A River Between Us

Joshua 1:1-18, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua’s Charge to the Israelites
10 Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 11 “Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

12 Then Joshua called together the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He told them, 13 “Remember what Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you: ‘The Lord your God is giving you a place of rest. He has given you this land.’ 14 Your wives, children, and livestock may remain here in the land Moses assigned to you on the east side of the Jordan River. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them 15 until the Lord gives them rest, as he has given you rest, and until they, too, possess the land the Lord your God is giving them. Only then may you return and settle here on the east side of the Jordan River in the land that Moses, the servant of the Lord, assigned to you.”

16 They answered Joshua, “We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. 17 We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Anyone who rebels against your orders and does not obey your words and everything you command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!”

Footnotes:
1:4 Hebrew the Great Sea.

The baton has been passed and now God's people are in Joshua's hands. But the work is not done. They still need to cross the river and seize the land that God is giving them. God passes on all that he has given Moses, now onward to Joshua. "I promise you what I promised Moses... No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you." 

Can you imagine the comfort this brought Joshua? As well as the fear? Yes, God will be with him and will never fail him or abandon him. But the job ahead will not be easy. He will need all the help he can get. Joshua also gets the tip of the hat from the Israelites.  They are glad he is their new leader as well. They assure him they will obey his every command. (Hopefully better than they followed Moses' commands...) 

So the orders are given, the path has been cleared, and God's people begin a whole new chapter of this great book that has been written.  Oh, the stories they will tell...

A True Leader

Deuteronomy 34:1-12, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Death of Moses
34 Then Moses went up to Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab and climbed Pisgah Peak, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him the whole land, from Gilead as far as Dan; 2 all the land of Naphtali; the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; all the land of Judah, extending to the Mediterranean Sea[a]; 3 the Negev; the Jordan Valley with Jericho—the city of palms—as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”

5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him[b] in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever. 8 The people of Israel mourned for Moses on the plains of Moab for thirty days, until the customary period of mourning was over.

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him, doing just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

10 There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 The Lord sent him to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, and all his servants, and his entire land. 12 With mighty power, Moses performed terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel.

Footnotes:
34:2 Hebrew the western sea.
34:6 Hebrew He buried him; Samaritan Pentateuch and some Greek manuscripts read They buried him.

What an amazing life. Another great man in the lineage of patriarchs of God's people. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Moses... For 40 years he led God's people, grumbling, complaining, and whining all the way. But are we any different? God sends people to lead us and at first, we might follow gladly... until they push our comfort zones and expect more of us than we are willing to give. And then the grumbling begins.  

It seems in order to be a true leader, one must be willing to toss popularity out the window. But if you live your life as God calls you to, and if you truly love and care for the people as best you know how, is it any wonder when Moses dies, the people mourn their loss? I am sure they realize by now that Moses led them to safety, to food, plead on their behalf many times, and now, has lead them to the promised land. 

Life will never be the same. And Joshua? Well, he's got his work cut out for him... 

Passing the Baton

Deuteronomy 31:1-8, New Living Translation (NLT)

Joshua Becomes Israel’s Leader
31 When Moses had finished giving these instructions[a] to all the people of Israel, 2 he said, “I am now 120 years old, and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has told me, ‘You will not cross the Jordan River.’ 3 But the Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy the nations living there, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua will lead you across the river, just as the Lord promised.

4 “The Lord will destroy the nations living in the land, just as he destroyed Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites. 5 The Lord will hand over to you the people who live there, and you must deal with them as I have commanded you. 6 So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

7 Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. 8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Footnotes:
31:1 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads Moses went and spoke.

Ahhhh... the passing of the baton.  Always such a difficult task to accomplish. If you have ever watched two runners in the midst of a relay, you will see the precision in which the handoff occurs. First, the timing has to be right. The lead runner can't slow down or change his pace before reaching the second, or the handoff becomes choppy.  And if the second runner is looking back instead of to what is ahead, they will be starting from nearly a dead stop. So instead, you see two runners, melding into one... for a moment... and then the first slows down after the handoff and the second is soon out of sight.  

