Reading: Devotional
April 10
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How to Live with God
Leviticus 19:1–2
As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Peter 1:15–16 (ESV)
It was wonderful for Israel when God came to dwell in their midst. But not all danger was past once the tabernacle was built and God came to live there. Nor was it Israel’s external enemies that posed the biggest challenge. To be sure, the people had learned that they served a covenanting God who was faithful beyond measure to his promises. But they had also found him to be a holy God, perfect in every way and therefore unable to tolerate their all too frequent sin.
The book of Leviticus addresses the problem of how an unholy people can live with the holy God. It gives God’s rules concerning the legitimate candidates and conduct for Israel’s priesthood. It also outlines the rules by which holiness could be preserved and unholiness remedied. To make a person or thing unholy was to profane it; to restore holiness was to sanctify it.
Not everything connected to Israel had to be holy. Some things, such as eating utensils and clothes, were ordinary and not set apart for service to God. But everything and everyone connected to Israel did have to be clean. Israel was forbidden contact with that which was permanently unclean (such as the dead) and certain animals (such as carnivorous birds, shellfish, and pigs). Furthermore, if one came into contact with something unclean, that pollution would have to be addressed by cleansing practices.
It is noteworthy that God did not give his laws and procedures for holiness as a way for the people to get right with him, but as a way for them to stayright with him. The people had been rescued and made right with God before he gave laws to help them continue in the freedom to which God called them—living with God and enjoying his company.
April 11
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Holiness in Space and Time
Leviticus 25
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the New Jerusalem], and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Revelation 22:3–4 (ESV)
God’s concern for holiness is reflected in the organization of Israel’s camp.
· Outside of the camp were Gentiles and unclean or infected Israelites, and also the unclean food—off-limits to Israel.
· Inside the camp, surrounding the tabernacle, were the Israelites with their edible and clean animals and clean utensils.
· In the center of the camp was the tabernacle with its outer court (for blind or lame priests and imperfect sacrificial animals), the inner court (for unblemished priests and sacrificial animals), and the Most Holy Place, the dwelling place of God, into which only the high priest was allowed access annually.
God’s concern for holiness is also reflected in the laws regarding Sabbath observance.
· The Sabbath was to be observed once a week.
· A Sabbath year was to be observed one year in seven. During this year both the people and the land would rest, depending completely on God’s provision.
· A Sabbath of Sabbaths or Year of Jubilee was to be celebrated after seven Sabbath years. At this time, all slaves were to be set free. Also, if a family had lost its portion of inheritance in the Promised Land, the land was to be returned to them.
The organization of Israel’s camp and the commands regarding Sabbaths, Sabbath years, and Years of Jubilee were to remind God’s people of the allegiance they owed to their Creator and Redeemer and of their absolute dependence on his provision. The people had a special taste in space and time of what paradise had been like and what it would be like again when God had finished redeeming his creation.
April 12
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Authorized and Unauthorized Fire
Leviticus 9:1–10:5
You will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes
and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.
Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.
1 Chronicles 22:13 (ESV)
At God’s command, Moses gave detailed instructions on the proper procedures for priests to follow in offering their sacrifices to God on behalf of Israel. Upon hearing these, Leviticus 8:36 tells us, “Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.” The result was a marvel to the priests and the people. The glory of the Lord appeared to them, and fire from the Lord ignited the sacrifices on God’s altar. It was an occasion for great joy mixed with some apprehension, which the people showed by falling facedown.
However, something terrible happened some time later. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offered the Lord what Scripture calls “unauthorized fire.” Although we don’t know exactly what they did wrong, it was not a simple mistake, but rather a knowing transgression against the instructions they had received and, therefore, against God’s holiness. Nadab and Abihu paid for their sin with their lives. It was a terrible object lesson for Israel and its priests that no one can take God’s instructions casually.
Indeed, no one can live in the presence of the Lord who does not come to him on his terms. That’s what Moses had learned years before at the burning bush. There Moses had feared for his life but dared to come near only after he obeyed God’s command to show reverence by removing his sandals (see Ex. 3:5-6).
