I love how God’s faithfulness is shown in chapter 2 as Moses recounts the travels in the wilderness. The Israelites traveled through Seir where the sons of Esau dwelt and Ar where the sons of Lot dwelt. In each of these places that the Israelites traveled through God did not give any of the land because it was promised to the sons of Esau and Lot. This is another example of God being faithful to provide for people. God finally the land of Heshbon to the Israelites. The people of Israel were faithful to obey God by leaving no survivors from the battle. When the people remained obedient to God they had His blessing and the direction was clear for them. As I progress through reading the Old Testament it will be apparent when the Israelites stray from obedience to God.

How did Moses speak to all the people? It is all too easy to think of our modern day amenities like public address systems and loud speakers. Were there scribes that wrote all he said and heralds that spoke the words? It seems such a small thing to speak to millions of people today but how did it happen back then? It adds to my wonder and amazement of God and the story in the Old Testament.

I think I have watched this clip 10 times in a row. For some reason it just keeps getting funnier.

I love the foreshadowing that we see in Number that points to the need of Jesus Christ, the better sacrifice. The people had God dwelling among them in the Tabernacle in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God loved the Israelites so much that he blessed them with his law. Yet the obstinate and headstrong people continued to complain. Their disbelief culminated in their wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. During the years in the wilderness God imparted structure to the people of Israel. I wonder at how it would have been for the surrounding nations to see a people coming out of the wilderness as a cohesive entity. The people constantly had to learn to depend on God  and they needed to learn who they were in light of who God is. Still the people complained, grumbled, and disbelieved God and consistently challenged His authority in their lives. As time progressed leaders developed like Joshua and Eleazar who desired to stand for God and remind the people to constantly look to God. The constant failure of the Israelites to follow God’s commands points to the greatest insurmountable wall. The wall was only able to be overcome when Jesus Christ came and died on the cross for the sins of the world.

Do you believe that God is sovereign and that His will is better for your life? I know that my life parallels the journey of the Israelites because I constantly finding myself prone to wander away form God. I am thankful that I am completely helpless in this struggle. I know that God has given me a hope that is greater than anything I could hope to attain to in my own strength. The Hope that is Jesus Christ is the only way that I will find true satisfaction in my life. The story in Numbers is a signpost pointing to the only way to find true satisfaction. I know that disbelief will cloud the way at times but God is faithful and he will bring me through any valley that seems greater than what I may be able to overcome.

I love the ending of this one. I’m still laughing about it.

Check out How It Should Have Ended for more great videos.

This idea of authority was brought to my mind last night. I was sitting thinking about the different areas of sin in my life. I was thinking about actions that I take that are against what I know to be true. I was thinking about why I do want to sin and why I don’t. It was an interesting meditation to actually think about why I choose to sin but even more amazing was the question of why I choose not to sin. Do I choose to not sin because I want to gain favor with God? Do I want to feel pride over my accomplishment? Do I want the praise of men as a reward? In Ephesians 2:8,9 Paul says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” In light of this truth I cannot hope to gain any favor from God because of my not sinning. Does grace just cancel out my need to worry about my actions? May the grace of God never give me liberty to think that I can sin more. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1,2 We again are clearly exhorted to not sin by Paul and to not live in sin thinking that grace gives us a free ticket to sin. There is no way for me to overcome my sin because it is inherent in my nature. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for my sins when I placed my faith and trust in His provision on the cross. How is a christian supposed to live a sinless life after placing their trust in Jesus Christ? In John 14:16-31 Jesus Christ promises that God will send the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. This passage in John chapter 14 gives hope to the question of why do I want to not sin. In verses 20 and 21 Jesus tells me that those who keep His commands love Him and that the Holy Spirit in me will teach and remind me of Jesus’ commands. Out of this love I have for Jesus Christ I find my desire to not sin.

I will never be perfect and sinless but my love for God makes it easier to for me to walk away from what may look very tempting in a moment of weakness. The authority of God is absolute and it would make sense to live in fear of that divine authority but last night as I thought about sin before God I made choice: I chose God because I love Him. Where is the fear that I might expect to feel? The answer is beautifully given in 1 John 4:17-19 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.” The perfect love of God expressed in Jesus Christ casts out all fear in my life.

The opening verse of the song Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop by Landon Pigg shares my emotions about my relationship with God. “I think that possibly maybe I’m falling for you. Yes there’s a chance that I’ve fallen quite hard over you.” I’ve fallen hard for God and I am thankful for that. My words are just noise to the true feelings that I have right now but I know I’ve fallen.

The book of Numbers concludes with chapter 36 with more discussion on inheritance among the people of Israel, namely the families of the sons of Joseph. Would a woman who obtained an inheritance from her father marry into a different tribe and so take the inheritance away from her family? It seems like such a trivial question by todays way of life but when land is all that you have and it is a precious inheritance you want to keep that land intact for your descendants. Moses tells the people of Israel that women will marry only people from their tribe and families so that there will be no transfer of inheritances.

