Going over it again: Num. 28-29

 

Have you ever wondered if you were repeating yourself?  Have you realized you desperately needed to repeat yourself?  Maybe as you were walking out the door? 

Does it surprise you that Moses repeats God's instructions before he leaves? 

I've found myself getting irritated at re-reading the same sacrifice instructions over and over again.  One would think that once would be enough, but for important things, you repeat yourself.  In this case, God seems to think that it's important enough to repeat it so we read it again and they hear it again. 

It's a good thing.  I forget stuff.  I miss steps.  I forget details.  I need reminders. 

So read it again.  Remember how much we don't need to remember (Thank You Jesus!!!!).  Relesh the gravity of God's sacrifices for us and the patience He shows to our frailty. 

Got that?  I'm glad I don't need to repeat myself...

Changing of the guard: Num 26-27

^"18 The Lord replied, “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him. ¹⁹ Present him to Eleazar the priest before the whole community, and publicly commission him to lead the people. ²⁰ Transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him."  Numbers 27:18-20

The community is ready to move into the Promised Land, but not without a change of leadership that reflects the changes that have happened in the wilderness.  The updated census shows only a minor reduction in the number of fighting men (603,550 at the start vs. 601,730 before entering the land).  Considering that 603,548 of those men have fallen in the desert, the Lord has been good to them.  The land is allocated based on the new census, but that leaves questions from those who have fallen.

The daughters of Zelophad become the first women land-owners, probably in all of history.  Orphans and widows would normally be destitute and unable to provide for themselves.  In the harsh conditions of early farming, men's labor was not easily replaced and tilling the soil was the work assigned Adam, not Eve.  Still, for the sake of the family's survival, women have always been willing to put their shoulder to the plow if necessary, maybe too willing--but that is a question for another day.  The family line must move on and if need be, it will move on with a clan of women. 
Moses also must pass out of the picture.  His disobedience means he will see the land but not enter it.  He is careful to make sure that the people have a leader and God picks one who has been by Moses' side and God's side continually since they left Egypt. 

It's interesting to me that the primary qualification God identifies for Joshua isn't his leadership skill, but the fact that he has the Spirit in him.  He doesn't appear to have the same relationship with God that Moses had, but then again, who did?  He will grow to be a great leader, though at the moment, I'm sure there are lots of questions in everyone's mind.  Succession is hard and Moses left really big, really humble shoes to fill.  No leader steps in right away with it all together.  God saw things in Joshua that may have been hard for others to see.  That's ok.  God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the ones He calls.  God picks someone He knows He can teach. 

Are you teachable?  (Am I??)

The Specialist: Num 21-25

Disaster is looming. No one knows what to do. The boss calls in...the Specialist.

This is the guy who knows the story.  This is the guy who understands all the angles.  This is the amazing guy who understands everything the moment he walks on the scene and has the power to make it all right. 
There are people in every culture that have the reputation for having "the touch."  Balak thought he had his specialist when he called on Balaam.  The catastrophe that was coming was the approaching Israelite "hoard."  He had already seen what he thought they had done to the Amorites.  He didn't realize that God was the one who did it--and I'm not sure he cared.  He just wanted the problem dealt with. 

That's where Balaam came in.  He was a prophet who worked for money.  There wasn't anything intrinsically wrong with that as long as he couldn't be bought.  He worked as an agent for God Almighty (as we all should) and was good at it.  He knew God.  He could talk with Him for you and bless or curse as God allowed.  If you had a problem, he could go to God and get the right solution to fit your needs based on what God desired.  In an era when God didn't talk to everybody, that's a pretty nice resume'. 

Balaam's first answer to Balak was the right one...Take a hike.  I'm not sure why God eventually let Balaam go, but it was obvious He wasn't happy about it.  Either way, Balaam stayed true to His calling as prophet and only spoke what God told him to say.  The sun will rise in the morning, the sky is blue, and God will say what He pleases.  Balaam can't change any of that and he doesn't try. 

