatever it takes.
Numbers 12:6-8
“Listen carefully to what I’m telling you. If there is a prophet of GOD among you, I make myself known to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams. But I don’t do it that way with my servant Moses; he has the run of my entire house; I speak to him intimately, in person, in plain talk without riddles: He ponders the very form of GOD. So why did you show no reverence or in speaking against my servant, against Moses?”
“And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say: ‘If there were prophets among you, I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions. I would speak to them in dreams. But not with my servant Moses. Of all my house, he is the one I trust. I speak to him face to face, clearly, and not in riddles! He sees the Lord as he is. So why were you not afraid to criticize my servant Moses?’””
Moses was more than a prophet. God gave him the “run of my entire house” God trusted him. What does it mean to be so trusted by God Almighty? Is this where my life with him is going? I cannot imagine. Moses, human like me, spoke with God face to face, without riddles. With trust comes plain talk. I can’t wait!
Aaron just got the tongue lashing. Miriam got this plus leprosy. Maybe it was because she was the instigator and driver of this jealousy. I have flirted with this temptation. Thanks to the Holy Spirit I turned away just in time.
Lord, you have saved, protected, taught, blessed and comforted me through my life. I cannot express my thanksgiving to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. You love is overwhelming. Give me grace to love you back.
Numbers 12:1-2
“Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses behind his back because of his Cushite wife (he had married a Cushite woman). They said, “Is it only through Moses that GOD speaks? Doesn’t he also speak through us?” GOD overheard their talk. God overheard their talk. Now the man Moses was a quietly humble man, more so than anyone living on Earth.”
“While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us too?” But the Lords heard them. (Now Moses was very humble – more humble than any other person on earth.)”
Moses was an extraordinary man. His wife must have been an extraordinary woman. Apparently, Zipporah died. God gave Moses another companion, not just for sex, but for the emotional, intellectual and organizational support a wife gives. Perhaps, as Moses, she was educated and intelligent with all Egypt had to offer. She did not have a burning bush, but God prepared her in some other way for this calling. She became an unseen pillar of a great man. Similar good works of countless wives are unrecorded in human history. They are worthy, though hidden, and God who sees in secret will reward.
Lord, give me grace to be a good wife. Change me so I can enjoy watching you change him.
Numbers 11
In verses 4-6, “The misfits among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, “Why can’t we have meat? We ate fish in Egypt—and got it free! — to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic. But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna.” People are ever the same and so is Satan. Manipulation and discontent still lead to destruction and serve his purpose well.
Verses 15-16 show Moses is human. “’I can’t do this by myself—it’s too much, all these people. If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I’ve seen enough; I’ve had enough. Let me out of here.’ GOD said to Moses, ‘Gather together seventy men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible.’” Moses has reached his limit and God knows it. God knows. Paul says he will not press us beyond what we can bear. He shows Moses the way out.
Seemingly Israel’s complaint of a meatless diet is reasonable. God gives them what they want, and it nauseates them. Verse 20 says, “And here’s why: Because you have rejected GOD who is right here among you, whining to his face, ‘Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?’” Complaint by those who claim the walk of faith is complaint against God. It rejects his wisdom and goodness in ordering our circumstances. It screams lack of trust, that God will not press us beyond what we can bear.
There is consequence to rejecting God’s provision. “But while they were still chewing the quail and had hardly swallowed the first bites, GOD’s anger blazed out against the people. He hit them with a terrible plague. They ended up calling the place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves-of-the-Craving). There they buried the people who craved meat.” (vs. 33-34) In fast tracking a nation’s spiritual, political and cultural development God’s lessons were stark, and clear. They had to be.
The believer must trust he is where God wants him, regardless of circumstance, and that God will not ask more than he can give. It matters not whether the circumstance is deserved. Almighty God can design every moment of every person’s life toward the goal of relationship, with himself and others. He teaches us who he is, who we are, and how we work best. The circumstance is not the star player. God is.
All quotes are from The Message.
Numbers 11:1-3
“The people fell to grumbling over their hard life. GOD heard. When he heard his anger flared; then fire blazed up and burned the outer boundaries of the camp. The people cried out for help to Moses; Moses prayed to GOD and the fire died down. They named the place Taberah (Blaze) because fire from GOD had blazed up against them.”
“Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them. And he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the Lord had burned among them”
This is the equivalent of a spanking. It grew Israel to self-control and taught them who God is. They were learning to be a nation.
God heard everything they said. That means he listens to me. Joy!
Numbers 10:10
“Also at times of celebration, at the appointed feasts and New Moon festivals, blow the bugles over your Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings: they will keep your attention on God. I am GOD, your God.”
“And blow the trumpets over you burnt offerings and peace offerings. The trumpets will remind your God of his covenant with you. I am the Lord your God.”
Here is the purpose of all this activity. It kept ancient Israel’s attention on God. God is raising the nation from newborn to toddler and beyond. Here in Numbers, God teaches Israel her first lesson, self-control unto obedience. Israel learns about her God and begins relationship with him.
Lord Jesus, thank you for showing us the Father. I get to know your love because ancient Israel obeyed your law. Praise and thanksgiving to you, my Morning Star.
Numbers 9:19-23
“As long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, they camped. Even when the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for many days, they honored GOD’s command and wouldn’t march. They stayed in camp, obedient to GOD’s command, as long as the Cloud was over The Dwelling, but the moment GOD issued orders they marched. If the Cloud stayed only from sunset to daybreak and then lifted at daybreak, they marched. Night or day, it made no difference—when the Cloud lifted, they marched. It made no difference whether the Cloud hovered over The Dwelling for two days or a month or a year, as long as the Cloud was there, they were there. And when the Cloud went up, they got up and marched. They camped at GOD’s command and they marched at GOD’s command. They lived obediently by GOD’s orders as delivered by Moses.”
“If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the LORD. Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the LORD commanded. Then at the LORD’s command they would break camp and move on. Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on. Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. So they camped or traveled at the LORD’s command, and they did whatever the LORD told them through Moses.”
Both versions end with a description of obedience. God moved, they moved. God stayed, they stayed. Seems so simple. I wonder if God had them camping in inconvenient locations for longer than they liked. Perhaps he led them through good camping spots stopping for only one night. Now it doesn’t seem so simple. Obedience to God is hard for all humans of every age. The venue matters not.
Lord, give me grace to obey. It is the best gift I can give you.