BARBS AND THORNS

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron. At the Lord's command, Moses recorded the stages in their journey. This is their journey by stages:

The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods.

The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth.

They left Succoth and camped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.

They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth, to the east of Baal Zephon, and camped near Migdol.

They left Pi Hahiroth and passed through the sea into the desert, and when they had traveled for three days in the Desert of Etham, they camped at Marah.

They left Marah and went to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

They left Elim and camped by the Red Sea.

They left the Red Sea and camped in the Desert of Sin.

They left the Desert of Sin and camped at Dophkah.

They left Dophkah and camped at Alush.

They left Alush and camped at Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

They left Rephidim and camped in the Desert of Sinai.

They left the Desert of Sinai and camped at Kibroth Hattaavah.

They left Kibroth Hattaavah and camped at Hazeroth.

They left Hazeroth and camped at Rithmah.

They left Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perez.

They left Rimmon Perez and camped at Libnah.

They left Libnah and camped at Rissah.

They left Rissah and camped at Kehelathah.

They left Kehelathah and camped at Mount Shepher.

They left Mount Shepher and camped at Haradah.

They left Haradah and camped at Makheloth.

They left Makheloth and camped at Tahath.

They left Tahath and camped at Terah.

They left Terah and camped at Mithcah.

They left Mithcah and camped at Hashmonah.

They left Hashmonah and camped at Moseroth.

They left Moseroth and camped at Bene Jaakan.

They left Bene Jaakan and camped at Hor Haggidgad.

They left Hor Haggidgad and camped at Jotbathah.

They left Jotbathah and camped at Abronah.

They left Abronah and camped at Ezion Geber.

They left Ezion Geber and camped at Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.

They left Kadesh and camped at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. At the Lord's command, Aaron the priest went up Mount Hor, where he died on the first day of the fifth month of the fortieth year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. Aaron was a hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

The Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev of Canaan, heard that the Israelites were coming.

They left Mount Hor and camped at Zalmonah.

They left Zalmonah and camped at Punon.

They left Punon and camped at Oboth.

They left Oboth and camped at Iye Abarim, on the border of Moab.

They left Iyim and camped at Dibon Gad.

They left Dibon Gad and camped at Almon Diblathaim.

They left Almon Diblathaim and camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo.

They left the mountains of Abarim and camped on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho. There on the plains of Moab they camped along the Jordan from Beth Jeshimoth to Abel Shittim.

On the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, the Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.’

'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them.'"

Numbers 33

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

One prevalent theme in this Book of Numbers is that there are places where we see very specific accounting happening. This is particularly evident in two separate censuses we find taken of the Israelite people with separate counts made of the Levites, those who were the priests who oversaw the sacrifices and worship requirements within the tabernacle (chapters 1 and 26). You’ll remember that the first happened in the “second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt” (1:1) for the purpose of knowing how many men would serve in the Lord’s army. That number was 603,550 (1:46),

The second census happened at the tail end of the forty year judgment the lord has imposed on His people for their rebellion at the first time God worked to bring them into Canaan. You will recall that the forty years was intended to kill off the sinful generation so that they wouldn’t experience the land God had promised. That privilege would go to their children who numbered 601,730 when the second census was taken while the Israelites were encamped in the plains of Moab (26:1-56). This count was done as a precursor to dividing up the land in Canaan as it was distributed to the clans of Israel.  

This brings us to chapter 33 of this book where we see a summation of Israel’s travels, from the time they departed Egypt to the present as they were ready to invade and conquer the nation of Canaan to make it their own.

As we see, the Israelites had certainly traveled most of the time from when they departed Egypt through the miraculous Red Sea crossing. During their journeying, we know that God was with them every step of the way, providing guidance and provision for His people and here in this chapter, we see where He continues to do so as the people of Israel get ready to cross the Jordan River and begin their conquest of the Promised Land. We read where God provides the following message via Moses as the Israelites were camping “on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho”:

“When you cross the Jordan into Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols, and demolish all their high places. Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes. But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."