I cannot imagine what this was like for the Israelites. Yes, they grumbled a lot about Moses. But he was still their fearless leader who had stood before God.  He loved them through one mistake after another and prayed to God on their behalf time and again. Yet now, it was time to hand off the baton. Moses gave assurance to God's people and then gave assurance to the new leader... and then he handed off the leadership to the next in line.  

Joshua will surely be given just as much guff as Moses had. He will get upset at the people, while other times he will plead on their behalf. But it will be a new way, a new path, a new leader at the helm. "Oh, for the days of Moses...." will surely be heard somewhere along the way.

Between Life and Death

Deuteronomy 30:1-20, New Living Translation (NLT)

A Call to Return to the Lord
30 “In the future, when you experience all these blessings and curses I have listed for you, and when you are living among the nations to which the Lord your God has exiled you, take to heart all these instructions. 2 If at that time you and your children return to the Lord your God, and if you obey with all your heart and all your soul all the commands I have given you today, 3 then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes. He will have mercy on you and gather you back from all the nations where he has scattered you. 4 Even though you are banished to the ends of the earth,[a] the Lord your God will gather you from there and bring you back again. 5 The Lord your God will return you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will possess that land again. Then he will make you even more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors!

6 “The Lord your God will change your heart[b] and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live! 7 The Lord your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate and persecute you. 8 Then you will again obey the Lord and keep all his commands that I am giving you today.

9 “The Lord your God will then make you successful in everything you do. He will give you many children and numerous livestock, and he will cause your fields to produce abundant harvests, for the Lord will again delight in being good to you as he was to your ancestors. 10 The Lord your God will delight in you if you obey his voice and keep the commands and decrees written in this Book of Instruction, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

The Choice of Life or Death
11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you, and it is not beyond your reach. 12 It is not kept in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven and bring it down so we can hear it and obey?’ 13 It is not kept beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear it and obey?’ 14 No, the message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

15 “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy.

17 “But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This[c] is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

Footnotes:
30:4 Hebrew of the heavens.
30:6 Hebrew circumcise your heart.
30:20 Or He.

It seems so easy. It's just a choice. A choice between life or death. To obey or disobey. To love and be loved or go off on our own and be tossed aside? Which will it be? We know what we want. We know what we need. We know what is best for us, and yet so often, too often, we choose the other.  Why is that? 

Could it be that somewhere inside ourselves we truly believe we know what is best? What God offers is a swindle job and it can't possibly make us happy? Could it be that we somehow believe that if we follow God's way we will be miserable, unsatisfied, and will regret the choice? Could it be??

Or are we simply so busy with life that we allow True Life to pass us by... one poor decision after another... until all that is left is anything other than what God intended for each of us? 

It seems so easy. It's just a choice. A choice between life or death.  

In Spite of Ourselves

Deuteronomy 29:1-29, New Living Translation (NLT)

29 [a]These are the terms of the covenant the Lord commanded Moses to make with the Israelites while they were in the land of Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Mount Sinai.[b]

Moses Reviews the Covenant
2 [c]Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them, “You have seen with your own eyes everything the Lord did in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to his whole country— 3 all the great tests of strength, the miraculous signs, and the amazing wonders. 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you minds that understand, nor eyes that see, nor ears that hear! 5 For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out. 6 You ate no bread and drank no wine or other alcoholic drink, but he provided for you so you would know that he is the Lord your God.

7 “When we came here, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan came out to fight against us, but we defeated them. 8 We took their land and gave it to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh as their grant of land.