Moses was not entering the promised land and God has him remind the people to drive out all the inhabitants from the land and to destroy their idols. This was a crucial fact that will be forgotten as the the years pass in the promised land. Numbers 33:55 tells what will happen to the people if they do not drive everyone out, “but if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.” Anyone who the Israelites did not drive out became a stumbling block to them. What things in my life are stumbling blocks? What areas have I compromised?

The glimpse into the future for the Israelites is laid out in Numbers chapter 34. God tells the people what will be the border of their land. It must have been a great encouragement as well as a tremendous hurdle in faith. The people are told that this land will be theirs but it required faith and dependance upon God. This land was inhabited by many people that would have to be driven out. Did the people believe that God was able to deliver the land to them? Throughout their journeying in the wilderness the people saw God work time and time again but their obstinate and headstrong natures caused them to constantly stray away from God. Were they aware of their nature to stray? The story of the people of Israel constantly falling away makes me thankful that Jesus Christ came to be the final and perfect sacrifice for sin. My actions are not the key to Jesus Christ’s faithfulness to me. I can rise in the morning and make it through any day because of what Jesus Christ has done. I am just as obstinate and headstrong as the children of Israel but I can find hope in the fact that God loved me enough while I was purely sinful to send Jesus Christ to die for me. My hope is built upon this singular fact and I am so very thankful.

Numbers 32 we see the sons of Ruben and Gad desired to not enter the promised land but stay in the land they just conquered. This was a point where these sons of Israel were faithful to God where their forefathers were not and wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. The men of war of the sons of Ruben and Gad followed Moses’ command and they would fight with the other tribes of Israel until the promised land was conquered. If this vow theses men made to God and Moses’ was not carried out God said, “[they] have sinned against the Lord, and be sure [their]sin will find you out.” Was this vow that was made similar to the vows talked about in chapter 30? I would never take a vow before God lightly. I am excited to continue the story to see if the sons of Ruben and Gad were faithful to their vow.

My last questions are from Numbers chapter 30. What are these vows that are being talked about? What kind of vow is made before God? Do we make vows before God today? In Matthew 5:33-37 Jesus Christ speaks concerning vows and says that no oath should be made by either heaven for it is the throne of God or by earth because it is the footstool of His feet. In verse 37 Jesus says, “But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil.” Is a vow similar to when someone swears on something to do something? Did the Israelites swear on God as a way to reaffirm there desire to do something? Did people start using that casually like people say today, “I swear to god”? It could make sense because Jesus is exhorting me to make my word true where I say Yes or No and mean it. What things do I take casually that Jesus Christ would want me to change? Has there been any language that I use in my life that is not true but just a shallow statement? Lord search me and show me what there is that needs to change.

As I sit and think about all that Jesus Christ has done and is doing in my life I feel wholly inadequate. I am so prone to wandering from my Lord. It is easy to be buffeted and bashed by the worries of the world: marriage, employment, money, fear, war, and lust. This world is vying against god for my attention. Sadly I become mesmerized by the the allure and glitter of the world around me. What hope is their for a christian today? We need to turn to our source of power and strength, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, to overcome the snares of the world. I think this call is the only important call a leader of today need to heed. Proverbs 22:5 tells me that “thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; he who guards himself will be far from them.” How do we guard ourselves? Lord grant me the ability to guard my heart, mind, soul, and strength in Jesus Christ. I honestly do not know how this is done but I know you are faithful and I am asking you for help.

Why is strong spiritual leadership so important? Numbers 28 can give a little clue as to the reason why a strong spiritual leader is necessary. God again speaks saying, “Command the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be careful to present My offering, My food for My offerings by fire, of a soothing aroma to me, at their appointed time.” Humanity is cursed by sin and we are not inclined to remember God. A strong spiritual leader is needed to keep turning the people back to God by remembering to follow His commands. For Moses and now Joshua this was to make sure that the offerings to God are continually kept and remembered. What does a leader today keep reminding us? We need to keep looking to Jesus Christ. All the sacrifice and laws in the Old Covenant point to Jesus Christ for fulfillment. Today we need men who will challenge, direct, rebuke, and encourage believers to seek out God by getting to know Jesus Christ through diligent study of the Word of God. We need men to take up the charge found in Isaiah chapter 1, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Think about what this world would be like if we had a generation of men who were willing to take up this battle cry and seek out justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphans, and plead for the widow.

My desire for my life can be summed up by a quote from Rich Mullins, “If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition.  But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.” I desire to leave behind a legacy pointing to God’s amazing power. Lord can I have that?