Verse for the Day, 26 August 2016.

Numbers 31:1-7, “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  (2)  "Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."  (3)  So Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian to execute the LORD's vengeance on Midian.  (4)  You shall send a thousand from each of the tribes of Israel to the war."  (5)  So there were provided, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.  (6)  And Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe, together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.  (7)  They warred against Midian, as the LORD commanded Moses, and killed every male.”

We need to back track a bit in order to understand Numbers 31 and God’s instruction for the people of Israel to go and war against the Midianites. This all starts back in Numbers 22, when the Moabites and the Midianites collude together to destroy the nation of Israel. They seek out Balaam and would have Balaam invoke a divine curse upon Israel, a curse that would guarantee them victory over Israel. But this effort fails spectacularly, as God’s confronts Balaam and leads Balaam to bless Israel. Having failed to overcome the people of Israel, the Moabites and Midianites then resort to something more deceitful. They seek to draw the Israelites into intermarriage, and into idol worship. This plan proves successful to a measure, numerous Israelite men are enticed and take Midianite women as their wives. These men not only take these foreign women as their wives, they also take their gods, Baal and engage in idol worship. We read of this in Numbers 25, where we also read of God’s judgement against the Israelites. God not only commands these men to be struck down and killed, God also strikes the nation with a plague.

This is the background of Numbers 31. Upon reading this chapter, it may appear to be quite drastic. God commands that all the men, all the male children, and all the women, apart from those who were still virgins, are to be killed without exception. It is important that we understand two facts about this chapter.

Firstly, there is the aspect of God’s justice. The people of Midian had deliberately sought to curse, deceive and mislead the people of Israel. Their intentions were not noble or honourable, they wanted to see Israel either defeated in battle and slaughtered, or sucked into, assimilated into their own nation.

What is significant and worth noting, is that prior to God’s justice being carried out against Midian, God deals first with the people Israel. God punished and severely disciplined His people first, before He came against any others. You could say He started in His own house, with His own people and once He has purified His house, His people, He then went out against the other nations. Therefore, this is not a case of one-sided justice, whereby God lets one party off the hook and severely punishes another. Both were punished in accordance to God’s justice. Both the Israelites and the Midianites lost, and lost heavily through their common sin in this matter. God will always punish the guilty, and this case both Israel and Midian were guilty.

Secondly, there are the aspects of God’s honour and glory. The people of Midian were idolatrous, they worshipped Baal, and continued to worship Baal even when God clearly revealed Himself through Balaam. Furthermore, they sought to impose idol worship upon those around them, the Israelites. In their worship of Baal and seeking to impose it upon the Israelites, they were dishonouring God, they were stripping God of His position, person, people and glory, and then giving it to something else, to something made through the invention of man’s mind. There is nothing more dishonouring to God, nothing that strips God of His glory more than the worship of gods made up out of our own imaginations. It is the ultimate rejection, denial, and rebellion of God. In fact, it is to deny the very existence of God, and to proclaim the existence, and deity of another god of human invention. It is for these reasons that God is stirred to such wrath and anger against idolatry. It is for these reasons that God will confront, destroy and eternally condemn all those who worship any other god. It is for these reasons that God’s wrath and judgement will come upon the Canaanites when Israel enter into the Promised Land. It is for these reasons that God’s wrath came upon the Midianites and He used the people of Israel as His instrument of justice and punishment. We need to take note of the fact that the people of Israel did not go out again Midian as a result of their own choice. God commanded them to go out and gave them very specific instructions. This is a work of God, executing His justice against sinful, immoral and idolatrous people.

