Category Archives: Numbers

Day 55: Complaining

Numbers 10:11 – 12:16

Key Verses

Numbers 11:1-2
And the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down.

Hebrews 3:3
For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

After almost a year at Mt. Sinai… after the giving of the Law and the construction of the Tabernacle, the anointing of Priests and dedication of the Holy things… the people set out. Everything starts well – the people break camp as instructed, they march in the exact order that God commanded. The Levites comply with every instruction of how to transport the tent and the holy things.

But then.

The people complain… And everything goes downhill from there. Today’s reading ends with Moses’ own family turning against him and the Lord.

What happened? Their eyes turned inward on their unhappy circumstances. Self-pity crept in – which led to self-justification – which led to great anger from God.

This section of Scripture is deeply sad to me – mainly because I see the same sin patterns in my own life. When I complain, the ungratefulness in my heart is revealed. A thankless heart is a great sin – but thankfully… we serve a God who longs for our repentance. 

At the very end of today’s reading, we see Miriam and Aaron conspiring against Moses. They were jealous of his special standing before God and deserved to die because of it, but God spared them – because of Moses’ intercession.

Moses points forward to Jesus – who lives to continually make intercession for us. The book of Hebrews teaches that Jesus is greater than Moses (Hebrews 3), and it also teaches that Jesus is our High Priest…

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Lord, please forgive me when I complain of my circumstances – belittling your sacrifice for me. Help me to pry my eyes off of myself and turn them toward you – my great High Priest. Please Lord, have mercy on me.

Day 54: The Cloud and The Fire

Numbers 8 – 10:10; Mark 4:35 – 5:43

Key Verses

Numbers 9:16
So it was always: the cloud covered [the tabernacle] by day and the appearance of fire by night.

Mark 5:41
Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”

Tucked in the middle of instructions and preparations to move the Israelite camp toward Canaan is a description of the cloud and fire. God’s presence was manifested as a cloud over the Tabernacle by day and fire by night. At any time the cloud (or the fire) lifted from the Tabernacle – the Israelites were to break camp and follow.

Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out (Numbers 9:22-23).

Maybe this is naive, but I’ve always been envious of this lifestyle of the Israelites. I envy the simplicity. If God moved, they moved. If God stayed, they were to stay. I long for the distractions of this world to be stripped away – so everything comes down to – if God moves, I move. If God stays, I stay.

Let me tell you something… He’s worth following. Just read today’s passage from Mark. He has dominion over the forces of nature, over all the spiritual world and even over death and life. This is a God who is powerful and rich in mercy. Mark’s account of Jesus raising the little girl from the dead has to be one of my favorite gospel stories. You can see His kindness in the details… how He takes her hand and how He ensures she receives food.

We live in a complicated time that is stuffed with stuff – all of which pull at our heartstrings and distract us from the Only One that really matters. Sometimes it takes a desert experience to bring our eyes back to a single focus… worship of the Savior. God, help us to see you through the fog of this world. Help us to see the cloud by day and the fire by night so that we might follow… and worship.

Day 53: The Word at work

Numbers 7; Mark 4:21-34

Key Verses

Numbers 7:89
And when Moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat that was on the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and it spoke to him.

Mark 4:33
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

The Kingdom of God… it’s one of my favorite topics. In an earlier post I defined the Kingdom as a place with a ruler, a law and a people.

Today’s parables define another aspect of the Kingdom… the Word. The Word is the means of growing the Kingdom. What a person does with the Word will determine if he’s in the Kingdom or out… The Word is the picture and message of Jesus. The Word is the call to repent. The Word is the gospel – the good news that Jesus is the sacrifice.

  • The Word sheds light on the human heart – just as a lamp lights a dark room (Mark 4:21-22).
  • The Word will increase in a heart that is teachable, but to a hard heart, it will be taken away (Mark 4:23-25).
  • The Word is sown as a farmer sows a field, and just as the plant grows slowly – almost invisibly at first – so does the Kingdom grow… slowly and steadily until one day its branches will cover the whole garden! (Mark 4:26-34)

The Kingdom is invisible. But one day, we will see the place and the Ruler – face to face… Moses was only able to hear God speak. God would speak from above the mercy seat in between the cherubim (Numbers 7:89). Moses didn’t go behind the veil to the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelled. No. The veil had not yet been torn. The way had not yet been opened. The all-sufficient sacrifice had not yet been given.

Jesus comes and opens the way for the sinner to go behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. There will be no tabernacle in the new earth – for God will not need a veil to hide his Glory – Rather, his Glory will shine like the sun and his home will be with… his people.

