Verse for the Day, 3 June 2016.

Numbers 13:17-33  Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, "Go up into the Negeb and go up into the hill country,  (18)  and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many,  (19)  and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds,  (20)  and whether the land is rich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes…  (25)  At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.  (26)  And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the people of Israel in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh. They brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.  (27)  And they told him, "We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.  (28)  However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large. And besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.  (29)  The Amalekites dwell in the land of the Negeb. The Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the hill country. And the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan."  (30)  But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, "Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it."  (31)  Then the men who had gone up with him said, "We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are."  (32)  So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, "The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.  (33)  And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them."

Why does God tell Moses to send spies into the Promised Land, why not just take the people in and avoid the whole possibility of them rebelling? We need to see the wisdom of God in doing this. Consider the people of Israel, their track record was far from stellar. They had repeatedly demonstrated ungratefulness towards God, they trusted more in their own strength and abilities than in God. The people had called God’s wisdom, goodness, faithfulness and power into question numerous times. They had forsaken God and worshipped the golden calf, they had grumbled and complained against God and lamented the fact that they were set free from slavery in Egypt.

Consider what God has done for the people of Israel. He has delivered them from slavery, death, starvation, and slaughter. He has guided them safely up to this point, He has protected them, fought for them, revealed more of Himself to them, and He has provided for them every single day. At no point has God failed.

Now that the nation of Israel is on the brink of entering the land, God tests them to see if they now truly believe and trust in Him. He is testing to see if they are ready to enter into the Promised Land, ready to serve and honour Him, upholding their covenant with Him. Are they now ready and willing to look to Him to bring them safely into the land, help them drive out the inhabitants and establish them in the land?

Thus far God has proved Himself faithful and true, in fact the spies give evidence of this fact when they return. They bring back with them some of the fruit of the land, and it is good. They also report that the land is good, it is everything that God promised to them it would be. It is important that we understand that God never promised them it would be empty, the Israelites have known from the very beginning of their journey that the Promised Land was inhabited by some of the most godless, savage and brutal nations. But throughout the journey God has shown Himself as being more than able to protect, fight and provide for His people. Now that they have come to the land, see its fruit, hear that it is good, but also hear that there are people in this land, who live in well-fortified cities and have mighty warriors, the time has come for them to think through all they have seen God do and then trust in Him. This is exactly what Caleb urges the people to do, but it is to no avail.

There are many times in life when we are called upon to trust God to lead us safely into and through what lies ahead. We know God’s promises and where it is that He is ultimately leading us to, but we cannot know the path He has chosen to take us on. Thus when we come to a part of the path that looks difficult and trying, where numerous obstacles appear and the enemy is visible, we face this very same test. We can look back through the course of our lives and clearly see that God has not failed us. God has proved Himself true, trustworthy, faithful, good and powerful every single day. He has provided for us every step of the way so far and promises to do so until we enter His eternal kingdom. Having reminded ourselves of who God is, we then face the choice to either trust in God and continue to walk down the path, or to panic, be overcome with fear and doubt, and either stand still paralysed by our fears, or turn and run in another direction, hoping it will lead to the same end. Of course this is far easier said than done, but it is not impossible.

All that the people of Israel can see is the thick and well-fortified walls and the giants, the huge, fearsome warriors who will oppose them. They are blinded by these fears, to the point that they completely forget about God, who God is and what He has done. For example, they forget that God parted the sea for them, and then God, without any help from the Israelites completely defeated the Egyptian army. If God can part the sea and defeat a mighty army, whilst leading the Israelites through the sea, then a wall made by man and strapping warriors will not be able to stand against God. But they allow their fears to lead them to forget, to create doubt in their hearts and minds, and therefore they disobey, they want to run away.

When we find ourselves in a similar situation, with a difficult road ahead, numerous obstacles and fears, with the enemy prowling around, we must not focus of these difficulties and fears, nor allow them to cause doubts to rise in our hearts. Instead of fixing our eyes on the giants in the land, we should fix our eyes on Christ, for He is the one wearing the victor’s crown and is seated upon the throne. He is our Warrior-King, He is our faithful Friend, and He is our good Shepherd, who will fight for us, walk with us and lead us safely through. Let us hold fast to Him, with confidence knowing that, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.”

Our good, good Father, thank You that You are an unfailing God, faithful and true to all Your promises and good in all that which You do. We praise You that our lives are a constant testimony of Your love towards us and Your faithful care. Thank You that because of Christ, we who are in Christ, have the great assurance that You will lead us safely into Your Kingdom. We pray that You might help us to trust and faithfully follow You, even when there are giants in the land, when the obstacles are great, and the enemy ferocious. May we remember who You are and fix our eyes on Christ our Victor, Warrior-King, Friend and Shepherd. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 2 June 2016.

