Posts that reference the book of Numbers

A Study in Contrasts: The Spies

Study in Contrasts The Spies title graphic

The spies reported “But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.” Numbers 13:28 (NIV)

You may remember from beginning grammar that conjunctions are words that connect words or ideas. “But” is the conjunction that joins contrasting ideas. When “but” appears in Scripture, it highlights something God wants us to notice, to learn from. We’re looking at some of these contrasts.

In Numbers 13, the nation of Israel is poised to enter the Promised Land. Moses sent a team of twelve spies to check out the land in preparation for its conquest. On their return, they gave Moses their report: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.” Numbers 13:27

In other words, the land is everything God promised it would be. It is beautiful. It is fruitful. BUT… The people are powerful. The cities are fortified. There are giants.

That report is enough to make the people decide they don’t want any part of the Promised Land.

As the narrative continues in chapter 14, Joshua makes a last-ditch effort to encourage the people to take hold of the land God is giving them.

If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. Numbers 14:8-10 (NIV)

Joshua said, “Do not be afraid. The Lord is with us.” BUT the people wanted to stone him for suggesting that.

This moment represents one of the greatest failures in Scripture, and the lessons we can take away are important.

A sense of entitlement is destructive – It hadn’t been that long ago that the nation of Israel were slaves in Egypt. Most recently, they have been dependent on God for their provision as they trekked across the desert. Now they presume to treat the gracious gift of a homeland and the abiding presence of God with the critical eye of a used car buyer. They were critical, ungrateful, and rebellious. Joshua was right. The Promised Land lay before them. All they had to do was step out in faith. They chose to sit back in hard-heartedness.

If we aren’t careful, we can nitpick God’s grace. We can determine He really doesn’t care. He really isn’t good. His gifts aren’t great and we deserve more.

Leaders who don’t follow God can lead us astray – The ten spies were handpicked representatives of their tribes. They were well-respected, but they were completely wrong. Not only that, but their report was designed and delivered to maximize its impact. Scripture doesn’t record their motive. We don’t know if they were looking to push Moses out or if they were genuinely opposed to taking the land. But clearly they lacked faith in God and His promises.

We can embrace leaders who are more pragmatic than Kingdom-minded. Joshua, Caleb, and Moses returned again and again to God’s clear commands and His character. The other spies were pushing comfort, safety, and ease, but ultimately disobedience.

We have to trust God more than we trust our own assessment of the situation -The ten spies were not wrong. The people of Canaan were powerful warriors. The cities were well-fortified. There were giants. However, like Joshua said, “But the LORD is with us.”

Carrying out the gospel, making disciples, living like Jesus day in and day out is a difficult assignment. There is no question about that. Culture is hostile. Temptations are a real struggle. The enemy is active and fights dirty. But the LORD is with us. The Holy Spirit lives in us and Jesus promised that we will reap if we don’t faint.

Don’t be like the spies. Be like Joshua. Be bold. Cling to His promises. Encourage others to do the same.

Next week: David

Hebron: A Promise Kept

By Paula Wiseman

long shot of mount hebron today with post title

And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Joshua 14:13

When Israel reached the border of Canaan, Moses sent twelve men in to survey the land in preparation for taking it. Caleb was one of those men. In spite of the failure of Israel there at Kadesh-Barnea, God promised Caleb that the land he surveyed would be given to him as his inheritance. In Joshua 14, after the conquest of the land, Caleb came to Joshua to claim that inheritance, including Mount Hebron. There is a city called Hebron as well. The mountain is more of a ridge or group of hills than a distinct peak. The city sits a little over 3000 above sea level.

So what happened at Hebron?

A promise realized – Forty-five years after God declared Hebron would be his, Caleb saw that fulfilled. Forty-five years. It’s tempting to shake our heads and wonder what good the promise is if you have to wait so long to see it kept. But it is a reminder that God is working an eternal plan, not a temporal one. The here and now is not nearly as important as the there and then. God, however, is as faithful to a forty-year promise as He is an eternal one.

A commitment affirmed – Hebron is evidence of Caleb’s whole-hearted commitment to follow God. It was a commitment that did not waver even when he and Joshua were the only two people in the entire nation who believed God would give Israel the land. Even when the nation demanded his death by stoning for the mere suggestion. Our commitment wavers in the face of far, far less opposition.

