February 9–Numbers 11-14

“I have pardoned them according to your word, but indeed. . .(those) who have put Me to the test these ten times and not listened to my voice, shall by no means see the land which I swore to their fathers”(14:20, 22).

Sad story. Familiar. Instructive. Kadesh-barnea.

Once again, the people of God refuse to believe. Listening to the contagious fears from the spy committee report, choosing to focus on the dangers rather than on a trust-worthy God, they “put Him to the test” (demand that He prove Himself. Again).

Panic is the opposite of self-denial. Loyal to their feelings and fears, the people were disloyal to God. Dear reader, do you know this story from your own experience? I certainly do. Sin is ungrateful. Selfish. Immature. Rebellious. A childish tantrum.

Eventually, by the intercession of Moses, God pardons. He also, however, punishes. He pardons in the sense that the nation will not be destroyed. He punishes in the sense that individuals are held accountable. The God who reveals Himself in Scripture, the true God, is slow to anger but does not leave the guilty unpunished. It is a great mistake to underestimate His fierce anger. See God’s own words regarding Himself in Exodus 34:7.

Cats have nine lives. Batters get three swings. Israel put God to the test ten times. The infinite and wise God keeps track of our stubbornness and knows the threshold of His own patience. He is no enabler. At a certain fearful point, and with the perfect balance of love and justice, discipline comes. See 14:34.

Some teach that grace carries no condemnation. If you mean no possibility of discipline, I deny it. Godly fear should drive us back to Him in confession and repentance and trust. Read David in Psalm 51 as an example of God’s plan and path for the believer who sins.

As you read Numbers 11-14 this morning, will you consider that God is both forgiving and fierce? As He fills the world with His glory, discipline will be part of His administration. This being so, with what urgency and fear should we seek Him?

“For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives”(Hebrews 12:6).

February 8–Numbers 8-10

“Now in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month, the cloud was lifted from over the tabernacle of testimony; and the sons of Israel set out on their journeys from the wilderness of Sinai”(10:11-12).

It was a new day! Exciting! Having stayed for months at Sinai, having learned much from the Lord, the people woke one day to discover the cloud was moving! Without any warning, a new part of their journey began.

With reverence and hope, the people quickly packed and moved out in the prescribed order. Judah first. Then Isaachar. Then Zebulun. . . The tabernacle was taken down and carried forward in the line of march. What a spectacular sight it must have been! A new nation marching toward, ”a place that God will show you.”

We all come to such moments. Long enough at one place, in one stage of maturity, with familiar set of ideas about God and ourselves, in the Lord, the time will come for us to get forward. To change. To grow.

Paul spoke of this moment and the attitude required. “Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on. . .for the prize”(Philippians 3:13).

Are you ready, dear reader? Ready to embrace the inevitable and uncomfortable feelings that come with change? Are you willing? Courageous? Hopeful? Is your heart resolved to “not look back” as Lot’s wife did, with disastrous results?

The Savior is our example. “For the joy set before Him,” says Hebrews 12:2, indicating His intense focus on the Father and future, as He pressed toward the cross.

Progress is not really an option. It is, however, a choice of faith. Dear reader, as the Spirit beckons, will you let go of the past, its victories and its failures, and get forward with the Lord?

“For all that has been, thanks! For all that shall be, yes!” (Dag Hammarskjold).

“Lead on, O King eternal, the day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents shall be our home. Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song”(Ernest Shurtleff).

“When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them”(Acts 16:10).

February 7–Numbers 6-7

“The Lord bless you, and keep you; The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace”(Numbers 6:24-26).

For a moment, will you consider the possibility of God’s favor, God’s friendship, God’s blessing? Will you allow your heart to dream this highest good for yourself and others? What would life be?

The words have lost their original significance in our day. We say, “God bless you,” when someone sneezes! To Moses, however, they were words of fresh power and hope. He pronounced and prayed them over the people of Israel. The highest possibility of life!

“May His face shine on you,” he prayed with vivid imagery. Moses pictured the smile of an infinitely powerful God resting on the families of Israel. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”(1 Corinthians 2:9).

