Verse for the Day, 1 July 2016.

Numbers 20:6-13, “Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces. And the glory of the LORD appeared to them,  (7)  and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  (8)  "Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle."  (9)  And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him.  (10)  Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?"  (11)  And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock.  (12)  And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."  (13)  These are the waters of Meribah, where the people of Israel quarreled with the LORD, and through them he showed himself holy.”

This chapter brings us to a tragic event. The people of Israel continue on in their complacency and godlessness, once more accusing God of evil and desiring their death. They complain against God, Moses and Aaron. Initially, Moses and Aaron respond in the correct manner, they seek the help of God, asking God to hear their prayer and provide once more for the nation.

God’s grace, mercy, love, faithfulness and patience is revealed as He continues to be good to this rebellious nation. He hears their prayer and tells Moses and Aaron how He will answer and provide water for them. The instructions that God gives to Moses and Aaron are very specific, they should take the staff (Moses’ staff, not Aaron’s as that had been put with the Ark of the Covenant after it blossomed), go to a particular rock, and were to command the rock to yield its water.

Having gathered the people around the rock, Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, at which point water came gushing out the rock. But it was with these actions that both Moses and Aaron came under God’s wrath.

Many may think that this is a small matter, why is God so angered by what Moses and Aaron have done? Why is the punishment so severe, surely Moses deserved to enter into the Promised Land?

Verse 12 helps us to understand why God is angered and punishes Moses and Aaron. There appear to be two offences, a failure to believe and a failure to uphold God’s holiness. Moses and Aaron were to constantly uphold God, His name, glory and holiness, and to always point the people to the fact that God was their God and the provider of their needs. As the leader of the people and as the High Priest, they were to encourage the faith of the people, so that they might learn to trust in God more and more, resting in God’s faithfulness. They were also to serve as examples to the people, examples of what it means to live in faithful obedience of God. Sadly, it is in these areas that Moses and Aaron fall and fail. Psalm 106 gives us further understanding into what happened and why it was a failing on Moses and Aaron’s part. Psalm 106:32-33, “They angered him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account,  (33)  for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.”

This passage points us to the words of Moses. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" As we look at these words we have to ask if they encouraged faith and dependence upon God? Did they draw the people’s attention to the holiness and power of God? Did it give the people reason to worship God, to serve God, and to trust Him for the future rather than complaining?

The answer is no! Moses and Aaron are frustrated, irritated, worn-down, impatient and angry with this constant bickering and complaining. It is in this attitude and state of mind that they act, instead of one that honoured God. They act and respond in anger and bitterness, rather than in faithful dependence on God and thankfulness towards God.

It is not that Moses and Aaron did not believe in God, or lacked faith in God’s ability to provide water. Rather, they took matters into their own hands, and the manner in which they spoke and acted did not cause the people to grow in their belief of God. Moses states, “shall we bring water…”, referring not to God, but to himself and Aaron. Furthermore, by virtue of Moses’ physical actions of striking the rock twice, it is as though he is providing water by his own strength. Never mind the fact that it was an act of disobedient, contrary to what God commanded Moses to do.

What makes the sin of Moses and Aaron all the more grievous is that they committed these sins whilst serving as God’s appointed men, as God’s servants, ministers, representatives. They should have already learned that any man who serves God in an unworthy and sinful manner will not escape unpunished. They had seen this happen with Nadab and Abihu, Miriam, Korah and those who rebelled with him.

But in a moment of anger, Moses falls and fails, and Aaron does nothing to prevent this. Both men are therefore guilty and have failed to obey God’s instructions given to them. They have failed to encourage, build up and increase the faith of the people in God. They have not set God forth as their faithful, powerful, gracious and glorious God and provider.

Just because Moses and Aaron are God’s appointed ministers, doesn’t mean that God should turn a blind eye to their sin, or allow the rules to be bent. God’s holiness is absolute, any and every violation of it, from the least to the greatest demands God’s justice and punishment. This applies all the more to those whom God appoints to lead and serve amongst His people, for they are to set the example, they are to teach and guide the people towards God and they are to honour God in all that they do. In the case of Moses and Aaron, their sin needs to be dealt with, and as sorry as we may feel, especially for Moses, God’s justice must be satisfied.