We find out in Revelations that Balaam does end up causing problems.  What he does is tell Balak to entice the Israelites with prostitutes and food sacrificed to idols.  As a result, the entire camp falls under a plague which is only stopped with violent deaths at Phineas' hand.  Later we find out that the Israelites take revenge on the Moabites for their intrigue and Balaam ends up as a casualty.  Seems like a tragedy to me. 

It's a lesson in integrity.  Balaam had the greatest gift possible but he honored the money he could get from his work more than the God who spoke through him.  His advice cost many people their lives and didn't save his client. 

Sounds like a fairly modern tale...

Leadership has its dangers too: Num 19-20

Yesterday we talked about the ways that God supports the leaders He uses and the way God sees  dissention.  That also means that god holds leaders accountable as well. 

Both Moses and Aaron face a grumbling crowd (again).  This time, at least the leadership team is on the same page--the are both before God praying for the people.  Like before, God gives instruction and they go out with God's plan--speak to the rock and it will give the water they all need.  The problem is that Moses has had it with them.  His anger gets the best of him and he hits the rock, not once, but twice.  God even gave him a chance to get control of himself, but he chooses disobedience. 

The penalty seems light in comparison to the penalties handed out earlier until you realize that Moses and Aaron will spend 42 years contending with these people and never get to experience what was promised.  They have seen all that God can do.  They are ready, but they are destined to die unfulfilled.  It will be all work and no reward.  God himself is their reward, but the disappointment must have really stung.  It's the same kind of disappointment that David must have felt when God wouldn't let him build the temple. 

As believers, our position before God is secure.  As leaders, our authority is backed by God.  What we can lose is the chance to enjoy the fruits of our own ministries.  Even Evan Roberts, the great revivalist in Wales, missed out on enjoying a long, fruitful ministry because he started taking leadership responsibility on his own shoulders rather than leaving it humbly in the Lord's hands.  He is the one who truly leads.  The best we can do is herd people in the direction He's going.  It's God's responsibility and direction that are important.  We can't provide that for the people. 

As a leader, even if it's just a leader in your own household, how do you make sure that you are leading others in the direction God desires and letting the responsibility for the results fall on God's shoulders? 

Not a democracy: Num 16-18

Armchair quarterbacks abound when people get uncomfortable.  Over and over again, the people demand to share power with Moses, not realizing this was not a topic for debate.  Moses handles this with great dignity and care.  He does not demand to be in charge, but he grieves that the people would challenge God's authority in the matter. 
It's easy to struggle with  leadership when circumstances don't go well.  When we are following a human leader in a human endeavor, that might be understandable (maybe), but when you are following God, it's not ok.  Challenging the leadership God selects for the work He does is the same as challenging God.  He picked the leader and He can be counted on to continue to direct that person.  That doesn't mean we don't humbly and graciously address the sins and character flaws that all leaders have, particularly if they are hurting people.  That means first going to his Boss in prayer, asking that He address the issue in our hearts and the leader's heart.  Jesus gave a process for dealing with these issues that involves much grace and mercy. 

This is even important for an intercessor as they pray.  Part of the leadership role is to go to God to get directions for where the group is supposed to go.  A good leader will consult his intercessory team, but should be confident enough in his own relationship with God to get that vision directly.  Once he has gotten it from God, then it is the intercessor's job to pray through that vision.  The intercessor can pray for the leader to have clarity in their vision.  The intercessor can pray for God's priorities to surface and for needs to be met by their group or by others, but it's not likely that God will send your vision to the leader--you aren't God.  It may be God Himself that is making you uncomfortable.  If you can't follow the vision the leader has set before you, then you can ask God to release you to go elsewhere, but you can't just cause trouble for the leader because you disagree.  That is what the enemy does. 

We'll talk about the responsibilities of a leader another day...It's coming up soon. 