The blessings of God come to us from His heart. We do not earn His affection. We learn it. Receive it. The blessings of God come to those who seek Him. When the favor of God is on us, others notice it. Remember Potiphar’s insight into Joseph? “His master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand” (Genesis 39:3). God’s blessing should be our prayer for our children. God’s blessing should set our political choices. It should be our first goal personally and our highest ambition nationally.

This morning, as you read Numbers 6-7, will you consider the HUGE and HOLY possibilities of life under the favor of God? Will you pray the Numbers 6 prayer for yourself? For others?

“The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend” (Aristotle).

Readers Notes: Our text today also describes the vow of the Nazirite (nazir, Hebrew, to dedicate or consecrate). Important decision in Israel! Lay people, men and women, dedicating themselves to God’s service, following outlined requirements. Sometimes a promise taken for a short season, sometimes for a lifetime. See Samson (Judges 13). Samuel (1 Samuel 1:9-11). John the Baptist (Luke 1:15, 80). Paul (Acts 18:18). Why do you think God gave life-style restrictions to people who were dedicating themselves to His service? In what ways might a similar vow be beneficial in our day?

February 6–Numbers 4-5

“Take a census. . .from among the sons of Levi. . .all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting”(4:2-3).

“Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”(Acts 13:2).

In His dealings with us, God assigns certain tasks to certain people. The Bible calls this, “setting apart,” (a Greek word that means, “to mark off, to distinguish.”) It is less a distinction of value than of task. In some ways, Christianity is a team sport. In many ways, it isn’t.

Essential truth! We do not all have the same assignment. He has made each of us for a specific, unique work. He does not consult with us in these matters, He commands us. He is Head of the church and makes no apology for being so. We get our assignments from Him. From Him we also receive the reward.

Numbers 4-5 is an early example of this pattern of grace. The Levites were one of twelve tribes. As the Lord assigned the other tribes places in the camp, He assigned the Levites the care, operation and transport of the Tabernacle. If the people were to war, they must first worship. If they were to worship, someone had to do the preparation and work required for worship to take place.

Dear reader, as you consider this ancient story, will you see this continuing pattern of grace in your church? Will you thank God for setting apart people as worship leaders, worship workers? Will you consider communicating with them your appreciation for their faithfulness and the benefits that come to you and your family?

Will you also embrace this truth by learning YOUR own unique and valuable assignment? He has given us separate tasks, individually specific gifts. He sets us apart. Will you take up your assignment and do it with joy?

“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit. . .But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills”(1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

 “He gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ. . .according to the proper working of each individual part” (Ephesians 4:11-12, 16).

February 5–Numbers 1-3

Readers Notes: The book of Numbers takes its English name from two “numberings” of the nation. A first census was taken at Sinai before the great journey toward the promised land. A second was taken at Moab forty years later. The goal was to determine the number of men available for combat. Very instructive reading! These chapters describe the process and problems faced as the people of God get organized to accomplish the purposes of God.

“Take a census of all the congregation, by their families. . .from twenty years old and upward, whoever is able to go out to war”(1:2-3).

Order and organization are part of God’s nature and character. It is a principle revealed in creation. The change of seasons declares it. Summer. Fall. Winter. Spring. The physical world testifies to a God of order and pattern and process. Our great Creator does not sponsor chaos.

In the first chapters of the book of Numbers, God instructs Moses to “number” the people with particular interest to the men 20 years and older. Not organization for its own sake. Purpose here. Preparation for things to come.

God numbers them by tribe. Each tribe is given an assignment–where they will camp, what place each will take in the line when it becomes necessary to move forward. Authority and submission are principles of God’s government and grace. Much good comes to the believer who realizes how soldier-like his calling is.

We see this same pattern in the New Testament church. Each of us created in Christ with specific gifts for service, all of us assigned places in the body. He organizes us for unity. See 1 Corinthians 12. “Divided we stand, is not something that anyone says,” reminds Manuel Corazzari. As each of us take our place, the church is strong.

Are you willing to be numbered? Will you be counted? Can you be counted on? Are you willing to be assigned a place (and without any consultation as to your preference)? Flesh has a tendency to resist authority of every kind. Do you accept the leaders God places above you and the roles they assign? Part of God’s way with His people is to get us organized as part of a team.

“Now this is the Law of the Jungle–as old and as true as the sky; and the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the Law runneth forward and back. The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack”(Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book).

