Category: Devotional

The Ultimate STD

Balaam refuses to curse Israel because the Lord is with them. All good, right? Well, Balaam is worried about them dolla-dolla bills, and they are on the line because he was unable to give the King of Moab what he was after. So he concocts a plot to draw the Israelites away from their God and — thus ‚ His protection (cf. Rev 2:14). His plan? To use the potent male libido against the Israelites. The King of Moab sent down women to seduce the Hebrew men and draw their hearts away from God.

Things get a little confusing here as the author doesn’t provide as many details as I would like to see attached to this story (unlike the census information in the following chapter, very robust and complete). So stick with me as I try to tease this out…

Some of the Israelites are engaging in ritual sexual intercourse with Moabites, Midianites, and other worshippers of Baal. This was… not great. So God tells Moses to round up the leaders who were sending their people astray. While there is some contention about what this word “leaders” means (some suggest “ringleaders”, others suggest that these are the leaders Moses appointed in Exodus 18:5 to watch over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens) but I favour the ringleader reading, only because it makes a clear differentiation between these leaders and the judges. So, Moses tells his judges (I think these are the men from Exodus 18:5) to gather up the ringleaders of this rebellion within their cohort of responsibility, kill them, and display their bodies before the people.

While that is happening, God has sent a plague to kill those who are engaging in ritual sexual intercourse and worship of the fertility god Baal. Hence the title of today’s devotional. One particularly egregious example of which is this fellow who take a Midianite girl right into his tent WHILE Moses and the leaders and discussing what needs to be done to address this situation. So Phinehas charges in and spears the guy — not like Goldberg, more like a javelin — and also the girl underneath him. They must have gotten right down to business. And with this decisive act, God was satisfied that the issue would be handled with due seriousness and decisiveness, so that he stopped the plague.

Of course, I also suspect that this was divine timing, because God’s plague had already done its work.

So what do we take from this?

I think we can see how rebellion tests leadership. How we (you, me, whoever) deal with open rebellion against the authority and responsibility God has given us will show what kind of leaders we are.

So grab your spears, people! Let’s go heresy-hunting! <- NO. DO NOT DO THAT.

But while I think the time for capital punishment has passed, we should still give rebellion its due weight. Do we stand by and allow things to occur right under our noses, or do we boldly step out and address it? Do we turn a blind eye to sin in the name of some misguided altruism, or are we willing to sacrifice a human relationship to preserve a divine one?

Satan wants to draw us away from God. It probably won’t be clear and obvious that he is doing so. Satan certainly will not be TELLING us that is his plan, but instead he is okay to play the long game and draw us away slowly. Don’t allow that to happen. Stand watch. Be on guard. Be prepared to fight. Keep your sword¹ at the ready!

Numbers 25-26 | 066/365

Sword of the Spirit, that is. ↩︎

A Fickle God?

Today’s devotional is more of an apologetic concerning one of the more confusing exchanges in the Old Testament. Balak, the King of Moab sends a contingent down to get the prophet Balaam. Apparently a well-known man among the leaders of the region, he was able to commune with the gods. One wonders what he did when dealing with gods who were NOT Yahweh. Since they do not exist and were unable to answer him in any meaningful way. I suspect he was able to give most people what they wanted, since the imaginary gods of the region wouldn’t put up much of an argument. Balaam could likely leave most of his customers feeling happy.

In this case, though, he is commissioned to speak a curse over the nation of Israel. He goes to the one true God and the reply is simple: don’t go with these men. Which is what Balaam conveys. However, Balak was not so easily dissuaded. He sent another, larger contingent of even more important people who offered Balaam even more money to come and pronounce a curse over Israel. What follows is my attempt to reconcile what seems to be a fickle God changing His mind with what we know should be a steadfast God who is immutable. We also need to consider the principle that Scripture Interprets Scripture. So we have to account for 2 Peter 2:15 & Jude 1:11 as well.

Balaam goes back to God after talking with the entourage and it seems God has changed His position, now saying, “If they come to call you, go”. But then when he does go with them, God puts an Angel is his path to block his way. We know that God doesn’t change His mind, and we know that Balaam was motivated by greed (Peter/Jude), so putting it all together, I think we get this:

Balaam is told by God to not go with them.
A great deal of money is offered so Balaam goes back to God.
God says IF they come for you, you may go.
Balaam goes to them before they can come to him.
God shows Balaam the error he has made, yet offers grace.
Balaam truthfully shares what God said, and so was denied his treasures.

The takeaway is this: if God has given you an answer, don’t go back to Him again a if He is some kind of slot machine that might provide a different outcome if you only ask again. God will let you do your thing if that’s what you really want… but is it?

Numbers 22-24 | 065/365

The Tale of the Bronze Serpent

This particular episode in Numbers is a fascinating one, I think, especially considering this incident with the snake statue is cited by Jesus himself immediately before the most famous verse in all of Scripture, John 3:16. So the question becomes: what’s with the snake idol? And why did God choose that as the thing to bring healing?

