QT 18 Jan 12, Serving God with a whole heart

Num 14:21-25 (NIV) Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times —  23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea."

NOTE: Out of 600k men, only two are allowed to see the conquest of Canaan. Moses and Aaron also fall into the category of "treated me with contempt." For Moses, it was when he disobeyed specific instructions with the water from the rock, and for Aaron, it was when he and Miriam grumbled about Moses leadership (or rather God's choice of leadership). Caleb is described as a person with a different spirit and who follows wholeheartedly. I think a different spirit is seen in a different worldview, not seeing things from man's perspective but seeing things from God's perspective.  Wholeheartedness is shown by a desire to obey God in every aspect of a person's life. There is no holding back or keeping a few things to oneself, everything is sold out for the Lord. I want to please God in this way -- I want to be a Caleb.

QT 17 Jan 12, Moses was effective in prayer

Num 14:10-11, 13a, 15-23 (NIV) 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. 11 The Lord said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them? ..."

13 Moses said to the Lord, ". . . 15 If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 16 'The Lord was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.'

17 "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 'The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."

20 The Lord replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times —  23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.

NOTE: One of the misunderstandings of scripture is to view it in a human context. God values prayer and even teaches it to his people. His proposed actions were perfectly just but were never truly intended. Moses appeal, his prayer, is an example to us of how we are to pray. He argues with God on the basis of God's name (verses 13-16), on the basis of his promises (verses 17-18), and on the basis of his character (verse 19). Later, in the book of Jeremiah, God declares "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! (Jer 15:1)." Moses knew how to pray. We would do well to learn the lessons that Moses learned in our prayer life. He didn't use tongues or grandiose events, he simply kneeled and in his mind expressed an argument based upon God's name, His Word, and His character.

QT 16 Jan 12, Fear God not men

Num 14:5-10a (NIV) Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.

NOTE: From a human perspective for Moses and the three, I'm not sure what was worse, being stoned by the people or disobeying God. Obviously God could protect Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb, so the threat of stoning was the least important issue. From a human perspective for the people, they were more worried about the "giants" than about displeasing God. In both cases, the bigger issue really is obedience to God -- circumstances must take a second place to obedience, and that is a hard concept to fathom.

Also, I believe the concern of Moses was not for himself but rather for the people. Which creates an interesting irony. Moses is afraid of how God will judge the people for their disobedience. The people are afraid of obeying God in fear of what the "giants" will do to them. The people make two mistakes. They feared the wrong thing. And, they did not trust God's word and that God would protect them in the conquest of the land of Caanan.

The application is obvious, fear God and obey his commandments, even if circumstances might tempt us to act differently.

QT 13 Jan 12, Go to God with struggles

Num 14:1-4 (NIV) That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

NOTE: How is it, that after seeing God perform mighty miracles in Egypt and split open the Red Sea and shows a visible presence of smoke and fire, the people are so quick to turn their backs upon God's plan for their lives? I think fear and focus are the driving factors. Fear is an emotional response to situations in life that can cause irrational choices. Focus, the lack of focus on God, and a focus on circumstances, increases our fear and anxiety. The antidote for both causes is faith expressed in prayer. Paul writes

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:6-7)." I think one of our problems is that we do not pray until the crisis is upon us, when the better choice is to seek God in prayer daily. The Israelites, instead of seeking God, sought each other, "… and they said to each other …." The solutions to life are not found with a focus on the seen but with a focus on the unseen.  "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Cor 4:17-18)." We won't find answers talking with people when we really to be talking to God.

QT 11 Jan 12, God's command is to be obeyed over man's wisdom

Num 13:1-2, 17-20, 25-27, 30-33 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."

. . .

17 When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. 18 See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified? 20 How is the soil? Is it fertile or poor? Are there trees on it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land." (It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)

. . .

25 At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.

. . .

30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."

31 But the men who had gone up with him said, "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are." 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, "The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them."