Trust or disobedience: Num 14-15

They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice. Num 14:22

We saw earlier that God had been very patient with the Israelites as tehy left Egypt, but His patience is not without limits.  Moses again has to plead with God to spare their lives. 

Sounds like my own kids.  They understand my punishments more than my kindness.  They see a task ahead of them and believe they have to do it alone so they refuse.  They see the punishment for disobedience and they want to turn around and obey.  Unlike me, God doesn't change His mind just because they've changed theirs.  Their hearts really don't trust Him to do anything other than punish them.  Until they realize the love God has for them and the ways He has the power to make things happen, it will remain a continual tug-of-war.  These are not people you can take into battle and expect to follow orders wholeheartedly.

As they turn back to the wilderness, they fear their children will die there.  It is only they who will fall there, not their children.  Their children will have to wait until their own old age to inherit the land.  In time the company will move together in trust of the God who serves them, but not yet.  At the end of Chapter 15, God commands them to tie blue tassels to their clothing as a constant reminder to obey God's commands rather than follow their own desires.  I need those reminders too.  I don't always believe God will take care of me.  I'm getting better, but I'm still not there.

What do you use to remind you of God's goodness...

Stick Together: Num 12-13

 

One of the things God hates more than anything is dissention.  In Moses's family squabble over his new wife God defends Moses personally.  God doesn't defend Moses' decision to marry a second wife, but he does defend Moses' authority.  It was her disrespectful attitude that caught God's attention and rightfully so.  Miriam and Aaron don't trust Moses' judgment about the woman he had married.  He saw a woman worth redeeming.  They saw a cursed people-group (remember the sons of Noah?).  The whole camp has to wait a week for the lesson to set in.

Then when the spies go up to search out the land they find a land with amazing abundance but they happen across several of their old enemies.  We saw the Amekelites earlier when they attacked the camp at a weak moment.  The Anakim were decendents of demons and were truly giants physically.  Goliath was one example of their decendents.

Those with eyes to see the natural circumstances saw only the barriers.  Those with eyes to see what God had spoken about them, these were enemies that God had already determined would be destroyed.  God had already said He would wipe out even the memory of the Amekelites in return for their treachery.  The children of Anak should never have been born and couldn't be blessed by God.  God had been waiting for the sin of the Canaanites to reach its full measure because He had already given the land to the children of Israel.  Joshua and Caleb saw themselves as tools in God's hand to do what He had already decided to do.  God had already taken down mighty Egypt.  In comparison, these enemies should be a cake walk for God, but for the Israelites that had come out of a lifetime of fending for themselves in abject terror, the thought of facing a new set of potential captors was just too much. 

We spent last weekend at a conference called Created to Connect.  It was focused on helping children from hard places like orphans and foster children overcome their fears and learn to trust and heal from the traumas of their past.  Their behavioral issues all stem from the terrors of their past and the coping mechanisms they created to protect themselves.  Even adopted children born into their new family's arms are affected in utero by the fear and trauma the mother is experiencing.  It leaves an imprint of fear that can last a lifetime if it isn't gently, patiently addressed by a caregiver that can reteach trust. In the groups they lead to help teach trust, there are three rules: 

1. Stick Together--no one gets left behind, left out or left behind
2. No Hurts--there's been enough hurt, don't let more hurt come from within
3. Have Fun--real learning happens most quickly in play.  It's how God designed us to learn

It's hard when a leader sees God's vision and his people can't see the way to get there.  That's when God takes a step back in His timing so that they can learn to trust Him.  Without that trust, they have no tools to obey with their whole hearts and things will go badly.  For those of us who are early acceptors and trust God well, it's hard to wait.  God loves both the bold and the timid.  He's not going to go forward knowing He's going to lose his children along the way.  In His profound compassion, He takes all the time they need, even if that means waiting for a funeral.  If you find yourself out of unity with your body (early or late) take time to see unity from God's perspective. 

So stick together...