If God’s judgment on Nadab and Abihu seems harsh, then we must realize how severe their crime was. After all, God is perfectly righteous and just; with him the punishment always fits the crime. Their disobedience earned them the reward ultimately due all who rebel against God—death.
April 13
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Passing on the Blessing
Numbers 6:22–27
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for
us…so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:13-14 (ESV)
One thing you can’t help but notice, if you study religious and family life in the Old Testament, is the importance of blessing and passing on the blessing. The tangible blessing of life in the Promised Land with the God of the promise was ceremonially reinforced in this blessing with which God told Aaron and the priests to bless the people.
A couple of the blessings that the people treasured the most were their freedom of worship and the land that God had promised to give them. The first of these came through Moses. The second was still to come through the efforts of Joshua and the army of Israel. On this and other occasions the people learned that God loved to bless his people. They learned as well that he usually passed on his blessings through the words and actions of his priests, and later through kings and prophets. All of them—priests, kings, and prophets—were set apart for service to God.
However, Israel as a whole was also set apart for service to God, and therefore called to pass on blessings by loving actions toward God and each other as instructed by the law of God.
· Parents were to bless their children by instructing them in the ways of the Lord (Deut. 6:7).
· God’s people were to bless each other by heartfelt obedience to the commandments in the second table of the Law, and also by special provisions for the disadvantaged of their world—widows, orphans, and even foreigners residing within Israel.
· Nor could Israel forget that God intended to use the whole community of Israel to bring blessing to the rest of the world. They were blessed so they could be a blessing.
April 14
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Complaints or Trust?
Numbers 10:33–12:16
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out
your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 62:8 (ESV)
After staying at Sinai for eleven months, the Israelites were led into the Desert of Paran where, in very short order, they began to complain. An initial complaint about their hardships brought God’s discipline in the form of a consuming fire from the Lord. Moses intervened in prayer until the fire died down.
Next, the people complained about the boring diet of manna by which God was sustaining them. They selectively remembered the advantages of life in Egypt, especially the variety of food they had there. In answer, the Lord gave them meat, but also struck them with a plague that killed many of them.
After a few more days and miles even Miriam and Aaron began to grumble, complaining about Moses. They both had positions of responsibility: Miriam was a prophetess and Aaron, the high priest. Yet, they resented the superior leadership position of their brother. In response, God told them that their complaints against Moses were nothing less than complaints against God himself. God struck Miriam with leprosy and she endured seven days of uncleanness outside the camp. She was healed only after Moses prayed for her.
It was the third complaint and the Lord’s third judgment in the relatively brief time since Israel had left the region of Sinai. It was not a good start for the people who had been so blessed by God and were on their way to even greater blessings in the land that God was going to give them. Even if you didn’t know the next part of the story, you might get the idea that the book of Numbers is turning out to be a record of how the people of Israel did their best to mess up God’s plans to bring them into in the Promised Land.
April 15
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Obedience or Rebellion?
Numbers 13:1–14:10a
If you say in your heart, “These nations are greater than I. How can I
dispossess them?” you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.
Deuteronomy 7:17–18 (ESV)
The spies from Israel’s twelve tribes were astonished by seeing firsthand the riches of the land that God promised them. However, they also saw the powerful cities and mighty warriors of Canaan. For most of the spies, their fears were weightier than their happy amazement; they were pessimistic about God’s ability to give them this land.
Caleb and Joshua presented a more optimistic report. They were confident that the Lord could lead Israel into the land and give it to them. Moses and Aaron supported the good report as well, even making clear that the bad report constituted rebellion.
Nevertheless, many people aligned themselves with the faithless spies. They became so agitated that they threatened their leaders with death by stoning. Having come to the borders of the Promised Land they decided that rather than risk their lives under the leadership of God and Moses, they wanted a leader who would take them back to Egypt to serve another master and other gods.