Numbers 12:1-9, “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.  (2)  And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.  (3)  Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.  (4)  And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out.  (5)  And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.  (6)  And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.  (7)  Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.  (8)  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"  (9)  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.”

We see a great contrast of character in Numbers 12, between Miriam and Aaron, and Moses. We also see how God deals with each person according to their character and standing before Him.

Miriam and Aaron become inflated with pride, envy and self-righteousness. They regard themselves as being better, and more godly than Moses, for Moses has taken a wife from outside of Israel. In their minds this is a clear violation of God’s Law and should disqualify Moses from any sort of role within the Jewish nation. The position and favour that Moses enjoyed should be theirs, for they are true, godly and pure Jews, and God has performed some works through them. Aaron was just as involved as Moses was in securing the Israel’s freedom from Egypt, yet Moses seems to get the credit. Aaron was the High Priest, the mediator between the nation and God, yet Moses was the only one with whom God seemed to speak to, and Moses mediated on behalf of the people, even though he was not a priest! Miriam, she has written a song, taught it to the nation and then led them to sing it in worship of God after they crossed the Red Sea. Surely this qualifies them to be on the same level as Moses, enjoying the same position, favour and authority.

It is precisely because of who they are, their character and their attitude that God has chosen not to use them in the same manner He used Moses, or to give them the same honour and unique privilege. Miriam and Aaron are behaving as though they are entitled to receive from God a higher office and greater honour than what they have received. They feel aggrieved with God for having overlooked them, after all Miriam saved Moses’ life and Aaron had been Moses’ right hand man. Miriam and Aaron suffered under Pharaoh’s cruel slave drivers, whilst Moses lived in luxury and ease. They endured hardship and decades of slavery, whilst Moses ran away and abandoned them. They deserve to have the higher position and honour, not Moses! What Miriam and Aaron need to learn is that which Christ taught, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12.

In stark contrast to this we have Moses, whom we might say was a reluctant servant. He was not the most upstanding of men, he was a murderer, a fugitive and a runaway. When God called him, he objected and made excuses, but eventually obeyed. He was not a great orator, and we are told he was an exceptionally meek, humble man. Yet it was this man that God had chosen to use mightily. God spoke with Moses in a unique manner, no other human has ever known such a relationship with God. But it was because Moses knew his own brokenness, inabilities and short-comings that God could use him. Moses knew that it would only be by God’s grace and through God’s enabling that he could accomplish anything of that which God called him to do. We see this time and again in Exodus and Numbers, Moses constantly turning to God and pleading with God to undertake, to provide, help, strengthen or deliver. The only time we see Moses attempting things in his own wisdom and strength is when he sins, such as killing the Egyptian slave driver, failing to circumcise his sons and striking the rock in anger. Moses was a man who depended upon God, God’s grace, wisdom, power, strength and protection. This means that Moses was the right man to be used by God, for he understood his place before God, and knew that he stood there only because of God’s grace, he did not take the high position or the honour for himself.

There is also a contrast in the manner that God deals with Miriam, Aaron and Moses. God comes to Moses’ defence, Moses doesn’t even say a word, God intervenes on his behalf and deals with the rebellion of Miriam and Aaron. This serves as a comforting reminder that God takes up the cause of the righteous, He defends us when we stand humbly before Him. However, God confronts Miriam and Aaron, He makes it very clear to them that they have no right to question the manner in which He works, or those through whom He works. In fact, God disciplines them, especially Miriam. Once the cloud departs Miriam is covered in leprosy and has to spend seven days outside the camp, she is sent away to be with those who are regarded as unclean. Why does God choose to discipline Miriam in this manner, why make her wait seven days outside the camp?

God’s wisdom is not just without fault, it is incredibly wise and instructive! Miriam has called God, His will, ways, works and sovereignty into question, and has rebelled against God. When a person behaves in such a manner they are rejecting God. Miriam doesn’t understand the true implications of what she is doing, for in her questioning of God, she is rejecting God, and therefore rejecting the God of the Covenant, the God to which she and her people belong. In order to teach her the consequences of her actions, God sends her out of the camp that she might understand what it means to be outside of the covenant relationship, cut off from worshipping the God of the covenant, away from His favour and presence, and away from God’s covenant people. Miriam would learn through this that her sinful actions will cause her to be put outside the camp, outside of God’s people, and if her sin went unchecked it would have an impact upon the rest of the people, just as leprosy spreads when left unchecked and undealt with.

