"Ungrateful Betrayal"

Scripture Passage

Numbers 25-26:65

(One Representation of Baal)

Scripture Focus

While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD’s anger to blaze against his people. (Numbers 25:1-3 NLT)

Observation

Yeah, I know—if today’s passage were a movie, no one under 17 would be admitted without a parent or guardian. (One more evidence that those who consider the Bible prudish probably haven’t read it!)

The thing to know about today’s passage is that it wasn’t “just” the sexual relations going on that were problematic—though the Scriptures clearly confine sexual activity to the marriage relationship, and that wasn’t the case here. The problem was that what’s happening here was the worship of a foreign, false god!

Canaanite pagan worship often involved what’s called “sympathetic” magic—acting out in ways you wish to prompt the worshipped god to act. (Voodoo dolls are an example of this.) So in a culture where both seed and livestock had to reproduce in order for society to survive, temple prostitution and ritual sexual acts were part of the worship of (in this case) the false god Baal. “In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor…” (Numbers 25:3 NLT)

The same thing happens in verse 6—though the language is stronger than what’s represented in some translations. This act involves not just “a” Midianite woman but specifically “the” Midianite woman—likely the high priestess of this false faith. And it may not be “his” tent the woman was brought into, but “the” tent—the Tent of Meeting, the Tabernacle—at which this heinous act took place…in the sight of Moses and all the people as God’s judgment was still being carried out from the previous offense! The more you know, the more reasonable Phinehas’ actions seem to be.

So the grumbling against God that has characterized so much of the Israelites’ existence since leaving Egypt has now shifted to the worship of false gods. It makes me wonder how much the latter is a product of the former—how much Israel’s failure to maintain an “attitude of gratitude” (when they had every reason to be eternally grateful) helped spur them towards the disloyalty they show here to the one true God who had so lovingly “carried them on eagles wings and brought them to himself” (Exodus 19:4).

And, yep, I wonder about myself…about the ways I fail to live in gratitude to God for His manifold blessings and—as a result—fall to easily into shifting loyalties towards false and foreign gods.

“The Problematic Pagan Prophet”

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 22:1-24:25

Scripture Focus

I see him, but not here and now.
     I perceive him, but far in the distant future.
A star will rise from Jacob;
     a scepter will emerge from Israel.
It will crush the foreheads of Moab’s people,
     cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth.
                                          (Numbers 24:17 NLT)

Observation

Let’s face it—Balaam’s a bit problematic. Even if today’s passage were the only scriptural reference to Balaam, questions about Balaam abound. How is it that God uses a pagan prophet? Is that really what’s going on here? Why does God first tell Balaam not to respond to Balak’s request and then, later, seem to allow it, and then, later still, rebuke Balaam along the way by means of a talking donkey?

(As a father, I have an opinion on that. I’ve told my children “no” before, and then conceded, and then reinforced with them the reasons for my initial denial. I think that’s what’s going on here. God to Balaam, “Alright, go if you insist—you’re free to choose—but understand you’re to speak *nothing* but what I tell you!”)

Beyond this passage, there must be more to the story of Balaam than Scripture reveals in detail, because he is described in the New Testament as one who “loved the wages of wickedness” (2 Peter 2:15 NIV) and one who “taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin” (Revelation 2:14 NIV).

Still, here, it appears that God does indeed speak through Balaam—and powerfully! Not only does he bless Israel in spite of being offered rich payment to curse them, but he offers a Messianic prophecy! Wow! Even as Israel wanders through the wilderness having missed God’s “promised land” opportunity through rebellion, God is still speaking a promise—and speaking that promise through a pagan prophet.

He’s awesome, you know. Massive. Remarkable. And what He promised through a problematic pagan prophet centuries ago, He’s brought to pass in Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ of God.

“The Holy Hothead”

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 19:1-21:35

Scripture Focus

But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them.” (Numbers 16:24 NLT)

Observation

In his book Leading from the Inside Out: The Art of Self-Leadership, author Samuel Rima has significantly impacted my thinking about the necessity of leader’s wise management of his own emotions. Rima suggests that if Moses had managed his emotions more effectively—specifically how he processed them and how he expressed them publically—the Promised Land might well have been his to enjoy along with Joshua and Caleb. His observation, of course, grows from Numbers 20, and Moses’ decision to strike the rock to produce the water God promised, rather than simply speaking to the rock as God had directed. It does seem clear from the text that Moses was more filled with anger than faith when he acted!

This challenge of emotional management is tricky for me on at least two counts: First (on a personal note), I believe I grew up in an environment where emotions (especially negative emotions) were more often ignored than processed. When an offense was committed or conflict occurred it often went unaddressed (albeit usually in a genuine “forgive and forget” effort). Three decades after leaving home, I still struggle with how to effectively address legitimate offenses or resolve genuine conflict. Hey—after thirty years, let there be no doubt: That’s my issue, and I lay no continuing blame on the environment in which I was raised. I’m simply saying, for me, addressing conflict wisely is an arena where growth is still essential.

Second, our culture (rightly) values honesty and transparency. But the reality is, utter and unqualified transparency is not always prudent. (I’m convinced that’s so not just for leaders but for everyone.) I’ve come to believe that’s the issue here for Moses.

Emotions are what they are. They exist, and there’s little can be done to prevent them. Indeed, they are part of how God made us and who we are. What must be done is not to ignore them or internalize them, but to process them—to think clearly about them and assess wisely how to act with due consideration for them. Apart from the wise management of emotions, one moment of hot-headedness…whether it seems to us that it ought to or not…can destroy a lifetime of ministry. It did for Moses, and it can for me.