I take great comfort in the promise that though the Kingdom is invisible and grows slowly – that one day it will be so vast that it will be seen by all! The same principle is true of the Word at work in my heart. It is my responsibility to sow the Word in my heart – to read, meditate and trust. And slowly, steadily the Word will produce fruit in my life. This is the way of faith. This is the way of the Kingdom!

Day 52: Inside or Outside?

Numbers 5-6; Mark 4:1-20

Key Verses

Numbers 6:22-27
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

One of the more offensive tenets of the Christian faith is that there is a distinction between those inside the Kingdom of God and those outside the Kingdom. Let’s face it, our culture values inclusiveness…. and at first glance, both of today’s passages seem to paint an exclusive picture of the Christian faith.

In Numbers, we continue to read about the people making preparations to enter the promised land. Today’s passage describes the “cleansing” of the camp (for more information on how to interpret OT cleanliness laws, see Day 42). Those who were “unclean” had to live “outside the camp.” One of the purposes for removing unclean people from the camp was to set Israel apart from other nations, but another reason was to create a picture of purity that pointed forward to God’s Kingdom… The physical act of “cleansing” the camp symbolized the spiritual purity of God’s future Kingdom.

Fast forward to today’s teaching in Mark…Jesus teaches in parables to further emphasize this principle of “insiders” vs. “outsiders.” He says that those who are in God’s Kingdom will understand his teaching, but those outside will not. In today’s passage, the very point of the parable was that there will be those who hear the word of the gospel, and will reject it. In other words, there will be outsiders.

But notice a very important subtlety… Who is the one doing the rejecting? Is it God? No. When Jesus comes, he opens the door of the Kingdom to people from ALL nations and tongues. There is no distinction between Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave or free.

What the Old Testament and Jesus both teach is that entrance to the Kingdom is absolutely exclusive because it requires perfection. Everyone would be outsiders if Jesus hadn’t paid the price of admission on our behalf. But because of Jesus’ sacrificial payment, all are invited in; therefore, the Kingdom becomes all-inclusive :) Sadly, we know people who choose to reject the invitation…

But. Jesus holds out hope even for those least likely to enter the Kingdom…

Mark 4:12
[For] those outside, everything is in parables, so that
“they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.” 

There is always hope for the unbeliever! Lest they should turn and be forgiven! Do you think of the Christian faith like an exclusive club – thus making the unbeliever feel judged and uninvited? Or do your words and actions make people feel welcome and safe? Remember, apart from God’s grace… we would all be outsiders!

Day 51: The Precision of God

Numbers 3-4; Mark 3:22-35

Key Verses

Numbers 3:9-10
And you shall give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the people of Israel. And you shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood.

Mark 3:35
“For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Numbers 3 & 4 concentrate on numbering the Levites.

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the people of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the people of Israel. The Levites shall be mine” (Numbers 3:12).

The ESV Study Bible explains: “In the last plague, every firstborn male Egyptian and every firstborn of their cattle died, but the Israelite boys and cattle were spared. So after this, all Israelite firstborn boys and cattle were dedicated to God. That meant the cattle were sacrificed and the boys should have served God in the sanctuary Ex. 11:4–13:15. But after the golden calf incident, the Levites took the place of the firstborn boys Ex. 32:25–29. The census showed there were 273 fewer Levites than first-born males in the other tribes. To redeem those 273 Israelites who had no Levite to take their place, five shekels (Num. 3:47) per person had to be paid. This is the tariff prescribed in Lev. 27:6 for boys under five. Five shekels would have been about a year’s pay for a herdsman.”

Do you notice the precision of God? Nothing was overlooked. Every detail was considered and described. God is a God of order, not chaos :)

Mark 3 contains a difficult saying of Jesus that is found in all 3 of the synoptic gospels…

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (Mark 3:28-29).

It is helpful to consider the precise nature of God’s character when interpreting this verse. Jesus was not being elusive. His speech was plain and precise. But what did he mean… exactly?

To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to persistently reject his saving work in your life. The Holy Spirit testifies in our hearts that Jesus is Lord. The Holy Spirit softens and humbles our hearts to ask for salvation and forgiveness. To reject the work of the Spirit is, in essence, forfeiting the chance for forgiveness. If you have been saved by the work of the Spirit, then this “eternal sin” is impossible for you to commit. Only those who refuse to be saved remain “unforgivable.”