9 “Therefore, obey the terms of this covenant so that you will prosper in everything you do. 10 All of you—tribal leaders, elders, officers, all the men of Israel—are standing today in the presence of the Lord your God. 11 Your little ones and your wives are with you, as well as the foreigners living among you who chop your wood and carry your water. 12 You are standing here today to enter into the covenant of the Lord your God. The Lord is making this covenant, including the curses. 13 By entering into the covenant today, he will establish you as his people and confirm that he is your God, just as he promised you and as he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

14 “But you are not the only ones with whom I am making this covenant with its curses. 15 I am making this covenant both with you who stand here today in the presence of the Lord our God, and also with the future generations who are not standing here today.

16 “You remember how we lived in the land of Egypt and how we traveled through the lands of enemy nations as we left. 17 You have seen their detestable practices and their idols[d] made of wood, stone, silver, and gold. 18 I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.

19 “Those who hear the warnings of this curse should not congratulate themselves, thinking, ‘I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart.’ This would lead to utter ruin! 20 The Lord will never pardon such people. Instead his anger and jealousy will burn against them. All the curses written in this book will come down on them, and the Lord will erase their names from under heaven. 21 The Lord will separate them from all the tribes of Israel, to pour out on them all the curses of the covenant recorded in this Book of Instruction.

22 “Then the generations to come, both your own descendants and the foreigners who come from distant lands, will see the devastation of the land and the diseases the Lord inflicts on it. 23 They will exclaim, ‘The whole land is devastated by sulfur and salt. It is a wasteland with nothing planted and nothing growing, not even a blade of grass. It is like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord destroyed in his intense anger.’

24 “And all the surrounding nations will ask, ‘Why has the Lord done this to this land? Why was he so angry?’

25 “And the answer will be, ‘This happened because the people of the land abandoned the covenant that the Lord, the God of their ancestors, made with them when he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 26 Instead, they turned away to serve and worship gods they had not known before, gods that were not from the Lord. 27 That is why the Lord’s anger has burned against this land, bringing down on it every curse recorded in this book. 28 In great anger and fury the Lord uprooted his people from their land and banished them to another land, where they still live today!’

29 “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.

Footnotes:
29:1a Verse 29:1 is numbered 28:69 in Hebrew text.
29:1b Hebrew Horeb, another name for Sinai.
29:2 Verses 29:2-29 are numbered 29:1-28 in Hebrew text.
29:17 The Hebrew term (literally round things) probably alludes to dung.

It's so hard to get excited about this renewal of covenant when we know we cannot seem to keep these agreements with God. And why is that? Why can't we? Why can't we keep a covenant with a spouse? Why do we break a marriage through adultery or silence, distancing or apathy? Why can't we keep a covenant that will change our life forever and bless us like nothing else?  

Because we are selfish, that is why. We actually think we know more, know better, and know how ourselves. So we walk away from the One who knows more than we ever can know, loves us more than we love ourselves, and has a plan for us that will prosper us in ways we never even thought of.

But God is love and so God continues to make covenants with those whom God loves. And again... and again... and again... What other gods do that? 

And so we worship and thank God for loving us enough ... in spite of ourselves. 

I Just Don't Get It

Numbers 22:5-38, New Living Translation (NLT)

5 sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor[a] near the Euphrates River.[b] His message said:

“Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. 6 Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.”

7 Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.[c] They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. 8 “Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. “In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.

9 That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”

10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: 11 ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’”

12 But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”

13 The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you.”

14 So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.” 15 Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time. 16 They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him:

“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. 17 I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!”

18 But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God. 19 But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything else to say to me.”

20 That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”

Balaam and His Donkey
21 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.

28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”

30 “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No,” Balaam admitted.

31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. 33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

34 Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

35 But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. 36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land.

37 “Didn’t I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away?” Balak asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would reward you richly?”

38 Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.”

Footnotes:
22:5a Or who was at Pethor in the land of the Amavites.
22:5b Hebrew the river.
22:7 Hebrew set out with the money of divination in their hand.