These words from the Lord carried a reminder and a warning.

First, He commanded Israel to “drive out all the inhabitants of the land”, destroying “all their carved images and their cast idols” and demolishing “all their high places”. The Israelites were to “take possession of the land and settle in it” for the Lord had given it to them “to possess.”

After this, we find Him reminding the Israelites of how He wished for the land to be apportioned, saying:

“Distribute the land by lot, according to your clans. To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one. Whatever falls to them by lot will be theirs. Distribute it according to your ancestral tribes.”

Finally, we find the Lord warning Israel about what would happen to them if they failed to carry out His orders in complete obedience:

“…if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live. And then I will do to you what I plan to do to them."

Here we find God making it clear that if the Israelites failed to totally eliminate their enemies in the land of Canaan, those foes would return to be “barbs in (their) eyes” and “thorns in (their) sides”. In regard to the latter, we now know where the age old expression “a thorn in my side” originated from, a saying that is centered on someone or something that brings difficulty and annoying hardship to someone.

This would be bad enough but God added one more element to the consequences that His people would face if they didn’t comply with His wishes. For we read where He promises His people that they would face the judgment reserved for their Canaanite enemies if they didn’t carry out His command fully. Unfortunately, as we continue to study through the Old Testament, we will see where Israel does indeed sin against God by not following this direction and as a result, suffers the punishment He promised here.

As I stepped back from this chapter and thought about the concept of completely driving something out of my life or face the prospect of it coming back to be the barb in my eye or thorn in my side, I couldn’t help but think how I have done well in this regard in some instances and not so well in others. Maybe you can relate.

Through it all, I have learned that when I fail to eliminate a sin in my life, I subtract from my progress in becoming the kind of person the Lord wants for me to be. The worst part about it is that I placed my desires on something that was an abomination to God (all sin is, by the way) instead of making Him my greatest delight. This clinging to a worldly pleasure over making the Lord my biggest treasure placed resulted in a spiritual deficit in my life. And as much as I tried to hide my inability to completely rid my life of the sin, I found that the Lord continued to convict me more and more each time. He never stopped attacking my consciousness until there was no pleasure anymore in doing the things I knew I shouldn’t be doing. Only guilt and shame remained as I discovered myself feeling like David when he said this in the thirty-second Psalm:

“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.” Vv. 3-4

In that place, I learned that the only way I could get the barb out of my eye, to extract the painful thorn in my side, was through genuine, heartfelt repentance. Not just the artificial, superficial repentance I had given God so many times before, the multiple times when I said I was sorry when I was already thinking about an opportunity when I could sin again, but rather now saying I was sorry for good as I looked to the cross of Calvary and reaffirmed how He was nailed there in my place because of my sinfulness.

Friends, when that happened, I felt an unexplainable liberation and relief, the polar opposite of the incessant condemnation and conviction I felt before. It was then that I experienced the full power of God’s love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness which led me to be able to rejoice like David when he confessed this:

“Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’ - and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.’”

“Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:5-7

As I close, if you have a sin in your life that is like a barb or thorn, now is the time to do something about it. I encourage you to fall on your knees and confess your sin to the Lord, the only One who can remove it and provide spiritual healing and restoration, the only One who can lead and guide you to stay on the path of righteousness and holiness during every day of this earthly, human existence.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

NOT REPEATING THE MISTAKES OF THE PAST

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. So they came to Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and to the leaders of the community, and said, "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon - the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel - are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. If we have found favor in your eyes," they said, "let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan."

Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, "Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. The Lord's anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - not one except Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua, son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.' The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”

"And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following Him, He will again leave all this people in the desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction."

Then they came up to him and said, "We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. But we are ready to arm ourselves and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan."

Then Moses said to them, "If you will do this - if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out before Him - then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.”

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised."

The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, "We, your servants, will do as our lord commands. Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. But your servants, every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says."

Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar, the priest, and Joshua, son of Nun, and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. He said to them, "If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you, give them the land of Gilead as their possession. But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan."

