Take Two: Numbers 35-36, Proverbs 24

You will notice that I doubled up on the chapters today. I wanted to start fresh in the NT again in the AM. In fact, I will be reading the Gospel of Matthew again, starting in the AM.

These final two chapters in Numbers contain three sets of instructions that were given to Moses and are rehearsed here. They explain about the expected actions/conduct regarding the land inheritance/apportionment…and about the purpose fo the cities of refuge.

First is the Levite apportionment of land. The Levites, as God’s chosen servants (chosen meaning He chose them…not that they were somehow better than the rest) were not given a region of land for themselves. There are two reasons (I think) for this. First, the Levites were ministers to the Lord and on behalf of the people. Therefore they needed to live among the people. They needed to be accessible to the people…therefore, they were to live in cities given to them by the tribes (on whose behalf) they ministered.

NOTE: As I have commented before, this is part of the theology that affect how we understand vocational ministry and how pastors are compensated today. The people give willingly to God (upon His command and their desire to be obedient to Him), and that gift is used to support those who minister on behalf of the people.

The second reason is for the Levites (in my opinion). The Levites, as God’s chosen servants, had to live daily in dependence on the One to whom they ministered. Whenever a man “owns” stuff…he is less likely to realize his dependence and more likely to become self-sufficient. This negates his ability to serve.

The second section explains the reason for the cities. Six of the Levite cities were to be designated as cities of refuge. A city of refuge was a place where a manslayer could come for sanctuary pending the finding of guilt. This is not a criminal’s haven; rather, it is a place for a “pause” to occur so that the facts of a man’s actions could be judged according to God’s Law. If a man was a murderer (vv.16-21), he was to be put to death at the hand of the blood avenger (the violated party’s family. The congregation was to give Him no sanctuary.

[NOTE: That is KEY for the church today. The church is not a place for the guilty to dwell, but for those who were forgiven by the judge!]

In CH 36, we find that the apportionment was designed to remain with its tribe perpetually. This is complicated when daughters receive the inheritance because they could marry outside of the tribe and thus redistribute the land. The solution: Don’t marry outside of the tribe. Remain among your own people. (NOTE: I have heard texts like this referred to in order to justify prohibiting interracial relationships. That is a misuse of the teaching. The context does not support an interpretation like that. What you have there…is a pretextual argument by a person with an opinion of their own.)

God intended for the land to be proportionally divided among His people forever. This was not to be a wealth driven land grab…but an inheritance from a benevolent Father to His children.

Proverbs 24:16 is the takeaway today. “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, but  the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”

Take Two: Numbers 34, Proverbs 23

Numbers 34 describes the borders of the land that God promised to His people and describes how it is to be allotted.

A couple of observations, briefly:

The people stood at the edge of God’s blessing. He has promised them a land for their own possession that He provided. All that is required is obedience. Part of that obedience involves trusting God in His provision. Another part involves exercising the effort to take possession of the land…it is work.

Such is the Christian life. God has promised us that we are more than conquerors…and He has called us to go and conquer. He has provided and He has called us to go and subdue.

Secondly, this inheritance is a perpetual inheritance based ont he promises of God. When one attempts to reconcile this with contemporary thinking…there is a lot more land that belongs to Israel than they currently possess. It makes one wonder about the future of those people/nations which seek to reduce the possession of Israel to give it to those whom God dispossessed. Are these people striving against God?

Finally, the precision and detail used it quite telling. Specific geographical boundaries, specific tribes, specific leaders. POINT: God is into the details. He is not making sweeping statements of generality. As He speaks…He means what He says…down tot he detail.

Proverbs 23:13-14 is the takeaway today. “Do not hold back discipline from the child, although you strike him with the rod, he will not die. You shall rescue him with the rod and rescue his soul from Sheol.”

Take Two: Numbers 33, Proverbs 22

The first 49 verses of this chapter are a whirlwind rehearsal of the locations which Israel camped during the 40 years of desert wanderings. We have the record because Moses kept it at God’s direction (vv.1-2).