A reward received – In Joshua 14:9, Caleb reminds Joshua, So Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ This was a restatement of God’s own declaration in Numbers 14:24. We don’t serve God for what we get out of it. That was Satan’s premise in his attacks on Job. However, it is undeniable that God takes note and rewards faithful obedience to Him. He rewards us with the intangible wonder of knowing Him more intimately, with the riches of His grace. At times, He rewards with the more tangible as a testimony to His goodness.

A new challenge undertaken – Caleb had no illusions about Hebron. He knew the Anakim, the giants, were there. He knew the cities were strong and fortified. But he also knew that God had kept him alive and strong, and if God continued to be with him, he would drive the Anakim out. Sometimes God responds to faithfulness, not with a promise of leisure, but the next –greater– task. May we meet them like Caleb, assured that the God who brought us to it, will bring us through it.

Read all the Mountains series

When God Told Moses ‘No’

By Paula Wiseman

But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter. Deuteronomy 3:26

No one likes to be told “no,” whether it’s asking for time off, looking for volunteers, or seeing if there’s one last piece of cake left. It is even more significant, sometimes even faith-shattering, when we hear “no” from God. Somewhere along the line, we’ve grabbed on to an idea that because God loves us, He’s supposed to answer us with a ‘yes.’ The reality is God often says ‘no,’ and we can learn a lot about ourselves and our relationship with God in those times.

In Numbers 20, Moses is instructed to take up his rod and then speak to the rock there and God would provide water for the nation of Israel. Instead, Moses hit the rock … twice. In verse 12, God decrees that neither Moses nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land with the nation. Now that’s a rich account in itself, but let’s jump ahead to Deuteronomy 3.

Then I pleaded with the LORD at that time, saying … I pray, let me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those pleasant mountains, and Lebanon.’ But the LORD was angry with me on your account, and would not listen to me. So the LORD said to me: ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me of this matter.’ Deuteronomy 3:23-26

Moses earnestly, sincerely asked God to reconsider, to allow him to lead Israel into Canaan. And God said no. No, and don’t bring it up again. A cursory reading might give the impression that God is needlessly harsh and intractable. However, if we consider the exchange more carefully we find out God reveals quite a bit about Himself and His dealings with His people.

God’s holiness cannot disregard defamation. At Meribah, (besides the Christ-typology in the water from the rock) Moses communicated to Israel through his own short-tempered frustration was that God was put out with meeting the needs of His people, that He was weary of hearing their requests, that it was a hassle to fulfill the very things He had promised. God cannot simply let such distortion and disrespect slide. He didn’t then with Moses and He won’t now with us.

Intimacy with God doesn’t bring privilege. Moses enjoyed an amazingly intimate relationship with God, a fact Yahweh acknowledged in Numbers 12. “I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. “ Numbers 12:8. I admit, reading the exchange in Deuteronomy, my reaction is, “But God, it’s MOSES… and it’s the PROMISED LAND…” But the standards God holds us to apply equally to all of us. Those who cultivate a close relationship with the Almighty are not afforded Teacher’s Pet status. We are all equally bound to obedience. Even Moses.

Grace doesn’t grant presumption. God is gracious beyond measure and understanding. However, His grace is dispensed in line with His will and His purposes and always reflects His character and His holiness. Because God is gracious and has demonstrated the grace to us doesn’t give us place to presume on that grace. The idea that we can do what we want – even if that is giving in to frustration like Moses – and then God will forgive us later because He’s gracious is contrary to the declaration that He is Lord. He is in no way obligated to show grace or to forgive. Grace, by definition, is a gift, an undeserved one. That’s what makes it amazing.

Another result of this ‘no’ was the increased humility and transparency it brought out in Moses. Since the exchange with God was private, Moses could have kept it quiet. Israel would have never known. However, in the book of Deuteronomy, he very candidly reveals what God said, and he doesn’t hide his grief and disappointment. Moses was a great leader, though, and he understood that leading Israel out of Egypt was not just a matter of geography or socioeconomics. It was a process of replacing false notions about God with revealed truth, even if the revelation came from hard circumstances.

Moses wasn’t the only one who heard God say, ‘No.’ Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at a few of them, beginning with David next week.

Consider a time when God told you ‘no.’ What was your reaction? What did you learn from the experience?