The funny thing is that the snake as a form, I think is only to remind the people of what caused this issue. The actual healing is the cool part of this. It seems at first blush like some weird voodoo magic thing. But — as I love to highlight — our God is super practical.

Turns out that when a snake bites you (depending of course on how much venom was injected) your body will try to fight off the venom by itself, but typically people will freak out, which raises their heart rate. Not good. And the temptation might also be to try and get somewhere or do something, which also would bring the heart rate up. Also not good. So what does our practical God do?

He tells the people to look upon (רָאָה) the snake. This word means to gaze upon, to consider, to ponder. This is God having the people stop, focus, slow their circulation rate and let their bodies work to heal the poison. Now it’s certainly possible that God also provided some miraculous intervention, and while I do not discount this, I also don’t think it’s necessary.

I think this is a good reminder of what an amazingly practical God we serve, and how he has designed us from the beginning with thoughtfulness, foresight, and care.

Numbers 19-21 | 064/365

Lack of Faith is Rebellion

12 scouts are sent into the promised land, all 12 agree that the land is incredible and rich in resources. But only one, Caleb of the tribe of Judah thinks they can actually take the land. When 10 of the other scouts start spreading a bad report about the trip and telling all the people of Israel that they people are giants who will crush them like grasshoppers, Joshua joins Caleb in saying that with God in their side, they can take the land.

But the people refused to be convinced. Rather than acknowledge that God delivered them OUT of the powerful nation of Egypt and can therefore deliver them INTO the smaller, less powerful land of Canaan… they leave God out of the calculus entirely!

WE can’t do it. WE are like grasshoppers. WE will die. WE. WE. WE.

It feels crazy to me after witnessing all they had in Egypt, after being led around by pillars of smoke and fire, they still don’t have faith in God to provide for them! And when God has called us into something and has asked us to trust Him and we know it, to refuse is rebellion. And rebellion is sin.

If you know God is calling you into something, even if it’s scary or unknown, do it. He won’t lead you astray. And you may just find that it will turn into the blessing of a lifetime! If you don’t, not only are you missing out on God’s best, but you are rejecting His gift and His goodness. You are in rebellion against God.

Whose will be done?

Mar 3 | Num 14-15 | 062/365

Rabble Rousers

In Numbers 11 we see a group of discontents bad-mouthing God’s provision. They wanted more than manna, they wanted meat! “If He truly loved us, He would give us what we WANT, not merely what we need!” and this sentiment spread among the people. We have very little trouble becoming self-focused. We are actually quite good at it.

If I’m being honest, I don’t really understand why they needed God to provide above what he had already given them, we know they had herds and livestock, and we know in the case of AT LEAST Peace Offerings, they ate those animals.

In either case, God decided to give the people what they wanted. I’ve heard it said that “God is a gentleman”, in that He will not force His will upon you (my Calvinist brothers and sisters would disagree, so for their sake, maybe I’ll just say it’s explained by “tension”). Essentially this means that if we do not come before God and pray, “let Your will be done”, then He will — with great sadness — give you over to the desires of Your heart and let your will be done.

Such is the case here. God sent the Israelites an exceptional amount of quail. And they caught it and ate it and they were fat and satisfied… until it made them sick. And more than that, the instigators DIED as a result of this tainted bird.

Don’t spit on God’s provision. He has giving you what you need to accomplish His will. Be satisfied with what you have and steward it well. If you do, then He will continue to trust you with more and more. But if you chose to complain about what God has done, don’t be surprised if He stops giving you gifts that you don’t appreciate anyway.

Mar 2 | Num 11-13 | 061/365

Intentional Remembrance

Today we read about silver trumpets. These were to be blown only by the priests, but they signalled several things. An assembly. A move. An attack. A Festival. A new month. A burnt offering. A peace offering. This was a way to remember God and a way to ask God to intercede. Let’s take a quick look at each one and see if we can determine why it made the list.

An assembly: The whole community should be gathered together to hear or see something.
A move: God was directing the community to relocate.
An attack: Asking God to provide protection from the attack of the enemy.
A Festival: A call to a time set apart to God as Holy.
A new month: Each New Moon was a call to make several offerings to God (Num 28:11)
A burnt offering: This was an atonement for sin. It made the person/people ‘right’ with God.
A peace offering: This was done before a meal to show commitment and unity between two or more parties before God.

The trumpets were a call to gather, to be led by God, to rely on his provision, to set time apart for God, to give sacrificially to the Lord, to admit our guilt and seek reconciliation, and to be unified as a body of believers.

How much richer we would be if we were intentionally and consistently doing these things? Set reminders if you need to — certainly the Israelites did — and make these things a priority.

Be unified as you gather, seek, rely, reserve, give, and repent.

I’ll end today’s devotional with the same prayer that Moses ended Number 6:

May the Lord bless you and protect you,
May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you,
May the Lord show you His favour and give you His peace.