There is so much we can learn from this chapter, we are challenged to be more and more like Moses, who ultimately is a picture of Christ, thus we are to be more and more like Christ. This means we are to be people of humility, living in dependence upon God for all things, seeking to be faithful towards God and trusting in God to be our defender. We learn that pride, envy and self-righteousness have severe consequences, all the more so when we call God’s sovereign ways into question. In fact, God may have to discipline us, He may cause us to endure a time outside of His covenant community, outside of His favour. He may choose not to answer our prayers for a season, so that we might learn the consequences of our actions and thus be kept from continuing to sin. God will do this for our good, and for the good of His Church. Other believers will learn by observing God’s discipline of us, that sin carries a consequence, it will be disciplined, but more importantly it is dishonouring to God and can bring the whole church into compromise.

Merciful Father, keep us from sin, keep us from pride, envy and self-righteousness, keep us from questioning Your sovereignty. Help us to be meek, humble and desiring after Your glory more than anything else. May we not question Your ways, or the manner in which You choose to work. Keep us focused on Christ, the source of our salvation, and the knowledge that it is by His grace alone that we can stand before you. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 1 June 2016.

Numbers 11:1-6  And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.  (2)  Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.  (3)  So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.  (4)  Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, "Oh that we had meat to eat!  (5)  We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.  (6)  But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."

What does discontentment, complacency, ungratefulness and greed produce, what does it lead to? This passage answers that question. The people of Israel are once again displaying all these attributes and attitudes towards God. In fact, they are so deeply entrenched in their hearts that even though God sends down judgement and punishment they continue to behave in this manner.

Discontentment, complacency, ungratefulness and greed produce complaints, specifically, they lead us to complain against God and display contempt towards Him. We think that God is mistreating us, not prospering us as He should, not giving us what we think we ought to have, or is owed to us. We can even blame God for our circumstances, thereby accusing God of evil, of having it in for us. In complaining against God, we question God’s knowledge, wisdom, power, love and goodness. We are saying to God, “Either You know and do not care, or don’t know and therefore can not act, or You do know but lack the power, ability or desire to act. You can see our plight, yet You do nothing, therefore You cannot truly love us.”

In their complaint against God, they display contempt towards God and the manner in which God has chosen to work and treat them. The people of Israel look back longingly to their former days, to the days when they had so much “more”, the days of “prosperity”. They wish to go back to them, to the days of plenty, but do they truly understand what they are saying, what they are showing they are willing to do? Essentially, they are saying, they would far rather sell themselves back into slavery, they would rather go back to the cruel masters from which God set them free, they would rather turn away from the Promised land, and go back to Egypt, to be slaves once more. Life in Egypt as a slave is better than, more appealing to them, than that which God had given to them or what God is promising to them. It is selling their future in the Promised Land so as to be slaves once again.

When we complain against God, what or who are we comparing to? Are we looking at the multi-millionaire who has so much more than us? Are we looking at the celebrity, or those who seem to be so successful? Are we looking at those who seem to be at ease, life is good for them, they have all the nice things? We looking longingly at these and many other things and we cry out in complaint. As we complain we fail to realise how quickly we can move from complaint to contempt. In our attitude and complaining we are behaving in a manner just like the people of Israel, for we question God, His character and His works. We also see that which we are longing after as being more desirable and more worth having than what God has promised us and is preparing us for. We believe our wisdom to be higher than God’s, and our understanding of what is good and right as being better than God’s. In fact, whilst we do not say this, what our hearts are demonstrating is that we would rather have these things, than to have that which God has given to us, that the promise that these things hold is greater and more certain than the God’s promises towards us.

It is sobering and frightening to know that we can behave in such a manner towards God. As the Psalmist expresses it so well, Psalm 73:21-22, “When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,  (22)  I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.”

When we find ourselves starting to complain against God, when that envy, greed, discontentment and bitterness begins to rise in our hearts we need to address it quickly. We must remind ourselves of all the riches that are ours in Christ, of how great our salvation is, and that there is nothing greater than the hope we have in Christ. The antidote to a heart filled with complaint and contempt for God is: To humble ourselves before God’s throne, remembering who we are, our place before God, how great and awesome our God is, the undeserved salvation we have received through Christ, and the eternal hope which is ours in Christ. When we do this God will help us to see clearly. We see this take place in the life of the Psalmist, for after humbling himself, his perspective is restored to its right place, and he is able to both honour and trust God again. Psalm 73:23-28, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.  (24)  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.  (25)  Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.  (26)  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.  (27)  For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.  (28)  But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.”

Faithful Father, You are exceedingly, abundantly good towards us, even when we are brutish and embittered towards You. We thank You that You do not treat us in the same manner that we treat You. This day we plead with You to forgive us for our complaining hearts, for the many time with think with contempt against You. How ungrateful and greedy we are! May You cause Your grace to abound to us and forgive us. Help us by means of Your Spirit to fix our eyes upon You, Your glory, Your kingdom and Your salvation, for when we do this, “the things of this world will grow dim”. May we be satisfied in You, in all Your promises and trust You to lead us safely into Your eternal Kingdom. Amen.