This chapter is a sad and tragic one, for we see the fall of both Moses and Aaron, they behave in a sinful manner that is dishonouring to God. They may have been faithful servants who have endured much opposition and had to put up with the constant bickering of the Israelites, but the fact remains that they had sinned. God is serious about sin, so serious that He even disciplines those who are faithful to Him when they sin. He cannot under any circumstances excuse sin, His absolute holiness demands absolute justice. Therefore, we are challenged to keep a close watch on our own lives and how we live in obedience to God and for His glory. God may have granted us forgiveness and salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. But we must remember that God will always deal with our sin, and if so required that discipline may be severe. This should not surprise us, in fact we should marvel at the grace God extends to us on a daily basis, not treating us as we deserve to be, but continuing to be patient. Let us not test this patience through ungodliness, rather let us show ourselves to be true children of God, who desire to be imitators of Christ.

Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty, the whole earth is full of your glory! There is no man who can stand before You and live. There is no man who can justify himself, or escape Your justice, for Your eyes are all seeing, Your mind all knowing, and You are absolute holiness and perfection. How we praise and thank You for Jesus Christ who has saved us from Your holy, just wrath against our sin and brought us into Your favour. May we learn to follow You faithfully, being as serious towards our sin as You are. Help us to strive after holiness and a life that honours You. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 30 June 2016.

Numbers 19:11-20, “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.  (12)  He shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean.  (13)  Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the tabernacle of the LORD, and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.  (14)  "This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days.  (15)  And every open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean.  (16)  Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean seven days.  (17)  For the unclean they shall take some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh water shall be added in a vessel.  (18)  Then a clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave.  (19)  And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day. Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.  (20)  "If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the LORD. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean.”

This is not the first time that we have come across instructions for cleansing the unclean. Leviticus spends much time dealing with such issues, what it is that makes a person unclean and how it is that they can be made clean. The fact that the process of cleansing comes up so many times, highlights its importance. To us it may seem to be a rather mundane, superfluous detail and practice. But to assume this is to miss the whole point and purpose of the cleansings of the unclean.

The first purpose is practical, the second is spiritual.

Firstly, at this point in time, the people of Israel were living in close proximity to each other and did not have all the conveniences of a fixed house made of stone. This made sanitation, hygiene and the spread of diseases critical issues. The potential for a huge outbreak of a virus, plague or disease was very high, and therefore every step had to be taken in order to prevent this.

One of the quickest means of contracting and spreading a disease is by coming into contact with a dead human body. Therefore, these laws are given so that the family and the whole community is protected. These cleansings were for the good of the whole nation.

The second purpose is spiritual. It is not that these physical cleansing brought inward cleansing, in fact it demonstrated the opposite. Throughout Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers it has been made abundantly clear to the people of Israel, that only those who are clean and pure can approach God in worship. Anyone, or anything unclean is not permitted to come before God, and should they try to, God will respond in wrath. As a result of this truth, the people of Israel were constantly having to cleanse themselves prior to coming to God in worship.

This constant cleansing taught them that a deeper cleansing was needed. Water washes off the dirt, but only for so long, as after a short while they were dirty again and had to wash once more. This serves as a symbol, a picture of their hearts, they could try to live in obedience, ask for God’s forgiveness, offer up a sacrifice, and receive forgiveness from God, but that state of forgiveness and standing before God was not permanent. In fact, by the time they had walked out of the temple courts, sin had already risen again in their hearts and once more they became spiritually unclean and in need of God’s forgiveness. It was a vicious cycle, and one which never held out hope of coming to an end or being finally satisfied, irrespective of how many sacrifices were offered up.

Something more than water, more than the blood of an animal was need to cleanse them completely. Here is where we see the ultimate purpose in all of these cleansings, they point to the great cleansing work of Christ in our lives from the inside out. He cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and removes every stain and spot of sin. He takes out our sinful, dead hearts and gives us new, pure and living hearts. He takes off our filthy rags and dresses us in His robes of righteousness. We are made clean inwardly and one day we will be completely pure. From the moment of our salvation, we are made clean and we remain clean, for Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient to cleanse us for all eternity.

Numbers 19 should serve to encourage us, as we are reminded that we no longer need to constantly wash and cleanse ourselves with water and then offer up a sacrifice over and over again. Christ has cleansed us once and for all through His perfect and sufficient sacrifice for our sin. We don’t have to be made clean again as what Christ has cleansed, can never become unclean. We have been washed in the blood of lamb and He has taken all our sins away. Christ now presents us as holy and blameless before the sight of God the Father and we find acceptance and eternal salvation.