The Gadites and Reubenites answered, "Your servants will do what the Lord has said. We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan."

Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan - the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

The descendants of Makir, son of Manasseh, went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there. So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair. And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.

Numbers 32

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we see in Numbers, chapter 32, Israel on the brink of entering the Promised Land. All of Israel, twelve tribes in total, was to cross the Jordan into Canaan and possess the land God was providing and this would most certainly include armed conflict as the present inhabitants of the land would seek to defend themselves.

It was into this scene that we find two of Israel’s tribes, Gad and Reuben, approaching Moses with the following request:

"Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon - the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel - are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. If we have found favor in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan."

The Israelites had already won victory over the “lands of Jazer and Gilead” and that territory was “suitable for livestock”, something that was very appealing to the “Reubenites and Gadites who had very large herds and flocks”.

As we see in the passage, the request for the land wasn’t as big an issue as what they said at the end of the request:

“Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

It was a rather short-sighted ask and one that Moses bristled over because it amounted to the Reubenites and Gadites getting out of helping their brothers and sisters fight for the land they would possess, the same people who had helped conquer the land they wanted.

Well, it doesn’t take Moses long to rebuke the two clans, reminding them of the sinful behavior of their ancestors, saying:

"Shall your countrymen go to war while you sit here? Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. After they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. The Lord's anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: 'Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - not one except Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua, son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.' The Lord's anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.”

He then finished with this:

"And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. If you turn away from following Him, He will again leave all this people in the desert, and you will be the cause of their destruction."

Moses had to remind the Reubenites and Gadites of how God had passed judgment on their ancestors before, making them wander an additional forty years in the desert for refusing to enter Canaan as He commanded the first time. He did it then and He could do it again now. That was the point Moses was trying to make. The request was only going to repeat the mistakes of the past and that was utterly unacceptable.

Do we do this as well, easily forget the mistakes of our ancestors and then end up committing the same wrongs in life?

If we’re truly honest, I’m afraid it happens far more than we would like to admit.

Well, going back to the scriptures, we find that Moses’ words resonated with the Gadites and Reubenites for they ended up revising their proposal, saying:

"We, your servants, will do as our lord commands. Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. But your servants, every man armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says."

"We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. But we are ready to arm ourselves and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has received his inheritance. We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan."

So the Gadites and Reubenites were still interested in the land east of the Jordan but note that they would send all their men into battle and fight alongside the other tribes of Israel while their women and children would be protected in fortified cities they would construct. This revised plan was one that was obviously far more to Moses’ satisfaction as he said this to them:

"If you will do this - if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle, and if all of you will go armed over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out before Him - then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.”

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised."

In other words, woe be it for the Gadites and Reubenites if they go back on their promise.

So after the tribes of Reuben and Gad accept Moses’ proposition, he informs Eleazar of the arrangement and then “gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan”. This included “the whole land with its cities and the territory around them”. Then we read where the Gadites, Reubenites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built the fortified cities to protect their women and children as the men crossed the Jordan and went into battle.

This scripture passage for today underscores the importance of not repeating the mistakes of the past. For had Moses not spoken up, sparking the change of plans, the nation of Israel would have been destined for further consequences from God which could have included being turned away once again to wander the desert wilderness one more time. Fortunately, that didn’t happen as Moses performs one more act of strong leadership before he died, convincing the Reubenites and Gadites to make the needed corrections to their plan so the move to Canaan could stay on schedule. In the end translation, this new generation of Israelites would enjoy a life far better than their relatives, all because they focused themselves on being obedient to their God.

Friends, this same principle can be applied to our lives as well. For we all should step back and evaluate the lives of our parents, other family members, and friends, paying particular attention to how they have failed through sinning in life. Then, we should take whatever steps necessary within our own lives to make sure we don’t repeat their transgressions all over again, breaking what could be a vicious cycle of iniquity that could then be passed onto the next generation…and the next…and the next. You, I, and every other believer have the amazing power to establish change for the better and the Holy Spirit is ready to lead us there if we will only submit ourselves to His lead.

