Verse for the Day, 7 December 2016.

Deuteronomy 1:30-31, “The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes,  (31)  and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.'”

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy recount the journey of Israel from Horeb to the Promised Land. It doesn’t make for cheerful reading as it is largely a record of Israel’s many disobediences and rebellions. But interspersed in these chapters are bright rays of God and His goodness. One of these shining rays is found in Deuteronomy 1:30-31, and it paints an encouraging picture for us.

Here Moses is recounting the very worst rebellion of the Israelites, when they refused to enter into the Promised Land. It is one of the most tragic moments in the Scriptures, and a rebellion that has no genuine truth or justification for it. Had it been a long, hard and difficult struggle for the people to get to this point, or had they been already laid-low by constant conflict and therefore, few in number, with many weak and injured. Had God told them they had to go it alone, or had failed them repeatedly. Had any of these been true, then perhaps we could understand why they rebelled.

But the reality is they had no reason to rebel. As we read through this first chapter of Deuteronomy, Moses doesn’t just recount the failing of the people, he also recounts the faithfulness of God. In verse 10, we read of how God has prospered the nation, they were now “as numerous as the stars of heaven.” They were no small nation of people, in fact even when they were still in Egypt, the Egyptians were afraid of the possible ramifications of a complete Israelites coup against them. Furthermore, in verse 33, Moses reminds them of God’s constant presence with them, the “fire by night and in the cloud by day.”

As encouraging as these truths of God’s prospering and presence are, the greatest of encouragements in found in verses 30-31. It is God’s omnipotent protection and sovereign will. We are given the picture of a father carrying his young son. The father is bearing the full load, weight and responsibility, he is doing the work, he is the one upon whom all things depend. As for the young boy, he is simply called to hold on to his father and trust in him. Such was God’s goodness towards the people of Israel. They could never by means of their own efforts escape Egypt, cross the Red sea and get to the Promised Land with such ease and in such strength. God has carried them, God had done everything for them. All He has required of them was to trust obediently in Him. The fact was that God had made a promise to them, a covenant promise, and nothing would hinder Him from making certain that this promise was fulfilled, even if He had to literally pick up and carry the entire nation the whole way and do all the work. His promise, His sovereign plan was going to be accomplished. In the light of such a God, what are a few fortified city, or firesome armies? They are nothing, and shall be brought down, conquered just as the Egyptian army had been. There rebellion had no grounds, rather they rebelled because they forgot who God is and what He promised. They rebelled because they failed to remember God was carrying them, and thus they were overcome with fear. They let go of the Father, stop depending upon Him, squirmed out of his arms in their rebellion and fell to the ground.

For us who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, this wonderful God, is not just our God, He is also our Father and Saviour. He promises not just to carry us, He has also promised to keep us in the palm of His hand, He has promised that nothing will be able to separate us from His love and that He will bring us into His kingdom. Our God carries, holds, provides, protects and keeps us, firmly, safely and for eternity. This is the hope and confidence of the believer. And it is in this hope that we can rejoice, for what is there that can take us out of God’s hand? Let us give thanks to God this day, for the security and assurance we have. Let us give thanks that whilst the future is unknown to us, He knows it and He will carry, hold and keep us through it all. Let us learn to trust and depend upon our Father and God all the more, turning away from human wisdom, or the fears of this life. Our God is the faithful, omnipotent, sovereign God, and He will not fail to be such a God towards us, even when we face our greatest, darkest fears.

Unfailing, powerful, sovereign Father, we worship You for the love which You have lavished upon us. How we thank You, that You are carrying us, holding us, keeping us in Your hand. Thank You that You are the one doing all the work, especially the works we could never do. Thank You for redeeming us and for giving us the sure and certain hope of eternity with You. By the aid and strengthening of Your Spirit, help us to rest and depend upon You at all times and for all things. Amen.

Verse for the Day, 5 December 2016.

Numbers 36:13, “These are the commandments and the rules that the LORD commanded through Moses to the people of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.” (ESV)

We have come to the end of the book of Numbers. This book serves as a summary of the Exodus journey, covering some 40 years. In the course of the book hundreds of thousands of Israelites have died because of their rebellion against God. As this generation died, so a new generation was born and it is they who are now about to enter the land, promised to their parents.