God is clear. God is precise. There is one true God and one way to salvation….only through the atoning work of Jesus on the cross. There is no sin we can commit that can trump the power of His sacrifice – except to reject Him. That would be a very sad, “eternal” mistake.

Day 50: Encamped Around the Presence of God

Numbers 1-2; Mark 3:1-21

Key Verses

Numbers 2:1-2
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.”

Mark 3:9-10
And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.

We begin the book of Numbers today! Numbers chronicles Israel’s time in the desert and begins with the people making preparations to go to war. If they wanted to take the land, they had to prepare to fight…

From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company (Numbers 1:3).

Numbers 2 goes on to detail exactly how the people were to camp and march. The Tabernacle would be guarded by the Levites and remained in the center of the people when they camped and when they marched. Remember, the tabernacle was God’s house. God dwelled there. The people were to camp around the presence of God. Numbers vividly portrays God’s presence dwelling with the Israelite people!

Both of today’s passages contain imagery of great numbers surrounding the presence of God. The account in Numbers is ordered and precise. Everyone had a place – so much so that it would be very obvious if a family or clan went missing. There would be an empty spot around the tabernacle! This was a model of community. This is a model for the church*!

By contrast, the scenes in Mark seem frantic. The crowds pressing in on Jesus were desperate. This is also a picture of community. Our churches are made up of hurt and broken people, desperate for the healing touch of the Savior.

Both passages teach valuable lessons about community and church life. The church needs each of us. If we go missing, there will be a noticeable gap that goes unfilled. But we also need the church. For that’s where God’s presence is found!!! If you don’t believe me, read Ephesians…

…you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

The dwelling place of God is in the midst of a community of believers… being built together into a holy temple.

Are you desperate for the Savior?? Oh, I hope so. Now… go to church :) …And encamp together around the presence of God!

*I am indebted to author and teacher, Susan Hunt, for the application of Numbers 2 to church life.

Day 65: The final discipleship lesson

Numbers 34-36; Mark 10:32-52

Jesus has set his face toward Jerusalem. He is resolute in his mission. You can almost see the crowds pulsing behind him – amazed and afraid. If anything is going to happen, it will happen in Jerusalem. If he’s going to become King, it will happen in Jerusalem. Yes. He would be King.

Jesus takes the twelve aside and tries this third and final time to explain that he would not be crowned King in Jerusalem, but rather he would die. He tries to paint a vivid picture of his suffering…  using words like “mock,” “spit,” “flog” and “kill.” But they remain spiritually blind.

James and John reveal their misunderstanding by choosing this moment to ask to sit at his right and left hand in “his glory.” The other disciples become “indignant.” They are filled with ambition and jealousy… The Spirit had not yet come. Their eyes remained closed.

But Jesus knows his time is short. He trusts that the Spirit will bring understanding.. later. He endures their misunderstanding and presses on with his teaching – the all-important teaching…

But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45).

He would become King… but not with the usual fanfare… only by enduring great suffering. His life was and is our ransom.

The disciples’ would not remain blind… the change would come. But only after his death and resurrection… Then the Spirit would be sent and they would understand the call to suffer…. the call to sacrifice. Their eyes would be opened. Understanding would come. The Spirit would not fail.

Just like the disciples, we require the Spirit to understand and obey this hard teaching. Sacrifice does not come naturally, rather it is a slow, painful work of the Spirit that brings great reward. Ask the Spirit for understanding and the power to obey. The Spirit will not fail!

Day 64: A picture lesson in discipleship

Numbers 32-33; Mark 10:1-31

Have you noticed that Jesus’ discipleship lessons center around one topic… Sacrifice.  Today’s reading illustrates the importance of sacrifice in the story of the rich young ruler. I’m borrowing today’s post from my personal blog (which details my journey as a mom to a disabled child). I hope you enjoy it :)

An Unfair Exchange May 18, 2012

Remember the rich, young ruler? He wants to follow Jesus, but Jesus asks him to sacrifice the one thing he loves most – his possessions. The man can’t and leaves broken-hearted. His disciples are incredulous. “Who can be saved?” they ask. Jesus gives the good news. “With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).

I cannot muster the ability to sacrifice from within myself.

I have dreams you know… And they aren’t selfish desires – they are good desires, but for now, I can’t pursue them because of the time it requires to care for my disabled daughter. I have it easy actually. God has given me an clear choice.

  1. Pursue your own desires and let someone else care for my daughter. OR
  2. Sacrifice and care for her myself.

Like I’m going to choose not to care for my own daughter.