Indeed, we can only be successful in living in righteousness instead of wickedness if we surrender our will to the will of the Lord, asking Him to guide us each and every day while delivering us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13). Through Him, we can always guarantee that we won’t repeat the mistakes of the past as He directs us toward obediently fulfilling His blessed purposes that always bring Him the honor, glory, and praise that He deserves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR PROPER TRIBUTE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord said to Moses, "You and Eleazar, the priest, and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. Divide the spoils between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats. Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar, the priest, as the Lord's part. From the Israelites' half, select one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle."

So Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses. The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, 72,000 cattle, 61,000 donkeys, and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.

The half share of those who fought in the battle was:

337,500 sheep, of which the tribute for the Lord was 675;

36,000 cattle, of which the tribute for the Lord was 72;

30,500 donkeys, of which the tribute for the Lord was 61;

16,000 people, of which the tribute for the Lord was 32.

Moses gave the tribute to Eleazar, the priest, as the Lord's part, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The half belonging to the Israelites, which Moses set apart from that of the fighting men - the community's half - was 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 people. From the Israelites' half, Moses selected one out of every fifty persons and animals, as the Lord commanded him, and gave them to the Levites, who were responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle.

Then the officers who were over the units of the army - the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds - went to Moses and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing. So we have brought as an offering to the Lord the gold articles each of us acquired - armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces - to make atonement for ourselves before the Lord."

Moses and Eleazar, the priest, accepted from them the gold - all the crafted articles. All the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the Lord weighed 16,750 shekels. Each soldier had taken plunder for himself. Moses and Eleazar the priest accepted the gold from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a memorial for the Israelites before the Lord.

Numbers 31:25-54

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Look up the definition of the word “tribute” in the dictionary and you will find this:

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English tribut, from Latin tributum, from neuter of tributus, past participle of tribuere to allot, bestow, grant, pay, from tribus tribe

Date: 14th century

1 a: a payment by one ruler or nation to another in acknowledgment of

submission or as the price of protection; also: the tax levied for such a payment

b (1): an excessive tax, rental, or tariff imposed by a government, sovereign, lord, or landlord (2): an exorbitant charge levied by a person or group having the power of coercion c: the liability to pay tribute

2 a: something given or contributed voluntarily as due or deserved; especially: a gift or service showing respect, gratitude, or affection

b: something (as material evidence or a formal attestation) that indicates the worth, virtue, or effectiveness of the one in question

In yesterday’s message from the first twenty-four verses of Numbers, chapter 24, we saw where the Israelite army had returned from their conquest of the Midianites and having not carried out God’s command appropriately, received judgment from the Lord. As we turn to the final verses of this chapter, we see where the matter of the spoils from battle is addressed with God passing on the following guidance through Moses:

“You and Eleazar, the priest, and the family heads of the community are to count all the people and animals that were captured. Divide the spoils between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community. From the soldiers who fought in the battle, set apart as tribute for the Lord one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, or goats. Take this tribute from their half share and give it to Eleazar, the priest, as the Lord's part. From the Israelites' half, select one out of every fifty, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, or other animals. Give them to the Levites, who are responsible for the care of the Lord's tabernacle."

The scriptures tell us that “Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded” and we should note that the spoils were divided in an interesting way. For the total plunder was divided between “those who fought in the battle” and the Israelite community with each receiving 337,500 sheep, 36,000 cattle, 30,500 donkeys, and 16,000 people.

After this, there was a second dividing of the spoils with one portion going to the Lord and the other to the Levites.

In regard to the Lord’s share, we read that “one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, sheep or goats” were to be “set apart as tribute for the Lord” from “the soldiers who fought in the battle”. This tribute was to be given to “Eleazar, the priest” and when the apportionment ended, the scriptures detailed it as follows:

- from the 337,500 sheep, the Lord was given 675.