As I read through this, two things resonated in my mind. First, it is important where we come from. These people were all direct descendants of those whom God had rescued from Egypt. All of their parents had died during the travels, but it was important to never forget where we have come from.

NOTE: I personally think that the times in my life (and in the lives of other Christians as well) when I become prideful, willful, or judgmental…it is because I lose sight of where I have come from. Unless we have a clear and constant view of God’s grace toward us, we have a tendency to forget to display grace toward others.

Second, I thought about how the Israelites must have been perceived by the native of the lands. Not one of them had a passport. No one had a Visa or a green card. They were wanderers. They were not there…and then they were. Their presence affected the economies of the lands and they affected the culture. I imagine that the people in the lands where they traveled were somewhat put out by them.

NOTE: Connecting the dots on their status as “aliens” in the land they wandered…should affect how we might view those who are “aliens” in our land. I certainly am a respecter of the Law and I believe that immigration should be controlled…but we should also never forget that we all have roots as “trespassers” on someone else’s land. Before we become “ugly” about other people coming here…we should remind ourselves that we (or our ancestors) were once them…

VV. 50-56 are very instructional for us. God promise and condition are spelled out in vv.51-53. When you cross over…then you will drive out the inhabitants, destroy the idols, and possess the land.

V.54 tells us that the land was to be divided proportionately based on tribal makeup.

Then, vv.55-56 give a divine warning…If you disobey God and do not drive out the inhabitants and remove their false gods, you will ultimately become trapped by them and you will be driven out in the same way God drove them out.

NOTE: Most of us think we can “handle” the temptation of sinful attraction. We think we can struggle with gluttony and still eat at buffets. We think we can trust in riches and still have large savings accounts. We think that we can struggle with “control issues” and still be on powerful committees and in powerful positions. We are so VERY WRONG. We cannot do it. If there is a false idol left standing, we will ultimately yield to its attraction and begin to worship there. If we leave “contrary voices” in our lives, they will ultimately draw us toward disobedience.

Victory is not gained by standing in face of these temptations, but in driving them out. We must do VIOLENCE to the sin and temptations in our lives. We cannot cohabitate with them…or we will fall.

Proverbs 22:3 is the takeaway today. “The prudent sees evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it.”

Take Two: Numbers 32, Proverbs 21

This chapter introduces the settlement section of the book. Just prior to crossing the Jordan and taking possession of the land of Canaan, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh asked to be allowed to settle outside of Canaan.

Moses is understandably disconcerted since it was a similar act in principle that caused the 40 year wandering (vv.6-15). Moses’ point being that the tribes must enter together and finish the task together.

The heads of the affected tribes agreed to send military forces to settle the land, but asked that their families be allowed to settle the land outside of Canaan since it was useful to them there. Moses agreed upon the condition that the military forces would remain until all of the land was conquered.

APPLIED: As I reflected on this today I was drawn to consider parallels in leadership in the church (universal) today. This is a great leadership lesson in our American context. Living in a “hyper-individualistic” culture, I can certainly “see” in my mind a conversation like this:

“Pastor, God isn’t leading us to continue with the church. He is leading us elsewhere. We have benefitted from the church community to this point and agreed to fulfill the vision given to us, but now we sense a different direction for US. So, we are going to depart now.”

One of the more frustrating things that I see in the church as a whole is the lack of long-term commitment. Many years ago, my pastor taught on the subject of vows before the Lord. He explained that a commitment to the Lord was binding, even if we resisted it. He said that one should not ever think that God would simply “forget about” a commitment we made simply because we did. The point was not to “guilt us” as a church, but to remind us that COMMUNITY trumps INDIVIDUALITY every time in the Kingdom and that God trumps everything. (I think the context was our commitment to giving to special offerings for missions). WHat I learned from that then…was that I could not promise one thing to God and then simply INFORM Him that I had changed my mind later. I also could not walk away from the commitment PRESUMING on His grace to forgive me.