NOTE: The 12 spies were sent to explore the land. There job was to provide intelligence, not a recommendation of action. Information about soil, towns, and food would help to order the attack since they would be without manna upon entering the land.  They would need to establish a base of operations and a supply network to support operations throughout the land. Ten of the twelve spies saw their job in a different light, a much more influential position of power. They usurped the authority of their leaders by providing an evaluation of the proposed action, and then spread a bad report among the Israelites. Why? And when is it appropriate to provide a recommendation? In this case the decision had already been made. The appropriate action might be a private discussion with leadership if it were not for the fact that God had already decided upon their course of action. God knew what they found out, but that fact never enters their mind as they report back their findings. They saw things from a human perspective, which can be okay, if it wasn't for the fact that they had already had God's perspective. Prudence is a wise choice except when it runs counter to the revealed will of God. When God has given clear instruction and command, we can not debate the issue using prudence. Where God has not given clear instruction and command, it is foolish to act without prudent judgment.

As I look upon this new direction in our life, prudence would seem to suggest we have made a wrong choice, but faith tells me that God had clearly communicated his will in this regard. Therefore I need to pursue what God has revealed. Where people do make a mistake is when they assume a "feeling" is God speaking to them. God's direction should be clear and unmistakable. 

QT 5 Jan 12, The gift of the Spirit shows different evidences

Num 11:24-30 (NIV) So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not do so again.

26 However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"

29 But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!" 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

NOTE: This is OT and not NT.  Also, this is historical and not didactic.  Having said that, there are some important observations about the Spirit descending upon a person which can be useful to note.

One, they prophesied when the spirit came upon them.  Yet there is no mention of Moses prophesying.  They did not speak in tongues, there was no need.  The twelve disciples spoke in tongues, they did not prophesy. 

Two, they prophesied only once and never again, although the Spirit never left them.

Three, two of the individuals were not present at the "ceremony," yet they prophesied as well.

Four, 70 were chosen to be leaders and elders.  They did not asked for the Spirit, but it was given to them as part of the position that they took.

Fifth, there was controversy and opposition. Joshua was opposed to others receiving the Spirit, but Moses welcomed it.

I do not believing there is a second anointing.  I believe a man is baptized into the family of God upon believing.  At that point, he is sealed with the Spirit and adopted into the family of God.  He should make many decisions to seek God more deeply throughout his life.  He should seek to be "filled" with the Spirit by allowing the word of Christ to dwell in him richly.  He may or may not speak in tongues, but he will have one spiritual gift given at the moment he believes in Christ.

QT 4 Jan 12, When we live for our flesh, we reject God's rule over our lives

Num 11:4-6,10-11,14-20 (NIV) 4 The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost — also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"

10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing, each at the entrance to his tent. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? ... 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now — if I have found favor in your eyes — and do not let me face my own ruin."

16 The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel's elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone.

18 "Tell the people: 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month — until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it — because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" '"

NOTE:  There are really two issues in this story.  Both issues are a direct result of the complaining about meat or the lack of variety in the diet.  In the first case, Moses takes their complaints personally and is overwhelmed by the load (this and probably other issues).  Secondly, God says that the people's complaint is not against Moses, although it might be directed that way, but rather against God himself.  Basically, the real argument is that life was better in slavery in Egypt than in freedom in the desert because at least in slavery we could feed our fleshly appetites.  Life revolves around the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and not around freedom or slavery.  We really are a fickle people, we really are never satisfied, at least as long as our affection is placed upon the world and not upon the things of God.

God provides seventy leaders to support Moses in the burden of leading this people.  God also gives the people what they want until they are sick of it and loathe it, which is usually how we feel about sin after the fact.  It is too bad we can't loathe our sin prior to the action.

God forgive me when I reject you by pursuing my appetites.  I want to be a man who loves you first and foremost.

QT 3 Jan 12, Complaining is natural, counting blessings is counter culture

Num 11:1-3 (NIV) Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.

NOTE: I wonder what the hardships were.  They had food, shelter, clothing, and security.  They were no longer slaves serving harsh Egyptian taskmasters, and yet they complain of hardships.  I wonder if the real story is that everyone complains of their lot in life--we are never satisfied--the grass is always greener somewhere else.  The answer to a complaining spirit is a "thankfulness."  Counting your blessings may be an old adage but it has a lot of wisdom.  Father, thank you for my home, my family, the food, my job, my work office, my hobbies, my ministry, my areas of service, my opportunities to impact others, and so much more that you have given to me that I do not deserve.