That desire was not only a rejection of Moses and the others whom God had appointed for his people, it was also a rejection of God’s law and even Yahweh himself as Israel’s God. All of God’s work and planning on their behalf was as nothing to the ten spies and the rebellious people who supported them. All of God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants—to install his people in a land of their own and dwell with them—were as nothing to them. In their confidence that they, better than God, knew the next steps they should take, they repeated the original sin of Adam and Eve.
April 16
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The Consequences of Rebellion
Numbers 14
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah… when your fathers put me to the test…though they had seen my work… Therefore I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter my rest.”
Psalm 95:7b-9, 11 (ESV)
God may sometimes delay punishment for rebellion, but he never tolerates rebellion; he did not in this case either. Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb, realizing the danger Israel was in, tore their clothes and fell on their faces before the Lord. Moses pled with God not to change his mind or go back on his promises. He asked that God would bring Israel into the land so that God’s strength might be displayed and his character confirmed—both his love and mercy and his concern for justice.
God heard Moses’s prayer, but said he would delay leading the people to their inheritance until all the disobedient adults of that generation had died. God’s judgment was hard but gracious, too, for God did not go back on his covenant. Yes, the people who sinned had to be punished; God let them see the consequences of their choice for independence from him. The first to die in the desert—by a plague—were the ten unfaithful spies. But God did not reject his promise. He merely postponed its fulfillment to the following generation.
As so often happens in the aftermath of judgment, the people recognized how foolish they’d been. Not content, however, to accept the dismal reward of their rebellion, they tried to gain the inheritance on their own. But they failed miserably without God’s presence and leading.
This story speaks clearly to God’s people today, for we all must repeatedly decide whether to believe and follow God or try to go our own way. And we all must repeatedly decide whether or not to honor his timing, waiting patiently when God requires it, and moving ahead despite fear when he directs active response.
April 17
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Sin’s Effects in Successive Generations
Numbers 14:18
The wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
Ezekiel 18:20b (ESV)
Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities.
Lamentations 5:6 (ESV)
Although God holds no person responsible for the sin of another, sin does have natural consequences that echo in families for generations. Our children are affected not only by what we might call gross sins. All sin bears evil fruit, and part of that fruit is in the impact it has upon the lives and character of our children.
This is not to make us despair, but to give parents yet another motivation for keeping short accounts with God. God expects all of his people to be open to his correction, and even to invite his revelation of sin in our lives. When we become aware of sin we must confess it and repent as soon as possible. We do this, not only for our own benefit, but also for the benefit of our children. They will have fewer consequences of our sin to deal with. And they will hopefully learn to imitate our readiness to confess sin.
Just as in families, so also one culture can be relatively better or worse than another. One culture may send on to its heirs relatively more blessings or evil rewards. Every one of us is affected for the good by the righteousness in our culture, and for the bad by the sin in our culture.
Satan is after your children. But so is God, in whose image they are created, and to whom they belong. The legacy that we leave in both our families and our culture will be determined by how well we practice and teach ongoing and active and positive response to God and his word. Pray therefore, for the Holy Spirit to work in us today so that successive generations may not have to reap the bitter fruit of the sin of their ancestors, but may have a better chance to celebrate personally the gracious and loving character of the Lord.
April 18
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More Ingratitude and Rebellion
Numbers 16:1–40
When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron,
the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up
Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. Fire also broke
out in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
Psalm 106:16–18 (ESV)
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram had a grievance that was similar to an earlier protest lodged by Miriam and Aaron (see Num. 12:2). They resented the authority of Moses, arguing that the whole community of Israel had been set apart as holy to the Lord. That much was true. But they erred in supposing that this truth erased all distinctions in responsibility or authority among Israel’s leaders. After all, Moses had not assumed leadership on his own initiative, but at the command of the Lord. Moses announced a test for the following day that would prove who was right.
The rebels had their say prior to the test. In their insolent complaint they referred to Egypt in the very way that God had described the Promised Land, as “a land flowing with milk and honey.” Many in Israel were swayed by the criticism of the prominent men. How soon they had forgotten both their slavery and the rebellion that had condemned them to stay in the desert for years.