When a church (the people of the church corporately) embrace a vision or purpose, everyone is involved. Everyone is bound. Everyone is responsible. That is all of the people who were part of the church at the time of commitment, as well as those who voluntarily choose to connect to the church later. There can only be one vision and one direction. Choosing to connect to the church is also choosing to embrace the vision and our personal responsibility to carry it out.

Moses did not negate the responsibility of conquering the land. He did not say, “well if that is how the Lord is leading you…” He told them, you can settle here but you must finish the task before us. We will conquer the land and you will be part of that. If so, then you can certainly settle your families on this side fo the river. (By the way…all of the community agreed with this solution.)

Proverbs 21:21 is the takeaway today. “He who pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness, and honor.

Take Two:Numbers 31, Proverbs 20

This chapter picks up on the end of Ch 25 where God commanded Moses to be “hostile” toward the Midianites for their sin. Their sin was, if you’ll recall…the temptation of God’s people to engage in and embrace (literally) baal worship. The Midianites were a huge distraction which drew focus away from God and led to idolatrous acts. (CH 26-30 are a bit of an excursus of sorts). Ch 31 leads out with the command to Moses to assemble a war party and execute judgment against the Midianites (vv.1-2).

Israel took action and went to war. They were victorious in battle, killing every man of war and capturing the women and children and livestock as booty. However, Moses chastised them for sparing the Midianite women and the males children. He chastised them because they spared the women and the women were the actual agents of temptation that drew the Israelite men away!

Now it shocks our conscience to consider widespread slaughter of people…but then again, we are often wrong in our assessments (and always wrong if we conclude something other than God’s command). God, through Moses, commanded that all of the males be killed as well as every woman who was not a virgin (vv. 15-18). The men could keep the virgins but all else was to be destroyed.

NOTE: Now I know some struggle with this. I understand. As I was struggling this AM with the text, here is what came to mind. “Would I struggle with God ordering the execution of a murderer or a child molester? What about a drug dealer who was giving out poisons to children at a school?” Not so much! These might seem easier to eliminate because their sins are apparent.

Well…to God, the Midianite sins were VERY APPARENT. God is righteous and just. He does not act with evil or malice. If He determines that a person or a tribe or a nation is beyond redemption… He can (and MUST) destroy them. This act of judgment against the Midianites actually serves a loving purpose. Others who saw the fate of the wicked Midianites…are warned to avoid their sins.

So, Israel carries out the judgment and they go through the process of purification for themselves and their booty. The stage is now set for them to inherit God’s promise in Canaan.

APPLIED: The call before us…is to see people as God sees people. To hate sin as God hates sin. To execute justice as God commands. To live Holy and He is Holy. How will you choose to view sin in your life and in your community today?

Proverbs 20:21 is the takeaway today. “An inheritance gained hurriedly in the beginning will not be blessed in the end.”

Take Two: Numbers 30, Proverbs 19

This chapter makes one significant point and then infers a second, less popular, but nonetheless point.

First, the obligation of a vow. V.2 states that any freely offered vow or commitment to God is binding perpetually. IOW: No one should take lightly or dismiss easily a promise made to God.

APPLIED: In the world of “church administration” we recognize that many people do not do this. In fact, we often run with a formula when people make financial commitments to the Lord that budgets less than what is committed. Why? Because many people do not consider a commitment to be as serious as God does. [NOTE: Just in case one might be thinking, "Pastor, you are building a case on OT Scripture and we live in the NT era," let me remind that Jesus said we are to let our "yes" be yes, and our "no" no. The point being, we are to consider ourselves obligated to our word without swearing on our mother's grave, heaven's throne, or the souls of our children (or any other emphatic example).]

We a believer makes a commitment before God (not just to God), God holds that believer accountable. If a man commits to reading his Bible every day, God holds him to it. If a man commits to serve in vocational ministry, abstain from a particular activity, or to give to a “building fund,” God holds him to it. This does not mean that God will kill him if he doesn’t honor his obligation perfectly; rather, it means that failure should result in repentance and restitution. [NOTE: The sin is failing to keep the vow...so repentance is not repenting of making the vow...but breaking it. So to repent, means to renew the vow again.]