- from the 36,000 cattle, the Lord was given 72.

- from the 30,500 donkeys, the Lord was given 61.

and from the 16,000 people, the Lord was given 32.

All these were given to Eleazar as a tribute to the Lord by Moses, just as God had ordered.

Meanwhile, the Israelite community as a whole was supposed to provide a share of their spoils with their portions going to the Levites, those Israelites who the Lord had set apart to care for His holy Tabernacle and the worship within. We see that their share equaled what was given to God.

You know, the overall theme of this passage, paying tribute, got me thinking about believers today and how well we either do or don’t pay proper tribute to the Lord in our own lives. This leads to some self reflecting questions such as:

How well do we honor Him each and every day with what He has blessed us with?

If we do, are we giving Him our best, our first fruits just as He give us His?

Are we intentional every day with wanting to glorify our Lord by giving back a portion of our time, talent, and/or treasure?

In considering these, I want to offer a few things that come to mind.

First, as we consider what we should pay back to the Lord in tribute we could easily over-think the whole process. Let’s not make it hard and know that we only will honor the Lord properly when we choose to give Him our all, whether body, mind, soul, or anything we possess.

To inform this response, we need to carefully consider and inventory all that God has provided. When we do this properly, we should gain a proper appreciation for just how good He has been to us and this should manifest feelings of praise and thanksgiving in our hearts.

The bottom line is that everything we have been given – whether past, present, or future – comes from our Lord’s divine provision and providence as He lavishes us with His rich and abundant blessings.

Further, God didn’t stop at just providing for us materially but went well beyond that. For after seeing how all sinners were in such a helpless, destructive state, destined for an eternity in Hell if left in their sinfulness, He chose to provide atonement through the sacrifice of His one and only Son, Jesus, so that through His death, all who believe in Him would live. Indeed, there was a steep price that needed paid for the willful, transgressive disobedience of sinners and their obstinate insistence in doing what they wanted to do vice what God willed for them. This included a belief that all things earned were through the work of our hands, not the Lord’s.

Brothers and sisters, it’s time for us to step back and reset, seeing that God has given us His all, all that we need in order to fulfill the purposes He has us in this life to accomplish. In response to this, our only appropriate tribute is to show gratitude for His blessings and then use them in ways that bring honor and glory to His holy name.

God gave us His greatest gift by surrendering His only Son. With an attitude of gratitude, the least we can do is give Him everything we have in return as our proper tribute.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DANGEROUS PROPOSITIONS

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The Lord said to Moses, "Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people."

So Moses said to the people, "Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord's vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel."

So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling. They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam, son of Beor, with the sword.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks, and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, and brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses and Eleazar, the priest, and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

Moses, Eleazar, the priest, and all the leaders of the community went to meet them outside the camp. Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who returned from the battle.

"Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord's people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.”

"All of you who have killed anyone or touched anyone who was killed must stay outside the camp seven days. On the third and seventh days, you must purify yourselves and your captives. Purify every garment as well as everything made of leather, goat hair or wood."

Then Eleazar, the priest, said to the soldiers who had gone into battle, "This is the requirement of the law that the Lord gave Moses: Gold, silver, bronze, iron, tin, lead, and anything else that can withstand fire must be put through the fire, and then it will be clean. But it must also be purified with the water of cleansing. And whatever cannot withstand fire must be put through that water. On the seventh day, wash your clothes and you will be clean. Then you may come into the camp."

Numbers 31:1-24

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Just as God had commanded, Moses, as did his brother Aaron prior, was about to die before Israel entered the Promised Land. Before that took place, we see in Numbers, chapter 31 where the Lord has Moses oversee one more important act before being “gathered to (his) people”.

This act involved vengeance upon the Midianites who had corrupted the Israelites into sexual immorality and idol worshipping through their women. You’ll recall that this sinfulness led to God’s judgment as He sent a plague which killed 24,000 (Numbers 25:9) before Phinehas, Eleazar’s son, took action and killed an Israelite man and Midianite woman who had brought their illicit relationship into the “entrance to the Tent of Meeting” (Numbers 25:6). When it was over, Israel had paid a steep price and now it would be Midian’s turn which would fulfill God’s command to Moses at the end of chapter 25 to “treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them”.