"Korah: Not A Happy Camper"

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 16:1-18:32

Scripture Focus

“Then tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.” (Numbers 16:24 NLT)

Observation

Again today the reading is simply fascinating. The rebellion continues—this time more direct and focused. Instead of a general unhappiness with God, Moses, and everything else, there seems to be a specific power-grab going on. Korah wants the priesthood!

And his leadership skills are showing. He’s done a great job of rounding up fellow dissidents, including 250 tribal representatives.

You read the story. Under God’s direction, Moses calls for a showdown. And God’s ready to wipe out the entire nation and start over one more time when Moses and Aaron intercede (again). “O God…must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?” (Numbers 16:22 NLT). God relents, and in His mercy sends Moses forth with a specific message for all the people…

“Quick!” he told the people. “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. If you do, you will be destroyed for their sins.” (Numbers 16:26 NLT)

That remains good counsel yet today. Some people’s best gift (or most practiced, anyway) is fomenting dissension. And at some point, the best response is to get away. “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him” (Titus 3:10 NIV). So here’s a little advice for today—

“…get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram” (Numbers 16:24 NLT).

"Divine Opportunity Irrevocably Lost"

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 14:1-15:41

Scripture Focus

“You said your children would be carried off as plunder. Well, I will bring them safely into the land, and they will enjoy what you have despised. But as for you, you will drop dead in this wilderness.” (Numbers 14:31-32 NLT)

Observation

Numbers 14 has to be one of the “richest” passages in all of Scripture—one full of divine opportunity and fascinating human responses of all kinds to that opportunity! It’s a chapter that raises all sorts of questions: Why were Joshua and Caleb so faith-filled and the other ten spies so faithless? Why (one of my favorite questions) would Israel need to “choose a leader” to go back to Egypt? Why (in other words) do you need to choose someone to lead you back to where you’ve already been?

(Think of that, my friend—leaders are God-given in order to move things forward! In the words of my sheriff’s-deputy friend, “Stop resisting!”)

One of the saddest moments is found in Numbers 14:31. God speaks to the faithless nation these words regarding themselves and their children: “…they will enjoy what you have despised.” Talk about opportunity lost!

Of course, the people responded to that word of judgment by attempted to possess the Promised Land anyway—and they were soundly turned back. This was not just opportunity lost—but irrevocably so. Their persistent unbelief meant God’s blessings would have to wait for a new generation who would believe.

I don’t want to be there, you know? I don’t want to be among those who are slow to believe and slow to act, and therefore forfeit divine opportunities. I want my “yes” to be both full-hearted and immediate. Let Hebrews 10:39 be true of us—“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39 NIV).

"The Challenge of Change"

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 11:1-13:33

Scripture Focus

“Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the LORD heard everything they said.” (Numbers 11: 1 NLT)

Observation

It’s been about a year (commentaries suggest) since Israel first camped at Mt Sinai. Apparently, the manna first supplied in Exodus 16 has continued daily, but the meat supplied there has not. Now, in Numbers 10 (yesterday’s reading), Israel has actually broken camp and begun their journey towards Canaan. And they are apparently hardly on the road before the complaints begin to mount!

(Parents take note: You’re not the first to have to deal with grumbling from the back seat!)

The complaints come from the people themselves, from the “foreign rabble”, and eventually from Moses himself! “What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?” (11:11). Miriam and Aaron also complain, and—in chapter 13—when spies enter the land God promised and find it bountiful just as God promised—10 out of 12 of those “men of faith” complain, as well!  (As a bit of an aside, I love how idealized the days in Egypt have become.  "C'mon people, you were slaves!")

So I’m wondering how much of the complaining was “stirred up” by the change? Why is it that we (I include myself) resist change so? Why is it that we all want something different (okay—maybe we all don’t, but those of us with sense do! We want something better!)  …We all want something different, but when the journey from what we have to what we long for gets underway, my, but don’t we get dicey!

“Help me, Lord, to navigate change purposefully and patiently. To bring my apprehension to you, and to trust your leadership in my life. To let you lead me from where I am to where I want to be (to where you want me to be) without balking at every inconvenience and biting at every alteration.”

"The Nazarite Vow"

Scripture Passage for Today

Numbers 6:1-27; Numbers 10:1-36

Scripture Focus

“This is the ritual law of the Nazirites, who vow to bring these offerings to the LORD. They may also bring additional offerings if they can afford it. And they must be careful to do whatever they vowed when they set themselves apart as Nazirites.” (Numbers 6:21 NLT)

Observation

Out of nowhere and without introduction, the Scriptures take up the matter of a “Nazarite vow”. And the subject is then dropped as suddenly as it appeared. Indeed, beyond the Old Testament stories of Samuel and Samson, who were both divinely subject to the terms of the Nazarite vow (from birth and for life) and, in the New Testament, a passing indication that the Apostle Paul may have made a Nazarite vow, I don’t recall that the Nazarite vow is mentioned in Scripture again.

Even why someone would make a Nazarite vow is never actually explained. Presumably though, a Nazarite vow was fundamentally an act of special consecration and might be made as an expression of devotion to God, or to affirm the intensity of one’s desire for God, or perhaps as an expression of thanksgiving to God.

Whatever the reason, I wonder why such expressions aren’t considered more often today. I don’t mean people making a Nazarite vow per se, but redeemed believers making special commitments—if only for a season—that reflect their commitment to God, their desire for God, or their thanksgiving to God.

Here’s something I hadn’t seen before, either. It appears from the regulations to be followed at the conclusion of such a vow that perhaps a group of people might make a vow together. (Notice all the plurals in vv 13-20.) I like the notion of, say, a group of God-hungry believers agreeing to abstain from (insert your specific interest here!) for some pre-determined length of time simply as a way to say, “God, we belong to you and you mean more to us than anything! We long, every day, to be ‘holy and set apart to the Lord’” (Numbers 6:5 NLT).