Month: January 2023

Numbers 35:34 Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit, wherein I dwell: for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel.

Do not defile the Kingdom of God in which you live, and where the Lord lives with you. The context of this chapter is about a man killing another man accidentally and his escaping the Revenger of Blood. The killer must go to a City of Refuge to be safe from the Revenger, if it was an accidental slaying. But if it was deliberate murder he shall suffer the death penalty. Meanwhile, he is safe until witnesses confirm guilt or innocence.

The response of the believer is to pollute not the land, for blood defiles the land. The slaying of an innocent man, whether perpetrator or victim, pollutes. It was lawful for a Revenger of Blood to kill a guilty murderer, but not if he was innocent of premeditation. This law protected that.

The kingdom within must be protected from defilement, for the Holy Lord lives there in the heart. Anger and hatred is murder, and it defiles. When we become angry we have polluted the heart. “Grieve not the Spirit.” Immediately, we respond by entering the city of refuge, which is going to Jesus for cleansing. This we do before the sun goes down. The Christian does not live with defilement, for Jesus’ forgiveness and cleansing is always available.

Numbers 33:52, 55 Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places…And if ye shall not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

A mysterious paradox unfolds in the Story: possess the land God gives. They were to drive out those who were dwelling in the land which God gave. So which is it? How do we possess what God has given? It is both! God gives the kingdom to us for free by grace, and we receive it by faith. It is two sides of the same coin.

But in fact, the reality is that it is all of God. We are saved by grace, nothing of ourselves nor do our works add to the grace gift of salvation. Yet it is through faith that we receive the grace; furthermore, God, the Holy Spirit does the work of giving, granting, planting, and creating faith in our hearts through the power of the Gospel. God freely gives the gift of life and salvation, and He also gives the power to believe it, and receive it and possess it through the hearing of the Word.

God gives it all, from giving the kingdom (grace), to giving the ability to possess it (faith). Even though we do not earn it, merit it, or work for it, we still respond by having, possessing, eternal life. Faith is our response. God puts the kingdom in the heart by grace, for Christ’s sake; however, the Enemies of God dispute with us about ownership of the Kingdom and living in it. Therefore, with God’s help, and only by God doing it, we respond by driving out the spiritual enemies who are occupying the land or trying to occupy the kingdom that is already within the soul. The Kingdom is an occupying force seeking to drive out the spiritual forces of unbelief that try to prevent us from living in the Kingdom and enjoying the blessings of the King.

Jesus overcame and gave us the Kingdom, but as long as we live there will be pricks and thorns. We daily drive them out and destroy false thinking and living.

Numbers 32:23, 25 But if ye will not do so, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commanded.

The 2 1/2 tribes settling east of Jordan Promised to fight with Israel in the west. Moses held them to their promise, and warned them that if they did not keep their word it would be a sin against God. And he further warned: “your sin will find you out.” They responded: “we will do.”

Breaking a promise is similar to lying; one didn’t really mean it. Moses called it a sin and warned that it will be discovered, because sin always has consequences. Bad things result that expose the sin and convict the sinner. The ultimate end will be that Jesus died for the sinner and forgives the sin; we believe the gospel and have life.

Meanwhile, we live in a sinful world, suffering the wages of sin. Faithfulness and trustworthiness are noble and desirable qualities that the Lord works in the believer through the Word. Life runs a lot better when people do what they say, keep promises, and fulfill commitments. But since sinners don’t, society must make laws to enforce commitment. The Christian does not need to be forced, for he responds faithfully to a faithful God. When we fail, we trust in the faithfulness of God, Jesus did it for us.

The rest of the story is that the 2 1/2 tribes did do as they promised.

Numbers 32:11-12 Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I share unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me: Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.

When the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh settled on the conquered land east of the Jordan, Moses was afraid they might not cross over to fight with the rest of Israel. If so, they would discourage the heart of children of Israel. Moses then recounted how their fathers, the ten spies, discouraged Israel from entering the land. Thus none of them would see the Promised Land, from the age of twenty and upward. Their punishment was because they could not believe God, trust the Lord, or courageously follow Him

Numbers 30:2 If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

Keep your promises! Be a man of your word. One is not required to make a vow or swear an oath, but if he does, he must keep his promise. We do properly make vows and oaths in marriage, in court, and in legal contracts; but other than that, it is probably more prudent not make a promise we can’t or won’t keep than to make a promise and break it.

Keeping promises is vital to developing trust and to keeping relationships smooth. Marriages and families depend on it for life and wellbeing. We may take a vow, swear an oath, or make a promise for many reasons. We keep our promises because God keeps His promises to us. This is our response to His faithfulness. Faithfulness and honesty are marks of a godly man or woman who believes in Jesus. What we say matters; and God takes it seriously. The bottom line in our response to the affairs of life: we don’t make promises lightly or swear in uncertain matters, but if we do we keep our promise. Responding in faith to God’s faithfulness makes life better.

Numbers 29:39 These things ye shall do unto the Lord in your set feasts, beside your vows, and your free will offerings, for your burnt offerings, and for tpyour meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your peace offerings.