Father of purity, light and holiness, how we thank You today for Christ who has cleansed us from all our unrighteousness, who has washed us white by His blood and clothed us with His righteousness. We praise You for the new, living and pure hearts You have given to us, hearts with Your love and laws written upon them. We thank You that You have filled us with the Spirit of life and light, the one who leads us into paths of righteousness. May we seek to live in keeping with our hearts, with the new life we have received, and with the robes that we now wear. May the beautiful, perfection and holiness of Christ radiate out from our lives, to the praise of Your glory. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 23 June 2016.

Numbers 18:1-7, “So the LORD said to Aaron, "You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood.  (2)  And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony.  (3)  They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die.  (4)  They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you.  (5)  And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel.  (6)  And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting.  (7)  And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death."”

After God has so clearly demonstrated that Aaron is his appointed man, the remainder of the men are overcome with fear. They fear that God might strike them down if they should ever seek to draw near to the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a symbol of God’s presence among the people, and it should have been a constant encouragement, comfort and source of joy for the people of Israel. But now they are overcome with fear, for if God has dealt so severely with Korah and those who followed with him, and if God has made is clear that Aaron is His appointed man, then what might happen to them if they were to ever approach God!

In order to calm their fears God speaks to Aaron giving him a series of commands. Aaron is told that he along with the priests will bear the iniquities and therefore the consequences of any sin that takes place with regards to the tabernacle and their role as priests. If an unclean person enters into the tabernacle, if the duties of the priests are not performed correctly, or if a priest behaves in an ungodly manner, then they will bear it, and not the entire congregation.

Furthermore, Aaron is instructed to set the Levites in place so as to ensure the tabernacle remains a holy place, that the priests are able to do their duties and that the purity of the tabernacle is maintained. Those Levities who were not members of Aaron’s line and therefore not priests were given other responsibilities, ranging from serving the priests, guarding the tabernacle, to ensuring that only the right people were permitted into the tabernacle.

Through these means God was protecting the rest of the nation from judgement and punishment concerning the tabernacle. However, they were to follow the priests’ instructions as it was ultimately the priests who bore the responsibility.

With the tribe of Levi being assigned to these tasks, it meant that they would not be able to give themselves to other work so as to gain an income. Nor would they be able to cultivate and tend to large farms. Their time was taken up with serving at the tabernacle. In order to care and provide for the tribe of Levi, the remainder of the chapter details for us some of the means that God gave to the Levites. They were to receive a portion of that which was given to and offered up at the tabernacle, from meat, to grain, to bread, amongst other things. When the other 11 tribes brought in their annual tithes from the harvest fields, these crops would be stored and be used to provide for the tribe of Levi.

Numbers 18 demonstrates to us that God is not distant and unconcerned with our fears. He is the God who hears our prayers and pleas, He doesn’t ignore that which we fear or causes us distress. When we bring those fears and distresses, those desperate prayers and pleas to God, He faithfully listens to them and answers so as to bring us comfort and help. There are times when that comfort and help comes through practical means, as is the case in Numbers 18, and times when God works within us bring comfort and rest to our hearts and minds.

The fear in Numbers 18, is that of seeking to be in the presence of, or to approach a God who is holy, awesome, powerful and who deals with the sinner accordingly. For those who oppose Him, His servants and His commands, those who approach Him in the incorrect manner, will be struck down by God’s fearsome wrath. However, God makes a way, He makes it possible for people to approach Him so as to worship Him. God places the priests between Himself and the people, to function as their mediator. The role of the priest is to offer up the sacrifices, worship and prayers of the people to God, and to then minister God grace, love and mercy to the people. We know that this ultimately point us to Christ, the true mediator, who has done what no other priest could do and that is to once and for all open the way to God and bring us into the very presence of God, without fear of judgement and punishment, but instead to find favour and eternal life.

These two truths, that God hears our fears and answers us when we cry out to Him, and that Christ is our true and eternal mediator should greatly comfort us. Because of Christ we can come to God at any time, with anything. We can pour out our hearts, express all our fears, concerns, anxieties and distresses. We can do so with confidence for He will hear, He will answer and He will draw us nearer to Himself. This passage reminds us of the wonderful truths stated in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Our Father, You know that we are surrounded by many fears and distresses, at times they can completely overwhelm us. We thank You that when we find ourselves in such dismay we can call out to You in and through the name of Jesus Christ and plead for help. Thank You that You answer us when we call, and we receive mercy, grace and help from You. How we rejoice in this relationship that we enjoy with You, all because Christ has brought us near to You through His work as our priest. Thank you that we can have the wonderful assurance that the comfort, mercy and grace we receive from You is not temporary, but eternal, for Christ is our eternal priest, and brings us near to You every day. May we draw our hope and confidence from this today. Amen