When we become Christ-followers, we vow to follow Jesus as Lord (leader/owner/ruler/master) of our lives. The commitment carries with it some inherent obligations. These do not have to be enumerated in the believer’s commitment…they go with the territory. One cannot commit to follow Jesus but negotiate on baptism, loving one another, forgiving as forgiven, worshipping as prescribed, etc.) Commitment to Jesus is not a buffet. It is “all in” or” all out.” Evangelism is not negotiable. Submission to authority is not negotiable. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit in Sanctification is not negotiable. All is expected up front. All is required.

One such exception appears in this chapter and it relates to “authority.” In the context a woman was never out from under the authority of a man (by design). She was under her father’s authority, or her husband’s…but she was always under authority. As such, the husband or father were ultimately accountable for the obligation made by the woman. If he protested the vow immediately, the woman was absolved (because she lacked authority to bind herself initially). If he affirmed or simply did not protest, the obligation stood…and the man was ultimately accountable for insuring the obligation was met (vv.14-15, …he shall bear her guilt).

NOTE: As an aside, this is why I require commitment from my children when they volunteer for an activity. If you commit to being in the band or on a team, you will fulfill your obligation. It is only right.

REFLECTION: “How are you doing on your obligations? If you have made one, or one is implied by your being a Christ-follower…honor your vow. If you need to, repent and start fresh. Do this often…but know that God holds us accountable for our commitment to Him.

Proverbs 19:14 is the takeaway today. “House and wealth are an inheritance from father, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.”

Take Two: Numbers 29, Proverbs 18

Numbers 29 also details a list of prescribed offerings…these taking place during the seventh month. Three major Festivals are focused on here. The New American Commentary is helpful in understanding the context and meaning:

The fall season of festivals commenced with the Day of the Blowing [of Trumpets], later called Rosh Ha-Shanah—The New Year. This instrument was the ram’s horn (šôpār) rather than the silver trumpets blown over the burnt and fellowship offerings at other festivals (Num 10:1–10). Ethanim, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar (Teshritu or Tishri of Babylonian derivation), accommodated two other important holy days, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Booths, making it the most festive (or commemorative) time of the year. In late postexilic times the ten days through Yom Kippur were set apart for penitence and personal remorse, followed by the week-long Feast of Booths beginning on the fifteenth, a total of eighteen days of remembrance and celebration. Rosh Ha-Shanah today is considered the second most holy day of the Jewish calendar.

When one considers that 18 days out of this month were set apart to God for these festivals of remembrance and covenant observance, it is also critical to bear in mind that this was an agrarian (farming) culture.

NOTE: Some of the hardest working people I know are farmers. In fact, our Baptist church roots of two services on Sunday stem from our farming heritage. The services were scheduled in such a way as to allow the farmer to work in the early morning, go to church, head back to the farm for the afternoon and return to church in the evening after final “chores” were done. When you consider that these farmers set aside over half of their month for worship…the offerings take on great significance…even beyond face value.

The focus of the offerings is the role of the priests as intermediaries for the people. Following the harvest, the people brought offerings from their produce to the priests…so that these offerings would be given over to God. Even before benefitting personally from the production, they gave back their livelihood to God as an act of confession that God alone was their source.

The middle festival (vv.7-11) is the Day of Atonement- Yom Kippur. We know that Christ is the fulfillment of this annual sacrifice for sins. So…New Year Offering- Rosh Ha-Shannah, The Day of Atonement- Yom Kippur, and then the final festival of the month, The festival of Booths (vv.12-40). During this time, the Israelites lived in makeshift “lean-to” structures as an act of obedience, remembrance, and reflection on how God had provided and delivered His people.

Notice the New American Commentary again:

The first and eighth days of Sukkoth were Sabbaths for sacred assembly. Days of rest were for remembrance of creation, covenant, and deliverance, fundamental aspects of the unique relationship between God and his people.