Moses was deeply dismayed by the charge that he had usurped power. Even so, he said that the judgment to follow would be shown to be the Lord’s rather than his. He pled that God would not destroy the whole assembly for the rebellion of a few. In that, Moses again proved to be a leader after God’s own heart. For the Lord is never eager to destroy the work of his hands. He judges in order to ensure the accomplishment of his saving plan. God’s judgment here meant that he would not leave his people to a false vision of the milk-and-honey land, but would graciously take them to the real place where they could find the freedom for which God had delivered them from Egypt.
April 19
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The Authority of God’s High Priest
Numbers 16:41–17:13
The former priests were many in number, because they were
prevented by death from continuing in office, but [Jesus] holds his
priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently,
he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:23–25 (ESV)
The people apparently learned little from the judgment on Korah, Dathan, and Abiram; they continued to complain against God’s anointed leaders. Is it any wonder that this generation of Israelites was often referred to in Scripture as a hardhearted and rebellious generation? Not that they were so much worse than their descendants, or any non-Jewish people for that matter. It is too often the case that even those most blessed by God are forgetful of his blessings and prone to complain against him when something doesn’t go their way.
The plague that God sent on these complainers was stopped only by the atonement made by Aaron as Israel’s high priest. Aaron’s position was further verified by a test involving the staffs belonging to Aaron and the other leaders of Israel. The staffs were only dry sticks of wood, but they served as signs of leadership author-ity. These were placed overnight into the Tabernacle, where they remained unchanged except for the staff of Aaron, which had miraculously budded, blossomed, and produced almonds.
This obviously confirmed Aaron as God’s chosen high priest, the first of those certified as priests—mediators between God and Israel. Many other high priests would succeed Aaron; some of them would be faithful to their calling and others would be unfaithful. But not until Jesus would there be a high priest whose atonement would be perfectly complete and permanent. Thank God that rebels such as we can find life and access to God through Christ.
April 20
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The Waters of Quarreling
Numbers 20:1–13, 22–29
They angered [the Lord] at the waters of Meribah,
and it went ill with Moses on their account.
Psalm 106:32 (ESV)
Moses and Aaron stood as faithful mediators between the Lord and Israel. However, they had moments in which it became clear that not even the best of sinful humanity is equal to the challenge of being the mediator that we need. Moses and Aaron both failed at Kadesh. Short of water and tired of dealing with the grumbling Israelites, they prayed to God for relief. But afterwards, instead of speaking to the rock as instructed by the Lord, Moses struck the rock in anger. Water gushed out and the place became known as the Waters of Meribah—the name means quarreling.
Scripture makes clear that the Israelites angered the Lord here with their grumbling. But so did Moses and Aaron on this occasion. God labeled what they did here as rebellion and accused them of not trusting him enough and thereby undermining Israel’s respect for the holiness of God.
Both Aaron and Moses paid a big price for this failure to honor the Lord; they were forbidden entry into the Promised Land. Aaron’s death is recounted at the end of this chapter, and that of Moses in Deuteronomy 34:1–5.
Their disqualification from entering the land should not, however, be taken as a final statement of the Lord’s displeasure. Enough Scripture speaks approvingly of the service of both Aaron and Moses. And the book of Hebrews leaves no doubt that both should be counted among the ancient people who lived by faith, seeking that better country that would come only in Christ. Yet, it should also be clear that grumbling against the Lord is never profitable. This is sometimes difficult in the frustrations of ministry, but all who follow Christ must always seek to trust him and honor him as holy.
April 21
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The Bronze Serpent
Numbers 21:4–9
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 3:14–15 (ESV)
We who read of ancient Israel’s constant frustration and impatience with God and with their leaders may wonder about their exceptionally short memories of the many times God answered their prayers and provided for them.
We should remember, however, that Scripture gives us snapshots of their forty years in the desert. This is not to excuse their rebellions, but to help us realize that what may appear to be exceptional ingratitude for God’s blessings may not be too different from our own. We quickly grow frustrated with the trials of life and usually see only in hindsight how much smaller yesterday’s struggles seem in the light of those we face today. That old hymn is very scriptural when it advises us to Count Your Blessings.