Of interest here is that we find God giving Phinehas a position of holy responsibility in the Lord’s vengeance of Midian, a reward for his prior faithful acts. God indeed rewards those who are faithful to Him.

So Moses formed an army which consisted of a “thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel” to “go to war against the Midianites and to carry out the Lord's vengeance on them”. And the army went into battle and “fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses”, killing every man. The scriptures share that the five kings of Midian as well as Balaam, the diviner who Balak tried to use against Israel, as ones killed in the battle. In regard to the latter, it’s obvious Balaam didn’t remain loyal to God as he ended up in company with Midian, most certainly professing that he could help them supernaturally gain victory over Israel. His betrayal cost him his life.

We also read where the Israelite army also “captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder”. They “burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps” and “took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses and Eleazar the priest and the Israelite assembly at their camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho”. At face value, the army had been successful and victorious but there was a major problem created in the midst of their conquest for they had not fully carried out God’s command and this mistake would cost them later on.

The scriptures tell us that “Moses was angry with the officers of the army”, asking them, “Have you allowed all the women to live?" He then reminds the officers that the women “were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the Lord in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the Lord's people”. God had commanded that His vengeance be carried out on the Midianites, all of them not just the men.

And so we find Moses ensuring that the Lord’s will be done, ordering the army officers to “kill all the boys” and “every woman who has slept with a man”. In other words, all those who had corrupted Israel for we must note that any women who had “never slept with a man” were spared. These orders from Moses were carried out and the spoils of battle that remained, whether people or material items, were purified before becoming the property of Israel as the sinfulness of Midian was washed clean so not to infect Israel again.

Friends, from this first part of Numbers, chapter 31, we can glean away some important principles for living the righteous and holy life that God desires.

First, God can and will bring judgment on anyone who decides to willingly disobey Him or deliberately corrupt His people in any way.

Midian integrated with Israel with the purpose of turning them from God’s ways to their own sinfulness and the Israelites became willing partners, committing sexual immorality and worshipping false gods. As a result, both were punished by the Lord, the Israelites by the plague and the Midianites in war.

Today, we still have many believers who willingly choose to disobey the Lord’s word and will for their lives. Many non-believers also proactively attack the church and its believers, ever trying to corrupt them into sinful behavior, often successfully. Both should take note of what transpired in this chapter of Numbers because God can and will act again in judgment.

Secondly, we should be very careful about who we decide to associate ourselves with. In the case of Balaam, he aligned himself with spiritual mysticism and divinery before he encountered the one and only true God, a God who changed him and his outlook on life, at least in the short term. Balaam could have decided at that point to never associate with anyone else but Israel and their God, exchanging false worship practices for divine, righteous ones but  instead, he chose to revert back to his old ways, teaming up with the sinful Midianites and losing his life as a result.

In our present times, people have the same decision to make, to either partner with the Lord God Almighty, the Maker and Master of all living things and those who are faithful to Him or affiliate with Satan and those who choose to willingly disobey the Lord, sinning against Him freely with no concern for consequence. In regard to the latter, many, like Balaam, meet their demise as an expense for their poor choices.

In the end translation, the message from God here rings loud and clear: Joining in with anyone outside of Him will lead to His judgment.

Finally, we see that there is danger in not carrying out the Lord’s commands properly. The Israelite army was expected to wipe out Midian so they would never rival Israel again. Unfortunately, this expectation wasn’t met and later on in the scriptures, we will see how the Midianites return to challenge Israel (Judges 6).

Today, when people choose to not carry out God’s will fully, they still pay the price for their disobedience just as it was with the Israelites and their failure to do exactly what God demanded to punish Midian.