The Fall of the year was to be a special season of Feasts and celebrations, in the seventh month (Sept-Oct): New Year, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles. There were to be many offerings and sacrifices during this period. All of these offerings were done in thankful, believing response to what God has done and what He has given. They were not good works seeking favor, since Grace was already given. They were done for the worshipper to remind and remember, to thank and praise, to believe and receive.

God does not forgive because you made a sacrifice. He forgives because Jesus made the sacrifice. Worship, thanks, praise, prayer, giving, loving, serving, and doing good works are all offerings and sacrifices that we do in response to what God has done for us. Our whole life is response to God; our family, friends, and neighbors get the benefit.

We go to church to receive the blessings of God by means of the Gospel. For this reason church worship is more properly called Divine Service (God’s service to us, not our service to Him). Worship is our response, celebrating His Gifts and Service. So for the OT believers the daily sacrifices and seasonal feasts were to remember and receive God’s Promise of a Savior. The sacrificing was done for the worshipper’s benefit, not for God’s; it reminded him of the Gospel.

Numbers 28:2 Command the children of Israel, and say unto them My offering, and my bread for my sacrifices made by fire, for a sweet savour unto me, shall ye observe to offer unto me in their due season..

There follows in chapter 28 a detailed description regarding what to offer, when and how often to make sacrifices, and how to do it. Every ordinary day God’s people were to sacrifice two lambs, one in the morning and one in the evening, in addition to the several sacrifices on special days, along with a grain offering and a drink offering. The daily sacrifices were a sweet savor to the Lord, because they came from a repentant and believing heart to which God could could show unimpeded love.

We don’t make blood sacrifices any more since the One Sacrifice of Christ is once for all sins and all people of all time. However, because of that Sacrifice we gladly, thankfully, and willingly offer our goods and services to the Lord and sacrifice our time and energy for the good of others. Every good work we do carries a sweet savor to the Lord and a pleasant fragrance to others around us.

It is good, right, and salutary that we respond to Law and Gospel, Sin and Grace, by remembering, at least twice a day, the Sacrifice of Christ for our sin and for our forgiveness, life, and salvation. Our daily sacrifices remember His sacrifice through sincere repentance and trusting faith. Then we live each day.

Numbers 27:22-23 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.

God told Moses he was going to die before entering the land. Moses responded to God’s word by appointing Joshua to be his successor to lead the people into the Promised Land. God chose Joshua to lead, and Moses obeyed God’s command. He took Joshua, set him before the people, laid his hands on him, and gave him a charge. Just as Moses was a faithful servant of the Lord, carrying out God’s will as His instrument, so also he was humble enough to turn over the leadership to another man after God’s heart.

After all Moses had been through, serving the Lord by listening to Him and leading Israel to the brink of the Promised Land, now he had to give up the reins to someone else. This is not an easy thing for a man to do, but his love for and trust in God won out over his own self-importance. This process of handing over was crucial to the successful finish of God’s Mission. Joshua was the right man, for God chose him and qualified him. Moses complied.

The Lord responded to the crisis of leadership by appointing a man who could lead the people in battle and care for their needs. Without a Joshua there would be no Moses. Let the lord see to the continuation of the mission, the church, and even the family. We entrust the succeeding generations to the Lord.

Numbers27:13-14 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin.

When God’s time has come for a believer to die and go to be with the Lord, he is prepared and ready to go. We respond to the Gospel of salvation by always being prepared. Since we repent daily and believe the Gospel we are always ready. We do this by daily repentance and faith in the Gospel. Not a day goes by that we don’t make sure that we in the Faith. Being prepared for death by receiving life makes daily living richer and fuller. Moses was ready, as the Lord prepared him, although he still had more work and preaching to do (Deuteronomy).

The term “gathered to your people” is a euphemism for “die.” This term is used for all the Patriarchs of Genesis. It does not mean the bodies are placed in the same tomb, but it implies that the souls of faithful believers will be reunited with believing ancestors and loved ones. Moses will be joining the group that is presently with God, also known as his people. This promise of God is one way that we know we will be together with believing family members who have passed on. This promise is also for us today, and for this reason we respond by always being ready.

The eternal promise is good for Moses, even though he rebelled in the matter of the water of Meribah. As good as Moses was, he still was a sinner against God’s command. The consequence was that he was barred from entering the Promised Land. But that did not keep him from forgiveness and eternal life.

Numbers 25:7-8 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went after the man of Israel in his tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

Israel had committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and worshipped their gods. God grew angry and sent a plague, from which 24,000 died. One man and a foreign woman boldly walked through the camp to his tent. Phinehas was zealous for God and killed the man and the woman. Then the plague was stayed. The bold action of one pious and zealous believer turned away God’s wrath. This drastic action took courage and faith, not to mention a jealous love for God.

It is no accident that zealous and jealous are similar words. Both arise from a flaming love. God’s limitless and unconditional love for His redeemed people makes Him jealous of our worship of other gods. The Christian’s thankful love for his Savior God makes him zealous for God alone above all others. Extreme love is the common bond between Jesus and me. 1 John 4:19: “We love because loved us.”

It may seem a bit over the top to do what Phinehas did, but he killed sin, like Jesus on the cross, and let God’s Love come through. We take sin seriously so that we die to self daily and rise to new life.