Verse for the Day, 27 July 2016.

Numbers 27:12-23, “The LORD said to Moses, "Go up into this mountain of Abarim and see the land that I have given to the people of Israel.  (13)  When you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,  (14)  because you rebelled against my word in the wilderness of Zin when the congregation quarreled, failing to uphold me as holy at the waters before their eyes." (These are the waters of Meribah of Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.)  (15)  Moses spoke to the LORD, saying,  (16)  "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation  (17)  who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd."  (18)  So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.  (19)  Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight.  (20)  You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.  (21)  And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the LORD. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation."  (22)  And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation,  (23)  and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses.”

Reading Numbers 27:12-23, produces mixed emotions. Having worked our way through Exodus, Leviticus and now Numbers, it is as though Moses has become a close friend. We have walked with him through his life. We have rejoiced with him as God preserved him, raised him up and used him to bring the people out of Egypt. We marvelled with him as God displayed His immense power, and rejoiced with great relief once the people made it safely through the sea. Along with Moses we have grown weary of the constant complaints made by the stubborn and selfish Israelites. We have been angry on his behalf when the people engaged in idolatry and sympathised with him. We have greatly envied Moses, when he was given that unique glimpse of God’s glory. We have shared so much with Moses, and he is a man we have grown to admire. But like all men, Moses’ time has come and soon he will pass from this life to the next. Now a successor needs to be appointed, to take up Moses’ role.

Whilst we are saddened to seen Moses’ departure and coming death, we are encouraged by the establishment and commissioning of Joshua to be the new leader of Israel. Joshua has already proved himself to be a valiant, courageous, God-fearing man, who seeks to do what is right in God’s sight. Joshua has been following in Moses’ footsteps pretty much since they left Egypt. God has been preparing Joshua for this work, and now the time has come to take over from Moses.

We can be certain that Moses would have been pleased, encouraged and even hopeful for the future of Israel, with the appointment of Joshua. He knew Joshua better than any other, and would have known he was the right man for the job.

Like Moses, Joshua would be greatly tested and he too would have to deal with the complacency and sinfulness of the people. But with God’s presence, wisdom and approval, Joshua would be able to lead well.

Thus, the chapter ends, with Joshua commissioned as the new leader of the people, Moses has handed over the reins of leadership. This new generation now stands on the brink of the Promised Land, with a new and God-appointed leader. It is a picture of hope for the future, as men will come and go, will be born, rise up, fade away and die, but God remains the same, unchangeable and eternal. Therefore, as long as God is alive, as long as God’s man is allowed to lead the people, there will be hope for the nation of Israel. At this point in time, the future for Israel looks bright, full of promise and potential. God has led through Moses, and now that Moses’ time of departure has come, doesn’t mean that God will depart with Moses. God has appointed a new man, He has set His seal, His approval, His authority upon Joshua to lead the people into the Promised Land.

This chapter teaches us once more about the wisdom, goodness and grace of God. He truly has all things in control, and His power extends to both today and tomorrow, in fact for eternity to come. He is the one who preserves, saves, raises up, appoints, equips, uses and then takes to be with Him. He holds all things in His omnipotent, wise and goods hands. The challenge for us is to adopt the attitude of Moses. We see in this chapter that Moses did not look to himself, nor did he regard himself as the true leader of Israel, and certainly not as the king. He knew that God was the leader and king, in fact if God had not worked in the manner that He did, Moses would still be herding goats and sheep and the people of Israel would still be enslaved. It was all God, and none of Moses. We see this reflected in Moses, as Moses doesn’t choose who should replace him, he doesn’t even give himself a share in making the decision. He asks for God to lead, and to appoint this new man.

Here is the challenge for us; who are we looking to as the ultimate leader, ruler and king of our own lives? We who are believers in Christ, submitted ourselves to the complete lordship, authority of Christ at that moment of conversion. We claimed Christ as our king, and gave Him the exclusive right to rule over and lead our lives. Yet how often do we find ourselves engaged in a power struggle with God. We want the right to ‘veto’ and to be consulted, to have a say, sometimes the final say in our choices and decisions. We don’t look to God as our one and only, our exclusive God, Lord and King, nor do we always regard His word as being the final authority. We need to learn to walk in Moses’ footsteps, understanding our position before God and therefore adopting the appropriate attitude, manner position and service. Living in this manner is to walk the pathway to blessing, it is for our highest good, it is for the benefit of the Church, it serves the Kingdom purposes of God, and brings greater glory to God. As a believer we should not want anything more than this.