APPLIED: The act of offering served, not for God’s benefit, but for that of the people. The reflection and remembrance served as a real reminder to the people of God’s promise and provision. It also served as a “faith step” for the people…to give back to God from their livelihood…that which sustained them. (NOTE: It is one thing to say we trust God. It is another completely to act on our trust in God.)

In our “relaxed religious culture,” I wonder if we don’t take too lightly the promise and provision of God. Sunday, for many, is just another day. It is not focused on as a day to reflect on God’s provision. It is a day that is often sacrificed on the altar of activity or family entertainment. I certainly am not advocating the enactment of “blue laws” or anything such as that. I don’t think you can legislate earnest worship in our culture. However, if this was significant in the mind of God…and was given the prominence reflected here in the entire chapter…perhaps we (modern readers) should evaluate and prioritize our lives differently. What kind of testimony would it be to tell a friend, “I’m sorry, Sundays are the Lord’s Day in my home. We spend the day as a family at church and together.” What testimony would it be to tell our employer…”Sorry, I respect you and love my job. I will do whatever is necessary on Saturday and Monday…but Sunday’s are the Lord’s Day. It is a core value that we worship Him on that day…and we do it in service to others and to the Lord.” These would be difficult and costly positions to take…but isn’t that the very nature of worship and offering?

I think God would use our action to draw people to Himself. He is not a task on our list. He is not a priority 3 function behind work and yard maintenance/recreation/or, sports. He is the King of Glory.

Proverbs 18:16 is the takeaway today. “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” (Kindness and generosity open many doors).

Take Two: Numbers 28, Proverbs 17

As Israel stands at the threshold of entering Canaan, it is significant that there would be a rehearsal of the laws of the offering. The statute was to be ongoing. The fact that it is repeated, should indicate to you and I that it is necessary to rehearse God’s instruction (particularly in this area) for some reason.

Two reasons come to mind for me as I reflect. First, it should be rehearsed because of our nature which tends to justify disobedience under the veil of many things. We can (and often do) act in sinful ways while justifying our actions due to circumstances. “We don’t need to continue with the archaic offering system of the desert once we inherit the promise. Now that we live in Canaan, we live in a new era under God’s blessing,” might be how the argument would have gone.

(NOTE: Many in the age of the church now argue a similar line regarding tithing…claimimg that under grace, God has a diminished expectation of our worship through offerings.)

A second significant point of the rehearsal to me is the specificity of detail. The ritual itself served as a daily, weekly, and annually prescribed activity to “preach” God’s gracious provision to His people. The beneficiary of the “offering” was not God…it was the one making the offering. God is without need. Certainly the offering was a statement to God from the worshipper; however, the worshipper was the one who benefitted. He preached God’s provision in the offering. He testified of his faith int he offering. His faith was strengthened in the offering.

Notice that I have not spoken of the temple or tabernacle maintenance. These were all burnt offerings, meaning that they were completely consumed. (A waste to some of my skeptical American friends).

God’s instructions: important, non-negotiable, and ongoing. Man’s response: essential, non-negotiable and ongoing. The result: God’s glory and faithfulness preached to all everywhere and rehearsed in the mind and heart of the worshipper.

Proverbs 17:27 is the takeaway today. “He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

Take Two: Numbers 27, Proverbs 16

In Chapter 27 we find two provisions. First is the provision of inheritance for a man with no sons. In the previous census, there were only two families where a daughter was mentioned. The second is Serah (26:46). The purpose of her mention is not given but (we assume) bears great significance.

The first group of daughters mentioned in the census (26:33) are given because their father had no sons. The rule for inheritance to that point had been that property/inheritance passed from father to son.  So 27:1 surfaces the question…what about the daughters of Zelophehad?

Moses took the question to the Lord who responded that the daughters, in the event that a man had no sons, were entitled to the father’s inheritance. If a man had sons, then the inheritance went to them…and the assumption is that the sons would care for their other relatives as part of their obligation to family.