A Lesson about Speaking God’s Words from a Rotten Prophet

By Paula Wiseman

Balaam was a freelance prophet operating in and around Moab. He claimed to have insight into what the local gods were thinking and he could pass that information on to anyone who asked … if the price was right. Yes, speaking God’s words, any god’s words, was a good gig. When Balak, king of Moab, contacted him to curse Israel, he saw a tremendous opportunity. How great would that be for business? Consulted by a king. So, not to look too eager and instead more prophet-y, he had the king’s messengers wait overnight while he consulted with Yahweh. You know, people who know Him call Him that.

But the thing was, it actually fit with God’s plan that Balaam speak His message. So He came to Balaam with the injunction to go and speak only the words he was given. I imagine Balaam’s unrecorded response was something along the lines of, “Look, I’ve been a prophet for a while. I know how the game works. You speak the words from the gods the hearers want to hear and everybody goes home happy.”

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. Numbers 22:31

Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes. Ironic, isn’t it? The “seer.” The one who claimed special knowledge and understanding. The prophet who had his finger on the pulse of all that the gods were thinking, all they required or desired. He got his eyes opened by the One True God.

Balaam shows us that speaking for God is not a game. It’s not a means to personal gain. It’s not a way to enhance your reputation or standing. But the cautions are not just for leaders and teachers. Claiming you’ve prayed about something is not a way to justify what you planned to do anyway. You can’t bend God’s words to meet the demands of politics or culture or ambition. You can’t put words in God’s mouth. And you can’t leave out the ones you don’t like.

Although many try.

May we learn from Balaam’s terrible example. May God open our eyes to who He is before we open our mouths.

Study Tip: Peace

By Paula Wiseman

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

In what some writers have called Jesus’s last will and testament, He bestows His peace on His disciples. Let’s take a few moments and consider what an awesome gift this is.

The word peace is the Greek word eirene. (You probably recognize the name, Irene, in the word.) Of course, this is a translation of the Hebrew word shalom. It encompasses all the following:

An end to enmity with God and a restoration of the relationship.
Relief from wondering where we stand before God.
Calm reassurance in the most trying circumstances.
Dissipation of fear.
Harmony in our relationships with those around us.
Stillness in the midst of the noise of the world.
A foretaste of the eternal rest that awaits us.
A confident knowledge that it is complete and irrevocable.

So in John 14:27, Jesus, our great High Priest assures us His peace is a free gift resulting from His sacrifice. It isn’t meted out based on our work or worthiness or even proof that we have or will use it wisely.

Now compare it to the last line of Aaron’s blessing on Israel. Because he was the High Priest, when Aaron spoke these words, he was pronouncing the blessing of Jehovah Himself.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. Numbers 6:27

It conveys the idea of living under the full measure of His grace, favor, joy, and protection. He is the Father whose delight in us is boundless.

Spanning the Old and New Testament, peace is the summation of our relationship with God. It weaves together what He’s done for us, all that’s is available to us now and what we look forward to. As you study, be on the lookout for the word peace and take to heart the things you learn. In your daily life be ever more mindful of His peace.

Study Tip: God’s Love

By Paula Wiseman

Since Valentine’s Day is this week, let’s do a quick study of God’s love.

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3

The Bible has a lot to say about love. In fact, after God or Jesus, love probably has more entries in your concordance than anything else. Love originates with God. He defines it and He embodies it. Interestingly, the first mention of the word love is a father’s love. It comes in Genesis 22 referring to Abraham’s love for Isaac.

The Bible uses two unique words to try to describe God’s love for us.

In the Old Testament, writers chose the word hesed. It’s usually translated mercy, lovingkindness, steadfast love or unfailing love. Wrapped up in that one word is the idea that we, in our weakness, rest in the protection and blessing of God. He offers it with a generous unyielding commitment, not borne of obligation but of choice. It is God’s particular love for His chosen people. Psalm 136 uses hesed in its refrain.

In the New Testament, we see agape used. It’s the unshakeable, sacrificial love that prompts action. It’s the love that initiated the plan of salvation, the love that caused Jesus to die for us and the love the causes us to obey God and serve others in grace.

While you could easily devote your life to studying, meditating on and basking in the love of God, here are a few verses worth considering, but keep in mind, hesed, may be translated any number of ways.

Exodus 15:17
Numbers 14:18-19
Psalm 5:7
Psalm 103:8-11

John 14:15
1 John 4:9-10 (pretty much the whole book of 1 John)
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 2:4
Romans 13:8

What do these verses tell you about love? About God? About us? What actions does love prompt God to take? What should love lead us to do?