Almighty God, Your ways are higher than ours and Your wisdom is infinitely greater. We thank You that You are God of time and God of all, for there are no safer, greater or more gracious hands than Yours. Forgive us for the times when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, and think we have the wisdom, strength and ability to live without You. Help us to submit to You as our one and only God, King and ruler of our lives. May we faithfully, daily, look to You, to lead us and follow You so as to bring glory to Your name. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 20 July 2016.

Numbers 26:1-4 & 51-56, “After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest,  (2)  "Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war."  (3)  And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,  (4)  "Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward," as the LORD commanded Moses. The people of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were …. (51) “This was the list of the people of Israel, 601,730.  (52)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (53)  "Among these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names.  (54)  To a large tribe you shall give a large inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a small inheritance; every tribe shall be given its inheritance in proportion to its list.  (55)  But the land shall be divided by lot. According to the names of the tribes of their fathers they shall inherit.  (56)  Their inheritance shall be divided according to lot between the larger and the smaller."”

Numbers 1 recorded the first census for us when Israel came out of Egypt. A number of years have passed, and a large amount of Israelites have perished under God’s hand of just judgement. It would be very easy for us to assume that the nation was wasting away, growing smaller and smaller. Thus far we only ever seem to read about God disciplining the nation and people dying in large numbers.

But Numbers 26 reassures us that this is not the case. Yes, God has had to deal with rebellious and disobedient people on a number of occasions. Yes, Numbers does record the deaths of tens of thousands of Israelites. However, Numbers also records God consistent, unfailing faithfulness towards His covenant promises and therefore to the nation of Israel. God has continued to provide food, water, shelter and protection for them. The pillar of cloud and fire is still present, leading them each and every day. God is also upholding and building the nation so that it will not die out, but go on to receive the promises God has made to them. This is most visible when one compares the total numbers of the two censuses. The difference is only slight, 603 550 and 601 730. God has faithfully kept, prospered, and increased the nation of Israel. What makes this all the more incredible is that this has happened in the midst of very difficult and adverse circumstances, as well as God’s discipline of the nation.

For us as the readers of this book it gives us hope. Israel still has a future, and it is one that has been given to them by God, preserved by God and one into which God will bring them. God will not utterly destroy them, even though they have given God sufficient reason to do so. God will not allow them to be utterly wiped out by the harsh wilderness or at the hands of their enemies. What God has promised, God will bring to fulfilment, even in the midst of man’s constant and even extreme sinfulness and rebellion.

In the world today it is easy for us to grow discouraged quickly, whether by the rampant ungodliness and evil of mankind, or the apathy of the Church. At times we can even despair, fearing the complete collapse of the Church under the weight of worldliness. But what we see with our eyes and feel with our hearts is not reality. For the people of Israel, it would have been easy for them to grow discouraged by the constant death of people, digging graves day after day. They could be led to think it was all a vain task, what was the point of continuing on, when all it was going to lead to was a slow and unpleasant death in the wilderness. For those growing up and watching grandparents, parents, uncles and aunts die, they may have been filled with despair that what they had been told would never come to pass. Where was this so called “Promised Land”, did it actually exist, and would they live to see it?

We can identify with this thinking and feeling. We watch the older generation of the church, age and die, but it appears that no one comes into the church, in their place, there is little sign of the younger generation. We look around and see churches crumbling into liberalism, or closing their doors and selling their buildings. The Bible is now the object of scorn and mockery, and we are viewed as being ignorant and narrow-minded, even foolish for having such a high regard for the Bible. Doors that once were open to evangelism and Gospel-ministry are closing and closing at an alarming rate, schools and hospitals are now tightly governed and restricted. We have to be careful what we say and do in the work place, so that we don’t create offence, attract unwanted criticism or even persecution. The temptation to grow increasingly despondent and discouraged is great. The temptation to give up enters our minds often. Heaven, eternal life in the joy-filled, awesome presence of God, seems so far off and sounds a bit too good to be true. We fear that what we have prayed for and hoped in will never come to pass and that we will not enter into God’s promise.

Numbers 26, helps us to gain the right perspective by reminding us that God is in control, He is at work in ways we cannot see. It reminds us how quickly we become blind to God’s faithfulness, presence and working. He is at work all the time, He is faithful, gracious, merciful, generous, good and patient with us and all humanity all day, every day. Most importantly, He is working all things out in accordance with His purposes and promises. His works may not be visible to us right now, but He is working and He cannot be hindered. He will do what He has promised. Thus we need to often remind ourselves of passages such as this, so that instead of looking down and feeling downcast, we are able to look up and rejoice in our unfailing, faithful, sovereign and powerful God, whilst trusting Him for the future. God doesn’t ask us to change the world, or to uphold it, nor does He tell us we have to get ourselves to heaven. He changes the world, He upholds it and us, and He keeps us for heaven and heaven for us. God asks us to be faithful, following, trusting, obeying and loving Him as we wander through the wilderness of this life, with the confident hope, expectation and joy that He will bring us home to glory.