(NOTE: I immediately have doubts that many American families today carry the same implied obligations. I have seen too many people “fight” over inheritance and “write off” aging parents or crazy siblings to think that it is safe to believe that the same family obligations are implied in our modern American culture. )

APPLIED: As I look at the ruling God gave Moses (vv.6-11), it struck me that God’s rules are not given for His sake but for ours. (We don’t often think of rules as provision; rather, we see them as restrictions to our freedom to do as we like.) God’s rules of inheritance here insure that provisions are made for all of the people…not just some of the people. ONE COULD easily argue that the instruction on tithing (something I am thinking a great deal about these days) is provided not only for our benefit, but also to ensure that God’s people are provided for and the “mission” of God is fully resourced. The same could be argued for the other aspects of God’s Law (murder, adultery, stealing, etc.)

In vv.12-23, God tells Moses to climb Mt. Abarim in order to see Canaan before he dies. Moses asks God to appoint another man to take his place and God appoints Joshua, whom Moses commissions before all the people (vv.18,20,23).

OBSERVATION: It was important to Moses that his work leading the people of Israel did not end with his own death. He knew he would not carry them into Canaan because of his own sin against God’s holiness (v.14). Still, Moses was concerned for the people, their welfare, and the work he had been engaged in for some forty years.

APPLIED: I wonder if “most” folks in churches today carry the same “concern” for their life’s work. Does a man labor over and concern himself with a desire that his sons after him will continue on his legacy of serving God? Does a family concern themselves with the testimony of their family’s church…committed to the furtherance of that work beyond their own lives?

I THINK, sometimes, that we live lives in a very narrow, small, segregated context…seeking to impact only in our lifetime and maybe leave a little something in our wills for our kids. The greatest thing we could leave to those following us is a passion to want to see the legacy carried on…

These days, it is just as likely that a person change churches as it is that they change jobs or career fields. The implied commitment of worker to company or company to worker has seemingly dissipated years ago. I fear the same is true of the person to a particular church and the church to the person.

While these observations are my own, they are not uninformed…nor are they prescriptive. IOW: they could change in our generation, if we choose to change them and to do so…starting today.

Proverbs 16:20 is the takeaway today. “He who gives attention to the word will find good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.”

Take Two: Numbers 26, Proverbs 15

As we read over the results of the census, two things stand out. First, the new census signals the start of a new era. It has been 38 1/2 years since the first census. Only the children of those first numbered remain (apart from Caleb and Joshua, vv. 64-65). Over the previous (nearly) four decades, all of the men have died. They had hopes of entering the promised land, but due to their rebellion, they each died and were buried in the desert by these who remain.

For Moses, this must have been difficult. Knowing the judgment of God, he had heard reports through the years of the hundreds of thousands who had died as he led them through the desert. (I wonder if he ever kept a running total in his mind of those who died…those whom he had led out of Egypt but could not lead into Canaan.) As a leader, I am certain that Moses struggled with many emotions related to the deaths of so many.

This new census represents the opportunity for the next generation to demonstrate its faithfulness. The conquest of the land will require the same challenges that it did four decades prior. Will this generation rise to the occasion and take possession of the Promise? Doing so will be costly. The very purpose of the census was to identify those able to fight. A field force of just over 600,000 is counted (v.51).

So the census represents opportunity, challenge…and God’s provision. All that remains is the willingness of the people.

One last note that struck me…God insured that a witness fo the old days remained in the midst of the people (Joshua and Caleb). The people would not be able to forget how God had promised and how the previous generation had responded. [NOTE: Sometimes I wonder just how different our PRESENT would be if we would only bear in mind our PAST.]

APPLIED: In many ways, we are like the new generation just counted. Opportunity and challenge awaits. At the same time, so does the provision. WHat is required…is the faithfulness of us, the people, to follow God’s lead, do the hard things, and inherit His reward.

Proverbs 15:17 is the takeaway today. “Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred.”