February 4–Leviticus 26-27

“If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will bear fruit. Indeed, your threshing will last until grape gathering, and grape gathering until sowing time”(26:3-5).

Some of God’s promises to Israel are unique to them (not universally true for all believers in all generations). Even so, the general promise of God’s blessing applies to every nation that walks in accordance with His will. “Then I will make your way prosperous,” says Joshua 1:8.

Americans, rightly rejoice in a legacy of religious liberty. The freedom to worship God according to conscience is a treasure. What this political idea does NOT mean, however (and must never), is that a nation is free from the need for God or the consequences of its God-choices. Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion. To ignore God is the most foolish thing a nation can do.

In 1680, Joachim Neander wrote the words of the hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”. The words of the third stanza are instructive. “Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee; surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee; ponder anew what the Almighty can do, if with His love He befriend thee.”

As you read today’s text, consider the promises to Israel for obedience (26:1-13). Consider also the promised penalties for disobedience (26:14-39). Note that many of these blessings and/or curses are revealed psychologically, in courage or anxiety. “You will flee when no one is pursuing you.”

Would you have courage, dear one? A clear conscience and the material assistance of heaven? You must return to God. We all must. Grace does not make obedience unnecessary. Grace makes it possible, and all the blessings that come with it.

“How blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”(Psalm 33:13).

“God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? (Ben Franklin).

February 3–Leviticus 23-25

As God designs the society of Israel, He carefully calendars the celebrations. “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” says Nehemiah to the rebuilders of Jerusalem. In God’s plan, religious joy (a joy that rises from a restored/renewed relationship with Him) is not left to chance or mood. He designates times His people are to rest and remember and rejoice. He commands that we do so!

10 Feasts are listed in today’s reading. 1) Sabbath–the 7th day of every week. 2)Passover–a day in early spring followed by the 3)Feast of Unleavened Bread (7 day celebration). 4)First Fruits–the beginning of Harvest. 5)Weeks–50 days later, which we know as Pentecost. 6)Trumpets –now known as Rosh Hashanah. 7) The Day of Atonement–highest celebration of all. 8)Tabernacles (Booths)–a time for families to build shelters and live outdoors to remember the wilderness journey. 9)The Sabbath year and the 10)Year of Jubilee.

Will you imagine the impact of these joyful celebrations on God’s people? Will you reckon the power of these memories on the children of the camp? With great wisdom, our Lord refuses religion that is narrow or negative. Joy is His wise will for us. With wisdom and kindness, He commands occasions of worship and praise.

Do you know grumpy Christians? Are you one yourself? If so, a significant surrender to God’s gracious government is required. “Rejoice always, again I will say it, rejoice!” says Paul in Philippians 4:4.

If God called you to set aside your sorrow for a definite period of time (a day or a week), if He commanded you to let something be more important than how you feel, would you do it? If He instructed you to put your stress and sorrow on hold, to plan for joy (both in terms of calendar and concentration), would you trust and obey Him?

” I’m trading my sorrows, I’m trading my shame, I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord” (Evans Darrell Patton).

“Joy is the serious business of Heaven”(C. S. Lewis).

February 2–Leviticus 19-22

“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (19:2).

Do you believe it possible? Desirable? Can a society be godly? Individual believers, churches and cities and nations? In Scripture, God reveals His will and plan. Humans are to walk in union with His character. Every aspect of life is to be holy.

As the Lord spoke to Moses (Leviticus 19-21), this GREAT VISION became clear. Human life is to receive and reflect the virtues of Heaven. “On earth as it is in heaven,” said our Savior.

Business, government, marriage, agriculture, immigration policy, family life, all are to be ordered by our reverence for God’s character and will. In a godly society, we will be respectful of parents and generous toward the poor and the alien. (Leviticus 19:10 will later be a needed provision for Ruth in her poverty. See Ruth 2.) We will be law-abiding. We will be honest in business. We will be sexually pure. We will love our neighbors. These standards and virtues will be true of us because they are true of Him.

It is the same grand vision reflected in Proverb 3:6. “In all your ways acknowledge Him.” Nothing omitted. The public square and private choice, no part of life compartmentalized from God.