We must not underestimate how seriously God takes holiness and justice, as well as His glory and honour as the only true God. It is when we downplay the importance of holiness, or see something as more desirable than God that we find ourselves in dangerous territory. God will always act against sin, and will always defend and re-establish the glory and honour of His name and position. As believers in Jesus Christ we should love God’s holiness and desire to imitate it, as well as having a deep love and reverence for the glory and honour of God. In fact, these should be our principle delights and desires. The more we love God’s holiness and strive after it, the deeper our love and reverence for God’s glory and honour, the greater we will be able to fight against and resist sin. Our reverence, worship, respect and understanding of God will grow more and more true. Greatest of all, the more precious and wonderful our salvation will become to us, for the more we understand holiness and justice, the more we will understand our sinfulness. The more we understand the glory and honour of God, the more we will be in awe of the fact that God should descend to this earth in human flesh to suffer and die for our sake.

Glorious, most honourable, just and holy God, we humbly bow before You and confess our unworthiness. How gracious, good and patient You are with us, for on a daily basis we chase after many other things and hold them as being more precious than You. We entertain sin and resist holiness with remarkable ease. Forgive us, we pray. May Your holiness, and justice, Your glory and honour grow more precious, valuable, lovely and desirable to us. May they become our chief delights. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 25 August 2016.

Numbers 30:1-8, “Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the people of Israel, saying, "This is what the LORD has commanded.  (2)  If a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.  (3)  "If a woman vows a vow to the LORD and binds herself by a pledge, while within her father's house in her youth,  (4)  and her father hears of her vow and of her pledge by which she has bound herself and says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand.  (5)  But if her father opposes her on the day that he hears of it, no vow of hers, no pledge by which she has bound herself shall stand. And the LORD will forgive her, because her father opposed her.  (6)  "If she marries a husband, while under her vows or any thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she has bound herself,  (7)  and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.  (8)  But if, on the day that her husband comes to hear of it, he opposes her, then he makes void her vow that was on her, and the thoughtless utterance of her lips by which she bound herself. And the LORD will forgive her.”

In our present day and age, this chapter is controversial and many would frown upon it, see it as oppressive and as promoting the view that men are superior to women. So would that objection and view be valid? If this chapter is understood within the bounds of Scripture, then no, there is no grounds for such an objection. Of course it is within our human ability to twist words so that they will say what we want them to. Unfortunately, the Bible is not immune to this, and thus some might do so with this passage in order to prove their point.

What then is this passage teaching?

This chapter is dealing with issues of authority, truthfulness, faithfulness, accountability, responsibility and the protection of both marriage and the family. There was a time when a person’s words were seen and regarded as binding, but sadly this is no longer the case. We all know the pain that comes when promises that have been made to us are broken, and we have broken promises we have made to others. A person’s words are now treated with suspicion, and we seldom take people at their word.

The first truth that Numbers 30 teaches us, is that we are to be people who keep their word. Christ taught us in the Sermon on the Mount that our yes should be yes and our no, no. We need to be people who speak the truth and who are faithful to what they promise, who take responsibility for what they say. We are not to make false promises, or commit to something which is beyond our ability to fulfil.

Secondly, Numbers 30 helps us to understand how this matter of vows and promises should work itself out within the family unit and within marriage. The family unit is dealt with first, although the principle taught applies also to marriage. The principle is this, the father is viewed as the head of the home, the head of the family, and the head within the marriage. This is a truth established by God at creation. It is important to understand this has nothing to do with levels of equality or superiority, rather it is concerned with responsibility and accountability.

The father, the husband, is responsible for his wife and his children, for their welfare, security and for their needs. He is to provide, protect and lead to the best of his ability and for the glory of God. This role is one that needs to be respected by the family, by the children and the wife. If the man leads in a gracious, gentle, loving and godly manner, then there should be no difficulty in the wife and children submitting to his role.