Mar 1 | Num 6, 10 | 060/365

Necessary But Not Sufficient

Numbers 5:6 says “… if and of the people — men or women — betray the Lord by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.”

Oftentimes we separate sin out into sin against God and sin against people. But we forget that people are image-bearers of God. He made them. And so when we sin against other people, we betray God. And by betraying God we are guilty of sin. Sin against God AND people! In a way sinning against a fellow image-bearer is actually worse, since it is offending TWO parties.

And unlike sins against God alone which require a sacrifice to cover the iniquity, sins against another person required more. The people had to give back what had been taken/cheated/etc (or its equivalent value) and add 20% on top. PLUS they had to get right with God.

What I’m saying is this: we’re going to mess up and hurt each other. But we need to go above-and-beyond to make it right. “I’m sorry” is necessary but not sufficient. We need to repair, replace, or recover. And then, once we have made it right with our brother or sister, then we can come before God to ask for forgiveness. It’s hard to grant forgiveness to someone who has not made a serious attempt to rectify the wrong.

You’ve gotta make it right before you can make it right.

Feb 28 | Num 4-5 | 059/365

On Leadership

These two chapters of Numbers are all about who is in charge of what and where they are to camp. All of which is in relation to the centrepiece of the nascent Israelite nation, the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is the centre of the camp, it is the centre of the relocation procession, it is the moral, spiritual, social, and even legal centre. The lives of the Israelites were intertwined with the life of the Tabernacle.

And so there were many capable men enlisted to take care of it. One group of thousands of men was tasked with care and transport of the Tabernacle fabrics. Another group of thousands of men was responsible for the structural supports for the Tabernacle. And a final group of thousands of men was tasked with the care and transport of the Tabernacle furnishings.

So then, why do I say today’s devotional is about leadership?

Simple, really. Because at the end of this lengthy passage about who is responsible for what, we are told that Moses (along with his brother Aaron, and Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar) is in charge of all of the Tabernacle.

No matter how leaders delegate tasks to responsible people, those leaders are still the ones responsible for making sure those tasks are actually completed. A good leader will deal with irresponsible or lazy people over which they are responsible, but a good leader will never blame their workers for the job not being done. A good leader will take responsibility. This is what Biblical Leadership is. It is not about power and authority, but about responsibility and answerability.

What leadership have you been tasked with? Do you take it as seriously as the Lord does?

Feb 27 | Num 2-3 | 058/365

Promises

God was utterly faithful with his covenant promises and he expects the same from us. Which is probably why He is constantly upset with Israel. My father used to tell me that the only things you really have in this life are your family and your word, and the latter is how you’ll be remembered.

When people break trust, it is nearly impossible to repair. And God wants to drive this home, so Leviticus ends with a list of how to re-claim people and possessions that have been dedicated, consecrated to the Lord.

Usually this was the result of a vow. Like when Hannah asks God for a child and she says that in return she will consecrate him to the Lord. Well, once Samuel was born, she essentially turned him over to the priests to serve in the Temple for the rest of his life.

God says no take-sy back-sies, BUT if you wish to reclaim (redeem) this person or thing consecrated (set apart) for the Lord, then there will be renumeration based on age and future earning potential in that day and time. These prices were not trivial, and for animals and inanimate possession there was a 20% surcharge on top of the market value. This was something to take seriously.

In the same way our word, our vow, our promise should be solid and meaningful. If we say we will do a thing, we have an obligation to actually do that thing. And not just because of the legacy that creates, or what people will think of us, but because we are called to be like the Lord. And He is faithful to the end.

Let’s be faithful in all our dealings as the Lord Himself is faithful.

Feb 26 | Lev 27; Num 1 | 057/365

Blessings, Curses, & Unfailing Love

Reading through the blessings and punishments of God in Leviticus 26 is interesting. As modern Christians under the New Covenant with Jesus the “goods” of obediences and “bads” of disobedience seem much more… temporal and terrestrial. Grounded in the things of this earth. Since Jesus has come we tend to think of God’s blessings and cursings more in light of eternity than in light of Tuesday (Word of Faith preachers excluded, of course). So the contrast of this passage struck me as interesting.

What I noticed after looking at the progression God offers here in Leviticus is that God’s punishment is carried out not by His hand in some spectacular, spiritual way, but rather by the progressive withdrawl of His blessings.

First, disease and military defeat will come. Second, the earth and skies will not cooperate with our work, producing little yield. Third, wild animals will attack, steal, and kill. Fourth, their land will be dispossessed. Fifth, they will live in constant fear as foreigners. But the key comes in sixth…

Sixth, the people will finally come back to God and repent. And so God will restore them. God so badly wants to bless us. Even in His anger His desire is not to punish us, but to draw us to Himself. He continues to hold that blessing, eager to bestow it on a people who love Him and are faithful to him. And yes, that blessing may come this side of heaven, but it very well may also come when we are raised in glory.

I hope that you will be blessed and seek his blessing

Feb 25 | Lev 25:24-26:46 | 056/365