Numbers has its high points, but it also has tragically low points which have deadly consequences. As we leave this book, we need to take note of the key truths that we must learn and apply to our lives, or we shall be no better than the rebellious generation of Israel.

As with Exodus and Leviticus, Numbers continues to highlight the holiness of God, the importance of obedience and faithfulness towards God, as well as the consequences for disobedience. We are shown what a nation can accomplish when it is obedient to God, and what happens to a nation when it rebels against God. The tragic account of Numbers 13 and the great rebellion of the nation serves as a powerful example of man’s collective disobedience.

But it is not just large scale rebellion and disobediences that we observe in Numbers, there are also individual people who rebel, with equally serious consequences. Aaron, Miriam, Korah and his sons, serve as examples for us to learn from, should we allow our pride to get the better of us and lead us into arrogance. It is tragic to see how these individuals thought more highly of themselves than they should have. They relied upon their own wisdom and efforts and trusted in their strength. It is always a dangerous thing to underestimate God’s wisdom, will, holiness, knowledge, power and strength. The truth that comes out loud and clear is, anyone who opposes God will fall.

On the positive side, Numbers reminds us of God’s wonderful and unchanging character. Through the account of Balaam, we are reminded of the truth of God’s sovereignty, and the reality that God’s purposes will always stand. Those whom God has blessed, cannot be cursed by man. God’s long-suffering patience, kindness, mercy and forgiveness are seen in every chapter, as the people of Israel constantly test Him. If God was anything less than what the Scripture tells us He is, the book of Numbers would not have 36 chapters, it would only have one, and it would record the complete destruction and annihilation of the Israelites. Thus, Numbers is a book that speaks of the mercy, patience, faithfulness and love, not of man, but of God.

Therefore, Numbers is a Christ-centred, Gospel-saturated book. We are given a very clear picture of God’s holiness, and man’s sinfulness. The extent of man’s sinfulness, its persistence and hold upon our lives is undeniable and something from which we cannot free ourselves. The extent of God’s holiness, truth, righteousness and justice are equally clear to see and how God responds to our sinful state leaves us with no doubt as to what will become of us because of our sinfulness.

But in the midst of our sinfulness, rebellion, bondage and disobedience, comes God’s patience, mercy, grace and willingness to forgive and redeem. This is pictured for us on multiple occasions, but probably the greatest of all is the bronze serpent in Numbers 21. This event is even referenced by Christ, John 3:14-15, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (ESV)

The Gospel message in Numbers is clear; God is sovereign, holy, righteous, true and just, but mankind is sinful, a rebel and therefore under God’s wrath. However, God is merciful and will forgive those who seek Him with a humble and repentant heart. God has provided redemption through the Passover Lamb, through the One who is lifted up, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all who look to and trust in Him, will be saved.

Our holy, sovereign, righteous, true and just God, we thank You for Your mercy, patience and grace towards us. We confess that we are rebels, disobedient towards You and held in bondage by our sin, deserving of Your eternal judgement. How we adore You for not leaving us in this state, but acting in love so as to redeem us. Thank You for the Lord Jesus Christ, who was lifted up to die for our sake. Thank You for the promise of Your Word, that if we look upon Christ in faith, You will save us. We thank You for this book of Numbers for the truths that it teaches us, and for pointing us once more to our great God and Saviour. May You receive the glory, honour and the highest praise. Amen

Verse for the Day, 14 November 2016.

Numbers 35:30-34  "If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness.  (31)  Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.  (32)  And you shall accept no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to dwell in the land before the death of the high priest.  (33)  You shall not pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.  (34)  You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel."

As Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land and take up their allotted inheritances, the Levites will have no land to take as their own. Thus, in this chapter we see how God makes provision for the tribe of Levi. The other 11 tribes are commanded to set aside cities in their territories for the Levites, these cities are to also include a suitable amount of grazing land for their livestock. A total of 48 cities were to be set aside for the Levites, and six of these cities were to function as cities of refuge. These cities of refuge were to be a place of safety for those who had innocently caused the death of another. They could flee to one of these cities, where their case would be heard and if they were found innocent of murder, they would be spared from the penalty of murder.