For this sin of Israel God sent venomous snakes among the people. They saw the snakes as a judgment of God and therefore a reason for repentance. But they still had to deal with the poison aftermath of their sin. In answer to their prayers, the Lord told Moses to cast a bronze snake and put it up on a pole where everyone could see it. Those who looked on it in faith were healed. Of course there was no healing power in the figure; it was only a sign of God’s grace. However, many years later an image of the snake had become an object of false worship (see 2 Kings. 18:4).
With the help of the New Testament, we see in that bronze serpent a preview of one without sin who would be lifted up on a pole so that everyone who looks to him in faith might have eternal life. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21).
April 22
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Moab’s Fear of Israel
Numbers 22:1–7
We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of
the Amorites…to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
Joshua 2:10 (ESV)
The Israelites had been dodging hostile forces for about forty years when they set up camp on the plains of Moab just east of the Jordan River across from Jericho. This was a big horde to be in Moabite territory, and Moab was filled with dread, no doubt partly because they were afraid of payback for their earlier refusal to help Israel in their escape from Egypt (see Judg. 11:17).
Moab and King Balak had heard what Israel had done to the Amorites—how they had defeated them and taken over their cities, a mere ten miles away (Num. 21:21–35). Of course, everybody had gods, but it seemed that the God of Israel was somewhat stronger than the others.
The Israelites were quite likely fearful themselves at being so close to hostile forces, even with those recent victories over the Amorites. They wondered when God would say that it was time to enter the Promised Land. But this generation had learned something about waiting on the Lord. So they did that while, unknown to them, Balak planned his next move.
Balak wanted an edge, something more than superior weapons or manpower; it was apparent that ordinary means would not be strong enough to preserve his peoples’ land, life, and possessions. Balak sought supernatural help. Armed with a large fee for such a large task, he sent messengers to the sorcerer Balaam to solicit a powerful curse against Israel.
At the same time, however, God was constantly at work to guard and protect Israel and carry out his purposes. Not only would he frustrate Balak’s plan to curse Israel, he would use Balaam to pronounce blessings on them.
April 23
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Balaam’s Greedy Heart
Numbers 22:8–39
Balaam…loved gain from wrongdoing, but was rebuked for
his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with
human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
2 Peter 2:15–16 (ESV)
On the surface it seems that nothing in Balaam’s conduct was worthy of criticism. He made clear to Balak that he could do nothing against the Lord. Yet, Balaam was intrigued and tempted by Balak’s offer; he coveted the rewards Balak offered and sought permission to earn them. In his heart Balaam was willful and preferred money to serving God. He was a man who loved the wages of wickedness, as both Peter and Jude put it in their New Testament writings. As a result, Balaam’s decision to go made God very angry.
As a sorcerer, Balaam was used to finding out things about the supernatural world from unusual occurrences in the natural one. He should have been able to see from the extremely unusual behavior of his donkey that something unprecedented was happening here. But he was strangely blind; his donkey was able to see more clearly than he. Balaam seems to have been unusually dense as well; the only thing more strange than the donkey speaking to him is that Balaam speaks in turn to the donkey.
Finally God opened Balaam’s eyes to see the Lord himself blocking the way. Then Balaam fell on his face in terror. He had thought that he could play around with sorcery and curses against the chosen people of the Almighty Lord of heaven and earth. How foolish it is to give oneself to causes that are not God’s own.
Now, at least temporarily, Balaam thought better of it and offered to go back home. However, God had other plans. He would use both Balak’s initiative against the Israelites and Balaam’s greedy heart to proclaim the blessings in store for Israel.
April 24
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Blessings Instead of Curses
Numbers 23–24
The Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the
Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you,
because the Lord your God loved you.
Deuteronomy 23:5 (ESV)
After much feasting and many sacrifices, to the chagrin and astonishment of Balak if not also to the surprise of Balaam, the sorcerer spoke out blessings instead of curses on Israel. The Spirit of God gave Balaam four oracles of blessing for Israel. In short, here is what he said about God’s chosen people:
· Israel would be separate from the other nations, blessed with descendants as uncountable as dust, and could look forward to a wonderful future.