It may happen that a child within the family, or the wife makes a vow, a promise to do, perform, pay or provide something. However, what is being emphasised is that the husband, the father should be a part of that decision making process. Why? Is it because a woman, or a child is not capable of making such decisions? No, not at all! Again this has nothing to do with equality, superiority, intelligence or ability, in fact none of these are being called into question. What is being taught is that ultimately the husband and father is responsible and accountable, thus if his wife or child makes a promise, a vow, then it must be made good. It could be that money, or sacrifices are being promised, although the motivation and reasons may be God-honouring and right, the husband, the father may know that it is beyond the ability of their family to make such a commitment. Should the promise, the vow be enforced, then ultimately it is the husband, the father that will have to honour that vow, paying for it, or providing for it. The stability, security and wellbeing of the family is to be upheld and not destroyed or brought into compromise because of an over-zealous vow.

The objection arises, what is there to stop the husband, the father from just trying to enforce his way, saying no to whatever he doesn’t want, or to suddenly change his mind, or do as he pleases? The answer is found in the last few verses, Numbers 30:13-15, “Any vow and any binding oath to afflict herself, her husband may establish, or her husband may make void.  (14)  But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges that are upon her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her on the day that he heard of them.  (15)  But if he makes them null and void after he has heard of them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”

The husband, the father, is not able to do as he pleases, rather he is to do that which is right and honourable, that which is pleasing to God. He cannot suddenly change his mind, or domineer and have his way. Why, what is to stop him? The husband, the father is accountable before God for how he leads, guides, provides and protects his family. Should he fail to do this in a God-honouring manner, then God will deal with him accordingly and will not punish the wife, or the children, for the husband’s, the father’s sinful or selfish behaviour in this regard.

What lies at the heart of this chapter is the issue of truthfulness and the protection of the marriage and the family unit. We must be true to our words, but we should not make promises or vows that are beyond our ability to keep. Thus, protection against this is provided and the ultimate responsibility falls on the husband, the father. Who, in turn, is accountable to God for how he responds to the vows and promises made by those in his family.

The application for us, is that there are times when we make choices, promises, or commitments without considering our family, or if they are within our family’s ability to fulfil. Numerous families and marriages have been torn apart and destroyed because promises have been made by one person, with no regard, or without consulting the other. There are also occasions when we may make promises for the wrong reasons, promises or choices that are not God-honouring. There is also the constant battle for us to speak the truth, to let our yes be yes and our no be no. God, in His wisdom, has created both the bond of marriage and the family unit. Part of our roles within marriage and the family is to ensure that we are true to what we say and promise and to help each other be true, or to challenge each other when we might be making promises we can’t keep, or will bring the family into compromise. We should not see this as a negative thing, but rather as positive, for the upholding of the truth and the protection and honour of the family, as well as the honour of God, is what lies at the heart of this chapter and this principle.

Lord God, You are Truth, every word You speak is pure truth and is always proved true. All of Your promises are certain, and You are a God who never lies. Yet we are so often false with our words, making promises we have no intention of keeping, making commitments that come at great cost to those closest to us. Help us to prize the truth, to love the truth and to be true to what we say. Help us to prize our marriages and our families, to love our spouses and children and to do that which will only strengthen and protect them. Keep us from speaking foolishly, or making rash promises. May our yes, be yes and our no, be no. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 24 August 2016.

Numbers 29:12-19  “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days.  (13)  And you shall offer a burnt offering, a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the LORD, thirteen bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old; they shall be without blemish;  (14)  and their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for each of the thirteen bulls, two tenths for each of the two rams,  (15)  and a tenth for each of the fourteen lambs;  (16)  also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering, its grain offering and its drink offering.  (17)  "On the second day twelve bulls from the herd, two rams, fourteen male lambs a year old without blemish,  (18)  with the grain offering and the drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, in the prescribed quantities;  (19)  also one male goat for a sin offering, besides the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offerings.”

Verses 12-40 record for us the sacrifices that were to be offered during the feast of tabernacles/booths, which followed shortly after the Day of Atonement. The list of animals required is staggering, over the eight days a total of 71 bulls, 15 rams, 105 lambs and 8 goats were to be sacrificed. In a society where a person’s wealth was determined by the number of livestock they owned, with bulls being the most valuable, this would have been considered to be a huge, extremely costly sacrifice. Furthermore, it was one that had to be made every year, along with all the other sacrifices required during the other feasts, as well as the morning and evening sacrifices.