A secular (human-centered) world falls miserably short of this grand dream. This present age focuses on personal liberty and human choice rather than God. The first priority and highest loyalty of this faulty system is self. We are paying a high price for this error. School shootings. Babies sacrificed daily to unrestrained sexual activity. Gender confusion. Anger and disunity and anxiety. “When men do not fear God, they give themselves to evil” (Ray Comfort).

Holy people, living with Him, living like Him. This is God’s plan for the human race! Dear friend, do you believe this godly vision? Will you commit yourself to this kingdom and pray it for yourself and others?

“What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness. . .They would be saved by Christ and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly state. . .They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love, in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against Him without any fear of punishment”(Walter Marshall, 1692, quoted in Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness).

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7).

February 1–Leviticus 16-18:

“This shall be a permanent statute for you. . .for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (16:29-30).

Leviticus 16 describes the Day of Atonement. Unique day in Israel. Holy. Exacting rules. Deeply symbolic. It was the foundation of Israel’s relationship to God and a beautiful prediction of Christ on the cross. In all of Israel’s history, God was constantly preparing them for the fuller revelation to come in the Savior.

As High Priest, Aaron bathed and dressed in white linen. He was a picture of our Great High Priest, Jesus in His spotless holiness. In preparation, Aaron sacrificed a bull for his own sins and those of his household and carried the blood inside the veil to sprinkle before the throne of God.

Coming out, he took two goats. One was chosen to represent Jehovah. The death of this goat satisfied the demands of God’s holy nature and confessed that God had been offended and ignored, disobeyed and dishonored. The death of this goat was symbolic payment for this debt, the blood carried inside the veil and presented before the Holy One.

Aaron then took the second goat. This goat represented the people. On the head of this scapegoat, Aaron laid his hands and confessed ALL the sins of the nation. ALL of them. The animal was, then, led away into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

Majestic and solemn picture! Did the people feel the relief as their sins were led away? Did they understand the price–the death of the innocent and the intercession of a great High Priest? Do we? Because God so often uses pictures to communicate His promises, I encourage you to mentally create the picture of this lonely goat being led out into the wilderness. Draw an actual picture if it helps you. Your sins have been carried away from you so that you can be (are) clean. Imagine! Understand! Receive! Trust!

“Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea; a great High Priest, whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me. Because the sinless Savior died, my sinful soul is counted free; for God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me”(Charitie Lees Bancroft).

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us”(Psalm 103:12).

January 31–Leviticus 14-15

“He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:46).

“This is the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing” (Leviticus 14:2).

It was a fearful responsibility for the priests. Never to be exercised lightly. When a person had leprosy, in order to protect others from contamination, it was the priest’s duty to EXCLUDE the leprous man from the camp of Israel.

Sadly, as it touches public health, we understand this dreadful necessity. The English word quarantine (Italian, quarantina, “forty days”) comes from the ancient practice of isolating people and animals arriving in a port in order to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Leprosy, however, is more than an infectious skin disease. It is also a symbol for sin. As we read Leviticus 14-15, we must ask ourselves, “Are we as diligent and decisive with spiritual disease as we are with physical?” Do we confront gossip or just walk away? Do we grieve over immorality, or say, “It is none of my business”? Like leprosy, sin is not only an issue of personal choice, but also one of public health.

In Revelation 2, Jesus confronts His people with these words, “I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel. . .who teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality” (v. 20, italics mine). Ironic, isn’t it? The world celebrates tolerance. The Savior often regards it as failure.

Thankfully, the priests also had another duty. Their great privilege was to certify when a person was “clean”. If the church is tasked to be unbending with sin (and we are), we are also called to hold up the hope of God’s great mercy! Leprosy was a hopeless condition, but not with God! “Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal” (Thomas Moore).

Two birds declared this hope with beautiful balance and symbolism. See 14:1-9. One bird was sacrificed (picture of Christ on the cross), and the other was allowed to fly away (symbol of new life and freedom that comes to us in Christ).

Friend, do we treat sin like a disease? Are we strong against it? Do we with equally strong voice shout the good news that nothing is incurable for God? We are the people of both quarantine and cure!

“But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Ephesians 5:3).

“Come every soul, by sin oppressed, there’s mercy with the Lord; and He will surely give you rest by trusting in His word” (John Stockton).