· Israel had been rescued by God from Egypt, and now enjoyed the presence of God with them, and was becoming more and more strong and victorious.
· Israel was destined to live in a paradise, following a great king, with the assurance of blessings to continue and curses against them to be ineffective.
· Israel would give rise to a coming ruler who would lead God’s people to ultimate and permanent victory.
This was much more than a local squabble with temporary significance. It was a revelation of what God had been doing and was planning for the future. God’s promises to Abraham were coming true. God had won the battle with Pharaoh over the right to govern his people and enjoy their worship, and he was now getting ready to settle them in the land he had promised. He would never stop working until all opposition had disappeared.
The security and blessing prophesied for ancient Israel is even surer for God’s people today. All who have inherited these blessings and more in Christ may know that, in a world full of spiritual conflict, God is always with us. He will continue growing his kingdom until all his purposes have been accomplished.
April 25
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God Doesn’t Tolerate Double-Loving
Numbers 25
You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught
Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they
might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
Revelation 2:14 (ESV)
God’s wonderful word through Balaam was followed by great sin in Israel. It was sin in which Balaam had a hand; he may have been the one to suggest that Moab’s women could bring the harm to Israel that God had prevented him from accomplishing. Israel was a threat only insofar as it remained the special people of God. Moab was not opposed to intermarrying or to allowing Israel to add their own favorite god to the gods Moab worshiped. If the Israelites joined in the religious and cultural practices of Moab, they would no longer be a threat.
However it started, some of Israel’s men began to join in the worship of Moab’s fertility gods. Even though this happened outside of Israel’s camp, it violated God’s law against unfaithfulness in marriage. Even worse, Israel’s immorality constituted spiritual adultery and was a direct affront to God who claimed the exclusive worship of his people and the credit for the fertility of their flocks and people. God punished Israel with a plague.
Zimri, in demonstration of even greater contempt for the covenant, brought a Midianite girl inside Israel’s camp and even into his tent. Phinehas, priest and grandson of Aaron, killed them both, acting with the righteous anger of God to root out this terrible, nation-destroying sin. Only by this, and the execution of the other offenders, did the plague come to an end.
We no longer have the warrant to punish physical and spiritual adultery in this way. Yet all Christians are called to vigilance and self-discipline in order to prevent unholy compromise in their own lives. God may delay punishment for double-loving, but whoever does it must give account in the Judgment.
April 26
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An Inheritance for All God’s People
Numbers 27:1–11
Has not God chosen those who are poor in the
world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom,
which he has promised to those who love him?
James 2:5 (ESV)
The inheritors of God’s promises to Abraham included those who were normally given little regard by the cultures of that day: foreigners, women, and children. It was standard practice in the ancient world, including Israel, for the inheritance to be passed on through the sons of the family. All the others in a household would be enfranchised by virtue of their connection to a son.
That system worked to a degree. But it offered little in the way of protection against exceptional circumstances. Foreigners, widows, and orphans particularly were at risk after the death of the man through whom they had a share in the inheritance. However, God made a point to protect and provide for them. One provision was that they could live off the tithes of produce brought by the landholders of Israel (Deut. 14:28–29).
The daughters of Zelophehad, however, asked for further consideration. These were five sisters whose father had died without siring a son to receive his family’s share in the Promised Land and ensure protection and provision for his sisters. As a result, their father’s land was destined to pass out of the family.
So the elders of Israel made an exception for these women, ruling that their family might keep its share of the inheritance. They required only that Zelophehad’s daughters marry men of their father’s tribal clan so that the original allotments of land to all the tribes could be maintained (see Num. 36:8).
The decision was perfectly in line with the concerns demonstrated later by Israel’s prophets and by Jesus himself—the condemnation of favoritism to the powerful, and the encouragement of mercy shown to the powerless.