Why does God require so many sacrifices during this particular feast? The feast of tabernacles, or booths, was a feast that commemorated the time of the Exodus and the journey to the Promised Land. During this journey, the people of Israel lived in tabernacles, booths, tents. They did not have fixed dwellings, nor did they have a land of their own. This brought with it a number of challenges; they were vulnerable and open to attack, and they could not farm the land in order to grow food and sustain themselves. There was no city wall to protect them, and their homes could be easily destroyed by an invading army. There was no city market where they could bring their produce to sell, or could buy food in order to feed their families. The people of Israel had to resolutely trust God to both protect them and provide for them on a daily basis.

Here in Numbers 29, the new, second generation can look back over the past 40 years and see that God had never failed them. He had provided food and water for them in truly miraculous ways, and had protected them throughout the journey. It is remarkable, God feeding a nation numbering close to 2 million people, not for just one day but for 14 600 days! God had protected them from fierce and blood thirsty nations, mighty armies and from the natural elements. Every day and every night God watched over, protected and kept His people, and when they came under threat, He was their shield and defender, He fought for them.

The feast of tabernacles, was established by God in order to remind the Israelites of the manner in which God rescued them from Egypt, protected and provided for them during the forty year journey and fulfilled all His promises by bringing them into the Promised Land. This reminder, though an expensive one, is small by comparison, when the people considered just how much God gave to them over those forty years. Had God not preserved the nation or provided for them, they would have never made it to the Promised Land, and the nation of Israel would be no more. Therefore, the people needed to constantly remember and give thanks to God for His wonderful faithfulness.

As with many of the feasts and sacrifices, these outward, physical actions and deeds, served as symbols, representations, pictures pointing to deeper, eternal, spiritual truths that would one day become reality.

The Exodus, Mount Sinai, the Law, the Tabernacle, God’s provision and protecting during the forty years, and God’s fulfilment of the promises He made, all pointed to Christ. In fact, John records for us Jesus’ words during the feast of tabernacles, in John 7:37-38, “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believers in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’””

The feast of tabernacles points us to Christ, for He alone is able to bring us out of slavery to sin, through the wilderness of this life, and into God’s true, eternal and holy kingdom. Although the people of Israel had been brought out of Egypt, given God’s law and had been fed and protected by God, and brought safely into the Promised Land, they were still not a part of God’s true kingdom. All that God had done from them was designed to show them that they needed a Saviour who could truly make them children of God, for all the sacrifices and laws were unable to do this. Something, someone greater was needed, and that was the Lord Jesus Christ.

For us who are true believers in Jesus Christ, we don’t need to celebrate these feasts or offer up so many animal sacrifices. However, we should celebrate our salvation on a daily basis, taking time to remember all that which God has done for us through the Lord Jesus Christ. As we celebrate and give thanks to God for our salvation, we should willing make a sacrifice, one worth more than a bull, we should daily sacrifice our lives to God and the glory of His name. We should give everything to Him, in fact we should give to Him, what we regard as of most importance and greatest value, ourselves.

Do you remember, celebrate and give thanks to God every day for your salvation through Jesus Christ? Do you willingly, freely, joyfully offer up your life to God as a sacrifice, for God to use you for His name and glory each and every day?

Our generous and ever-giving God, You have lavished Your grace and love upon us, bestowing gift upon gift, all the blessings of Christ, the riches of Christ in Your kingdom. All this we have received from Your good and gracious hand, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for these rich and undeserved blessings. Forgive us for being so quick to forget, or to place others things as being greater, more valuable or desirable than what You have done for us in Christ. Enable us through Your Spirit to remember, to celebrate our salvation every day, and help us to make that choice to willingly and joyfully surrender, sacrifice our lives to You, for You to use them as You please. Amen.