But here’s where the mystery is revealed. Here is the paradox that I could have never uncovered on my own. You know what you find when you sacrifice your own desires and wants and dreams? And I don’t mean the “sacrifices” that make us feel better about ourselves. No, I mean the gut wrenching, I HATE THIS kind of sacrifice. Because that’s how I feel most of the time. I HATE THIS.

You know what I’ve found. Do you know what’s at the bottom of the deep well of sacrifice? What’s waiting when you really let Jesus be the King and surrender to that horrible thing he’s asked you to do – the thing you could never do by yourself? Do you know what’s waiting for you? Satisfaction.

As gut wrenching as the sacrifice is, the satisfaction on the other side is… well, it’s other-worldly. Jesus doesn’t ask us to sacrifice because He wants to make our lives miserable. He does it because He knows that it is the only way to find true, soul-filling satisfaction in this world. He asks us to sacrifice because He loves us.

And Jesus, looking at [the rich young ruler], loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

And the rich, young ruler couldn’t. And neither can I. Yet, somehow in the letting go and asking for help, Jesus does the impossible and sacrifices through me – and I get to experience that joy that surpasses all understanding. It’s not fair actually. I definitely don’t deserve it. But I’ll take it :)

Day 63: The 2nd discipleship lesson

Numbers 30-31; Mark 9:1-50

Mark 9 is very similar to Matthew 17… They both begin with an account of the Transfiguration, and then as Jesus comes down the mountain he is confronted with the boy with an unclean spirit.

Jesus then predicts his death for the 2nd time. And he follows it with his 2nd lesson on discipleship…

“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

The disciples were seeking glory and power. They were arguing over who would be the greatest in the new Kingdom… you know, the Kingdom where Jesus would overthrow the government and became King over the new powerful Israel.

But instead, Jesus suffered and died – and ushered in a Kingdom whose currency was humility and servanthood.

I know a lady. She’s in her fifties. She has two daughters, one in college – the other in high school. She supports her family by working in my daughter’s school as a teacher’s aid and is attending classes at night to earn her degree in special ed. She even volunteers at her church to work with special needs kids. This woman takes care of my disabled daughter at school. Her job is to help her… with everything. She helps her write. She makes sure she eats her school lunch. She wheels her through the school halls. She hugs her and teaches her to read.

This woman is more valuable in God’s Kingdom than ten presidents. Our world doesn’t place much value on weakness… But Jesus does. Jesus essentially says, if you want to be great in my Kingdom… take on lowly tasks that don’t get much fanfare – like caring for people with little status in this world… care for the homeless, the incarcerated, the elderly, the widow, the single mother, the victim of sex trafficking – or the disabled child.

Jesus doesn’t want your status. He doesn’t care about your title. He wants humility. He wants your sacrificial service.

Day 62: The 1st discipleship lesson

Numbers 28-29; Mark 8:22-38

Many scholars teach that Mark’s gospel can be split into two sections… The first 7 chapters show Jesus in action… healing, teaching, traveling and performing miracles. We are now entering the 2nd half of Mark’s gospel where Jesus narrows his focus to the training of his disciples.

We see Jesus begin this hard work in his disciples, and just like us, they are blind, hard-hearted and not easily changed. As I mentioned yesterday, today’s passage begins a section in Mark that contains a pattern. We see Jesus predict his death three times. Each time, the disciples refuse to believe, and Jesus responds with a discipleship lesson. This section in Mark is book-ended by two episodes of Jesus healing a blind man… highlighting the disciples’ spiritual blindness.

Let’s look at Jesus’ lesson in Mark 8:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:34-36)

This is the essence of discipleship… of being a follower of Jesus. He demands our all – our very lives. This isn’t just a one-time surrender. Rather it is a daily battle with the self. Will you follow your self’s desires or Jesus’? Will you walk in the way of self sufficiency and self satisfaction or will you give up your rights and freedoms to walk in the way of the Savior?

This battle is impossible to win alone. We need the power of the Spirit to do something as gut-wrenchingly hard as sacrificial obedience. But let me tell you something. Something that isn’t intuitive – that’s paradoxical and hard to believe unless you’ve lived it…

At the bottom of the deep well of obedience is inexpressible, unquenchable – JOY. A joy that is other-worldly and powerful. It wraps you up in its warmth and lifts you effortlessly. It sustains you and fills you in a way that following your own will can not. But it takes work to find it…hard, painful sacrificial work. “Is it worth it?” you might ask… Oh yeah. It’s worth it.