This means of dealing with such tragic deaths is a demonstration and means of God’s grace. A fact that we know well, is that accidents happen and sometimes they can have deadly consequences. In certain circumstances a person can cause the death of another and yet be completely innocent of murder, having no malice, plan or desire to kill them, or knowledge that what they were doing would result in that person’s death. God wants the law to be used lawfully and for the good of the nation and the individual. Therefore, He provides a means through which the innocent can be protected from receiving a punishment they are not truly deserving of.

However, as the end of this chapter makes clear, this law is not to be abused, nor should it pervert the course of justice. Those who are clearly guilty of murder must receive the due penalty and punishment. The principle that is being laid down here is that when the law is clearly transgressed, the guilty person must receive the stipulated penalty and there can be no exceptions, free passes, lesser penalties or alternative means of paying for the crime. In the case of deliberate murder, or accidental death the point is that life is precious, it is to be upheld, cherished and protected. Life is so precious and valuable, that no man can buy his way out of murder, whether it be deliberate or accidental. When a person loses their life at the hand of another, there is a consequence, a cost, it cannot be ignored and dismissed. The consequence, the punishment is to be determined in a manner that is just, fair and pleasing in God’s sight.

The design of these commandments is to firstly prevent injustice, secondly to prevent needless and unjust acts of revenge, thirdly to uphold the value of life. Fourthly it serves to protect the poor and oppressed from those who are wealthy or in authority, lest they abuse their power or wealth as a means of escaping justice.

The fifth, and most important design of these commandments is seen in the last two verses. Injustice, needless and unjust acts of revenge and the abuse of power or wealth, leads to oppression, injustice and the shedding of much blood without consequence. When this takes place, it will not be long before that country descends into anarchy. The land would indeed be polluted with much blood, a place where a person’s life could be bought and the guilty escape justice. Such a way of life and society could not be further from being the way of God, the way of life, justice, truth and blessing. It would be the way of evil, sin and selfishness, for these are the breeding grounds of bloodshed and injustice.

Thousands of years have passed since Numbers 25, but God’s commands and designs still apply to us. Life is life no matter where you are in the world. Life is to be valued, cherished, protected and upheld no matter who you may be. There is never a suitable reason or excuse for the deliberate murder of another, just as there is to be a means of justice for those who accidentally take the life of another. We are to love justice and should prize the truth, to the point that justice cannot be bought nor should the truth have a price tag. Our way of life, should be the way set out for us by God, for that leads to life, justice, truth and blessing.

We may not be in positions of power and authority, at times we may feel a sense of helplessness and frustration when injustice is done, when wicked men escape justice. But as far as we are concerned we should seek to walk after God’s way and design, loving, protecting life, prizing the truth and upholding justice in our own lives, whilst praying the God would cause life, justice and truth to be upheld in our land and world.

Finally, for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, this chapter gives us cause to rejoice greatly. We as sinners stand guilty before a righteous and holy God, we are guilty of crimes, evil, acts of sinfulness and offences against God, that are so many in number and so grievous that we could never pay for them all. We are already condemned; such is the extent of our guilt. Yet we who are such condemned sinners, have been set free from the penalty, the punishment of our sins, and have been set free, restored to life, by Christ. We should be deeply humbled by the fact that Christ, God the Son, was willing to become sin, our sin, to stand condemned in our place, so that we might be declared righteous, innocent, blameless and free. We should rejoice and fall to our knees in adoration that Christ, though innocent, surrendered His life into the hands of evil men, so that we who were dead in our trespasses and sins, might receive His perfect life. We should rejoice and offer up constant thanks to God because we who once had polluted our lives and the lives of many others through our sinfulness, have now been cleansed, made completely new by Christ.

God of holiness, truth, justice and life, we bow humbly before Your throne. We recognise that there is none higher than You, and it is before You that all mankind shall have to stand and be judged. Though we may escape justice on earth, we shall never escape Your justice. Help us to love truth, justice and life as much as You do, so that we may walk in the path You have set in place for us. Thank You most of all for Jesus Christ, who bore our sins, who suffered such great injustices, so that we who deserved to be condemned have now been set free. May we rejoice in the knowledge and reality of Christ’s work for us, and declare to others how they too might be saved. Amen.