Take sinful behavior for example. Believers read the scriptures and pray over their lives, receiving guidance from the Lord as to what He expects. This is especially true about anything in our lives that needs corrected as He convicts us through the Holy Spirit and then expects us to repent before taking appropriate action to correct our behavior.

In these instances, too often our efforts aren’t really sincere when it comes to fixing our shortcomings. After all, sin plays on our desires and many times, we are simply unwilling to fully separate from them. So we either pretend to change or make a decision to only partially do so, addressing only a portion of our transgression while reserving a part of it so we can continue to satisfy ourselves. And so what we so often learn is that when we don’t completely eradicate the sin that afflicts us, it comes back later to afflict us again, just as the Israelites will learn with the people of Midian.

As I close, some important questions for spiritual self reflection:

1. Do you feel that you can go through your life living as you want to, opposing God with no fear of consequence?

Our scripture passage today shows us this is a dangerous proposition.

2. Do you feel that you can partner with anyone you like, even when the people you are associating yourself with are engaging in obvious immorality and sinful behavior?

Here, I’m not talking about partnering with the intent to minister. Jesus clearly interacted with sinners because as He so well stated, He came for the sick not the healthy (Luke 5:31-32). I’m talking about when a believer chooses to hang out with people who flaunt sin and care nothing about being obedient to the Lord.

Our scripture today shows us that associating with the wrong people can lead to illicit influence and so that’s why it’s a dangerous proposition.

3. Do you carry out the Lord’s commands and expectations fully in your life? Or do you do just enough to try and make it appear like you’re onboard with the Lord when you really are not willing to give up sin that you delight in?

Our Lord doesn’t accept a commitment from believers that toes the line between righteousness and wickedness. He expects all who have faith in Him to be all in, as dedicated to Him as He is to them. To do otherwise is also a dangerous proposition.

Brothers and sisters, we know that God’s word is active and alive, powerful and true (Hebrews 4:12) and so when we study the scriptures, we should do so with the utmost seriousness with a willingness to fully comply with all He expects. For far easier and enjoyable to rejoice in the Lord’s favor than to suffer in His judgment. It was true in biblical times and it has been true through the ages.

Which will we experience?

God has left the choice is up to us and will respond accordingly.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE POWER OF A PROMISE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel: "This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”

"When a young woman still living in her father's house makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her.”

“If she marries after she makes a vow or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her.”

"Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her.”

"If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself. But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. If, however, he nullifies them some time after he hears about them, then he is responsible for her guilt."

These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living in his house.

Numbers 30

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Promises or commitments. Both typically result from one person making a pact with another.

Sometimes this pact can be in the form of a signed agreement like a contract but most of the time it’s done less formal, usually in the form of a verbal statement from one person to another by way of an oath or vow, a promise or pledge.

Of course, this isn’t just a modern day behavior. For as we look at the Book of Numbers, we see where the matter of making vows was very prevalent in Old Testament times, so much so that God gives guidance on the matter to Moses. This guidance came in the form of regulations that regarding “relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living in his house”. And so in this instance, the direction on making vows, pledges, oaths, or any form promised obligation was within the context of family relationships.

Within the family the father had full responsibility and accountability for raising his daughter as long as she was living within his household and so she wasn’t to make any promise without first consulting him about it. This was rooted firmly in the fifth of the ten commandments given from God to Moses in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, “Honor your father and mother” (v.12) for a daughter consulting their father was expected as a matter of respect.

Going to our scripture passage, we see that if the daughter’s vow is known by the father and he “says nothing to her” then she is expected to fulfill it along with “every pledge by which she obligated herself” for the father’s lack of response was equal to him approving. However, if the “father forbids her when he hears about it”, then “none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand” because “the Lord will release her” from her promise due to the father’s disapproval.

In other words, the Heavenly Father would honor the decision of the earthly father.

The second matter addressed by God is the matter of vows and paths taken by a wife within the confines of a marital relationship. Notice here this also includes a matter of approval required by the husband in regard to any promise made by the wife, once again a privilege extended to the husband out of respect for him being the head of his household.