And we wonder how people get confused in God's Word. We start with the prophet Balaam being summoned to help a king get rid of God's people. But God tells him not to go so Balaam sends the messengers back home empty handed. But the king doesn't give up that easy so he sends even a larger entourage in hopes of a different response.  This time God responds differently, telling Balaam to go ahead and go, but not to say/do anything without God's guidance.  

So off goes Balaam. But the very next thing we're told is that God is miffed because Balaam went.  Didn't God just tell him to go?? So he listens but this makes God mad? Are we sure God isn't a woman? Says one thing but means something else? ... and Balaam should have known the difference?

So... Balaam's poor donkey keeps seeing the angel of the Lord with a sword in his hand, messing with him at every turn and what happens to the poor donkey? He gets beaten. Three times. But to confuse the matter even more, God allows the poor animal? He is allowed to speak and when he does, his owner responds like it's no big deal. I mean, Balaam comes back with an off the cuff answer, but cheez whiz! Isn't he shocked that his lifelong animal servant is speaking?!? 

So God opens Balaam's eyes and allows him to see not only the angel blocking the way and deterring his donkey, but also that God didn't mean it when he said to go ahead and visit the king. 

The point of this story?  [sigh...] I don't know.  It makes God look indecisive, unfair, and almost psychotic. I don't say any of this to mock the God I love. I just don't get this text.  

Tired of Hearing It

Numbers 21:4-9, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Bronze Snake
4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea[a] to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

Footnotes:
21:4 Hebrew sea of reeds.

Anyone still counting?

God saves.
God feeds.
God leads.
And the people complain.

God has enough.
God sends destruction.
The people complain.
God shows mercy.

God saves.
God feeds.
God leads.
And the people complain.

God has enough.
God sends destruction...
The people complain...
God shows mercy....

[sigh...]

I wish I could say we do better today. but do we? 

The Israelites were given a snake on a stick to look at and be saved.  We were given Christ, God's Son, hung on a cross to suffer and die, that we might live. Do not forget to gaze upon that cross from time to time... and be saved.  

... and while you're at it... try to stop complaining too. God has to get tired of hearing it. 

Will It Ever Happen??

Numbers 14:5-45, New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the Israelites. 6 And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, “The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 But the whole congregation threatened to stone them.

Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for the People
13 But Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for in your might you brought up this people from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people; for you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go in front of them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill this people all at one time, then the nations who have heard about you will say, 16 ‘It is because the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land he swore to give them that he has slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, therefore, let the power of the Lord be great in the way that you promised when you spoke, saying,

18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love,
forgiving iniquity and transgression,
but by no means clearing the guilty,
visiting the iniquity of the parents
upon the children
to the third and the fourth generation.’
19 Forgive the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have pardoned this people, from Egypt even until now.”

20 Then the Lord said, “I do forgive, just as you have asked; 21 nevertheless—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord— 22 none of the people who have seen my glory and the signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have tested me these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, 23 shall see the land that I swore to give to their ancestors; none of those who despised me shall see it. 24 But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me wholeheartedly, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it. 25 Now, since the Amalekites and the Canaanites live in the valleys, turn tomorrow and set out for the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.”[a]

An Attempted Invasion is Repulsed
26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: 27 How long shall this wicked congregation complain against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites, which they complain against me. 28 Say to them, “As I live,” says the Lord, “I will do to you the very things I heard you say: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this very wilderness; and of all your number, included in the census, from twenty years old and upward, who have complained against me, 30 not one of you shall come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, who you said would become booty, I will bring in, and they shall know the land that you have despised. 32 But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.” 35 I the Lord have spoken; surely I will do thus to all this wicked congregation gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall come to a full end, and there they shall die.

36 And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report about the land— 37 the men who brought an unfavorable report about the land died by a plague before the Lord. 38 But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh alone remained alive, of those men who went to spy out the land.