LORD God our hearts unite with Jeremiah when he declares in Lamentations 3:22-24, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  (23)  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  (24)  "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."” We thank and praise You for Your love, mercy and faithfulness to us. Thank You that they are the rock to which we can cling in this ever changing world. Thank You that You are our joy and our certain hope for the future, rather than the transient things of this world. Enable us to hope all the more in You, by looking up to You, rather than allowing ourselves to be bowed down in despair. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 18 July 2016.

Numbers 25:1-9, “While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab.  (2)  These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.  (3)  So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.  (4)  And the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel."  (5)  And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal of Peor."  (6)  And behold, one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel, while they were weeping in the entrance of the tent of meeting.  (7)  When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand (8)  and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.  (9)  Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.”

Proverbs 14:12 teaches us that, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Numbers 25 shows the truth of this very statement. The people of Israel did what was right in their own eyes, by choosing to intermarry with the people of Moab.

Traditionally, intermarriage was seen as a good thing rather than bad. It would have been customary for a king to give one of his daughters to a foreign king in marriage. It would be through this marriage that the two kingdoms would come together and be united. It would lead to stronger relationships, security and trade. Here in Numbers 25, instead of fighting against each other, the people of Israel and Moab intermarry and take on each other’s customs and religions. How could this be a bad thing?

Some might think that God is being excessive, unfair and harsh in His response and judgement. Surely all men are created equal in God’s sight and there is no one nation that is better or greater than another? What is God’s issue with intermarriage?

There are some key reasons why God commanded the people of Israel not to intermarry and therefore why He responds with judgement and punishment.

Firstly, it was for the protection of the people of Israel, not just physical protection, but also spiritual protection. We read of how intermarriage led to idolatry, the people of Israel worshipped both God and Baal, they offered sacrifices to the true living God, and then to false gods. They bowed down to worship God, and then bowed down to worship idols made by human hands. God commanded them not to intermarry so as to preserve their spiritual purity and keep them from idolatry.

Secondly, they were God’s covenant people. This meant that they were exclusively God’s, only God had right and authority over them. God was to be their God, their one and only God. By being led into idolatry they were breaking their covenant with God, they promised that they would be God’s people and God would be their God. But in bowing down to these idols, they were giving themselves to these false gods, they were no longer exclusively God’s.

Thirdly, the people of Israel were to reflect the nature and character of God. Which meant that they were to display to the world the glory of God, to live in such a manner so as to draw people away from their false gods and into worshipping the true living God. In order to do this, they had to follow God’s example, one which Leviticus made clear, they were to be holy as God is holy. The people of Israel were to give themselves to this task of pursuing holiness by faithfully obeying God and His commands. They were to be the outward symbol of God’s purity and holiness. Scripture is very clear when it talks about how fiercely God guards His holiness and purity. The people of Israel were violating, desecrating that which He had made holy and pure, that which was His.

Such blatant and thoughtless sin cannot go unpunished, furthermore had this continued on, the nation of Israel would have ceased to exist. They would no longer be the pure, covenant people of God.

God responds so as to re-establish His holiness and purity amongst His people, and He does so by removing those who were impure in this regard. What is so tragic is that even though God’s displeasure had been made known and seen, it continued on until Phineas rose up and put a final end to it and God’s judgement lifted off the people. But the damage of their disobedience, of their failure to uphold the glory, honour, holiness and perfect of God, and their covenant with God came at a great cost. Twenty-four thousand people died!

This chapter reminds us just how serious God is when it comes to obedience and to His holiness. He will guard His holiness with a fierce jealousy, and anyone who despises it, mocks it, or desecrates it will come under severe God’s judgement.

If we grasp this, it will aid us in our battle against sin, for God is not just our rescuer, our Saviour, He also strengthens and equips us so that we can seek after holiness. As we understand this more and more, we will be enabled to fight harder against sin and temptation, our love and desire for holiness will grow and we will strive after purity. As Christians we are now God’s people, those through whom God is represented to the world. Therefore, it is important that we show ourselves to be true ambassadors of God who seek to be like their Father and King. We are not to give ourselves to the worship of anyone or anything else, we are exclusively God’s, and we are to worship, love, serve and obey Him alone.

God of holiness, who dwells in light and glory, before whom the angels proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy” day and night. We give thanks to You, for through Christ You have made us holy, we have become Your people, Your nation and Your children. May we show ourselves to be Your true children through the testimony of our lives. Help us to pursue after holiness and turn away from sin, help us to be holy as You are holy. All for the glory of Your Name. Amen.