It seems that too many marital relationships in the times of Numbers, like so many marriages today, suffered from the lack of proper communications and given that communication is the lifeblood of any relationship, a marriage needs it in order to survive. Unfortunately, too many decisions are made within marriages where either the husband or wife does something without consulting their spouse and this usually leads to strain and conflict within the relationship. This is a large reason why we find God addressing the issue in the second part of this passage.

Once again, we should note that the validation of the wife’s vow was contingent on the husband’s approval, just as it was in the case of the daughter. If the wife would utter a “rash promise by which she obligates herself” and “her husband hears about it but says nothing to her”, then “her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand”. Again, the husband lack of response indicated his approval. However, “if her husband” forbid her when he heard about her “rash promise”, then he would nullify “the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself and the Lord will release her”. With this, we can see where no promises could be made by the wife without the husband knowing about them, a matter of respect in the marriage between the two partners.

You know, a passage like this tends to peak people’s interest and even drive them to a point of frenzy because they will view it as too controlling as the daughter or wife wouldn’t be permitted to make a decision on their own free from the father/husband’s approval. They view the scriptures through a modern lens instead of the cultural context by which God’s commands applies more than 2,000 years ago.

But maybe we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if our modern day, worldly approaches to relationships within the family are really working well. For we see many spouses free-wheeling within their marriages as if they are really single, doing whatever they want to do regardless of how their husband feels. And when daughters see this kind of behavior, their mother not respecting their father, then they think they can do the same thing. The end result becomes dysfunctional family units that rarely survive as tragedy emerges in the form of combative divorces and/or teenage daughters addicted to drugs or becoming pregnant after engaging in inappropriate sexual intimacy before adulthood.

We should open our eyes and see that the worldly, free-wheeling attitude within families isn’t working out.

Thankfully, we find structure in the Bible from the very Words of a perfect God, Words breathed out by Him (2 Timothy 3:16) with authority and power. And because they come from a perfect Lord, then the Words are valid and true because He doesn’t error or deceive. Further, His wisdom transcends our limited knowledge and understanding for the scriptures tell us that His foolishness is wiser than our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:25).

The bottom line is that there is no better direction for our lives, and this includes our family relationships, than what we find in the Bible and we honor God’s authority and wisdom by being absolutely obedient to His Word, will, and way, all of which have been given for us to gain the best out of life, not to harm us. All we need to do is submit to Him in all things.

As for our marriages and parenting, we are to ensure that we honor the people within those relationships by communicating with them before we make a vow or promise binding. Perhaps if we would just be obedient to God’s Word and keep everything up front, we would have much less deception going on which would nurture peace instead of disagreement.

Just one more point we need to remember.

God sees everything and so there is nothing we do that is hidden. As we operate within our marital and parental relationships, we should do so knowing that God is watching what we do and will take action depending on our behavior, bringing blessing or correction. Trying to conceal from others doesn’t mean we will get away with deceit for the truth is that no one ever truly gets away with anything.

Friends, we need to keep in mind that the Lord has shown us how to properly make promises through the way He does it. For He is always true to His Word and when He pledges to do something, He always makes good on it. This should buoy us up with joy and hope as we read the following scripture passages:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“…be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13:5-6

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“…but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever; He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:8-12

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16-17

My brothers and sisters, these are just a few of many blessed assurances that we find the Lord giving us through His perfect Word. Maybe you have some others that share a special place in your heart and mind. If so, please leave a comment to this message and give any testimony as to how that particular promise from God blessed you. I would love to hear about it.

I hope we see through today’s message how there is power in a promise when it is done properly. When we make one, we need to do it in the same spirit as our Lord, ever staying faithful to our word. This applies to vows we make to Him as well as those we make to one another. When it comes right down to it, let us commit to being as true to God and others as He is to us. If we commit ourselves to Jesus as we should as Christians, it’s a goal we can reach.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.