39 When Moses told these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned greatly. 40 They rose early in the morning and went up to the heights of the hill country, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that the Lord has promised, for we have sinned.” 41 But Moses said, “Why do you continue to transgress the command of the Lord? That will not succeed. 42 Do not go up, for the Lord is not with you; do not let yourselves be struck down before your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites and the Canaanites will confront you there, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned back from following the Lord, the Lord will not be with you.” 44 But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country, even though the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and Moses, had not left the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and defeated them, pursuing them as far as Hormah.

Footnotes:
Numbers 14:25 Or Sea of Reeds

Oh my, oh my... How many times? How often will we repeat ourselves? How many times will the Lord, God Almighty put up with us?  One more, I suppose. One more.  So here again God overhears his people grumbling and complaining about this wonderful land God has promised them. And again, Moses has pity on them and asks God to refrain from his wrath. 

So God gives in from wiping them off the earth, but instead simply takes the promise away from them and instead allows them to wander aimlessly for 40 years. So instead of this generation living off the new land flowing with milk and honey, their children and grandchildren will need to experience it.  

And once again, once the people are made aware, they mourn their sin.  But again and again they return. Sin and sin again. At what point do we learn from or mistakes? At what point do we truly repent and turn around in a different direction?  Will it ever happen??

"I Can See the Milk!"

Numbers 13.1-14:4, New Living Translation (NLT)

Twelve Scouts Explore Canaan
13 The Lord now said to Moses, 2 “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” 3 So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He sent out twelve men, all tribal leaders of Israel, from their camp in the wilderness of Paran. 4 These were the tribes and the names of their leaders:

Tribe                                      Leader
Reuben                                      Shammua son of Zaccur
5 Simeon                                      Shaphat son of Hori
6 Judah                                      Caleb son of Jephunneh
7 Issachar                              Igal son of Joseph
8 Ephraim                              Hoshea son of Nun
9 Benjamin                              Palti son of Raphu
10 Zebulun                              Gaddiel son of Sodi
11 Manasseh son of Joseph      Gaddi son of Susi
12 Dan                                      Ammiel son of Gemalli
13 Asher                                      Sethur son of Michael
14 Naphtali                              Nahbi son of Vophsi
15 Gad                                      Geuel son of Maki
16 These are the names of the men Moses sent out to explore the land. (Moses called Hoshea son of Nun by the name Joshua.)

17 Moses gave the men these instructions as he sent them out to explore the land: “Go north through the Negev into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like, and find out whether the people living there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 See what kind of land they live in. Is it good or bad? Do their towns have walls, or are they unprotected like open camps? 20 Is the soil fertile or poor? Are there many trees? Do your best to bring back samples of the crops you see.” (It happened to be the season for harvesting the first ripe grapes.)

21 So they went up and explored the land from the wilderness of Zin as far as Rehob, near Lebo-hamath. 22 Going north, they passed through the Negev and arrived at Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai—all descendants of Anak—lived. (The ancient town of Hebron was founded seven years before the Egyptian city of Zoan.) 23 When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs. 24 That place was called the valley of Eshcol (which means “cluster”), because of the cluster of grapes the Israelite men cut there.

The Scouting Report
25 After exploring the land for forty days, the men returned 26 to Moses, Aaron, and the whole community of Israel at Kadesh in the wilderness of Paran. They reported to the whole community what they had seen and showed them the fruit they had taken from the land. 27 This was their report to Moses: “We entered the land you sent us to explore, and it is indeed a bountiful country—a land flowing with milk and honey. Here is the kind of fruit it produces. 28 But the people living there are powerful, and their towns are large and fortified. We even saw giants there, the descendants of Anak! 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev, and the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea[a] and along the Jordan Valley.”

30 But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!”

31 But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 32 So they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge. 33 We even saw giants[b] there, the descendants of Anak. Next to them we felt like grasshoppers, and that’s what they thought, too!”

The People Rebel
14 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. 2 Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. 3 “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

Footnotes:
13:29 Hebrew the sea.
13:33 Hebrew nephilim.