April 27
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United Obedience
Numbers 32:1–32
The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do
what the king and the princes commanded by the word of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 30:12 (ESV)
When the time came to go into the Promised Land and fight to make it their own, the tribes of Gad and Reuben asked Moses if they might be allotted the territory east of the Jordan River.
Moses responded in anger; he interpreted the request as an attempt by these tribes to avoid God’s command to enter into and take the Promised Land. Moses thought these tribes were unwilling to trust God—the same sort of rebellion than had kept the previous generation of Israel wandering in the desert for forty years. So he was harsh with them, calling them a “brood of sinners” and saying that if they persisted, the Lord would again leave the whole of Israel to wander homeless in the desert.
The leaders of Gad and Reuben quickly assured Moses that they did not intend rebellion. They had learned from the negative actions of their ancestors and fully intended to obey the Lord. They only wanted permission to build homes for their families in the land they were to inherit. Then, they promised, their men would gladly help the other tribes to secure their inheritance across the Jordan.
With that explanation, Moses was satisfied of Israel’s united commitment to follow where God led. Israel still did not know the particulars of the challenges that lay ahead of them, but the tribes were united in their commitment to enter the land.
The same commitment to follow where God leads is required of God’s people today. There is no shortcut or good alternative to this. Without unified and faithful obedience, we’re doomed to live a barren and fruitless life. But with obedience Christ’s people secure the fullness of what we’ve received by grace.
April 28
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God’s Unfailing Love and Grace
Deuteronomy 4:32–39; 7:7–11
Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things
present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to
separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38–39 (ESV)
Deuteronomy is a book of sermons in which Moses reminds the people what God has been doing for them and confirms what God will continue to do for them in the new challenges ahead. The people Moses addressed were a different generation than the one that left Egypt. Most of them knew little else than life in the desert. But now they were on the brink of entering the land that God promised Abraham so long ago. It would be a different life for them. They would no longer be nomads living in tents, but settlers with permanent dwellings. Their diet would change as well; the provision of manna would stop, and they would eat the produce of the fertile land of Canaan.
Moses made clear that the fulfillment of God’s promises required a fresh commitment of the people to their covenant with God. But he also emphasized God’s commitment to them. The repeated emphasis of Deuteronomy is that God’s gracious actions are motivated by his undying love for his people (see Deut. 4:37, 10:15, 23:5). God’s love is not fickle like so much of human love; it is as unchanging as God’s own eternal character. Jesus also emphasized this very thing and quoted often from Deuteronomy.
Israel was cautioned, however, never to think of the love of God as something they merited. “God did not choose you,” Moses said, “because you had already prospered and become great” (Deut. 7:7–8). He said further, “Do not say to yourself, ‘The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness’” (Deut. 9:4). It was an important caution; people too often attribute their success more to their own merits than they do to the gracious help of God.
April 29
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Tell Your Children
Deuteronomy 6
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring
them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)
It has been said that God has no grandchildren. This is not to minimize God’s faithfulness to the succeeding generations of those who love him, but merely to affirm that everyone must make their own commitment to God. That’s why God emphasized the constant retelling of the story of his love and faithfulness to the next generations. Then as now, any society or family that shuns or neglects the story of how God came through in the past and leads in the present, and what he has in mind for the future, is fighting a losing battle with their children.
The telling of this story must be accompanied by a life of spiritual integrity. In fact, the single greatest thing parents can do to promote the spiritual health of their children is to make sure that they themselves are walking closely with God. Parents must root out and destroy the idols of their own hearts, and as much as is appropriate, model this for their children.
Moses specifically concentrated on one of these idols—materialism. Prosperity can make you forget that everything you have is a gift of God. It can also make you careless so that you turn from worshiping the Lord to worshiping his gifts. So Moses was clear that when God blessed his people by giving them a home they were not to forget the Lord who freed them from slavery in Egypt and gave them that home.
There are probably many more influences on children today than were found in Israel, where most of the education was up to parents. Notable among these are the schools our children attend and the media they consume. This complicates the task given today’s parents and Christian community. Nevertheless, our task is the same; we must impress God’s commands on our children.