Great idea, to send some scouts ahead. Check out the land, the crops, the soil, see what we're fighting for and what we'll be up against.  So the reports come back and as usual, some see the half full cup: flowing with milk and honey, oversized grapes, pomegranates 
and figs. 

But oh, in every group, there are also the naysayers. They see the air above the milk. They are so fixated on the negative, they look right beyond the positive. Honestly, they never see it at all.  So they allow their fears and their imaginations to run away with them. All of a sudden, tall people become giants, and they are more powerful than we, even with the God Almighty on our side. And then there are their fortified cities... oh, don't even get me going on those...

And so they wept. God's people cried through the night because the negative voices won again... 

Oh, to give voice to those who can see, and even taste, the milk. 

You Talkin' Smack?

Numbers 12:1-16, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Complaints of Miriam and Aaron
12 While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman. 2 They said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?” But the Lord heard them. 3 (Now Moses was very humble—more humble than any other person on earth.)

4 So immediately the Lord called to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and said, “Go out to the Tabernacle,[a] all three of you!” So the three of them went to the Tabernacle. 5 Then the Lord descended in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle.[b] “Aaron and Miriam!” he called, and they stepped forward. 6 And the Lord said to them, “Now listen to what I say:

“If there were prophets among you,
    I, the Lord, would reveal myself in visions.
    I would speak to them in dreams.
7 But not with my servant Moses.
    Of all my house, he is the one I trust.
8 I speak to him face to face,
    clearly, and not in riddles!
    He sees the Lord as he is.
So why were you not afraid
    to criticize my servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was very angry with them, and he departed. 10 As the cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, there stood Miriam, her skin as white as snow from leprosy.[c] When Aaron saw what had happened to her, 11 he cried out to Moses, “Oh, my master! Please don’t punish us for this sin we have so foolishly committed. 12 Don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, already decayed at birth.”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “O God, I beg you, please heal her!”

14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had done nothing more than spit in her face, wouldn’t she be defiled for seven days? So keep her outside the camp for seven days, and after that she may be accepted back.”

15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back before they traveled again. 16 Then they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes:
12:4 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting.
12:5 Hebrew the tent; also in 12:10.
12:10 Or with a skin disease. The Hebrew word used here can describe various skin diseases.

Oh man, talk about shaking in my boots. If there is one thing I hope never happens to me is God showing up to reprimand me. And Lord knows, I have earned it over and over again.  Here we see one of those familiar stories where someone speaks of another harshly, acts jealous of another, or does something dishonest behind someone else's back, and God shows up.  God shows up big time.

First God calls them out on it. Can you imagine? You just finished talking about someone in harsh ways and right then, you hear God's booming voice, "Immediately, meet me at the church!" And there shows up not only you and your accomplice, but the one you were talking smack about?!  YIKES!

Next, God, in all his glory, begins to lecture you on what you have said about this person, and instead, begins to rattle off how much God thinks of this person and how much he trusts them.  Is it any wonder Miriam's face turns white?? Skin disease maybe, but for me, it would be white as a ghost, a loss of blood in my face... I doubt I would have breathed since the lecture began.

A lesson for all of us. God is listening. God does hear. God knows what he is doing and we have to trust him. Always.... or be ready for the lecture we just might receive... and earn. 

It Should Always Matter

Exodus 40:1-38, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Tabernacle Completed
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Set up the Tabernacle[a] on the first day of the new year.[b] 3 Place the Ark of the Covenant[c] inside, and install the inner curtain to enclose the Ark within the Most Holy Place. 4 Then bring in the table, and arrange the utensils on it. And bring in the lampstand, and set up the lamps.

5 “Place the gold incense altar in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Then hang the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle. 6 Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the Tabernacle entrance. 7 Set the washbasin between the Tabernacle[d] and the altar, and fill it with water. 8 Then set up the courtyard around the outside of the tent, and hang the curtain for the courtyard entrance.