April 30
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Blessed to Bless
Deuteronomy 8:10–20
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.
It is through this craving that some have wandered away
from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV)
Moses did not give many specifics on how to manage wealth. But the basic principle is as clear for us as it was for Israel. We are called to remember that everything we have—possessions, as well as the ability to increase them—is a gift from the Lord our God. If we remember this single thing, which is the thrust of many other Scripture passages as well, then we have a chance at pleasing God with how we handle the resources he’s given us. But if we forget the source of our blessings—including the wealth that we have—then we are certain to stumble and fall.
Israel became a case in point. In later years the hearts of Israel’s kings and people became proud and they forgot how much they owed God for their land and their lives. As a result, God eventually allowed the nation to be overthrown by its enemies and the people to be sent into exile. We must never become so proud and forgetful. So we must cultivate a biblical understanding of the various idols that undermine the worship of God, especially the fiction that we may do as we please with the wealth we possess. Do not underestimate your own vulnerability to the love of money and things.
The proper question for Christians is not: “How much do I have to give to keep God off my back?” but “Where can I find additional resources to use in God’s service; how can I contribute more to his work?” If we are not rich toward God from the heart, we are idolaters and must repent and turn from that, being faithful in little things as well as in great things. We cannot be mastered by both the Lord and love for money. Unfaithfulness in managing wealth is unrighteousness, and that affects our eternal destiny.
May 1
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Alternative Consequences
Deuteronomy 28
Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
Proverbs 10:6–7 (ESV)
The book of Deuteronomy deals extensively with the blessings that follow obedience and the curses that follow disobedience to God’s commands. Blessings for obedience include health and well-being for children, livestock, and crops, as well as prosperity, success in life, and protection from enemies. Blessings abound for those who are faithful to the covenant with God.
The curses are just the opposite; they spell disaster for children, livestock, and crops, and result in exposure to enemies, poverty, failure, disease, slavery, sorrow, pain, scorn, etc. The curses that result from disobedience to God’s covenant commands leave people terrorized and despairing.
We can see the truth of this in Israel’s history. When the people were faithful, they were richly blessed, but ultimately they were unfaithful and, as a result, suffered the curses associated with covenant unfaithfulness, including exile from the Promised Land.
Many blessings and curses that came upon Israel and that come upon people today are simply natural consequences of obedience or disobedience. Not every hardship is evidence of God’s judgment; even the most faithful of God’s people endure hardship. Nor is every blessing an evidence of godly living. But it is always better to live in a way that honors the one who gave us life and without whose constant care we have neither life nor hope. We can be confident as we do, that “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28)
May 2
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Moses’s Parting Challenge
Deuteronomy 30:11–31:8
As for that [seed] in the good soil, they are those who,
hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and
good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Luke 8:15 (ESV)
As Moses neared the end of his life, he considered again the long history of the gracious and loving actions God had taken to save his people and bring them into covenant with himself. He also reviewed the promised blessings that would follow obedience, and the curses that were sure to follow disobedience.
Israel had already received many blessings from the Lord. Still, living in covenant with God had proved to be difficult. Israel had failed on multiple occasions to trust and love God above all and so had experienced his curses along with his blessings. And now that Moses would no longer be Israel’s leader, the people were afraid that they would find it even harder to please God.
Nevertheless, Moses reassured Israel that what God commanded was not beyond their ability to obey. Moses would no longer be around. Nor would God lead as he had done for forty years in the desert—by a pillar of cloud and fire. Even so, Moses reassured both Israel and his successor, Joshua, that the Lord would go with them and never leave nor forsake them. Therefore, they didn’t have to be afraid.
The key to their success would be their attention to God’s word. The main problem would not be that they would not know what to do or which way to go; it would be the will to obey what God had put in their hearts and mouths. Behind Israel lay the wilderness and Egypt with all that they implied about separation from God and being under foreign domination. In front of them was the Promised Land—a new paradise—where Israel could live without fear, directed and sustained by the word and presence of God while continuing in wholehearted service to him.
Last modified: Thursday, August 9, 2018, 3:09 PM