9 “Take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all its furnishings to consecrate them and make them holy. 10 Anoint the altar of burnt offering and its utensils to consecrate them. Then the altar will become absolutely holy. 11 Next anoint the washbasin and its stand to consecrate them.

12 “Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water. 13 Dress Aaron with the sacred garments and anoint him, consecrating him to serve me as a priest. 14 Then present his sons and dress them in their tunics. 15 Anoint them as you did their father, so they may also serve me as priests. With their anointing, Aaron’s descendants are set apart for the priesthood forever, from generation to generation.”

16 Moses proceeded to do everything just as the Lord had commanded him. 17 So the Tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year. 18 Moses erected the Tabernacle by setting down its bases, inserting the frames, attaching the crossbars, and setting up the posts. 19 Then he spread the coverings over the Tabernacle framework and put on the protective layers, just as the Lord had commanded him.

20 He took the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant and placed them[e] inside the Ark. Then he attached the carrying poles to the Ark, and he set the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement—on top of it. 21 Then he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Tabernacle and hung the inner curtain to shield it from view, just as the Lord had commanded him.

22 Next Moses placed the table in the Tabernacle, along the north side of the Holy Place, just outside the inner curtain. 23 And he arranged the Bread of the Presence on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him.

24 He set the lampstand in the Tabernacle across from the table on the south side of the Holy Place. 25 Then he lit the lamps in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded him. 26 He also placed the gold incense altar in the Tabernacle, in the Holy Place in front of the inner curtain. 27 On it he burned the fragrant incense, just as the Lord had commanded him.

28 He hung the curtain at the entrance of the Tabernacle, 29 and he placed the altar of burnt offering near the Tabernacle entrance. On it he offered a burnt offering and a grain offering, just as the Lord had commanded him.

30 Next Moses placed the washbasin between the Tabernacle and the altar. He filled it with water so the priests could wash themselves. 31 Moses and Aaron and Aaron’s sons used water from it to wash their hands and feet. 32 Whenever they approached the altar and entered the Tabernacle, they washed themselves, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

33 Then he hung the curtains forming the courtyard around the Tabernacle and the altar. And he set up the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. So at last Moses finished the work.

The Lord’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle
34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. 35 Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

36 Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. 37 But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. 38 The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

Footnotes:
40:2a Hebrew the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting; also in 40:6, 29.
40:2b Hebrew the first day of the first month. This day of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred in March or April.
40:3 Or Ark of the Testimony; also in 40:5, 21.
40:7 Hebrew Tent of Meeting; also in 40:12, 22, 24, 26, 30, 32, 34, 35.
40:20 Hebrew He placed the Testimony; see note on 25:16.

Coming home from Ash Wednesday Worship this evening, I love this text. I love that God is so picky and knows what he wants.  The specifics of what each item should be made of and where it should be placed... So many act like it just doesn't matter. But it does.

God is blessed when we put extra effort into creating worship space that glorifies God. How we set the seats, what fabric we lay on the altar, how many and where we place candles... it all matters.  And I don't mean it must be one way and no other. I mean, it must be thought out. It must mean something. It must bring glory to God and help the rest of us to understand who God is.  

That's why I love special worship services so much. They allow us to reach back while also reaching forward. Tonight we were able to pray using the ancient prayer position "orans" and yet watched a Johnny Cash video "God's Gonna Cut You Down."  The Chancel Choir chanted "Lord, hear our prayer" after each prayer request, but our Worship Band also played "Jesus Messiah" with the electric guitar as a responsive prayer.  We were able to use water and fire, sand and rocks, to interact with God's stories and our own mortality.  We all sat in a circle, facing each other, and served each other Holy Communion... as family in community... and we all recieved ashes in the form of the cross. And God was glorified.  

It does matter. The small stuff should always matter.  Our God is so worthy.